Looks like the rumors were true. Samsung has confirmed in a statement sent to TechRadar that the Galaxy S III won't be making its debut at Mobile World Congress later this month, as the company has instead decided to take the wraps off of the Galaxy S II successor at an event of its own. The unveiling is expected to take place sometime during the first half of the year, bringing the introduction of the Galaxy S III closer to the actual release of the device. The word straight from Samsung's mouth:

"Samsung is looking forward to introducing and demonstrating exciting new mobile products at Mobile World Congress 2012. The successor to the Galaxy S2 smartphone will be unveiled at a separate Samsung-hosted event in the first half of the year, closer to commercial availability of the product. Samsung stays committed to providing the best possible mobile experiences for customers around the world."

So there you go. It may be kind of a bummer for some that the Galaxy S III won't be following in its predecessor's footsteps by making the trip to Barcelona, but at least Samsung's decision will shorten the wait between the GSIII's debut and its actual release, meaning that we'll have to spend less time staring at product renders and the like. Plus, it's not like Samsung will be a no-show at MWC, as the company confirmed that it's got some "exciting new mobile products" up its sleeve for the shindig. Just what will those products be? That's a mystery until later this month. The good news is that PhoneDog will be on the ground at MWC, so we'll be bringing you all the news on whatever Samsung is planning to show as it happens. Stay tuned!

Via TechRadar