samsung galaxy iii

Samsung Galaxy S III: another date, another pic

It's not been the best of years so far for Samsung, has it? Android Ice Cream Sandwich update delays, the Galaxy Tab 2 (or the “that's it?” tablet, if you prefer), and the painfully long Galaxy S III launch build-up.
It's that last one we're dealing with here, although the headline kind of gave it away. A new leak has emerged with a fresh new “press pic” and a claimed UK launch date of May 22.

That's a date we've heard before, of course, but that tells us nothing on its own – it could be confirming a previous rumour that was correct, or simply copying one that wasn't.
As for the pic, it certainly looks enticing – but to these eyes it also looks decidedly fake and regardless of the rather curvacious style of the phone itself, the image style just isn't consistent with Samsung's usual style.
The wording is also a little suspect. We can look past “Fast. Vivid. Slim. What's your Smart life?” as just some overly enthusiastic – if a little clumsy – PR guff. But “New Generation Coming”? What's that all about?
Overall, it gives us enough doubt to declare that this one is almost certainly a fake. But it is interesting that a couple of months ago, when it first became clear that the Galaxy S III wasn't going to launch at Mobile World Congress, a launch date only at the end of May was laughed off as wishful thinking – no doubt from iPhone fans looking for a chink in Samsung's smartphone armour.
Considering we're well into April now and there's still no real sign of anything much happening, we suspect most people would now happily take May 22 as a good result.