Samsung Galaxy S4 Price Jumps Ahead of Release

Samsung is still trying to sort out the Samsung Galaxy S4 price, as the earlier official contest now includes a higher price for the Galaxy S4 and an emphasis on approximate.

Earlier this week we shared that the off contract Samsung Galaxy S4 price would likely drop in at $579 based on an estimated value on Samsung’s Cut to the Front of The Line contest, but late last night we discovered that Samsung increased the listed price by $70 ahead of the Galaxy S4 release.

The new price is listed as an Approximate retail value, and puts an emphasis on the approximate part of the $650 price declaration.

Samsung explains the Galaxy S4 pricing in the contest as,

The mobile device pricing is approximate and subject to change based on retail pricing set by Sponsor and carrier partners once the mobile device is available for purchase. Any difference between the stated value and actual value once the mobile device becomes available at retail will not be awarded.

This new estimates Samsung Galaxy S4 price is in line with the 16GB iPhone 5, which is in line with the iPhone 5 off contract price. Samsung’s wording obviously leaves openings for carriers to pick set their own off contract pricing.

Read: Samsung Galaxy S4 vs. Samsung Galaxy S3

An estimated bill of materials work up from IHS Suppli pegs the cost of Samsung Galaxy S4 parts at $233 for the LTE model arriving in the U.S. This is higher than the iPhone 5, which costs an estimated $199 to build. The increased price is thanks to the 5-inch 1080P HD display and extra sensors.

Even though the cost of parts is pegged at higher than the iPhone 5, we don’t expect the Samsung Galaxy S4 price will start higher than $199 with a two-year contract. $199 is the going rate for a flagship smartphone, and while the Galaxy S4 is an attractive device  there does not appear to be a reason for carriers or Samsung to put a premium on the entry-level model.

Read: Samsung Galaxy S4 Hands On Video

The Samsung Galaxy S4 features a 5-inch 1080P Super AMOLED display, a quad-core Snapdragon 600 processor, a thin and strong plastic design and a 13MP rear facing camera. Samsung includes s number of software features like a dual camera mode, eye-tracked scrolling and auto pause when a user looks away from the device.

Stay tuned for more on the Samsung Galaxy S4 pricing and U.S. release details as they become available.