Samsung Galaxy R to Hit UK Market Before iPhone 5 debut

Samsung Galaxy R also known as i9103BUK, which is set to replace Samsung Galaxy S II, is likely to be available in UK SIM-free and without contract.

Expansys has put it on pre-order, though it has not come up with pricing or delivery details. "If you place a pre-order for this product now, we will not ship the product or charge your credit card without confirming you still wish to proceed when stock arrives. There are no cancellation charges," said the retailer's Web site.

The Samsung Galaxy R is expected to come with a 1 GHZ nVinda Tegra dual core Soc to replace the Cortes A-8-based Samsung Hummingbird Soc.

The screen will almost have the same resolution as Samsung Galaxy S—a 4.19 inch WVGA Super LCD capacitive screen but it will not have a Super AMOLED screen.

Most of the hardware specifications are as that of Samsung Galaxy S—a five megapixel camera with AF and LED flash plus a 1.3-megapixel front facing camera, Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread with Samsung's own TouchWiz UI v4.0, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB, DLNA, A-GPS, a microSD memory card slot, a 1650mAh battery all in a chassis that's only 9.5mm thick. It will have 8GB of internal storage space and has the ability to additionally expand up to 40GB using a 32GB microSDHC card.

The device is expected to come by the end of August, before the debut of the iPhone 5.

Expansys is a major retailer of smartphones and handheld devices.