Could 2012 be the year the Apple iPhone finally gets some serous and real competition from its competitors? It's looking that way with all the chit chatter about the Samsung Galaxy S3. The previous devices sold well, even better when you consider the Galaxy S2. However, it still wasn't enough to be compared with the sales of the less powerful Apple iPhone 4S. The Galaxy S3 is expected to launch this year, and Android fans are betting that Samsung could churn out its most successful Galaxy smartphone yet.

Here's why.

Ceramic Design

Samsung is a company that seems to love plastic. Probably because it is cheaper. We don't know. While other manufactures are using higher quality materials on their high end smartphone devices to match the premium consumers are paying, Samsung stuck with plastic. This could change with the Galaxy S3 if rumors hold any footing.

Samsung could go with a ceramic casing. It's scratch proof, but expensive and easy to break. Unless Samsung has a special way to protect its baby from damage, we doubt the company will go with ceramic. But hey, you never know.

Quad Core Processor

We have no doubt that Samsung will force a Quad Core processor into the Galaxy 3, making it the most powerful Android smartphone ever conceived by a manufacturer. No idea about the clock speed, but we understand that Samsung plans to ditch Qualcomm and exclusively use its own Exynos 5 chipsets for all future devices.

12MP Camera and 2GB RAM

Rumors are popping up that the Samsung Galaxy S3 will come fully featured with 2GB RAM and a 12-megapixel camera. This would surely set the bar a little too high for other manufacturers to follow when you take the price into the equation. 12-megapixel cannot be compared to the Nokia 808 PureView's 41-megapixel sharpshooter. Nevertheless, it would be a huge achievement. On the matter about the 2GB RAM, it's possible. We're just not that sure about a 12-megapixel camera though. 8-megapixel is more realistic.

Carrier pre-orders already on the way

According to Eldar Murtazin, carriers are already pre-ordering the Samsung Galaxy S3, and apparently it is higher than the Galaxy S2, which went on the achieve sales of over 20 million units.

Launch date: May 22

That's what we are hearing - a release date set for May 22. If this is the case, it could be the reason why Samsung didn't announce the Galaxy S3 at MWC 2012. Expect the company to announce this beast at its own event, coupled with pricing and everything you need to know.

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich

This is a rumor that shouldn't have been, we don't see how Samsung could be crazy enough to launch its new flagship smartphone with an older version of Android. Madness, and this isn't Sparta.

Other rumors

4G LTE is tipped to be a part of the Galaxy S3. Along with it, expect a 4.8-inch HD display (1,280 x 720 pixels). Latest rumors claim, Galaxy S3 could come with dual booting feature so that users have option to choose Samsung's TouchWiz UI or Android ICS. Other rumors claim Galaxy S3's biggest secret weapon could be wireless charging technology, which would allow the smartphone to be charged wirelessly at a distance of 1-2 meters away from the charger.

(reported by Vamien MacKalin, edited by Surojit Chatterjee)

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