Samsung unveils Galaxy S3 smartphone

Samsung has unveiled its latest flagship smartphone - the Galaxy S3. The handset has a 4.8 inch (12.2cm) screen, an increase on the 4.3 inch screen of its predecessor.

The device is perceived to be critical to how people view both Samsung's brand and the Android system it runs.

Analysts say the popularity of the previous Galaxy - the S2 - was a major factor in the firm overtaking Nokia to become the world's best-selling mobilephone maker.

Samsung said that the new Super Amoled (active-matrix organic light-emitting diode) display was 22 percent larger than its predecessor, but the actual device was not much wider since it had shrunk the size of the bezel.

The development allows Samsung to boast it has a slightly larger screen than the 4.7 inch dimensions of the HTC One X, the top of the range model from its Taiwanese rival. It is also significantly bigger than the 3.5 inch display of Apple's iPhone 4S and the 4.3 inch screen of Nokia's Lumia 900.

Samsung may have been influenced by the popularity of its phone/tablet hybrid, the Galaxy Note, which has an even bigger screen and has proved to be more popular than many industry watchers had forecast.

Eye recognition

The South Korean firm said that a mix of "intelligent camera features" and face recognition technology should also offer owners a more natural experience.

For example, it said that the front camera would identify the user's eyes and would not go dark or lock so long as they were looking at it. Other features on the S3 include an 8 megapixel camera on the rear, and a 1.9 megapixel front camera for video calls.

The phone also uses what is described as a "natural language user interface" dubbed S Voice. The South Korean company said it was a major improvement on the voice control features it included on earlier models.

-BBC