Samsung Galaxy S3 is the most anticipated smartphone at the moment. But rumors about Windows phones from the Korean tech giant are also building up momentum. Samsung has been releasing two Windows handsets each year since the evolution of Windows Phone Mango OS. But as reported by WPDang, Samsung may launch 3 windows handsets this year.

One of these new handsets can be Samsung Mandel. In Dec. 2011, we heard that AT&T is planning to release 3 new Windows smartphones in 2012, which will be announced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Two Windows handsets - Nokia Lumia 900 and HTC Titan 2 were showcased, while Samsung's Windows phone, codenamed "Mandel" missed the show. Possibility is pretty high that the much-expected Mandel will be one of these 3 new smartphones.

Samsung Mandel (SGH-i997) may head to AT&T first and will be 4G compatible. Reportedly, the phone will have a resolution of 480 X 800 pixels. Samsung Mandel will run Windows Phone 7.5 Tango (a refreshed version of WP Mango). The other two Samsung Windows smartphones are still a mystery.

Microsoft is all set to release Windows Phone 8 Apollo this year. The update is expected to release this summer. And, these three smartphones are expected in the third quarter of 2012. We might see the other two smartphones running WP8 out of the box. However, Samsung Mandel may miss the new update as it is rumored to debut in June.

Samsung already has 4 Windows phones to its credit. The company released Focus S and Focus Flash (also known as Omnia W) last year. In 2010, Samsung was among the first companies to release WP7 phones with its Omnia 7 and Focus smartphone. Out of these four, Samsung Focus S is considered the best Windows smartphone. But we can expect more from Samsung. Along with changing the Android flagship under Galaxy S3, the company will also introduce a superior Windows smartphone.

These three new phones will be tagged with different price groups targeted for entry-level, regular and high-end consumers.

(reported by Johnny Wills, edited by Surojit Chatterjee)