Samsung will be unveiling its latest Galaxy smartphone - the Galaxy S3 - at a media event scheduled to take place in London on May 3.

The company has sparked excitement by sending out invitations titled "Come and meet the next Galaxy," indicating the next device in its top range line will be revealed at the event.

The third generation Galaxy S device has been highly anticipated, with Samsung taking a note out of Apple's play book by building up the hype and rumors about the new smartphone in the months prior to its release.

The Galaxy S3 has been a well kept secret for months, with major carriers only being sent a plain box with the screen and ports revealed so the full design could not be leaked prior to the official unveiling.  The tactic has been working as smartphone lovers have grown in anticipation at what Samsung will release to compete with the upcoming iPhone - presumably the iPhone 5.

Apple is expected to release the next generation iPhone some time later this year, likely between June and October.

Samsung has promised that the unveiling and release of the new Samsung Galaxy S3 would be kept close together, which indicates that the device could be in the hands of keen Samsung fans by mid-May.

Latest rumors surrounding the Galaxy S3 indicate that the device will feature a quad-core processor, as well as a Gorilla Glass 2 display. Other rumors state that the device could include wireless charging capabilities, as well as 4G LTE, and interestingly a unique ceramic-style casing.