Many folk were expecting Samsung to unveil its first phone based on Google’s Android OS at Mobile World Congress (MWC) next week, but the firm has now confirmed that it won't.

Younghee Lee, Head of Marketing for Samsung's Mobile Device Division, told The Guardian that plans are instead being drawn up to launch the company's Android phone in the second half of 2009.

Samsung’s never officially said it would launch an Android phone at MWC, so its latest announcement isn’t technically a delay.

However, it was reported last month that Samsung is accelerating the development process for Google phones, and that H1 2009 will see it unveil smartphones with various operating systems.

It’s rumoured that Samsung’s first Android device will sport a full touchscreen and be similar in size to the Omnia – reviewed here.

MWC is still expected to see plenty of other Android announcements. Asus, HTC, Huawei and network operator T-Mobile are all thought to be readying Android-based phones.

However, it's been claimed that Sony Ericsson and Motorola, like Samsung, will not be showing off Android phones after all. ®