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Korean Samsung Galaxy S III could be the world's first quad-core LTE phone available (update)

Korean Samsung Galaxy S III could be the world's first quad-core LTE phone available (update)

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Reports are coming out of South Korea that the local variant will feature LTE support and 2GB RAM as well as the quad-core Exynos processor.

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Samsung Galaxy S III pebble blue (STOCK)
Samsung Galaxy S III pebble blue (STOCK)

While the Galaxy S III hasn't been subject to quite the same level of region-specific chopping and changing as its predecessor, various carriers and countries are offering Samsung's new flagship with differing components beneath its plastic battery cover. Models with LTE support have been using a dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor in lieu of Samsung's own quad-core Exynos chip, and we've also seen Japanese and Canadian variants with 2GB RAM. Now we can add another configuration to the list — reports are coming out of South Korea that the local variant will feature LTE support and 2GB RAM as well as that quad-core Exynos processor.

The world's first quad-core LTE phone to be released

If true, this could make it the world's first quad-core LTE phone to be released (the upcoming Arrows X from Fujitsu and a rumored LG device notwithstanding) and would match up with reports we heard before the phone's unveiling. Although Samsung hasn't yet made the spec sheet public, both Olleh and the Chosun Ilbo attended a Samsung launch event this morning in Seoul and reported the same details. We're not quite sure how the company has managed to crack the quad-core LTE nut, but we've reached out for clarification and will let you know when we hear more.

Update: Samsung just let us know that the Korean LTE Galaxy S III "includes a quad-Core Exynos application processor and an LTE modem chip separately." This likely explains why it's grown slightly to 9mm in thickness, a 0.4mm gain on the standard model — the battery is the same 2,100mAh unit found elsewhere.

Samsung also announced that the 3G Galaxy S III is available from today in Korea, with the LTE variant coming next month. The Korean models feature an antenna for DMB TV broadcasting, and there's a new video hub with around 500 titles available. Also of note is Voice over LTE support, with all three major carriers planning to roll out the service towards the end of the year.

Hyunhu Jang contributed to this report