Samsung Galaxy S3 launching in July?

The much-anticipated Samsung Galaxy S3 could be launching in July, according to South African network operators, which have made mention of the upcoming smart phone's launch date.

Mybroadband.co.za reports that South African network Cell C has said that the follow-up to the Samsung Galaxy S2 will be on sale by July of this year, while Virgin Mobile said it would be out in the third quarter of 2012, which means July to September.

The S2 launched in the UK in May 2011, and in South Africa in the June/July period. So if Samsung stays true to form, then based on these reports (and with a little mental maths), we could expect the S3 to be launching over here in June.

There's no way to be sure about this, as release dates can vary massively from country to country. But judging from what we know, a summer release date would seem to make sense.

The South Korean company was expected to unveil the S3 at Mobile World Congress, a big trade show that kicks off next week. But it won't be -- instead it's choosing to throw its own party for the S3, which Samsung has promised will take place at some point in the first half of the year.

Very Apple-esque, I think you'll agree. And I suspect Samsung will be looking to get the S3 on sale as soon as possible after its announcement. So a proper UK launch in the first half of this fine year is definitely on the cards.

In terms of what the S3 will actually look like, very little is known. But I'm expecting a 720p screen, and perhaps a quad-core processor too. Tell me what you'd like to see in the comments below or on our Facebook wall, and check out this video guide to the S3.