It’s Out of this World: Samsung Galaxy S Event is Today
After dropping just about every surprise we can think of in a series of press releases that went out over the past couple of days, it’s hard to imagine just what Samsung has in store for us tonight as we head into an event that is promising us the next generation of Android phones. The phone itself has seen a rather drawn out launch as it has spread across the globe, with its final big push coming tonight in New York City.
Since it first was announced, the Galaxy S — as impressive as it truly is — has lagged behind in the press as the HTC EVO 4G saw its launch, the Motorola Droid X got an announcement, and of course the iPhone 4 showed up as the big contender everyone knew it would be. Did the Galaxy S lose some steam in the process? Probably, but don’t let that fool you into thinking this is one to ignore.
Let’s start out with what we know: the Samsung Galaxy S, which was released in Europe and other parts of the world under that very name, is coming to all major US carriers, albeit with a few caveats. Each of the big four will be getting their own exclusive version of the Galaxy S complete with unique branding and some slightly altered specs among them. What do they all have in common? For starters, the 1GHz Hummingbird processor. The chip features enhanced graphics processing capabilities promising an excellent 3D gaming experience, and doesn’t lack for snappiness compared to a good old Snapdragon CPU when navigating through the TouchWiz interface present on Galaxy S devices. A 5MP camera capable of 720p HD video recording rounds out the handset. You’ll experience all of this through the lens of a 4.0-inch Super AMOLED display offering rich and crisp visuals.
Now which handset is coming to what carrier, and how do they all differ? Along with the standard Samsung Galaxy S that is headed to the regional carrier US Cellular, we will be seeing four named versions of the Galaxy S. The Vibrant will be headed to T-Mobile, the Captivate will makes its way to AT&T, the Fascinate will get its rounds on Verizon, and the Epic 4G will flaunt itself on Sprint.
The variant that strays the farthest from the path is the Epic 4G — or what had been known previously only as the Samsung Galaxy S Pro. Along with the standard Galaxy S trappings it features a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and (if the name didn’t give it away) WiMAX 4G capabilities on Sprint’s network. If you go with the Epic 4G you will also get the front-facing camera found on the Galaxy S the rest of the world is seeing. Oh yeah, about that…the Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T versions of the phone will only feature one camera on the rear of the phone, so don’t expect video chat. Aside from the casing, there won’t be much different about those three.
Pricing and release info on the devices has been scant so far (we expect that info to get filled in tonight), with only the Vibrant getting named at $199, available on July 21st (with a pre-order starting July 1st at Radio Shack). The other carriers should fall in line with this pricing, save for maybe the Epic 4G due to it’s added features.
Now, what might we see that we don’t know all that much about? For starters, there is a chance we could get our first hard look at the Galaxy Tablet that has shown up in recent weeks, and we may also see a bit of the supposed Galaxy S MID (the phone minus its cellular radio). Whatever they decide to throw at us, we’ll be bringing you coverage throughout the night. Things kick-off at 6:30 PM on the east coast. Is it going to be out of this world? Truly intergalactic? Or will we leave feeling like the phone(s) are just a bit too earthly? Be sure to check back later to find out.