Samsung Galaxy S3 launch: Android's 'iPhone killer' brings eye-tracking and voice control technology to the smartphone battle

- Samsung unveiled latest flagship smartphone at Apple-style launch party in London

- Eye-tracking and voice-control revealed as key new features

- Owners get 4.8" screen, quad-core processor, NFC payments, and face-recognition

- Wireless charging kit removes the clutter of wires

- Mail Online verdict: 'Samsung has raised the stakes here - and Apple will have to do something truly special to beat this'

Samsung last night unveiled its latest flagship device, the Galaxy S3, the follow-up to last year's best-selling phone in the world.

The smartphone market moves on once more, with the hi-tech voice-controlled Galaxy S3 likely to becomes a standard-bearer for Google’s Android operating system - and a device for the Apple refuseniks.

The phone’s most innovative feature is built-in face-tracking and voice control - allowing, Samsung claims, for a more 'natural' control system.

Other innovations include what Samsung claims is a 'more intelligent' lock system, that keeps the screen 'awake' when the phone’s camera senses eyes watching it, rather than turning it off.

The voice control system is called S Voice - and allows access to weather forecasts, web searches and scheduling, similar to iPhone’s Siri system.

Saying 'I want to take a picture' launches the camera application - and will work in eight languages at launch.

S Voice can also reply out loud - which Samsung claims will allow the system to be used while driving.

Available in blue and white, the phone will be launched at the end of May, starting in Europe, with other regions following.

Samsung played on its expertise in screens with a large 4.8-inch Super AMOLED screen running a resolution of 1280 x 720p - far bigger than Apple’s iPhone, and close in size to the smaller end of the tablet market.

Samsung Galaxy S3

Screen size:

4.8 inch

Processor:

1.4 Ghz quad-core

Memory size:

Up to 32gb (+64gb with card)

Operating system:

Android Ice Cream Sandwich

Camera:

Eight megapixel

Weight:

133grams

Dimensions:

Height - 136mm

Width - 70mm

Depth - 8.5mm

Battery:

2100mAh