The Galaxy S smartphones have been criticized for a design that is not luxurious enough. The new Galaxy is also made of plastic, but that is an improvement over the previous models, according to both Wood and Saadi.

There are other considerations when designing a phone -- for instance, a metal case becomes a challenge when combined with NFC, said Wood.

Still, the overall design is a bit disappointing, according to Francisco Jeronimo, research manager at IDC.

"I think Samsung needs to be a bit bolder with the design of its phones to challenge the iPhone in that area, as well," said Jeronimo.

Following the success of the Galaxy S II, there is a lot of pressure on Samsung to put out a great phone.