While there are still question marks over the Samsung Galaxy S4’s availability come its launch day in the U.S., the latest and greatest superphone is ready to hit various international markets, including the UK. A statement provided to Techradar by Samsung initially indicated the phone would arrive on April 27 at 10am, although many retailers seem to have the Galaxy S4 available today.
There has been some concern the Galaxy S4 would see some short delays, with Samsung saying there is, “significant demand” for the phone. In the U.S., Sprint and T-Mobile have been affected, with the former restricting pre-orders to its website, and the latter shifting its pre-order date to April 29. Sprint said, “unexpected inventory challenges,” (a wonderful way of avoiding saying lack of stock/parts) were to blame.
However, it appears not everyone will suffer due to the supposed delays, as after contacting a few networks and stores in the UK, the Galaxy S4 is already on sale – but almost solely to those who pre-ordered. An EE outlet confirmed it had received pre-ordered Galaxy S4 phones and they were ready for collection, and it also had a single non-4G phone ready to be sold in-store. Once that one had gone, it hoped to be getting further stock in around a week’s time.
High demand, high profits
A quick conversation with Carphone Warehouse revealed it was warning callers of a longer than usual wait time due to the release of the Galaxy S4, and that pre-orders were on their way. It’s not all smiles on Twitter though, as although some buyers were excitedly receiving their phones today, others are finding delivery dates being altered to later next week. So even those who pre-ordered don’t seem to be guaranteed to have the Galaxy S4 in their hands for the weekend.
High demand for the Galaxy S4 isn’t Samsung’s only reason to be cheerful this week either, as its quarterly results revealed a record-breaking $6.4 billion net profit during the first three months of 2013. Although Samsung operates in many different sectors, its smartphones and telecommunication division is responsible for 74 percent of the company’s operating profit.
The Galaxy S4 is headed to the U.S. very soon, and while the wait could be a little longer than expected, in the meantime we’ve got an in in-depth review of the phone to enjoy, a guide on how to find the phone, a little about its less well-known software features, plus a look at what makes the camera really exciting.
Updated on 04/26/13 at 08:10am by Andy: It’s not all good news from the UK regarding the Galaxy S4’s release, as online retailer Clove Technology has confirmed it has had the first shipment of Galaxy S4 phones delayed. In a statement published on its blog, Clove says it’s now expecting the Galaxy S4 to arrive on May 3, instead of today.
Article originally published on 04/26/13 at 07:00
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