In a stunning coup, Best Buy Mobile locations will be selling the much-anticipated Samsung Galaxy S4 days before anyone else, as all other outlets have to wait until Saturday to begin selling them.
Why is this a big deal?
Well, first, this means Best Buy is getting the phone 48 hours before the hotly-anticipated “Global Launch” day, which happens Saturday, April 27 for everyone else. So, if you were planning on camping out at Best Buy on Friday night to be first in line. . .get thee to a retail location near you immediately. And no line-camping necessary.
Second, the S4 is one of the most incredibly anticipated phones out there. Following on the successes of the SII and SIII, the S4 continues to expand what Samsung is doing with their smartphones– pushing the boundaries and introducing features like a quad-core processor (WHAT??! My work laptop barely has 4 cores!!!), 13 megapixel camera and a full 1080p hi-def screen and camcorder, and even a utility that lets you use it as a universal remote control for your tv, dvr, etc.
You know how every time a new iPhone comes out, all of the Apple fanclub comes out and talks about how awesome it is, but. . .if it just had that one feature that we know we all want, then it would be perfect? The difference between Apple and Samsung is that Samsung has been doing that with their phones. Oh, you wanted NFC connectivity? Bam. You want full 1080p camcorder? Boom.
Yes, I’ve heard the detractors. “The case feels plastic-y.” Ok, I wouldn’t know, because I keep mine in a plastic and neoprene otterbox case to keep it protected. “Samsung ripped off Apple– they lost that big lawsuit to Apple over copyright infringement.” Yes, yes they did. In the stupidest legal decision since “Citizens United,” a jury said that using a single button on a phone was something Apple invented. That’s like Ford suing Chevy because the Model T was the first popular car with a steering wheel. “I like iOS better than Android, and my iphone has itunes, and more programs are available on the Apple Store than the Android store.” Ok, fine. But that’s not going to be the case for long, at least in the third instance.
I got my SIII during the holidays last year and I love it. It’s an amazing phone. (If only my carrier’s network didn’t suck ass around Austin and near my house. . . but that’s not Samsung’s fault) I’d also like to point out that when I finally made the transition from iphone to Android, I did so at a Best Buy. And they were super-helpful. Not only did they set up my new phone, they transferred my contacts and data, and even gave me a quick tutorial about Android. And the phone I bought after that? Also full concierge service.
So if you really want this phone and you want it on AT&T today, you can get it.
Everyone else has got to wait. AT&T will have the s4 in their stores Saturday the 27th as planned, Sprint and T-Mobile will get it Monday, and Verizon customers will have to wait until Wednesday the 30th.
Special hat-tip to our robots slaving away in retail who tipped us off to this news.