Samsung Galaxy S3 Rumors: Phone Won't be Released Before S2 ICS Upgrade Is Complete, Report

A whole host of release date rumors surround the highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy S3 phone, but the device is not expected to launch until the majority of Galaxy S2 phones receive their Android Ice Cream Sandwich update, according to the Pop Herald.

With no official release date confirmed by Samsung, Galaxy fans are speculating that the phone will be released anytime between now and the summer.

The phones predecessor was unveiled at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) last year, and then launched in April, which spurred rumors that the S3 would be out at the same time. But Samsung has said that Galaxy enthusiasts shouldn't hold their breath for a March release, as the phone is likely to come in the middle of the year, closer to the summer, according to a report obtained by News Sizzle.

The success of the S2 is said to be one of the biggest reasons behind the S3's delay; however, experts in the industry say the delay has also been caused by the slow roll out of the Ice Cream Sandwich software on the S2.

Tech bloggers, especially the opinionated ones, agree that Samsung must reach the 100 percent 'Galaxy S2 with Ice Cream Sandwich' status worldwide before selling a new flagship device, like the widely expected Galaxy S3, because it is the best way to convince the buying public that Samsung doesn't abandon customers like other manufacturers, the Pop Herald Reported.

The UK is the latest to receive the upgrade on the O2 network, but S2 owners on other networks including Vodafone, T-Mobile and Orange, will have to wait for the operators to finish testing the update on their devices, according to Tech Radar.

There is no official word on when the upgrade will reach the U.S, but Android enthusiasts could have to wait a little longer after Samsung revealed that the updates would have staggered release dates across the world. In a recent announcement, the U.S. carrier Verizon said the upgrade would be coming to Samsung devices in the near future, but no date was specified.

Meanwhile, AT&T became the first U.S carrier to bring the Android 4.0 updates to one of its devices on Friday. The operator has started rolling out the update on the HTC Vivid.

AT&T also revealed other devices that would be getting the update in the future. These included:

LG Nitro, Motorola ATRIX 2, Motorola ATRIX 4G, Pantech Burst, Pantech Element, Samsung Captivate Glide, Samsung Galaxy Note, Samsung Galaxy S2, Samsung Galaxy S2 Skyrocket and Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9.

The S3 is expected to boast an Exynos 4412 chipset with a quad-core unit, which will apparently be clocked at 1.5GHz.

Early predictions say the S3 will come with a larger screen than that of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, nearer to the 5-inch scale. It is rumored to have an AMOLED plus screen with 1280x720 resolution. If the phone comes with a S5K2P1 chip, it will be able to capture 60fps HD video and 8.3 megapixel images.

Other rumored specs: