Now that both Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note 2 are official, Samsung is gearing up for the release of its next flagship Android-based smartphone, the Galaxy S 4. Although Galaxy S III was not launched at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this year, the South Korean maker will bring the upcoming flagship device at next year’s event, it seems. In fact, the company has already confirmed the move, although it hasn’t provided an official announcement on the matter. Korea Times reports that, only three days after Apple’s iPhone 5 made its formal entrance on the smartphone landscape, a Samsung official has confirmed the upcoming availability of a Galaxy S III successor. “Samsung is ready to unveil the next Galaxy smartphone - the Galaxy S4 - at early next year’s mobile world congress (MWC) in the Spanish city of Barcelona,” a Samsung official reportedly stated. MWC is seen as the most important yearly event for the mobile industry, and handset vendors all around the world attend to it to unveil and showcase their latest inventions. Samsung, which is currently gaining more and more ground on the smartphone segment, is expected to pack the next Galaxy device with features that would make it a great rival for Apple’s iPhone. This means that Galaxy S 4 could easily prove better in terms of hardware specifications and features when compared to Samsung’s current flagship phone, yet it remains to be seen to what extent. Rumor has it that Samsung might pack the handset with a 5-inch or larger touchscreen display, and could even use flexible panels for it. One thing that is certain at the moment is that Samsung is working hard on establishing a one-year release schedule for its flagship phones, and that the upcoming Galaxy S 4 should prove an even better competitor to Apple’s iPhone. According to Samsung, Galaxy S III is already a far better device that the iPhone 5, and an ad that was published in US papers nationwide this weekend was meant to show that to users.