We’ve been wondering when T-Mobile would announce the availability of the Samsung Galaxy 4G, and it looks like the rumored date turned out to be true. Next Wednesday T-Mobile will unleash their fastest HSPA+ phone yet, and it’ll hit at the very affordable price of $149.
The Galaxy S 4G will essentially be the Samsung Vibrant with a front-facing camera and HSPA+ 4G support. While the MyTouch 4G and G2 are also 4G devices, the GS4G can get speeds up to 21 Mbps, giving the handset an advantage over the 14.4 Mbps that the aforementioned devices can achieve.
Not only is it nice to get a confirmation from T-Mobile themselves, but it’s also nice to see that the leaked document has been correct thus far. Let’s hope it stays correct, as we’re expecting the G-Slate to hit on March 23rd.
Just like the original Vibrant, T-Mobile is pre-loading a movie onto their upcoming device, and instead of Avatar, users will be able to watch Inception on the gorgeous 4 inch Super AMOLED display. While this likely won’t be a determining factor in the purchase of the GS4G, it certainly doesn’t hurt. This handset may appeal to quite a few people, but it may not be enough at this point to contend with the new handsets shipping with dual-core CPUs and higher Android versions.
The price point of the handset is the sweet spot, but it won’t remain that way for long. T-Mobile will be offering the device for $149 for a limited time, and then we’ll likely see the price hit around the standard $200. $200 for a high-end smartphone isn’t a bad deal, but 4G and a front-facing camera may not be enough for some potential GS4G buyers. The Galaxy S 4G faces quite a bit of stiff competition in the months ahead, and if Samsung and T-Mobile want to sell a lot of these devices, they may want to keep it $149 for a while.
Nonetheless, we’re excited to get this thing in our hands, and get a glimpse of what HSPA+ can really do.
Now that it’s official, anyone looking to grab the Galaxy S 4G next week?