Samsung Galaxy S II

At this point, Samsung’s Galaxy S III is beginning to feel like the next iPhone — at least when it comes to rumors.

The latest report pegs the phone with a 4.8-inch screen — 0.2 inches larger than Google’s Galaxy Nexus — and a luxurious ceramic back, sources tell the mobile site Boy Genius Report.

The large screen size wouldn’t be too surprising, especially given how much Samsung is trying to push the 5.3-inch Galaxy Note as a smartphone. And the addition of better rear material would certainly help to improve Samsung’s building quality.

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I’ve been a big fan of Samsung’s Galaxy S line since it initially launched, but they’ve always felt a bit too cheap and plasticky to me. Even the Samsung-built Galaxy Nexus suffers from cheap feeling plastic rear. A ceramic back would feel better in the hand and be more durable than plastic. It would also give Samsung a way to differentiate the Galaxy S III from Apple’s all-glass iPhone 4(S) design.

At this point, the Galaxy S III is expected to sport a quad-core processor (a given, after all the quad-core phones at Mobile World Congress), better cameras, and may end up being just 7 millimeters thick.

BGR also reports that the Galaxy S III may launch in over 50 markets simultaneously, which echoes HTC’s goal to launch its new HTC One phones worldwide in April.

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