Samsung Galaxy S4 Pre-Orders Start on AT&T April 16

By Vincent Funaro, Christian Post Reporter Thursday, March 28, 2013

AT&T will begin offering pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy S4 on April 16.

The company did not confirm an official release date for the device, but did reveal pricing information, stating that it will retail for $249.99 with a new 2-year commitment.

"Continuing our legacy as the first carrier to launch Samsung's Galaxy series, we are excited to announce AT&T customers will be able to begin pre-order the Galaxy S4 beginning April 16 for $249.99 with a two-year commitment," the carrier said.

"We are proud to offer this iconic device and continue to offer our customers the best smartphone line-up, with a variety of devices for every lifestyle and budget," added AT&T.

The carrier also created a special website for those interested in pre-ordering the Galaxy S4.

T-Mobile will begin selling the device on May 1, so AT&T might end up offering it around the same time.

Around three quarters of the first 10 million Galaxy S4 models will come with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 CPU instead of the company's own Exynos 5 Octa processor.

The System LSI division is having issues ironing out the performance and design issues before it could mass produce the device to satisfy the overwhelming demand. Samsung plans to ship the device to as many markets as possible and using the Exynos 5 Octa in most models would slow production down significantly, according to the Korean site ETNews.

Bold predictions for Samsung Galaxy S4 are already being made, as analysts predict the smartphone will double the company's lead over its competitors such as Apple and Nokia.

The device has already become the most pre-registered smartphone in the history of U.K. retailer Carphone Warehouse, showing the immense demand for the device.

Samsung is expected to increase its lead over Nokia currently at 5 percent to 11 percent, according to IHS Research analysts.

The group recently released a list that ranked the top Global Unit Shipments for 2012, which had Samsung in the lead with 29 percent. Nokia came in second with 24 percent and Apple was third with 10 percent.

Samsung was able to create interest for its Galaxy S line by pitting it directly against the iPhone. Various ads were released throughout 2012 that showed what Samsung believed was a superior smartphone to Apple's.