The Samsung Galaxy S3, quite possibly the most eagerly anticipated smartphone of 2012, has hit the Bermuda market, and sold out, before most carriers in the US have even started selling it.Reviewers have praised the S3 as “the Ferrari of Android phones” and “the best phone on the market”. Some have also said iPhone 4S fans will be sick with envy and that the S3 outclasses its competitors and even beats the iPhone at its own game.The new smartphones, which most US carriers won’t start selling until tomorrow, went on sale in Bermuda last Thursday at Audio Visual Electronics and sold out in a day. The store is selling the phones in Pebble Blue and Marble White for $995.Kevin Davies, owner of Audio Visual says they’ve just received another shipment of the phones and will have them for sale again starting today.The Galaxy series of phones has emerged as the most popular alternative to Apple’s iPhone. So why all the fuss over the S3 phone? A few reasons:The screenIf size really does matter, then you should take a look at this phone. It has a 4.8 inch, super Amoled screen — nearly twice the size of the iPhone’s and one of the largest touch screens on the market. Why should you care about super Amoled? Well, it uses about 20 percent less battery than a standard OLED screen and it’s 80 percent more efficient in bright sunlight — very useful for us here in Bermuda.Despite the size, the phone is actually thinner and lighter than the iPhone 4S. You might expect it to feel a bit plastic-y, it does — it’s pretty much all made of plastic, but it doesn’t feel cheap.The cameraThe eight-megapixel camera with autofocus and flash can also record HD video. But it’s the camera’s software that really sets the Samsung Galaxy S3 apart. One of the most exciting features is its ‘Burst Mode’ function, which allows you to take 20 photos in continuous shooting mode so it’s really, really fast.Another great feature is ‘Best Photo’. You can take a series of photos and the phone will actually go through them and chose which one is the best — looking at things like whether everyone’s eyes are open or if there’s any blurring. You don’t have to go with what the phone recommends, but it’s a pretty handy feature.The softwareSamsung has taken Ice Cream Sandwich (the latest version of the Android platform for phones and tablets) and added on its own brand of polish. Industry watchers are excited about some of the software features that make the Galaxy S3 really simple, intuitive and easy to use.The first is ‘Direct Call’ — if you have someone’s number on the screen from a missed call or a text message you’ve just received, you don’t actually have to navigate and hit the call button or type in the actual number. If the number is on the screen, you just pick it up and hold it to your ear. The phone will detect the movement and automatically put the call through.The same sensor is put to work in a feature called ‘Smart Alert’. Say you have the phone on your desk — if you miss a call or a text, when you move the phone, the phone will detect it and will vibrate, alerting you to the fact that you’ve missed a call or text.One of the most clever features in the phone is called ‘Smart Stay’ which detects your eye movement. Most phones have a screen timeout, which turns off the screen after a period of inactivity. But that can be annoying if you’re watching a video and don’t want the screen to shut off. What Smart Stay will do is scan for eye movement to check if you’re watching or using the phone and if you are, it will keep the phone in action so you don’t have to keep unlocking it to keep watching.Industry analysts who rave about the Samsung Galaxy S3 say Apple has its work cut out for it and will have to pull something much better out of the bag when it launches the next generation iPhone.While diehard iPhone fans won’t make the switch because of the Apple ecosystem, many others are moving not only to Android, but to Samsung, specifically. The South Korean company has a device offering in almost every category of cell phone and has overtaken Nokia as the biggest cell phone manufacturer in the world.