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Verizon Galaxy S4 Release: Thoughts & Predictions

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In the past week, consumers in the United States have found out many of the important details regarding the Samsung Galaxy S4 release in the United States. However, one carrier, Verizon, continues to remain silent about its plans for the Galaxy S4, a tactic that mirrors the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and the frustration that came along with it.

Read: Samsung Galaxy S4 Release Date Confirmed for Sprint And T-Mobile.

In March, Samsung unveiled one of its most anticipated devices, not just of the year, but of all time in the form of the Samsung Galaxy S4, a device that will be replacing the Samsung Galaxy S3. The Galaxy S4, like the Galaxy S3, will be arriving on a host of U.S. carriers including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular and Verizon.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve heard a number of rumors about the device’s release date and pricing on individual carriers and finally, this week, we’ve made some headway.

In the past week, Sprint and T-Mobile have revealed their Galaxy S4 release dates, confirming April 27th and April 24th respectively. AT&T says that it will begin shipping the Galaxy S4 on April 30th though the actual release date could come much sooner than that. U.S. Cellular, despite not releasing a specific release date, has confirmed the device for arrival this month.

Of the big five, the only Galaxy S4 that is missing specific details is maybe the most anticipated Samsung Galaxy S4, the Verizon Galaxy S4, a device that will call the nation’s largest 4G LTE network its home.

For those buying a smartphone for the first time, this may seem a little odd considering what the competition has announced. However, those that are familiar with Verizon and how it operates should not be shocked. In fact, this launch currently mirrors the launch of the Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 2, another Galaxy branded device that arrived back in November of last year.

Verizon Galaxy Note 2

Remember, the Verizon Galaxy Note 2 arrived late as well.

Remember, the Verizon Galaxy Note 2 arrived late as well.

For those that are making the Verizon Galaxy S4 their first Verizon smartphone, the fact that there is no information out about the device might be surprising. However, for those that have been around awhile, this is something that has happened for quite awhile now.

Maybe the best example of Verizon’s tactics with Samsung Galaxy launches is the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, a device that was announced in August of last year and was confirmed for Verizon shortly thereafter in September, along with the other carriers.

However, the Verizon Galaxy Note 2 endured a long wait to market and those looking to buy were forced to watch not only as AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and U.S. Cellular made their Galaxy Note 2 details known to the world but as the devices themselves hit shelves far in advance. By early November, the other four carriers had the Galaxy Note 2 available to buy. Verizon? It was completely silent.

That is, until late November when the carrier announced a release date. In fact, Verizon did not confirm the Galaxy Note 2’s release date until a day before it arrived.

Verizon also released the Galaxy S3 later than other carriers so this seems to be something that is intended. But why?

Why Is the Verizon Galaxy S4 Late?

We’ve reached out to Verizon numerous times about its Samsung Galaxy S4 release plans and so far, we’ve been rebuked. And because of that, we only have our own theories to put forth.

One is, of course, timing. It wants to make sure that whatever date it selects, will fall in perfectly with its other releases. Thus far, Verizon has been extremely quiet but we know that that won’t last for long. The carrier is rumored to be coming out with a handful of high-end devices this summer including the HTC One and the Motorola X Phone so it could be that the timing of those has impacted the Galaxy S4’s arrival.

The Verizon Galaxy S4 could be late for a number of reasons.

The Verizon Galaxy S4 could be late for a number of reasons.

It could be that Verizon likes to build up attention around its phone. Remember, publicity, whether it’s bad or good, is still publicity. It’s also possible that it was waiting to see just when and how its competitors would release the Galaxy S4 so that it could act accordingly. T-Mobile has the most unique pricing as it doesn’t require a contract and AT&T has already seen its Galaxy S4 price drop at Walmart. So perhaps, Verizon is trying to figure out how to best position its device in the market.

It’s also possible that Verizon, which recently dropped the Galaxy S3 price, could be trying to milk that for all that it’s worth before tagging with an EOL. (End of Life.)

Whatever the case may be, it’s clear that Verizon likes to take its time with Galaxy releases and despite the huge demand for the Galaxy S4, it’s not wavering.

When Will Verizon Announce a Galaxy S4 Release Date?

The AT&T Samsung Galaxy S4 release date is pegged for April 26th on AT&T, the first for the U.S.

The Verizon Galaxy S4 announcement could come at any time.

So obviously, the big question is, when will Verizon announce the Galaxy S4 release date? Well, that’s easy, sometime within the next month and a half or so. We’ve seen one premium Verizon retailer start taking pre-orders ahead of a release in May and a leaked document indicated that Verizon may wait until April 30th to release the device.

Given the space that Verizon gave its competitors with the Galaxy Note 2 release, we wouldn’t doubt that the release is that far off. Last year with the Galaxy Note 2, Verizon skipped a pre-order and announced the release date just a day before its arrival so it’s entirely possible that we could see that same thing happen here.

Whether it’s announced on April 29th or sooner, remains to be seen but at this point, those looking for Verizon Galaxy S4 information should temper their expectations and expect an announcement to come whenever Verizon is ready as it’s shown that it’s not influenced by complaints from consumers or inquiries from the media.

For what it’s worth, Samsung has said that the “The Galaxy S 4 will be available for AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile USA, Verizon Wireless, Cricket Wireless and U.S. Cellular starting this month” but what that means for the Verizon Galaxy S4 is unclear as the language is, as usual, completely and utterly ambiguous.

5 Comments

5 Comments

  1. Johny Sunshine

    04/17/2013 at 1:41 pm

    Verizon is a butthead

  2. elizabeth

    04/17/2013 at 2:48 pm

    Yes, Verizon sucks. My Thunderbolt has become worthless with the ICS upgrade they pushed out, and all they’ll do is send me another worthless Thunderbolt. My contract expires 4/23. The only way I’ll stay is if they have a good price on this phone.

  3. Jocylin Bin (빈조슬린)

    04/17/2013 at 9:35 pm

    arghsss this is killing me…. i need a new phone NOW as I’ve had this stupid replacement phone for almost 2 months and today is my upgrade day. I’m waiting around to get this S4 while my replacement phone is heaving its last few breaths just asking to be put out of its misery… please Verizon I’m about —— this close to just getting the S3, and calling it a day.

  4. Don

    04/18/2013 at 9:21 am

    VZ is a large, slow moving company. Having worked for a large slow moving company (HPQ) for 23 years one learns that with mass comes lethargy. I’m sure VZ is moving the S4 through its NPI process as fast as it can however, there are many layers and many departments, groups ad divisions that must first have their say. Add to this the fact that VZ likes to customize the life out of every device they release and one sees an equation whose result is time, lots and lots of time.

    VZ will not release anything fast because they just cannot, they’re too big and slow.

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