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15 Samsung Galaxy S5 Release Date Predictions

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The Samsung Galaxy S5 release date is starting to firm up thanks to rumors and thanks to Samsung itself. While we’re still several weeks away, at least, from a Galaxy S5 release, we wanted to offer up some bold predictions on how we see release of Samsung’s Next Big Thing going down later on this year.

For weeks now, there have been rumblings about a Galaxy S4 successor, a Samsung Galaxy S5. But it has been in the past two weeks that we’ve really started to get a lot of answers about Samsung’s next big smartphone release. Part of that is thanks to rumors and part of that has been thanks to Samsung itself which, for whatever reason, decided to spill the beans about a number of new products ahead of time.

Samsung claims that the Galaxy S5 will be coming with a different display size and a new design. It has also said that the device will arrive this spring, around the same time as the Samsung Galaxy S4 last year. For those not keeping track, that means a launch in March followed by a release in April. Rumors have backed up Samsung’s assertion.

Despite Samsung’s unwillingness to talk about the device itself, rumors have started to piece things together. The device is thought to have a 5.2-inch QHD display, next-generation quad-core processor, 16MP camera, Android 4.4 KitKat, a brand new TouchWiz user interface, and more. In other words, there is reason to be excited about Samsung’s new flagship.

Of course, it’s only January which means that many Galaxy S5 details remain in the shadows. One of those details is arguably the most important, the Galaxy S5 release date.

Here, we do our best to predict the Samsung Galaxy S5 release date and what it might entail for those in the United States looking to snag Samsung’s rumored, but inevitable Galaxy S4 successor.

Here are 15 Samsung Galaxy S5 release date predictions.

Samsung Galaxy S5 Release Date Firms Up in February

While there are a ton of Galaxy S5 release date rumors swirling around right now, none of them point to a specific date or a specific week. Instead, they simply point to April.

The iPhone 5s shown next to a Galaxy Note 3 offers perspective to what a 5.5-inch iPhone 6 could look like.

Once February arrives, and we get a lot closer to the actual launch, we expect rumors to start pinpointing the Galaxy S5 release date exactly. Whether that’s an exact week or an exact date, we can’t be sure, but we almost always have some kind of idea about the Galaxy S release date ahead of time.

January seems a bit too early but late February, a week or two ahead of the March launch, seems about right for rumors to hit the bulls-eye.

Galaxy S5 Release Dates in April

April is being thrown around right now as a probably release month for the Galaxy S5 release date and at this point, we can’t argue. With March almost certainly going to be the launch month for the Galaxy S5 since it will be skipping Mobile World Congress in late February, April seems like a lock.

Samsung has shortened the gap between the launch and release of its products but there is still a little bit of a gap. At the very least, we should see a gap of a couple of weeks, like Apple does with its iPhone. With that in mind April seems logical.

Rumors point to a late April release, just like the Galaxy S4, and we could certainly see that happening. The Galaxy S series is a popular device and Samsung will want to give itself time to ensure a smooth delivery in the United States and elsewhere.

City That Hosts Gets A Big Perk

One insider claims that the Samsung Galaxy S5 will be announced in Europe, possibly London. This lines up with what Eldur Murtazin, another insider, said several weeks ago. Another report seemingly points to an announcement in New York City, like the Galaxy S4, though it could be that it’s an auxiliary site rather than the main launch site.

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Whatever the case, we expect the host city to get a big perk. The Galaxy S3 launched in London and the UK was among the first regions to get the Galaxy S3. The Galaxy S4 was announced on Broadway in the U.S. and lo and behold, the United States was among the first regions to get the Galaxy S4.

The host city, wherever it might be, could be the city that kicks off the Galaxy S5 release. At the very least, we think it will be among the first regions that get Samsung’s brand new smartphone.

Early, Solid Information from Samsung & Carriers

In the years before 2013, Samsung and its carriers were awful about release date information. Samsung would reveal vague launch windows, for the Galaxy S3 it simply said May and June, and carriers would remain silent for as long as they possibly could. 2013 saw remarkable improvements.

Samsung announced that the Galaxy S4 would land in late April and carriers in the United States announced their release dates much sooner. The same thing happened with the Galaxy Note 3. Samsung provided early, specific information and carriers took that information and ran with it. These changes led to much smoother launches, even at Verizon where the Galaxy S4 came a little later than expected.

We expect Samsung to deliver pertinent release date details at its launch event and we anticipate carriers announcing specific details shortly after the arrival of the Galaxy S5. Whether that’s a very specific release window like “late April” or an actual release date.

Galaxy S5 U.S. Release Date Close to Initial Release

The Samsung Galaxy S5 launch may not take place in the United States but we don’t think that means that the United States is going to far behind the curve.

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Over the years, Samsung has worked hard to include the U.S., one of the key smartphone battlegrounds, among the first regions to get its flagship smartphones. The Galaxy Note 3, for instance, was released in the United States soon after it was released in Europe. The same cannot be said for 2012’s Galaxy Note 2 which came much later in the U.S.

We think the U.S. release date is going to be on par with the initial regions that get the Galaxy S5. Samsung knows the importance of the American market and with the iPhone 5s and iPhone 6 gnawing on Galaxy S sales, it will be important for Samsung to get this phone into as many markets as possible as quickly as possible.

U.S. Release Dates Close to Each Other

American carriers don’t like giving their competitors too many advantages and thus, we think that they will all release the Galaxy S4 within a few days of each other. Last year, Verizon was the lone straggler while AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and U.S. Cellular put their release dates head-to-head. This year we wouldn’t be surprised if all five match each other, just like they did with the Galaxy Note 3.

At the very least, we expect a U.S. release window that spans across a few weeks rather than a few months. Carriers have shown that they have gotten their act together, at least with the popular devices, so we’re predicting a swift release across carriers in the United States.

AT&T Galaxy S5 Release Near the Front

Samsung and AT&T have had a close partnership for years, dating back to devices like the original Samsung Galaxy Note. AT&T is almost always near the front of the line when it comes to Samsung flagships and we are expecting the Galaxy S5 release on AT&T to be near the front of the line, if not first.

Verizon Galaxy S5 Release Near the Back

Verizon has always had trouble with Samsung launches. The company was dead last to the Galaxy Note 2 and the Galaxy S4, both by a long shot. However, the company seemingly turned things around with the Galaxy Note 3. It ponied up a pre-order shortly after the announcement and it released the Galaxy Note 3 before U.S. Cellular did. A small improvement but an improvement nonetheless.

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We still expect Verizon to be towards the back of the pack when it comes to release date timing, it hasn’t shown a willingness to be first, or among the first, though we don’t expect it to offer consumers the same type of debacle that they encountered with the Galaxy S4. The Galaxy S4 was released in May as opposed to April.

Galaxy S5 Pre-Orders

American carriers almost always offer up a pre-order for flagship phones of this caliber so we’re expecting the Samsung Galaxy S5 to go on sale ahead of its respective release dates in the United States. Typically, we see pre-orders start a few weeks out and we wouldn’t be surprised if they begin shortly after the Galaxy S5 is announced on stage.

Lagging Pre-Paid Carriers

While major carriers should get the Galaxy S5 within a few weeks of the launch, we expect smaller carriers and pre-paid carriers like C Spire Wireless, Straight Talk, and several others to offer laggy release dates.

In other words, we don’t expect them to have the Galaxy S5 right off the bat. Instead, it could be several weeks or in extreme cases, several months from the release on major carriers.

Only Some Accessories on Day One

Samsung will likely show off a number of Samsung Galaxy S5 accessories on stage. It has taken to releasing a trove of its own, Samsung-branded accessories for its flagship devices, the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note 3 included. We expect this trend to continue with the Galaxy S5.

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Another trend that we expect to continue is Samsung’s penchant for releasing its accessories in the weeks after the release rather than on the day of. It has done this for years. And while it drives consumers crazy, it has not shown a willingness to provide a ton of options on day one. There might be a few but not the whole selection.

Instead, we think we will see a number of third-party accessories go on sale on day one, accompanied by a few Samsung-branded options. Don’t expect them all on day one.

Colors Limited at Release

Samsung will likely detail Galaxy S5 color options on stage. However, we expect the company to focus on only a few colors at the start in an attempt to keep its supply chain pumping out devices. The company did this with the Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy S4, Galaxy S3, Galaxy Note 2, and we expect the company to release other Galaxy S5 color options in the weeks and months after the Galaxy S5 release.

Galaxy S5 Deals on Release Day

We could certainly see a premium metal Galaxy S5 emerge from the shadows in just a few weeks. And perhaps, we will see a plastic Galaxy S5 as rumors suggest. Whatever the case may be, we expect both devices to come with day one deals.

Third-party retailers like Amazon and Wirefly almost always have some kind of deal on flagship Android phones. And in a sign of the times, we even saw iPhone 5s deals arrive around its release date. Point is, not even the aluminum, Apple flagship is immune from immediate price cuts.

We predict that at least one retailer will slash the Galaxy S5, on-contract price, by $20 to $30, and offer a bit of a discount over the price offered through carriers like AT&T and Verizon.

Galaxy S4 Deals on Release Day

We also expect retailers, and possibly carriers, to try and offload last year’s Samsung Galaxy S model, the Galaxy S4. We’ve already seen the device’s price take a nose dive since launch and we expect that retailers and carriers to start pushing this device as a fantastic budget option right around the Galaxy S5’s release date.

As we’ve pointed out, the Galaxy S4 is still one of the best smartphones on the market and will remain one of the best smartphones on the market for quite some time.

Galaxy S5 Google Play Edition Down the Road

Finally, our last Galaxy S5 prediction revolves around Google’s brand new Google Edition program wherein it offers popular devices on its Google Play Store. The Galaxy S4, for example, is available on the Google Play Store with stock Android. It’s expensive but it’s an option for those that aren’t handy with customizing their software and have money to burn.

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Google has not slowed down with the program either. It recently released the Moto G Google Play Edition. So, we don’t see Google stopping in 2014. We wouldn’t be surprised if Google latched onto the Galaxy S, one of the most popular smartphones in the world, and once again offered a Google Play Edition for those in the United States.

2 Comments

2 Comments

  1. ahmed aljanabi

    01/19/2014 at 8:40 pm

    iwant trad my phone to straight talk to galaxy 3 . my phon is I phone 4 . pre paid , tat . my servies with net 10 . what to do . did straight talk expted and I pay the deferent . please let me know

  2. Edd Fletcher

    02/18/2014 at 5:46 am

    Learn English. That is all.

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