Major U.S. Carriers Announce Galaxy S III Release Dates

by Holly Shoemaker

As expected, Samsung has announced the Galaxy S III will come to the United States in June 2012. All major carriers are expected to carry the phone, and have released availability dates.

Breakdown by Carriers

• Sprint became the first carrier to announce details. It started taking pre-orders on Tuesday, June 5, 2012. The company will sell the white and “pebble blue” versions of the 16 GB for $199.99 and the 32 GB for $249.99. Consumers may purchase either version on Thursday, June 21, 2012.
• T-Mobile became the second carrier to announce its plans. Customers will have the ability to purchase both the white and blue phones on June 21, 2012. At this time, T-Mobile has not announced its pricing structure.
• AT&T started taking pre-orders on Wednesday, June 6, 2012. The 16 GB version will cost $199.99 with a two-year contract. At this time, it does not appear AT&T will offer the 32 GB version. Consumers may opt to purchase an extra 16 GB MicroSD card for $39. AT&T will release the phone on June 18, 2012.
• Verizon started taking pre-orders the same day as AT&T. The phone will cost the same as the other carriers and Verizon will carry the 32 GB phone with a two-year contract. Verizon will start selling the phone last - its release date is July 9, 2012.

Will Carrier Matter?

Each carrier wants to differentiate itself in some way. Besides AT&T not selling the 32 GB version, consumers should be aware of other differences:

• Sprint has decided to pre-load Google Wallet on the device. Sprint is also trying to differentiate itself from other carriers by saying it is the only company that offers unlimited data plans.
• Verizon has said its network is the only one that will allow users to broadcast live video via the Color app. It is somewhat unclear on how this actually ties into Samsung’s latest device. It could be a way to deflect criticism that Verizon no longer offers unlimited data plans and to detract from the $30-month subscription fee. Verizon's release date is also in July.
• T-Mobile still promotes its lower-priced plan. However, users should check their coverage areas. T-Mobile also holds the honor of selling more of the Galaxy S III’s predecessor’s than other carriers.