Samsung Galaxy S Advance moving forward ahead of the S3
It may not be the Samsung Galaxy S3, but Samsung is about to move forward with the Galaxy S Advance GT-i9070.
Samsung may not have made up its mind about when we'll see the Samsung Galaxy S3, but in the meantime it's preparing to advance with the Samsung Galaxy S Advance.
Philipino tech blog Hardwarezone says it's got its hands on the Advance, a dual-core Android smart phone with the model number GT-i9070. It's likely to take a bow at the fast-approachng annual phone show Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
The budget S Advance draws on the original Galaxy S, its hugely successful successor the S2, and the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. It has the original phone's 4-inch, 480x800-pixel screen, but housed in a body with a slight curve like the Nexus S. The S's 5-megapixel camera gets an LED flash.
The curve could be there to move away from the styling that's got Apple hot under the collar, suing Samsung over similarities with the iPhone. Strange then that the Advance has just one physical home button, just like an iPhone.
The Advance is reported to run Android Gingerbread version 2.3.6, which is a disappointment as the Nexus is powered by the newer version, Ice Cream Sandwich.
In the absence of the S3, names for other Galaxy S phones we suggest include Galaxy S Express, Galaxy S Club and Galaxy S Minister. Here's what we know about the S3 so far:
Whether or not the S3 makes it to Barcelona, we certainly will: CNET UK is decamping to MWC in force to make sure you don't miss a single snippet of phone news, previews and videos.
Is the S Advance one step forward or two steps back? Should Samsung stop teasing us and go straight to the Galaxy S3? Advance to the comments or retreat to our Facebook page.
Image credit: Hardwarezone