Samsung Electronics, the world's second-biggest mobile phone maker, has unveiled a new smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S, which is based on Google's Android software.

The Galaxy S, which will compete with devices from Nokia, Motorola Inc and Apple Inc's iPhone, will be available for global distribution later this year, said JK Shin, head of Samsung's mobile phone business.

He said in a keynote speech at the CTIA annual wireless trade show that the phone would use an advanced screen technology called Super Amoled, which promises a display 20 per cent brighter that will reflect 80 per cent less sunlight outdoors.

Samsung said the display technology makes the phone ideal for viewing video.

Shin said Samsung was partnering with top media companies to bring full-length movies, television shows and electronic books to smartphones by direct download.

These will include Viacom's Paramount Pictures and Skiff, an ebook publishing service whose partners include the New York Times and Esquire, Samsung said at a press event at CTIA.

The Galaxy S will also have a 1 gigahertz Samsung chip, which Shin said is twice as powerful as today's average smartphone.

The device will have a feature called social hub, which aggregates messages from social network sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

Consumers will be able to look at high-definition video recorded on the phone on their television screen through a wireless connection, according to Samsung's US executive for strategy Omar Khan.

At 9.9 mm thick, Khan said the device would be one of the skinniest on the market.

The company also announced that Skiff would work with Samsung to make popular newspapers and magazines available on the phone. – Reuters