Samsung Galaxy S III Hitting Telstra In Australia On October 9th, Will Arrive With Jelly Bean Out Of The Box

We've all heard the old saying "better late with a newer version of Android than never," right? That's how I've always heard it said, and apparently I'm not alone. Telstra just announced its own variant of the Samsung Galaxy S III, which will be available beginning October 9th.

The Aussie 4G version of the device is basically identical to the international edition:

• 4.8" SAMOLED display
• 1.4GHz quad-core Exynos processor
• 8MP Rear shooter
• 16GB storage, microSD Card slot
• 4G LTE, HSPA+ Dual Channel 3G
• Android 4.1 with Touchwiz

The good news here is that the superphone will ship with Jelly Bean out of the box, so users won't have to wait for an OTA update to become available to get the latest version of the OS.

If you've been waiting to get your hands on a 4G GSIII in Australia, the wait is over in ten days. For info, head over to Telstra's GSIII landing page.

The Samsung Galaxy S III 4G will arrive in Telstra stores from Tuesday 9 October.

Andrew Volard, Director, Telstra Mobile, said Telstra was thrilled to be able to offer Samsung Galaxy S III 4G on Australias only national 4G-enabled network.

The combination of a quad-core processor, the fastest Android operating platform yet and 4G internet speeds will make it incredibly easy for our customers to stream music and video, surf the web and use video chat to connect with their friends. And with Telstras 4G coverage now available in more than 100 metropolitan and regional areas across the nation, customers will be able to enjoy a full speed experience in more than twice as many places as other 4G networks.

Powered by Android 4.1 Jelly Bean the fastest and smoothest version of Android yet the Samsung GALAXY S III 4G includes a 4.8 inch HD Super AMOLED display for high-resolution video and web browsing.

Samsung GALAXY S III 4Gs latest quad-core processor technology delivers faster performance for mobile gaming and applications such as photo and video editing.

As well as enjoying 4G speeds, customers teaming the Samsung Galaxy S III 4G with the Telstra Mobile Network can get access to Australias fastest 3G speeds when outside 4G coverage areas thanks to Telstras HSPA+ Dual Channel 3G network technology. These faster typical download speeds of 1.1 Mbps 20 Mbps are available to 80 per cent of the population on the Telstra Mobile Network, making it quicker to do things like browsing the internet, checking Facebook and loading email.

Telstra customers can also make high definition voice calls on Samsung Galaxy S III 4G. The built-in HD Voice support enables crisper, clearer calls when chatting to mates that have HD Voice compatible handsets on the Telstra Mobile Phone Network.

Telstra currently offers 4G coverage in more than 100 metropolitan and regional locations across the nation including all capital CBDs. The company recently announced a 4G expansion program that will see ultra-fast 4G mobile coverage spread further across all capital cities over the next 10 months. When all new sites are live, Telstras 4G service will reach approximately two thirds of the Australian population.

GALAXY S III 4G will be available in both Titanium Gray and Onyx Black.

Pricing and availability

Personal customers can purchase GALAXY S III 4G on the $60 Every Day Connect Plan with a $6 handset repayment per month (after using an included MRO Bonus) with $600 worth of standard national calls and MMS plus unlimited text messaging to standard Australian numbers and 1GB of data for use in Australia. Min cost over 24 months is $1,584.

Business customers can purchase GALAXY S III 4G on the $60 Business Performance Plan with a $6 handset repayment per month (after using an included MRO Bonus) with $600 worth of standard national calls and MMS plus unlimited text messaging to standard Australian numbers and 1GB of data for use in Australia. Min cost over 24 months is $1,584.