Samsung Electronics said Tuesday that it launched its new flagship smartphone Galaxy S3 in 28 countries at once, showing greater confidence as the world’s top smartphone maker.

The company said it plans to roll out the new 4.8-inch gadget running on third-generation network technology in the U.K., France, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, as well as countries in Europe and the Middle East.

But it also said it will take as long as three weeks to supply the new pebble blue Galaxy S3 in some of the regions, as SlashGear reported that the firm had to throw away over 600,000 back cases due color issues. The gadget is also available in marble white.

“We’re in the process of trying to offer the best Galaxy S3 that meets the company’s quality standard for the newly feature pebble blue models, so we expect to see a shortage of that color for two or three weeks,” said a Samsung official.

Meanwhile, the country’s IT giant expects to ship the gadget to 296 telecom companies in 145 countries worldwide by the end of July, Samsung officials said.

The figure is higher than its prior shipment of Galaxy S2, which was distributed to 210 telecoms in 135 nations.

“This is the first time that a single handset by Samsung was rolled out at once in 28 nations,” said a Samsung official. “This indicates that the needs and demands of global telecoms are on the rise.”

However, countries like Korea, the U.S., Japan and China were left off the May 29 launch list, since the firm plans to unveil a model operating on the upgraded fourth-generation network, Long Term Evolution, in those nations around mid-June.

Earlier this month, the firm showcased the Galaxy S3 for the first time in London, staging another battle with its rival Apple Inc., which is expected to release its new iPhone 5 soon.

Stating that the flagship model is equipped with fresh features like eye-tracking and direct calling, Samsung mobile chief Shin Jong-kyun said it is a handset designed to offer a special user experience.

“The Galaxy S3 is a totally new smartphone that presents the best technology, human-friendly applications and a design that fits the whole concept,” said Shin.

“The gadget will give you a special ‘emotional’ experience that focuses on the user and is seamless.”

In the meantime, Samsung said it will go on a Galaxy S3 world tour to nine different cities around the globe, including Sydney, Australia; New Delhi, India; and other cities in the U.S., China, Japan and Korea.

By Cho Ji-hyun (sharon@heraldcorp.com)