Samsung Galaxy S III Release Date Sales Pushed for Sprint, T-Mobile to Next Week

A shop assistant poses with the new Samsung Galaxy S III after it's launch at the Westfield shopping centre in west London(Photo : Reuters)

By Zanub Saeed

Sprint and T-Mobile both announced that they would delay sales of the popular Samsung Galaxy S III Android phone, which was initially set to launch through online, phone, and in-store purchases this Thursday.

Sprint commented on the delay on their community website, noting that due to limited supply for their version of the Galaxy S III smartphone, they are running behind on deliveries. As such, the 16 gigabyte version of the Galaxy S III will be available only through online sales and via phone beginning June 21^st, and available at stores starting sometime next week, though a specific date was not listed.

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All shipments of the Samsung Galaxy S III phones in 32-gigabyte will be sent out next week, for those who have pre-ordered them, said the Sprint community web post. They did warn, however, that there could be a delay of the deliveries for a day or two.

"We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate the patience of our customers as we work through this minor delay in availability," Sprint said in their web post. "Should this situation change, we will continue to update this post as we have new information to share."

T-Mobile did not take any pre-orders of the Galaxy S III, according to The Los Angeles Times, and that their release of the smartphone will be limited to online venues and "select retail markets starting tomorrow."

T-Mobile also noted that they would launch the product in its top 29 markets this week, and will spread it out to other markets in the coming weeks, noted The Los Angeles Times.

Sprint and T-Mobile, despite their delays, are still the first companies to provide the Galaxy S III smartphones to consumers. Verizon and AT&T will not be selling the phone until sometime in July, though are, said The Los Angeles Times, taking pre-orders, unlike T-Mobile.

As far as price rangers, Sprint will sell the phone for $199.99 with a two-year contract, and plans for the phone can range from $89.99 to $189.99. T-Mobile's version of the Galaxy S III will cost $400, the full cost of the phone itself with a two-year contract with T-Mobile's Value voice and data plan, said The Los Angeles Times. Verizon will see the phone for $199 with an unspecified data plan charge for a two-year contract.

Without contracts, Sprint's 16-gigabyte Galaxy S III costs $549.99, while Verizon's runs up to $599.99. Verizon's 32-gigabyte Samsung Galaxy S III phone will be a costly $649.99 without contract, noted The LA Times.