Samsung Galaxy S4 launch price in Europe
An Italian website has received some insider's information about the retail, unsubsidized price of the Samsung Galaxy S4. Our fellow journalists say Samsung's latest and greatest smartphone will cost 699 at launch in Italy. What's more, the handset will launch there in the first half of May, instead of the end of April.
According to the publication, the price in the rest in Europe will be 100 less. There's little explanation about the substantial price difference, but the author suggests that's the usual overpriced manner of launching the latest smartphones in Italy.
So if they are correct, the European launch price of the Galaxy S4 should fluctuate anywhere between 600 and 700 depending on your country.
Update: Amazon DE has the Galaxy S4 on pre-order for 650, confirming the suggested price.
Historically, this sort of price range makes perfect sense for smartphone flagships, so we are not surprised. That's usually the price at which top-shelf smartphones launch, and of course, later on, they get a bit cheaper. There are exceptions, of course, Apple's products hardly get any cheaper before the next generation comes out, but still the price range is the same.
The Sony Xperia Z, Sony's current flagship, retails for around 600 too, while the HTC One is supposed to launch at 660 in Europe.
We are not going to get into an argument whether those prices are fair or not. If there are so many people out there ready to pay them, we can't blame the manufacturers for asking them.
Hopefully, we'll learn the pricing in other countries soon. The Galaxy S4 is supposed to launch in the end of April in UK and probably, the rest of Europe, too (though we are no longer that sure given the delay in Italy).