14 DAY TRIAL // South Korean mobile-phone maker Samsung announced earlier this year the upcoming launch of a new handset running under Google's Android operating system, the Samsung Galaxy S, and it seems that we're moving closer to seeing the phone available for purchase on the market. Today, the handset vendor unveiled plans to have Galaxy S available in Asia in June, and the device was also spotted with a pre-order status over at Amazon Germany.
The Samsung Galaxy S will surely prove to be the company's new Android-based flagship handset, especially since it comes to the market with a great deal of raw power, courtesy of that 1 GHz ARM chipset based on the Hummingbird design it packs inside, complemented by a large display, the 4.1-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen. In terms of performance, the phone's processor is reportedly faster and more powerful than the Snapdragon chipset from Qualcomm that runs at the same frequency.
When pushed to shelves around the world, the Samsung Galaxy S will run under Google's Android 2.1 Eclair operating system, yet it seems that its maker intends to upgrade it to the newest flavor of Google's mobile platform, the just-unveiled Android 2.2 Froyo. According to a recent article on Crave, Luke Lee, senior product manager for mobile phones, said that the update was headed for Galaxy S, but did not unveil an exact time frame for its release.
As for the price tag the device should sport on the market, Samsung says that it will be of S$1,098 in Asia (around $775) unlocked. Since carriers are expected to pick up the device for their users, the phone should be offered with various subsidies on contract, yet details on this should emerge after the phone's launch. As for Europe, no specific details on the handset's cost are available, except for the price tag Amazon.de lists it at the moment with, namely EUR 649. Hopefully, better deals will emerge in the near future.