Samsung Confirms Canadian Galaxy S3 Coming June 20th with 2GB of RAM & Dual-Core S4

[dgstorm]

If any of our Canadian readers were worried that their version of the Samsung Galaxy S III would be a little bit neutered in order to squeeze in LTE capabilities, they are both right and wrong. Samsung just issued a press release sharing that the Canadian version of the SGS3 will be coming on June 20th, and that it will feature the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Dual-Core processor instead of the Exynos Quad-Core; however, their press release also shared some bright news regarding the phone. Apparently, to make up for the processor deficit, the superphone will come with a whopping 2GB of RAM instead of the usual 1GB.

Interestingly, this matches up with previous rumors that the Japanese version of the phone would also come with the same processor and RAM configuration. What the Japanese and Canadian markets have in common is that they are both heavy LTE markets. This bodes well for the United States version also coming with 2GB of RAM. Here is the full press release:

The Samsung GALAXY S III provides Canadians with a more human smartphone experience
Designed for humans and inspired by nature, the Samsung GALAXY S III brings the best combination of power and performance to the Canadian marketplace
MISSISSAUGA, ON, May 30, 2012 /CNW/ - Samsung Electronics Canada, today announces the models details and availability date of the much-anticipated GALAXY S III. Beginning June 20th, the Samsung GALAXY S III will be available through leading Canadian wireless carriers and authorized national retailers.
"We are very excited to bring the highly anticipated GALAXY S III to Canadians so they can experience firsthand, the power, performance and passion that Samsung is known for," said Paul Brannen, Vice President, Enterprise Business Group, Samsung Canada. "This next generation of the GALAXY S series is sleek and stylish, and offers users features that promote sharing, and are intuitive and powerful, allowing Canadians to enjoy a more human experience with their smartphone."
Natural Interaction
Smart enough to detect face, voice and motions, the GALAXY S III adapts to the user, providing users an interface that is convenient and natural.
With the innovative 'Smart stay' feature, the GALAXY S III recognizes how the user is using their device such as, reading an e-book or browsing the web. By having the front camera identify eye motion the phone maintains a bright display for continued viewing pleasure.
The GALAXY S III features 'S Voice,' an advanced natural language user interface, to listen and respond to user commands. S Voice presents powerful functions in regards to device control and commands, such as allowing the user to play a favorite song, turn the volume up or down, send text messages and emails, organize schedules, or automatically launch the camera and capture a photo.
With 'Smart alert' the GALAXY S III will alert the user by catching any missed messages or calls with a vibration to notify missed statuses when picked up after being idle. If the user is messaging someone but decide to call them instead, they can simply lift phone to their ear and 'Direct call' will dial their number.
Easy and Instant Sharing
The Samsung GALAXY S III is more than a personal device that can be enjoyed by one user - it wants to share and experience smartphone benefits with family and friends, regardless of location with the following features:
With the new 'S Beam,' the GALAXY S III expands upon Android™ Beam™, allowing a 1GB movie file to be shared within three minutes and a 10MB music file within two seconds by simply touching another GALAXY S III phone, even without a Wi-Fi or cellular signal.
The 'Buddy photo share' function also allows photos to be easily and simultaneously shared with all friends pictured in an image directly from the camera or the photo gallery.
'AllShare Play' can be used to instantly share any forms of files between GALAXY S III and tablet, PC, and televisions that are DLNA enabled, regardless of the distance between the devices.
The 'Group Cast' feature that allows users to share their screen among multiple friends on the same Wi-Fi network; users can comment and draw changes at the same time as co-workers- witnessing real-time sharing on individual devices.
The preloaded 'Dropbox' application provides an even more convenient sharing experience, supplying 50GB of free storage for two years for not just image and music files, but now also for video content. With the GALAXY S III files can also be instantly uploaded through data networks without requiring WiFi access.
Uncompromised Performance
With a 4.8" HD Super AMOLED display, the GALAXY S III offers a large and vivid viewing experience. Samsung Mobile's heritage Super AMOLED display even enhances to HD and 16:9 wider viewing angles. To ensure faster content sharing and connectivity, the GALAXY S III offers Wi-Fi Channel Bonding which doubles the Wi-Fi bandwidth.
The GALAXY S III not only presents features with enhanced usability, but also provides an ergonomic and comfortable experience through its human-centric design. Its comfortable grip, gentle curves, and organic form deliver a rich human-centric feel and design. Available in Pebble Blue and Marble White at launch, Samsung will introduce a variety of additional color options.
The GALAXY S III also sports a range of additional features that boost performance and the overall user experience in entirely new ways, with features such as:
'Pop up play,' users can play a video anywhere on their screen while simultaneously running other tasks, eliminating the need to close and restart videos when checking new emails or surfing the Web.
An 8MP camera features a zero-lag shutter speed that lets users capture moving objects easily without delay, with the'Burst shot' function that instantly captures twenty continuous shots, and the 'Best photo' feature that selects the best of eight photographs, the GALAXY S III ensures users a more enhanced and memorable camera experience.
HD video can be recorded even with the 1.9MP front-facing camera, which users can use to capture a video of themselves. An improved backside illumination sensor further helps to eliminate blur in photos that result from shaking, even under low light conditions.
With Samsung Hubs, users can continually refresh phone content through the 'Game Hub,' which provides access to numerous social games, while Video Hub, a new service offering to the Canadian marketplace, brings users high quality TV and movies for rent . Furthermore, Samsung Music Hub will offer a personal music streaming service.
The GALAXY S III will be available for purchase in Canada starting on June 20, 2012. Samsung is pleased to be working with all of the leading wireless providers in Canada, to give our customers a choice of service provider. The SGH-i747 variation of the GALAXY S III will be available from Bell Mobility, Virgin Mobile, SaskTel, TELUS and Rogers Wireless. The SGH-iT999 model will be available from Videotron, Wind and Mobilicity.
Additional Features Include:
Processor:
Snapdragon S4 Dual Core 1.5 GHz
Qualcomm MSM8960 Chipset
OS (Shipping): ICS 4.0.4
Data: LTE (SGH-i747 variation) and HSPA+ 42 (SGH-iT999 variation)
Memory: 2 GB RAM
Dimensions: 136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6 mm
Weight: 133g
Memory: 16/32GB internal memory (SGH-i747)/ 16GB internal memory (SGH-iT999)
Expandable microSD up to 32GB
Display: 4.8 HD Super AMOLED 1280x720 (306ppi)
Connectivity: NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, DLNA, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, MHL Video Out
Camera: 8MP Rear-facing, 1.9MP Front-facing
Battery: 2100 mAh
Other:
TouchWiz with Motion UX
S Beam
AllShare Play enhance functionality
MP3/ACC+/WAV audio player
DivX/Xvid/MP4/WMV/H.263/ H.264 Video Player
For pre-orders, specific pricing and details, please visit your nearest carrier or retailer. For multimedia content and more detailed information, please visit Samsung Mobile Press. In addition, you can find a product introduction video at Samsung GALAXY S III.
* All functionality, features, specifications and other product information provided in this document including, but not limited to, the benefits, design, pricing, components, performance, availability, and capabilities of the product are subject to change without notice or obligation.
＊Android, Google, Android Beam, Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail, Google Latitude, Google Play, Google Plus, YouTube, Google Talk, Google Places, Google Navigation, Google Downloads are trademarks of Google Inc.

Source: S3Forums

 

[tjk629]

Out of curiosity, what countries have LTE?

 

[syndicate0017]

I don't understand the need for 2GB RAM at this point...unless you are doing some crazy multi-tasking, it's useless. Our phones aren't replacing our computers yet, and unless they start being able to perform some of the RAM-intensive processes that computers are capable of, upgrading the RAM is nothing of significance imo.

I know that hardware generally comes along much quicker than software, but aren't we nearing the point of tapering off in the hardware department (aside from the battery)? Shouldn't we be focuing on running software to get the most out of our phones already extensive capabilities, rather than simply putting more hardware into something (that for 99.9% of the population wont' even notice in d2d operation)?

 

[johnomaz]

I'm sorry, but the US is somehow the red headed stepchild of the phone world these days. I bet we'll get 1gb of RAM and the S4 processor, but with one core disabled.

 

[BJPalmer85]

am i missing something here?

i thought the point of the SGS3 was the quad-core processor. why bother getting it without the quad-core? its like buying a Ferrari with a 4 cylinder engine.....makes no sense!

B

 

[syndicate0017]

am i missing something here?

i thought the point of the SGS3 was the quad-core processor. why bother getting it without the quad-core? its like buying a Ferrari with a 4 cylinder engine.....makes no sense!

B

The Exynos isn't compatible with the LTE here for some reason.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[BJPalmer85]

The Exynos isn't compatible with the LTE here for some reason.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

still defeats the purpose. The SGS3 was supposed to be the first quad-core phone on the market. either release it now on 3G or wait till you work out the bugs for it to drop on LTE. dont pull the quad-core just to push the phone. it makes no sense. if they were that money hungry they would have kept the quad-core and released a 3G and LTE model.

B

 

[Adrozz07]

I'm pretty sure that more ram is worse for battery.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[tgyberg]

I don't understand the need for 2GB RAM at this point...unless you are doing some crazy multi-tasking, it's useless. Our phones aren't replacing our computers yet, and unless they start being able to perform some of the RAM-intensive processes that computers are capable of, upgrading the RAM is nothing of significance imo.

I know that hardware generally comes along much quicker than software, but aren't we nearing the point of tapering off in the hardware department (aside from the battery)? Shouldn't we be focuing on running software to get the most out of our phones already extensive capabilities, rather than simply putting more hardware into something (that for 99.9% of the population wont' even notice in d2d operation)?

Agreed, I never come close to using the full gig of ram that I have now. And look at the D3, it's not choking with only 512mb either..

 

[tgyberg]

still defeats the purpose. The SGS3 was supposed to be the first quad-core phone on the market. either release it now on 3G or wait till you work out the bugs for it to drop on LTE. dont pull the quad-core just to push the phone. it makes no sense. if they were that money hungry they would have kept the quad-core and released a 3G and LTE model.

B

I watched a video of the S4 vs a quad core cpu and there was virtually no difference.

 

[BJPalmer85]

I watched a video of the S4 vs a quad core cpu and there was virtually no difference.

if thats true than either the test wasnt intensive enough or the quad-core needs to go back to the drawing board. by definition the quad-core should have noticeable differences.

B

 

[syndicate0017]

Agreed, I never come close to using the full gig of ram that I have now. And look at the D3, it's not choking with only 512mb either..

Exactly. I can run 2GB on a computer just fine and it can do a lot more RAM-intensive stuff than I can on my phone. Like you, I have 1GB RAM and am never remotely close to filling it. Part of that is thanks to the way Android kills off background processes and manages memory, but I don't even notice it in my operation. I can seemlessly flip between many tasks. Until the software starts to catch up, these hardware improvements mean nothing.

 

[tjk629]

Double post.

 

[tjk629]

I don't understand the need for 2GB RAM at this point...unless you are doing some crazy multi-tasking, it's useless. Our phones aren't replacing our computers yet, and unless they start being able to perform some of the RAM-intensive processes that computers are capable of, upgrading the RAM is nothing of significance imo.

I know that hardware generally comes along much quicker than software, but aren't we nearing the point of tapering off in the hardware department (aside from the battery)? Shouldn't we be focuing on running software to get the most out of our phones already extensive capabilities, rather than simply putting more hardware into something (that for 99.9% of the population wont' even notice in d2d operation)?

RAM is super cheap right now. So, it's kind of a whatever move for Samsung. Ultimately, it's not that big of a deal.

still defeats the purpose. The SGS3 was supposed to be the first quad-core phone on the market. either release it now on 3G or wait till you work out the bugs for it to drop on LTE. dont pull the quad-core just to push the phone. it makes no sense. if they were that money hungry they would have kept the quad-core and released a 3G and LTE model.

B

You could still have an exynos CPU and LTE. The LTE radio just wouldn't be part of the SoC. So there would be bulk to the phone. Which as we know is a no no.

 

[sargentmajord]

I don't understand the need for 2GB RAM at this point...unless you are doing some crazy multi-tasking, it's useless. Our phones aren't replacing our computers yet, and unless they start being able to perform some of the RAM-intensive processes that computers are capable of, upgrading the RAM is nothing of significance imo.

I know that hardware generally comes along much quicker than software, but aren't we nearing the point of tapering off in the hardware department (aside from the battery)? Shouldn't we be focuing on running software to get the most out of our phones already extensive capabilities, rather than simply putting more hardware into something (that for 99.9% of the population wont' even notice in d2d operation)?

Well think of it this way right now the dual core is car that can go 75 mph an the front side bus is the speed limit which i would assume is slower than the processor most smart phones are an the ram is the freeway. so yes we have a really fast car an yes we have a freeway that is wide enough to support more cars (ie. Data) with the 2 gigs of ram which i personally believe is the perfect amount for dual an quad cores way to much for single cores.
But when we start getting into cpus of higher computing power or more cores which will probably be awhile before we see one in a smartphone then 2 gigs of ram comes into question what they need to focus on is the fronside bus speed no one really ever looks at that. they only look at the cpu an ram well people ur device is only as fast as ur front side bus.
so unless u upgrade the frontside bus ur phone will only get incremental improvements as u upgrade the cpu an ram an can also be more prone to data congestion cuz unless u increase the frontside bus u have to keep adding ram to offset the congestion an u keep adding higher end cpus to increase the speed where the frontside bus is limiting u an causing the problem