Verizon Samsung Galaxy S4 Release Date May 30 for $199.99, Could Late Arrival Mean Exynos 5 Variant Is On the Way?

Verizon has officially announced the release date for the Samsung Galaxy S4. It arrives in retail stores May 30 for $199.99 with a two-year contract and a $50 mail-in rebate, with online pre-orders beginning tomorrow.

Pre-order #GS4 on Verizon network tinyurl.com/bm7et5n starting 4/25; in stores 5/30; $199.99 w/2-year contract after $50 mail-in rebate

— Ken Muche (@VZWken) April 24, 2013

"Pre-order #GS4 on Verizon network https://tinyurl.com/bm7et5n starting 4/25; in stores 5/30; $199.99 w/2-year contract after $50 mail-in rebate," a Verizon PR rep tweeted.

That's a much later debut than any of the other major U.S. carriers, but it does keep Verizon out of the supply shortage debacle currently affecting the Galaxy S4. T-Mobile has pushed back online sales to next week and Sprint has delayed in-store sales indefinitely.

Of course, even with the delays, Verizon is still giving its competitors a month-long head start; perhaps that's why they're offering the additional $50 rebate.

One other consideration for power junkies: the Galaxy S4 comes in two versions with different processors. The American market is getting the slower Snapdragon 600, since the faster Exynos processor is in short supply.

But in a month, Samsung may be able to build its stocks, potentially offering the Exynos 5 Octa version of the Galaxy S4 to the American market. The initial run of 10 million Galaxy S4 devices is only supposed to last for a month, and that's comprised mostly of Snapdragon variants, so it's possible patience will pay off.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 features a 1.6GHz eight-core Exynos 5 Octa processor or a 1.9GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor (depending on country), 2GB 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 64GB, an SD card slot that can accommodate an additional 64GB, 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.