Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (LON:BC94) (KRX:005930) said today that the Galaxy Note 4 will hit store shelves on Oct. 17 in the U.S. The Korean electronics giant also said it will hit retail stores in the U.K. on Oct. 10.
Galaxy Note 4 preorders start tomorrow
Samsung said it will start accepting preorders for the Galaxy Note 4 tomorrow in the U.S. and the U.K. In the U.K. though, preorders will only be taken through Samsung Experience Stores. Online and high-street retailers will not begin taking preorders for the phablet until Sept. 26, according to The Next Web.
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) said in a separate release that it will start shipping preorders on Oct. 14, although it did not provide a date for wider retail store availability, reports The Verge. As of this writing, AT&T appears to be the only U.S. carrier to give availability dates and pricing information. The carrier said the note 4 will cost $300 on contract or around $34 per month with the Next 18 plan. It will be priced at around $1 per month for the Next 12 plan.
It’s expected that Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ), Sprint Corporation (NYSE:S) and T-Mobile US Inc (NYSE:TMUS) will follow suit very soon.
Fans eagerly await the Galaxy Note 4
Tomorrow Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) will also be shipping the first preorders of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, so Samsung clearly didn’t want to get too far behind. Demand quickly outstripped supply for the larger phablet-sized iPhone 6 Plus, which is going up head to head with Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4.
This is the next stage of the smartphone war between Apple and Samsung, with Apple hoping its late entry into the phablet market will be good enough to convince previous Note users to switch. However, Samsung appears to have done a good job setting the Galaxy Note 4 apart.
The company has further improved the S pen that goes with the phablet, and the iPhone 6 Plus doesn’t come with a stylus at all. Also this year’s Galaxy Note 4 now sports a metal frame and better glass for the display, upping the ante in terms of quality against the iPhone 6 Plus.
Some fans may also be waiting for the Note Edge, which has a second screen that’s curved around the edge of the device. Preorder and delivery dates of that phone have not been announced yet.
