U.S. consumers who’ve been impatiently waiting to buy a Samsung Galaxy S4 won’t have to wait much longer. Today, the company announced that seven different carriers will offer the high-end handset on their networks starting sometime this month.
And they won't even pay a lot.
Thanks to a $100 discount for switching a phone number from another carrier, new customers coming to Sprint will pay just $149.99 for the flagship phone from Samsung. The Galaxy S4 is also coming to the three other major national wireless providers — AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile — and Samsung will have versions for such smaller networks as U.S. Cellular, Cricket and C Spire.
Unveiled in March, the Galaxy S4 is Samsung’s latest flagship phone with a 5-inch, 1080p screen, a 13-MP camera, and a powerful 1.9-GHz quad-core Qualcomm processor. The device also comes with a slew of powerful features, including TV remote control software, S Fitness for keeping track of your health and S Translator. A dual camera mode lets you shoot from front and rear cameras at the same time.
MORE: 5 Ways the Galaxy S4 Makes the iPhone Look Ancient
The most unique innovations inside the Galaxy S4 are its gesture controls. For instance, you can wave your hand in front of the device to change music tracks or flip through photos. The nifty Smart Scroll feature lets you scroll content just by tilting the device in your hand, while Smart Pause pauses video playback when you look away from the device.
In addition to buying the Galaxy S4 directly from the seven carriers themselves, users will be able to find the phone at a number of national retail outlets, including Costco, Best Buy, Radio Shack, Staples, Sam’s Club, Target and Wal-Mart. The Galaxy S4 will be available in either Black Mist or White Frost colors with internal storage memory of either 16 or 32GB. There’s no word yet on pricing or specific carrier launch dates.
When we went hands-on with the Galaxy S4, we were impressed with its display, gesture controls and sheer innovation. This device could easily be the best-selling smartphone of 2013.
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