The Samsung Galaxy S4 is now available in the UK from Unlocked Mobiles for an unsubsidized price of £529.98. Pre-orders are open and the phone will be released on Apr. 26.
As a contract-free, unlocked phone, it can be used on any UK mobile network, as well as GSM networks worldwide, such as AT&T in the United States. This could be a way for eager Americans to circumvent the slow rollout of the S4 that forces them to wait several weeks after their U.K. compatriots to get their hands on the phone.
The £529.98 price tag is for the 16 GB version of the Galaxy S4. No word yet on pricing for the 32 GB or 64 GB versions.
For comparison, Unlocked Mobiles offers unlocked versions of the BlackBerry Z10 for £524.99, the HTC One for £519.98, the Sony Xperia Z for £514.98, the Apple iPhone 5 for a whopping £708.00, the Nokia Lumia 920 for £494.98, the Samsung Galaxy Note II for £498.97 and the Samsung Galaxy S III for £438.97.
This pricing scheme seems to mesh with reports that the Galaxy S4 will be cheaper than the iPhone 5, even though Apple's flagship handset has been out for months and will be updated later this year. Samsung has been trying to keep prices low to increase sales, a tactic that seems to be working. The Galaxy S III was the first smartphone in history to outsell the iPhone.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 features an eight-core Exynos 5 Octa processor, 2 GB of RAM, a 5-inch 1920x1080 Full HD AMOLED display at 441 ppi, a 13 megapixel rear-facing camera with 1080p HD video, a 2 megapixel front facing camera, internal storage between 16 and 64 GB, an SD card slot that can accommodate an additional 64 GB, a polycarbonate body, Smart Pause and floating touch tech and runs Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.
Check back for the latest info on the Galaxy S4 as it becomes available.