After initial rumors pointed to an early May release date for the Samsung Galaxy S4 in India, pre-orders have opened indicating that date is correct. The catch? A sky-high price of Rs. 59990.
That's equivalent to $1,100. While that's an unsubsidized, contract-free price, it's much higher than comparable phones currently on the market. The Sony Xperia Z runs Rs. 37490 (about $685), the BlackBerry Z10 costs Rs. 37990 (just under $700), the Samsung Galaxy Note II is Rs. 34659, and an Apple iPhone 5 is Rs. 40790 ($750).
Such is the price of cutting-edge tech. The pre-order page lists the delivery date as 45 working days from now. Assuming that means business days, that puts the Galaxy S4's debut in India shortly after the UK release date, Apr. 26, which fits with most smartphone launch patterns.
However, it's possible Samsung could move up the dates in other countries, hoping to sell as many S4s before Apple unveils its latest iteration of the iPhone, due perhaps sometime in April.
Of course, the huge price could just be a premium charged to early adopters. Perhaps as more carriers offer the phone, the price will drop, so it's best to hold off on that pre-order. Samsung has ramped up production to guarantee there won't be a shortage of S4s at launch.
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.