T-Mobile USA Prepping Navy Blue Galaxy Note Demo Units

Users on T-Mobile USA’s 4G HSPA+ network who are looking for an Android smartphone with a larger display may have only a little longer to wait as the nation’s fourth largest carrier is inching towards the launch and debut of Samsung’s 5.3-inch Galaxy Note device. A leaked inventory sheet shows that T-Mobile carrier retail stores are set to receive ‘navy blue’ versions of the Galaxy Note for in-store demo, suggesting that a launch may be imminent. The Galaxy Note for T-Mobile bears the model number T879.

A T-Mobile-centric version of the phone-tablet hybrid device has been rumored for some time now, and it’s good to see that a release is still in the cards on T-Mobile’s network despite having a more unusual form factor for a smartphone. The 5.3-inch display is the largest on a smartphone right now in the U.S. The Galaxy Note was available since late last year in Europe and was announced early this year at the Consumer Electronics Show where it, along with the Nokia Lumia 900 smartphone, headlined AT&T’s product portfolio for that show.

It’s unclear when the phone will launch on T-Mobile’s networks, but TmoNews is speculating that we may be seeing a July 11 launch date. On rival carrier AT&T, the Galaxy Note is available in a dark blue hue as well as in white; it’s also unclear if T-Mobile USA will stock the white variant of the smartphone in its portfolio.

It’s also unclear if T-Mobile’s unit will launch with the Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS along with Samsung’s TouchWiz user interface or if Samsung will launch the device with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box. The company says that along with the Android 4.0 software update, a premium suite of apps will make the device more useful and bring added value to the S Pen accessory. AT&T users are still waiting for that upgrade.

On news of the Galaxy Note, there has also been rumors of a successor in the form of the Galaxy Note 2 as well.