14 DAY TRIAL // Officially confirmed last week, the improved version of the original Galaxy S, the Galaxy S 4G is now available from T-Mobile USA
The smartphone can be purchased for as low as $199.99 with a new two-year contract and a $50 mail in rebate.
The smartphone gets a lot more expensive if acquired without a contract, as the carrier's suggested retail price is $499.99.
The Galaxy S 4G is T-Mobile's first smartphone capable of reaching theoretical download speeds of up to 21 Mbps.
However, the device offers few upgrades compared to T-Mobile's Samsung Vibrant, which is still available for purchase for $99.99 with a new two-year contract or for $499.99 unlocked.
Several T-Mobile customers who own Vibrant units claimed the smartphone’s release caused further delays to their Froyo software update.
Both T-Mobile and Samsung denied any links between the Vibrant software update and the Galaxy S 4G launch and managed to go live with the firmware upgrade at the end of January.
Unlike the original Vibrant which lacks a secondary camera, the Galaxy S 4G features a front-facing camera for video-calls.
Both models feature 512 MB RAM, as well as microSD card slot for memory expansion (up to 32GB, 16GB card included).
Furthermore, the manufacturer used the same 1GHz ARM Cortex-A8 processor, complemented by a PowerVR SGX540 GPU, for both Vibrant and Galaxy S 4G smartphones.
In addition, the Galaxy S 4G offers users the mobile HD TV service through T-Mobile TV, a copy of the Academy Award nominated film Inception, as well as the carrier's Video Chat powered by Qik.
The Galaxy S 4G is also available through select third-party dealers, including Best Buy, Costco, RadioShack and Walmart. However, prices may vary at these independent merchants and national retailers.
As a side note, Verizon is also preparing to launch Samsung's 4G LTE smartphone next week, along with the HTC Thunderbolt.
