14 DAY TRIAL // One of the Windows Phone devices that has been long rumored to make an official appearance in the United States on the networks of Verizon Wireless was the Samsung ATIV SE, and the handset is now available for pre-order at the operator.
Packing a 5-inch full HD AMOLED touchscreen display protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3, the handset appears to be a new flavor of the Galaxy S4, with Microsoft’s mobile operating system loaded on top.
The new smartphone also features a 2.3GHz quad-core processor inside, paired with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal memory. Moreover, it sports a microSD memory card slot, which supports up to 64GB of additional storage space.
“Add familiarity to your mobile life with the Samsung ATIV SE. It runs on the intuitive Windows Phone 8, blending the Microsoft programs that are familiar to you with premium features, such as a vivid 5-inch Full HD display and a powerful quad-core processor,” Verizon notes on its website.
On the back, the new mobile phone has a 13-megapixel camera, which is capable of recording videos in full HD resolution. A 2MP front camera was also included in the package, for making video calls while on the go.
The specs list of Samsung ATIV SE also includes 4G LTE connectivity capabilities, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and a built-in GPS receiver. The handset will arrive on shelves with the usual set of sensors packed inside as well.
The new smartphone is powered by a 2600mAh battery, which should provide users with up to 20 hours of usage time, or with up to 20 days of standby time.
Samsung and Verizon have also loaded a series of applications on it right from the start, such as Bing Finance, Bing News, Bing Sports, Bing Weather, and the like, as well as WatchON, Video Trimmer, NFL Mobile, Visual Voicemail, VZ Navigator, VZ Tones, and more.
Verizon will allow users to grab the new device for $599.99 (€438) outright. Those who want to buy it on a contract will find it available at only $199.99 (€146).
Overall, Samsung ATIV SE looks like a great smartphone, and should be able to appeal to a lot to users courtesy of its high-end hardware capabilities, despite the fact that it runs on Windows Phone 8 and not Windows Phone 8.1, as many might have expected.
However, the fact that the newer OS version will become available only in the coming months, while ATIV SE should start shipping on April 12, explains why it will actually feature the older platform iteration.
Soon, Windows Phone 8.1 should be released to ATIV SE too, which will certainly make it even more appealing than it already is. In the meantime, you can head over to Verizon’s website today to pre-order the handset before it becomes generally available on April 12.