UPDATE: Sprint, Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T and US Cellular have formally announced the Galaxy S3 as well.
It took a while, but Samsung has officially confirmed that their famed Galaxy S III smartphone is coming soon to five major US carriers. Customers on AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and U.S. Cellular can all look forward to the device arriving with 4G LTE and HSPA+ 42 connectivity in mind this June.
“The Galaxy S III is the most innovative smartphone on the market today. It is an industry first to see five major carriers align behind the launch of a single device virtually simultaneously,” said Todd Pendleton, Chief Marketing Officer for Samsung Telecommunications America. “To support the immense excitement for the Galaxy S III we will execute our biggest marketing campaign ever. Consumers won’t be able to miss why this device is the must-have smartphone.”
The US models will feature a 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display with Gorilla Glass 2.0, Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB or 32GB of internal storage (expandable with microSD), an 8 megapixel rear camera, 1.9 megapixel front-facing camera, and a removable 2100 mAh battery. It will be offered in the familiar Marble White and Pebble Blue colors we’ve been seeing overseas. It also seems the handset will maintain the original exterior design, but with subtle branding of the respective carrier on the battery door. As for software, the Galaxy S3 runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with TouchWiz enhancements, like the UI, S-Beam, S-Voice and Smart Stay features.
Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait for each carrier to announce exact pricing and availability, but at least we finally have confirmation that it’s coming very, very soon to the aforementioned providers. Strap in!