Today Samsung confirmed some of the details about the Galaxy S4‘s carrier footprint that leaked out earlier this week. Just as with the Galaxy S3, the S4 will be available on all of the major carriers – AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless – plus three of the next biggest networks. U. S. Cellular, Cricket, and C Spire also get the phone at launch. The Samsung press release didn’t offer all the pricing and availability details, but it was quickly followed up by announcements from the carriers themselves.
Here’s what we know:
AT&T will sell the Galaxy S4 for $200 (on contract, unsubsidized: $640) and is taking pre-orders right now with a ship date of April 30.
Sprint will start taking pre-orders on April 18th and is offering the Galaxy S4 for $250 on contract. The carrier is trying to tempt customers by offering a $100 credit to people who switch their number to Sprint.
T-Mobile will start pre-orders for the S4 on April 24th with a May 1 available date and, shockingly, the up front price is less than the competition: $150. After that, pay $20 a month for 24 months. No pre-order page yet.
Verizon Wireless hasn’t announced anything yet, though that leaked Staples memo indicates a May 30th release date. That late release is in keeping with Verizon’s M.O., but the actual date may not be accurate.
U.S. Cellular will sell the Galaxy S4 for $200 (on contract, unsubsidized: $750) and is slated to ship “4 weeks from pre-order start date,” so expect it around mid-May. Customers who pre-order will get a free S View flip cover.
Cricket doesn’t have the phone listed on their site yet and so far no official communication.
C Spire Wireless does have a page indicating that the Galaxy S4 is coming soon, but doesn’t offer price or availability.
In addition to the carriers themselves, the Galaxy S4 will also be available through retailers: Walmart (its pre-order page for the AT&T model is already up), Costco (pre-order), Radio Shack, Best Buy (pre-order), Sam’s Club, Staples, and Target. Staples in particular announced that customers can get their hands on the AT&T model in stores on April 26th ahead of those who order online via the carrier. The T-Mobile model will be in store and online May 1. Hopefully we’ll get official pricing from Verizon and the other holdout carriers soon.Trying to make up your mind about the phone and don’t want to wait until the reviews come out before throwing your money at a carrier? Check out our in-depth hands-on of the Galaxy S4 and be sure to check out our GS4 spec comparisons including the Galaxy S4 vs. iPhone 5, Galaxy S4 vs. Galaxy S3, and Galaxy S4 vs HTC One.
