The Mega has a 6.3-inch screen, making it among the largest smartphones in the world -- among because the Sony Xperia Z Ultra has a 6.4-inch screen, winning the bigger-is-better award by a hair. 

Here’s the thing: How often are you really on the phone? Americans are increasingly skipping calls and opting for emails and text messages these days. It’s especially true among people under 21. So forget that it’s kind of silly as a phone and consider the other factors. That's where it gets interesting.

HARDWARE

If this review taught us nothing else, we at least discovered that the Mega makes for an amazing icebreaker in elevators, parties and anywhere else. The odds of hearing "Wow, that thing's a phone?" were, expectedly, incredibly high. Of course, novelty isn't typically a factor we consider when reviewing a phone, nor should it be; perhaps a few folks may think of this as an opportunity to cure their shyness, but we believe it's far more important to judge a smartphone by its actual merits rather than perceived social implications.

So how huge is the Mega, exactly? For the sake of comparison, let's toss out a few numbers. This new king of the hill measures in at 167.6 x 88 x 8 mm (6.60 x 3.46 x 0.31 inches) and weighs an outlandish 7.02 ounces (199g); it's much wider and taller than the Galaxy Note 2, which in contrast is 151.1 x 80.5 x 9.4mm and 6.35 ounces. It definitely doesn't compare to the 5-inch Galaxy S4, which comes in at 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9mm and weighs 4.59 ounces. Indeed, the Mega is no lightweight, nor is it for the tight-pocketed or weak-armed. I found that when holding the Mega to my ear, my phone conversations became increasingly uncomfortable as time progressed, and despite the fact that it fits snugly in your average jeans pocket, it's a buzzkill once you sit down. Conversely, the phone fares decently in loose-fitting pants pockets, but it's much more likely to fall out when you're sitting.

Even if you're not dissuaded by those dimensions, you'll be far more comfortable using the Mega with two hands. Sure, we were able to palm the device in one hand for reading, browsing or other similar activities, but our thumbs couldn't reach the back button located on the bottom-right corner of the phone. In order to make the phone work this way, we noticed that we had to hold the phone closer to the bottom, an action that was at odds with its center of gravity and significantly increased our chances of dropping it. Needless to say, it wasn't an ideal solution, which means the only times we were truly comfortable toting it around were when two hands were involved.

The Mega uncannily mimics the original Galaxy S 4's overall design to the point that it essentially looks like someone in Samsung's factory zapped it with Rick Moranis' machine in Honey, I Blew up the Kid. That is, unless you're looking really close. First, let's discuss how the two phones are the same. The overall button, port and soft-key layout is near-identical: volume on the left, micro-USB on the bottom, power on the right and 3.5mm headphone jack, IR blaster and noise-canceling mic on the top. On the back, the camera and LED flash are arranged vertically near the top and there's a speaker grille on the bottom-left corner. It's also available in the same two colors (white and black) with straightened edges, a glossy plastic chassis and the same checkerboard pattern. Among the few variations are a much larger battery with a double-decker microSD / micro-SIM slot setup. It's also missing a sensor on the front, and the power button along the edge is a bit closer to the middle of the device than on the original GS4.

As much as we'd like to see the specs rival those found on the Galaxy S 4, Samsung didn't craft the Mega with the high-end buyer or power user in mind -- our guess is that the Korean manufacturer will pull out all the stops with the Note III for that particular demographic. That said, it still makes for a solid mid-range device: it wields a 1.7GHz dual-core Snapdragon 400 processor, 720p LCD panel, 8MP rear camera, 3,200mAh battery, NFC, IR, MHL 2.0, 1.5GB RAM and numerous other notable specs listed in the table below.

The unit we received from Negri is the I9200, which features quad-band HSPA+ (850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100) and quad-band GSM / EDGE; the I9205 adds penta-band Cat 3 LTE (800 / 850 / 1800 / 2100 / 2600), to be specific. Users of the latter model won't enjoy faster data speeds in the US, but at least it will make for an enjoyable experience in other countries around the globe.

Samsung Galaxy Mega
Dimensions	167.6 x 88 x 8 mm (6.60 x 3.46 x 0.31 in)
Weight	7.02 oz. (199g)
Screen size	6.3 inches
Screen resolution	1,280 x 720 (233 ppi)
Screen type	SC-LCD
Battery	3,200mAh (removable)
Internal storage	8/16GB (4.8GB user accessible)
External storage	MicroSDXC (up to 64GB)
Rear camera	8MP, AF, LED flash,
Front-facing cam	1.9MP
Video capture	1080p, 30 fps (front and back)
NFC	Yes
Radios	Depends on market -- see hardware section
Bluetooth	v4.0 with aptX
SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 400
CPU	1.7GHz dual-core Krait
GPU	Adreno 305
RAM	1.5GB
Entertainment	MHL 2.0, DLNA, IR sensor
WiFi	Dual-band, 802.11a/b/g/n, WiFi Direct
Wireless Charging	No
Operating system	Android 4.2.2, TouchWiz UI

DISPLAY

When we mentioned that the Mega uses a 720p display, you likely already assumed that it would offer a horrible viewing experience -- pixel density aficionados will scoff at the phone's 233 ppi, and indeed, we had the exact same expectation going into this review. However, it's not actually as bad as we had originally imagined. If you look close enough at the screen, the pixels definitely come out to say hello, but larger screens are also designed for longer-distance viewing than your run-of-the-mill 5-incher. So, from an ideal distance, the Mega is surprisingly decent. We would never turn down a 1080p display when offered to us, of course, but our overall experience wasn't nearly as disappointing as anticipated.

On the contrary, the bright LCD panel presented us with an unusually vibrant lock screen that always took us off-guard whenever we turned it on. We never felt like we had to crank up the display's brightness -- even in direct sunlight, which was a huge plus -- and we typically found ourselves happy keeping it at the halfway mark. Lastly, viewing angles were superb. On a more sullen piece of news, the Mega doesn't feature a Wacom digitizer like the Note series, so your attempts at using an S Pen here will be fruitless.

SOFTWARE

As long as this isn't your first time at the Samsung rodeo, the Galaxy Mega user experience won't require much getting used to; it's TouchWiz through and through, which means the UI will look basically identical to whatever Samsung smartphone you purchased two years ago. The main difference between now and then, of course, is the inclusion of Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean and the additional features it brings.

Although the user interface is generally the same on the Mega as it is on the Galaxy S 4, the former's repertoire of Samsung-branded features is much more limited here. Whether you consider that good news or bad is completely up to you, but the Mega lacks air gestures and several smart features such as rotation, pause and scroll. Additionally, it takes advantage of Smart Stay, Driving Mode, Safety Assistance and Air View. You won't find any option to change the screen's touch sensitivity here, though we have a feeling that this will come as a frustration to only a select few users.

Sure, the Mega's firmware is incredibly similar to what you'll find on the GS4, but Samsung has at least tweaked it to take advantage of the larger screen size. While we still consider this device a smartphone, the line between the phone and tablet categories is blurred when you consider the way most apps appear on it. For instance, a significant number of third-party apps (not to mention a few native ones) behave much like they do on a tablet -- Engadget's mobile app, S Planner and plenty more are this way -- and even the home screen rotates into Landscape Mode when you tilt it. Frankly, the Mega seems to have an identity crisis. On the one hand, there's no shortage of standard smartphone apps (albeit, with much more content fitting on the screen). Still, other apps look normal in portrait mode but then transform into their tablet versions as soon as you throw it into landscape.

While the Mega may look a lot like the original GS4 (hardware and firmware), Samsung didn't bestow its full litany of smart features onto the device. You can take advantage of Smart Stay, but Smart Rotation, Pause and Scroll aren't offered; Air Gesture isn't there; and a few GS4 camera modes didn't make the cut either (we'll discuss this in more detail in the next section). This may be in part due to the less powerful dual-core CPU inside, or perhaps it's just Samsung's way of ensuring it won't cannibalize GS4 sales. Either way, many of the missing features aren't essential to maintaining a good user experience -- heck, we turned most of them completely off during our GS4 review because they were a huge drain on resources -- so this won't be a dealbreaker for most potential buyers.

Finally, the Mega also offers Safety Assistance, Drive Mode and one-handed operation settings, which condenses the keyboard, dialpad and calculator. It doesn't resolve our inability to reach all of the capacitive keys, and we must admit that the two-handed typing experience on the Mega's full-sized keyboard is superb, thanks to the size of each individual key and the space in between them.

CAMERA

It's no secret that we've historically been fans of Samsung's work in the imaging department, and we don't have any reason to be disappointed in the company's choice of an 8MP sensor in a mid-range phone like the Mega.

One obvious benefit about using a camera on such a large device is the huge viewfinder (especially when you choose 16:9 mode, which takes images at 6MP), but we noticed this can be a double-edged sword if you're not careful; with big phones (and tablets) comes a greater chance of taking a blurry shot. Fortunately we were able to avoid this pitfall in most circumstances -- all it involves is a little extra concentration. We'd love the option of a hardware shutter key in these situations, but such things have become increasingly rare in the Android universe.

Photos snapped in the daytime were much more detailed than we originally anticipated, and colors were mostly accurate, too, with some slight oversaturation in others. However, shots taken in direct sunlight resulted in washed-out hues. Most images turned out well, but we had a few issues with exposure and the camera's dynamic range capabilities. Specifically, it would favor either shadows or bright areas -- but not both at the same time. The Mega's HDR feature helps ease the pain a little, but you're missing crucial seconds switching back and forth between modes. And while our review unit kept close to the GS4's camera interface, Samsung opted to ship the Mega without Drama Mode, Eraser and dual-camera features -- the most endearing of the bunch, if you ask us.

Low-light pictures were a mixed bag as well. Most shots were a bit noisy, but we were satisfied with the amount of light we were able to capture in city shots with the phone's f/2.6 aperture lens. The Mega's night mode predictably snatched up more errant photons at the expense of an increased level of noise; we also snapped way too many blurry images that ultimately had to be tossed out, since smooth nighttime pics require an incredibly steady set of hands.

PERFORMANCE AND BATTERY LIFE

The Galaxy Mega mainly shows its mid-range status with its processing power, as it possesses a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 (MSM8930AB). Granted, it takes advantage of a 1.7GHz clock speed and lower pixel count (when compared to today's 1080p flagships, at least), so you won't see much lag or delay with the majority of your work. Here's how its benchmark scores stack up against other devices.

	Samsung Galaxy Mega	Samsung Galaxy S 4 (Snapdragon 600)	HTC First
Quadrant 2.0	7,192	12,684	5,952
Vellamo 2.0	1,993	1,903	2,239
AnTuTu 3.2	13,627	26,143	11,267
SunSpider 1.0 (ms)	769	632	1,647
GLBenchmark Egypt 2.5 HD Offscreen (fps)	16	39	14
CF-Bench	13,342	28,111	8,208
SunSpider: lower scores are better

Given that the Mega shares some common software traits with the Galaxy S 4, while featuring a similar (yet higher-clocked) Snapdragon 400 chipset to the HTC First, we chose these two models for performance comparisons. As you can see, it bests the First in nearly every category -- with most scores clearly showing the advantage in clock speed -- and only loses in Vellamo. Strangely enough, the Mega wound up with a better score in this same test than the Snapdragon 600-powered GS4, while the latter phone whooped its 6.3-inch cousin in every other category. Comparisons aside, the benchmarks give us a solid indication that you're not going to run into any workload-related problems on the Mega.

We also discovered that gaming was a joy on the Mega: who would've thought that combining an Adreno 305 GPU with a huge screen would make for such a great experience? The speaker sounds loud and crisp, and we were able to crank out more than enough noise from our movies and music to stay happy. Even though the earpiece was a little quieter, it was still sufficient. All of our calls went through perfectly, with no drops or hiccups. GPS performance was also more than decent, though on a couple occasions, when traveling through the sparsely populated countryside, we noticed that the little-blue-dot-that-could was having some difficulty keeping up with us. This usually remedied itself after a few minutes (perhaps after we hopped onto a different tower), but it was a good thing we didn't have an immediate need for a change in direction. That tiny frustration aside, the performance is exactly what we'd hope to see on any mid-range Samsung phone.

Finally, if a phone is going to have a 3,200mAh battery (the Mega is second in size only to the Motorola Droid RAZR Maxx), we expect it to hold a charge longer than nearly anything else on the market. The Mega didn't disappoint: although we were unable to put the device through our typical video rundown endurance test, we attended Microsoft's Build 2013 during our review period, and were able to push the phone through 17 straight hours of heavy use before we needed to recharge -- on both days we were in attendance. This means that you should easily get a couple days of less-intense use.

In the End

The Galaxy Mega is a very solid mid-range device, but the phone's make-or-break trait is -- you guessed it -- the size. If you prefer (or require) the ability to use your smartphone one-handed most of the time, you're not going to have a satisfactory experience. We would love to see the option of using an S Pen as a sort of compromise to persuade fence-sitters, but sadly its absence will act as more of a detriment to the phone's chances of success.

Even though the Mega was made to satisfy one group of people -- anyone who loves or needs an excruciatingly large smartphone -- we admire Samsung's willingness to dip its toes in the water and try new form factors. If nothing else, the Mega will mean something even more significant to its manufacturer than sales metrics: it's a forerunner for the company's future prospects in the "large phone" category, and a way for Samsung to figure out how to do an even better job with the upcoming Galaxy Note III. We figure Bigfoot will be just as happy with that device when the time comes.

Samsung has officially revealed the Galaxy S4 Zoom, bulking out its Galaxy S 4 flagship with a 16-megapixel sensor, a 10x optical zoom, and a Xenon flash. The new smartphone-camera hybrid is part of the Korean company’s mission to make “an industry-leading smartphone, and a high-end compact camera” in one device, which started with the original Galaxy Camera.

On the phone side, there’s a choice of 3G HSPA+ and LTE versions depending on market, all powered by a 1.5GHz dualcore processor (which Samsung says will vary, again depending on market). There’s a 4.3-inch qHD Super AMOLED display – covered with a sheet of Corning Gorilla Glass 3 – along with 8GB of internal storage (of which around 5GB is user-available) and 1.5GB of RAM, with a microSD card slot.

Connectivity includes WiFi a/b/g/n (5GHz) as well as Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC; you also get A-GPS and GLONASS, an accelerometer, digital compass, proximity sensor, gyroscope, and light sensor. The battery is a 2,330 mAh pack, though Samsung isn’t saying how long it’ll last.

That’s a big question, too, as the Galaxy S4 Zoom packs some pretty impressive camera features. There’s a 16-megapixel CMOS sensor with optical image stabilization and a 24-240mm 10x optical zoom, with an F3.1-F6.3 lens. On the front, there’s a 1.9-megapixel camera for video calls.

ISO 100-3200 is supported, and up to 4fps burst photography with autofocus. There’s a Xenon flash, rather than the usual LED, and support for recording up to 1080p30 HD video.

On the software side, as well as TouchWiz on top of Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, as we’re familiar with from other Galaxy S4 series phones, there are various new camera-specific features. The Smart Mode from the Galaxy Camera and Samsung’s standalone point-and-shoots is carried across, as are things like Drama Shot and Action Freeze. There’s also Photo Suggest, which uses online libraries of photos in common places to suggest the best location and angle.

There’s also Samsung Zoom Ring, which, if twisted when in a call, automatically kicks into camera mode, lets you snap a photo, and then send it via MMS to whoever you’re talking to. It’s also used to control the optical zoom.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom will go on sale this summer, though the company is yet to confirm pricing.

Some Galaxy S4 Pics:

The Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini has been rumored for quite some time and now, alleged images of the smartphone have surfaced online.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini is said to sport a 4.3-inch qHD Super AMOLED display with a pixel density of 256ppi. The device is rumored to feature a 1.6 GHz dual-core processor along with 1 GB of RAM, 8 megapixel rear camera and Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.

    

The mini variant of the fourth generation Galaxy S smartphone is reported to make its way to the market by the end of May.

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 7- Use of smartphones in Kenya has grown in the last few months, giving Samsung a 43 percent lead in the market.

Speaking during the launch of Samsung Galaxy S4 at a Nairobi hotel, Samsung Electronics East Africa Chief Operating Officer, Robert Ngeru said the high demand in smartphones had grown because people were looking for more in connectivity and data.

The number of Internet users in Kenya stood at 16.2 million by December 31 last year, an 11.6 percent growth from the 14.5 million users recorded at the end of September 2012.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 launch in Nairobi comes as part of an on-going global launch of the smartphone in key markets and just a week from the launch of the handset in South Africa.

“The Samsung Galaxy S4 is slimmer yet stronger, with less to hold yet more to see. It has come up with simply unreal beauty. In the East African market, this smart phone will be available in black mist and white frost colour shades,” Ngeru said.

He further added that the phone has a highly crafted design encompassing a larger screen size and battery, minimized bezel; all housed in a light (130g) and slim (7.9mm) shape.

The phone is equipped with a 13 megapixel rear camera and also boasts a dual camera function that allows simultaneous use of both front and rear cameras.

“When capturing moments, users can choose from a variety of frame effects, which blend the two pictures naturally and adjust the size of the small picture inside the big one,” the Chief Operating Officer revealed.

He said the phone will break language barriers through its instant translation of both speech and text.

“The Galaxy S4 brings all people closer together by breaking language barriers. It makes international travel; a joy with ‘S Translator’ which provides instant translation, using text or voice translation on applications including email, text message and ChatON.”

“This is also possible for both speech to text and text to speech and ensures that you rely on the correct information whilst abroad.”

The phone also has a ‘Samsung Smart Pause’ a feature that enables the user to control the screen while looking at it.

“It ensures that tasks are effortless with innovative features that detect your face, voice and motions to enable screen control with no need for finger touch activation,” Ngure said.

He said they had wide range of Samsung products at a different price to cater for all their customers while saying they will be proceeding to launch the product in Uganda and Tanzania.

The Sprint Samsung Galaxy S4, which saw its in-store release date postponed indefinitely earlier this month, has begun arriving in stores with the carrier telling Gotta Be Mobile that the device should now be available in retail locations, a few days after it landed through its online store.

Earlier this month, Sprint became one of the victims of the Samsung Galaxy S4 popularity in the United States. The carrier, which originally had planned to release the Galaxy S4 both in stores and online on April 27th, was forced to push back the Galaxy S4 in-store to an undetermined date. That left those who were planning to buy in-store without the means to do so.

Today, we reached out to Sprint to see when it would be offering the Galaxy S4 in-stores, as its website seemed to indicate that it was now offering it in retail locations, and the response is the news that many consumers have likely been looking for.

Sprint informed Gotta Be Mobile today that the Galaxy S4 is now available in retail locations and that inventory is “now flowing into Sprint sales channels.” What this means is that the device should be available at many of the Sprint retail locations that dot the landscape in the United States. Sprint tells us that it expects “additional inventory shipments on a daily basis” which means that if a store doesn’t have it today, it could have it in stock tomorrow.

The carrier also told us that it’s extremely happy with the response to the Samsung Galaxy S4, the device that has replaced the Galaxy S3 as the carrier’s Android flagship.

What this means is that Sprint’s online store is no longer the only place to get the phone, at least through Sprint. We also know that Best Buy is offering up the phone as well though we expect stock there to be limited.

Sprint of course wasn’t the only carrier to postpone its Galaxy S4 launch. T-Mobile was forced to push back its in-store release dates back to May 8th for some retail locations and May 15th for all retail locations, thanks to inventory issues.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is now available on a number of carriers, including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and U.S. Cellular and will be heading to Verizon on May 30th.

We’ve known that there will be a dual-SIM version of the Samsung Galaxy S4 since before the smartphone was even official. Now Samsung has officially unveiled the I9502 Galaxy S4 with two SIM slots.

It has almost the exact same specs as the I9500, the Exynos 5 Octa version of the Galaxy S4. That means the same 5" 1080p Super AMOLED screen, 13MP main camera, Android 4.2 with TouchWiz magic and even the same dimensions (the I9502 is 2 grams heavier, but we doubt anyone will notice).

The Samsung I9502 Galaxy S4 is for China only for now, it’s not clear if the company will launch this model worldwide.

There’s another Chinese model, the I9508, which is a single-SIM Galaxy S4 with a Snapdragon 600 chipset. This one is China specific and differs from the I9505 in its TD-SCDMA support (the 3G tech in China).

If you’ll recall, the rumored Galaxy S4 mini also has model numbers ending on these digits, 0 for the base version, 2 for dual-SIM, 5 for LTE (it’s possible that 0 and 5 will use Exynos and Snapdragon chipsets respectively) and 8 for the Chinese version.

As you might know the rumor mill expects yet another version of the Galaxy S4, a water-resistant one, so Samsung may not be done with the major announcement just yet.

NEW DELHI: Samsung has launched the Galaxy S4 in India. The flagship smartphone from the Korean company runs on the Android operating software. It will be available online as well as in retail stores at a price of Rs 41,500 from tomorrow noon.

The launch of the Galaxy S4 in India is part of the device's global launch. It will go on sale in over 50 countries by the end of this month.

In India, Samsung is launching the Exynos version of the Galaxy S4. This means the device is powered by an 8-core processor. It has 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage with provision to extend it through a micro SD card of up to 64GB and a 5-inch superAMOLED screen with FullHD resolution. The rear camera can take images in 13 mega pixels while the front camera can shoot 2MP images.

Other than the top of the line hardware, Samsung claims the device has some unique software features like smart stay, multi-window view and air gestures. It is powered by Android 4.2.2 and is customized with Touchwiz user interface.

"At Samsung, we are committed to innovation and to our consumers... we innovate to give the products that meet their needs," said JK Shin, CEO of IT and mobile division at Samsung.

Samsung, which has over 40% share in the smartphone market in India, is hoping that the Galaxy S4 will help it widen the lead over competitors, especially Apple.

The two companies are currently in the middle of a price war. Apple has not only cut the prices on the older models of iPhones but is also offering to pay a minimum of Rs 7,000 for the consumer's old smartphone if he buys iPhone 4.

Samsung has responded by offering consumers 15% cash back on select models of Galaxy smartphones if they buy the devices using a credit card. However, Galaxy S4 is not covered under the cash back scheme.

Other than compete with iPhone 5, which costs Rs 45,500, Galaxy S4 will also take on HTC One, the flagship smartphone from HTC priced at Rs 42,990.

The Galaxy S4 is almost here. We will tell you where and when you can get your hands on Samsung's next big Android smartphone.

The release of Samsung's next super smartphone, the Galaxy S4, is just days away. Sporting an improved design over the Galaxy S3 and packed with a ton of high-end features and specialized software, the Galaxy S4 already is an Android powerhouse. And even better, it will land at all major U.S. carriers plus a few smaller, regional providers.

Note, however, that the carriers aren't following the same release schedule. T-Mobile, for example, will begin selling the phone this week, but U.S. Cellular customers will have to wait until next month. Meanwhile, C Spire and Cricket have yet to reveal their release plans at all. That's why I wanted to round up all of the Galaxy S4 release information in one convenient place. So read on to see when the handset will land at your carrier, as well as at a few major retailers.

As more information becomes available, I'll add it here. And if I've missed anything, please let me know in the Comments section below.

Verizon Wireless

When: May, with exact date to come. You can sign up for updates here.
Price: To be announced

AT&T

When: AT&T promised an official ship date of April 30, but some devices may ship earlier. Youcan pre-order now.
Price: $199 for the 16GB version (with a two-year contract)

T-Mobile

When: April 24. You can register for updates here.
Price: $149.99 down; subsequent monthly service payments should be $20

U.S. Cellular

When: Second week of May, with exact date to come. You can pre-order now.
Price: $199 for the 16GB version (with a two-year contract)

Sprint

When: April 27. At the time of this writing, pre-orders are sold out online.
Price: $249 for the 16GB version (with a two-year contract); new customers can get the smartphone for $149

C Spire

When: All we know is "coming soon," though you can register for updates here.
Price: To be announced

Cricket

When: Cricket has yet to spill details, and currently it does not have a promotion page on its Web site.
Price: To be announced

Retailers

Best Buy: You can pre-order the Sprint and AT&T versions now. Other carriers should follow in the next few weeks.
Staples: It will sell the AT&T Galaxy S4 on April 26 in retail stores only. The T-Mobile handset will arrive on May 1 with other carriers coming at a later date.
Walmart: You can pre-order the AT&T version now.
Radio Shack: Stores will sell all versions, though the retailer has yet to announce details.
Target: Target doesn't have a promotional page for the phone yet, but it should sell the Galaxy S4 eventually. Oddly, though it has an online listing for a $1,149 unlocked model.

In just a few days, the Samsung Galaxy S4 will arrive in the United States, replacing the older and aging Samsung Galaxy S3. Unfortunately for consumers, the entire Galaxy S4 U.S. release picture is still not clear with several carriers still withholding the pertinent details. Here is what we know so far about the Galaxy S4 launch in the U.S.

In March, Samsung debuted the Samsung Galaxy S4, a device that will replace the Galaxy S3 as the company’s flagship smartphone on a host of global operators. Many of those operators are in the United States where the Galaxy S series remains an extremely popular device and one that potentially has the momentum to take a severe bit into Apple sales, even with the iPhone 5S seemingly on the way.

Last month, a number of carriers confirmed the device for arrival, a list that includes all of the big names. AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, Verizon and more are all set to carry the Galaxy S4 at some point in the future. Sadly, like most major Android launches in the United States, the Galaxy S4′s road to release has been a bumpy one, at least in the United States.

Over the past few weeks, carriers have started releasing information about their Galaxy S4 launches including pricing, release date and more. Yet, even as U.S. release dwindles on the horizon, there are some important questions that remain unanswered. In fact, in the time since our last look at the release date in the U.S., there have been some significant developments.

Here now, we take a close, in-depth look at what we now know and what we still don’t know about the Samsung Galaxy S4′s release in the United States.

AT&T Samsung Galaxy S4

Update: Just a short time ago, AT&T confirmed that its Galaxy S4 will ship out soon with arrivals as soon as April 25th. Its in-store release date will come April 27th, same as Sprint’s. The saga of the AT&T Galaxy S4 release still isn’t over though as the carrier still hasn’t confirmed information for the 32GB model.

The AT&T Galaxy S4 release has shifted from one of the more informed Galaxy S4 releases in the United States to one of the more confusing smartphone launches in recent memory.

Last month, AT&T announced that the AT&T Galaxy S4 would arrive on its network. Shortly after that, the carrier pegged the device with a $250 on-contract price tag though it neglected to say if that price would be for the 32GB model or the 16GB model. The carrier cleared that misunderstanding up by saying that the16GB model would be $199.99 and the 32GB model would be $250. It also said that it would take pre-orders starting April 16th.

Since April 16th though, the AT&T Galaxy S4 has proceeded to spiral out of control, even worse than confirming one price and then seemingly backtracking on it only days later.

AT&T customers have had a rough go.

Despite taking pre-orders for several days, the company has yet to reveal a specific release date. We’ve seen April 24th rumored, we’ve seen AT&T reps says May 3rd in-stores, and a source informed Gotta Be Mobile that AT&T had been targeting April 26th but is still undecided on a specific date for the device’s release.

To make matters worse, pre-orders, which were originally supposed to ship out on April 30th, were moved to April 23rd, only to get moved back without any explanation. And if that wasn’t enough, the 32GB Galaxy S4, which AT&T confirmed, is still missing, again, without any plausible explanation. We’ve reached out numerous times to AT&T and it refuses to comment.

As it stands, the AT&T Galaxy S4 is up for pre-order, is apparently shipping out on April 30th, and may arrive on April 24th, April 26th or May 3rd. It’s still not clear.

Sprint Galaxy S4

The Sprint Galaxy S4 has been one of the bright spots of the Samsung Galaxy S4 launch in the U.S though it is far from being golden.

Sprint also offered a pre-order for the Galaxy S4, and with it, it also offered up a release date that it seems committed to. Sprint will be releasing the Galaxy S4 on April 27th, a date that it has confirmed several times. And while it was offering up a pre-order, the carrier closed the pre-order ahead of its official release date.

While Sprint has been forthcoming with information, there are still questions that have gone unanswered. First, whether it will drop the price down to $199.99 for all customers. Currently, the 16GB model is $250 on-contract with those bringing a new number getting a $100 discount. It’s unclear how long that offer will last, or if it’s permanent.

Sprint has closed pre-orders for the Galaxy S4.

It’s also unclear if Sprint will be carrying the 32GB model though based on the 16GB model’s price, that doesn’t seem likely.

As it stands, the Sprint Galaxy S4 is no longer available for pre-order and will become available on April 27th, possibly in 16GB form only, possibly for $199.99 or perhaps, for $250. Or both. It’s not clear.

T-Mobile Galaxy S4

The Galaxy S4 will hit T-Mobile soon.

In March, T-Mobile announced that it would be putting the Galaxy S4 on shelves on May 1st. Only, at the time, we didn’t know that that would pertain to stores only. In fact, T-Mobile will be releasing the Galaxy S4 first online starting April 24th, a date that puts it at the forefront of the Galaxy S4 releases in the U.S.

If AT&T doesn’t follow suit, it could be that T-Mobile will be the first to deploy the highly anticipated smartphone in the U.S.

T-Mobile’s device also has a set price and potential customers will need to put $149 down for the Galaxy S4 when it arrives. Users will also need a Simple Choice plan.

Its Simple Choice Plans start at $50 a month and users will have to pay additional fees per month to pay off the price of the phone, unless the full retail price is paid off on day one. T-Mobile has not said how much it will charge monthly but it should be around $20 per month.

U.S. Cellular Galaxy S4

Like AT&T, U.S. Cellular has been offering up the Galaxy S4 for pre-order. Unlike AT&T, it has confirmed the device for arrival at some point in April. Yet, as April ticks away, for whatever reason, the Galaxy S4 release date on U.S. Cellular remains unknown.

Currently U.S. Cellular is offering up the 16GB models for $199.99 on-contract. It’s unclear though just when they will be released or if the carrier will eventually offer the 32GB models.

With only a week left in April, we imagine that those answers will come soon and for those that are planning to order the device through the regional carrier, answers to those questions can’t come soon enough.

Verizon Galaxy S4

Maybe the most anticipated Galaxy S4 variant in the bunch is the Samsung Galaxy S4 for Verizon. Verizon boasts the largest 4G LTE network in the land making it an attractive option for those looking to get the fastest data speeds wherever they go. And while Verizon has chosen to stay relatively quiet about a release date, the confusion about the other launches is making it look like a genius.

Until last week, Verizon hadn’t uttered a peep about the Verizon Galaxy S4, its release date or its pricing. It still hasn’t offered any fine details but it has finally said that it will be releasing the Galaxy S4 in May, launching a sign up page to go along with that announcement.

The Verizon Galaxy S4 sign up page is live. But there is no pre-order.

Still, there is no pre-order, no specific release date and no word on whether or not it will carry the 16GB and 32GB models or the 16GB model only.

Rumors have suggested that Verizon may be releasing the Galaxy S4 on May 30th, much later than other carriers, but thus far, that has not been confirmed by Verizon or by any subsequent leaks.

Other Carriers

The Samsung Galaxy S4 isn’t just coming to the major carriers. In addition, it will be coming to an assortment of smaller carriers. Cricket Wireless, C Spire Wireless, and Sprint MVNO Ting.

Sadly, none of these carriers have confirmed anything for potential customers leaving them in the dark about pricing or release dates. We suspect that they will have to wait until at least some of the larger carriers get their fill before disclosing information.