Samsung Galaxy S III for Sprint review, price, availability, and more

Sprint is the first US carrier to roll out Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean to Samsung's Galaxy S III, with the over the air update available starting today. In addition to the usual upgrades that come along with Jelly Bean, the device has received enhancements to its camera and the Pop Up Play feature. Also included in the update is a new Easy Mode for simplifying the home screens, Blocking Mode so users can disable calls and notifications for a designated period of time, and more keyboard options, including Swype. Additionally, owners will have access to One Touch NFC Pairing and the AllShare Cast Wireless Hub for mirroring to HDTVs or HDMI displays.

Last week, Samsung stated that the US versions of its flagship will be getting Android 4.1 "in the coming months," and it looks like the company is keeping to its promise — hopefully this means that the remaining carriers will be delivering Jelly Bean in the near future as well.

Manufacturing issues delayed Samsung's Galaxy S III from hitting shelves, forcing Sprint to backpedal on its original June 21st release date — but now the carrier says the smartphone will be available starting Sunday, July 1st. As previously mentioned, Sprint will be selling a 16GB version for $199.99 and a 32GB version for $249.99 on a two-year contract. Sprint said it had already begun shipping pre-orders of the 16GB version on June 20th, but it was unable to fulfill 32GB orders in the original release window.

There's no updated release date yet, but in practice, the news doesn't have much effect: Sprint had already said that customers would only be able to buy the phone online and through telesales tomorrow, while brick and mortar locations would be part of the second wave. Additionally, those who pre-ordered the 16GB model should still start to receive their phones on schedule tomorrow — 32GB pre-orders, meanwhile, should start to arrive next week.

Here's the full statement:

The HTC Evo 4G LTE's undisputed reign as Sprint's best Android phone might be over — Samsung's Galaxy S III is coming to the carrier starting tomorrow. We reviewed the international version of the handset a few weeks ago, and unlike most devices that review holds nearly all the information US customers need too. That's because Samsung pulled an impressive coup and was able to release the same phone with the same name on all four major US carriers — Sprint, Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile — along with C Spire and US Cellular. No matter where you buy it, you're buying the Galaxy S virtually unchanged from the device we reviewed across the pond.

We spent some time with the Sprint Galaxy S III variant ahead of its launch, and by and large found we're not jealous of our UK friends. The international version of the Galaxy S III has a lot going for it: its quad-core Exynos processor is blisteringly fast, its camera is excellent, and from S Voice to Kies Air its software adds features to Android that actually make sense. On the flip side, the build quality and display are solid without equalling the HTC One X (or the Evo 4G LTE), and Samsung's unwillingness to provide timely updates for its phones remains a problem. Still, we'd place the Galaxy S III among the best two or three Android phones on the market, and almost nothing was lost in translation as the phone came to America.

How do you review a phone like the Galaxy S III? It’s already been subject to so much speculation, exposure, and early judgment — some of it coming from myself, admittedly — that it feels overwhelming to try and condense what it means to everyone into a single treatise. To Samsung, it’s the new flagship handset to keep the company ahead of every other Android OEM through 2012, for most people it’s a device that stretches the definition of the smartphone form factor, and to mobile gaming enthusiasts it’s potentially the most powerful platform yet.

Being a spec leader isn’t new to Samsung, but the Galaxy S III betrays an even loftier ambition: South Korea’s largest chaebol wants to also be known as a front runner in software. Android 4.0 is the basis upon which Samsung has built a formidable list of new and returning enhancements: S Beam, S Memo, S Planner, S Voice, Smart Stay, Direct Call, and even a limited-term exclusive of the Flipboard Android app. Throwing in 50GB of free Dropbox storage for two years makes Samsung’s offering seem comprehensive, but is it cohesive? That’ll be the primary question to answer for people wondering if the long wait for the Galaxy S III has been worth it.