If you’re one of the countless Android users who has been eagerly awaiting the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S III, it looks like your day will be arriving very soon indeed. Both AT&T and Verizon have opened up pre-orders for Samsung’s newest smartphone today on their respective websites. With Verizon you can get the 16GB model for $199.99 or the 32GB model for $249.99. With AT&T you can only get the 16GB model for $199.99. All with a two-year contract, of course. With Verizon there’s no way (yet) to purchase a contract-free phone, though AT&T will sell you one for $549.99.
Interestingly, though both carriers began offering the Galaxy S III for pre-order on the same day, Verizon will take much longer getting your phone to you than AT&T; or Sprint and T-Mobile, for that matter. Earlier this week Samsung announced that the Galaxy S III would be available on all four major U.S. carriers before the end of June. Three of the four appear to be living up to that promise. Pre-ordered Galaxy S IIIs from Sprint and T-Mobile are scheduled to ship on June 21st, while AT&T has announced that they will ship pre-orders on June 18th. Verizon, however, trails the pack by a wide margin. They won’t ship pre-ordered Galaxy S IIIs until July 9th. That’s nearly three weeks after Sprint, T-Mobile, and AT&T.
The reason for Verizon’s delay isn’t clear. If you’re a loyal Verizon customer, though, or you live in an area where Verizon has 4G LTE coverage and AT&T doesn’t (like I do), then the wait is probably worth it.
