The UK is among the first countries to get an official release date for the latest high-end Samsung smartphone, the i8510 Innov8 slider. The South Korean company has announced that the handset would be on sale starting "early September", via Carphone Warehouse, under the simple name of Samsung i8510 (the Innov8 was dropped for the UK market).

Samsung did not mention the retail price of i8510, but UK mobile users should expect quite a high one, as the new handset is among the best-featured to be announced this year by any mobile manufacturer.

The features of Samsung i8510 include: an 8 Megapixel camera with auto focus, dual LED flash, image stabilizer, geotagging and video recording, a "crystal clear" 2.8 inch TFT display with 16 million colors and 240 x 320 pixels, Symbian S60 3rd Edition, GPS, Wi-Fi, pre-installed 3D games (Asphalt 4 3D and EA Mobile's FIFA 08), full HTML browser, email, Music / Video players (DivX support included), quad-band GSM connectivity and dual-band HSDPA connectivity.

Samsung i8510 has two versions, one with 8GB and the other with 16GB of internal memory. However, it seems that, for the beginning at least, the UK will only get the 8GB i8510.

Mark Mitchinson, Vice President of Samsung Mobile UK and Ireland, declared about the new smartphone, "The Samsung i8510 is another milestone in mobile phone technology. Samsung has always produced high-quality camera-phone technology, and to be the first company to launch an 8MP multimedia device in the UK is a proud moment for everyone involved and demonstrates beyond any doubt that Samsung is very much on the ascendancy. The Samsung i8510 offers a staggering array of multimedia technology to enhance and reward the consumers experience at every level".

"In only a few years we have seen camera-phone technology improve from just 1MP to a now staggering 8MP. The Samsung i8510 really draws a line in the sand as a mobile phone with absolutely brilliant camera technology. I'm delighted to bring our customers the Samsung i8510 who can upgrade their mobile phone but also their camera with this great device," added George Dymond, The Carphone Warehouse UK Trading Director.