The long-awaited successor to the Galaxy S2 will likely land with a really big splash – and it doesn’t matter how big the splash is as the S3’s case is expected to be waterproof.
Plus, the Galaxy S3 is thought to boast a ceramic frame.
Yes, we were a little surprised.
Russian technology blogger Eldar Murtazin has tweeted that the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S3 will sport a ceramic finish. This would mean the smartphone would be light and scratch-resistant but may be more breakable than phones with a metal or plastic case.
Eldar Murtazin also commented that the S3 has had the biggest number of pre-orders for “all Galaxy line history” – and this new Samsung Galaxy S model has a lot to live up, with sales of the current model exceeding 20 million.
And the guys over at TechRadar have spoken to the electronics waterproofing firm P2i, and indicate the Galaxy S3 could arrive with a waterproof exterior.
P2i has said it is in discussions with “large Korean manufacturers” about waterproofing their handsets. The company also wants to set a standard for all manufacturers who make waterproof phones, in order to encourage network take up of these devices because of the minimised need for repairs.
Eric Cohill, COO for P2i said: “There is major interest from carriers in the US to discuss criteria to help against water ingestion for customers. We’re working with major carriers to create a standard of performance [for water repellence] which can give OEMs something to work to when creating smartphones.
“There are several hundred pound gorillas in the phone industry, we’ve got the ‘fruity companies’ and the big Korean brands, and they’re all becoming interested [in our technology] as they don’t want to be second best in the market.”
He added: “There’s a lot more excitement this year, and we’re talking to a major US carrier to set an internal baseline for standards which could affect the decisions these networks make over which phone to range. If it’s fair and consumers respond to it, there’s a good chance it will become a standard and that will help us all.”
Motorola already uses P2i’s technology on its Defy range of tough smartphones.
During CES in January, we heard about Liquipel, a new waterproof coating, also. So it seems the technology is destined to make more appearances on mobile phones in the future.
Whether the Galaxy S3 will sport a ceramic and waterproof case remains to be seen, but it should boast lots of impressive internal features either way – including Ice Cream Sandwich software and quad-core chipset.