Samsung Galaxy S III delay rumored for Sprint; has T-Mobile split the launch?

posted by Alan F. / Jun 19, 2012, 8:51 PM

Samsung Galaxy S III delay rumored for Sprint; has T-Mobile split the launch?

Are Sprint and T-Mobile changing their launch plans for the Samsung Galaxy S III?

Last week, it was the Canadian launch of the Samsung Galaxy S III that was delayed. Now, we have a couple of U.S. carriers pushing back the release of the handset. Sprint has apparently told Engadget that while it hopes to get the 16GB version of the Samsung Galaxy S III into the hands of those who pre-ordered it by the original June 21st launch date, the carrier said on Tuesday that orders might arrive one or two days later. In addition, those who expected to receive on June 21st the 32GB variant of the Samsung Galaxy S III that they pre-ordered, will have to wait as that version of the phone won't ship until the following week. The nation's third largest carrier is blaming "overwhelming demand and limited supply" for the delay.

Meanwhile, leaked informed obtained by Tmo News shows T-Mobile splitting the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S III into two launches because demand for the Samsung Galaxy S III is exceeding supply. While T-Mobile says it is still will be the first carrier to offer the unit in its stores, only selected locations in its top 29 markets will have the device in stock on June 21st (check below to see if where you live qualifies). The remaining stores will have the Samsung Galaxy S III on June 27th. The handset is $629.99 for the full retail price, $229.99 down on value plans with $20 EIP, $279.99 for the classic plan after a $50 mail-in-rebate and a signed 2-year contract.

T-Mobile's top 29 markets are as follows:

LosAngeles,CA
Chicago,IL
Phoenix,AZ
Houston,TX
SanDiego,CA
NewYork,NY
Seattle,WA
Miami/Ft.Lauderdale,FL
Dallas/Ft.Worth,TX
SanFrancisco,CA
SaltLakeCity,UT
Denver,CO
Minneapolis,MN
Tampa/St.Petersburg,FL
Philadelphia,PA
SanAntonio,TX
Portland,OR
Austin,TX
Atlanta,GA
KansasCity,MO
Boston,MA
Sacramento,CA
Orlando,FL
Detroit,MI
WashingtonDC*
Cleveland,OH
Jacksonville,FL
Charlotte,NC
McAllen,TX

source: TmoNews, Engadget

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24 Comments

1. phoenixpr

Posts: 167; Member since: Mar 28, 2012

Well I already have confirmation on my 32GB and tracking package, so I expect it by this week. I hope I'm not being BS by Sprint, I'll be tracking my package everyday.

posted on Jun 19, 2012, 8:54 PM 5

7. p0rkguy

Posts: 685; Member since: Nov 23, 2010

oy or dm?

posted on Jun 19, 2012, 9:25 PM 0

17. CrapdragonCRUSHED

Posts: 3; Member since: Jun 20, 2012

there NOTHING to get excited about: benchmarks shows that the US version has pretty much been crushed by the INT version in almost every test. That crapdragon BS is really getting to be ugly. And for those that say people can't really tell the difference in real world performance and that the phone is on par... well I guess for you- your satisfied driving your geo metro since it get you from point A to B and since your never late that puts it on par with a LAMBO.

posted on Jun 20, 2012, 1:56 AM 0

2. becazican

Posts: 52; Member since: Nov 09, 2011

still waiting for my tracking num from sprint i ordered the 16 gb

posted on Jun 19, 2012, 8:57 PM 3

3. Sweegee

Posts: 4; Member since: Jun 19, 2012

Please let it be that shady grey color..... It looks a lot classier in that color than the pebble blue. The blue although unique makes the device looks cheap and plastic.

posted on Jun 19, 2012, 8:58 PM 0

4. networkdood

Posts: 6330; Member since: Mar 31, 2010

Wow, this phone will be the best selling Android phone to date - if the other manufacturers can do what Samsung has been doing, then it will be good news for everyone...well, almost everyone :-)

posted on Jun 19, 2012, 9:04 PM 5

18. E.N.

Posts: 2610; Member since: Jan 25, 2009

I'm still waiting for the official word from Samsung that the 9 million pre-orders are true. It's a great marketing scheme to have news like that floating around. I don't buy the "overwhelming demand and limited supply" excuse for the delays. If the overwhelming demand was the problem, then at least some individuals (even if only a few) should be getting their devices on time. Based on some of the forums online, the GSIII for AT&T was suppose to ship two days ago and not a single person has gotten confirmation for shipping. I blame trying to launch on too many carriers too quickly. Way too optimistic. We don't even have a concrete in-store launch date for some carriers.

posted on Jun 20, 2012, 2:30 AM 0

20. becazican

Posts: 52; Member since: Nov 09, 2011

the answer is simple, they have the phones, they have the money for the pre order, by holding back the phone they create more of a demand. its a game.

posted on Jun 20, 2012, 9:30 AM 2

23. E.N.

Posts: 2610; Member since: Jan 25, 2009

Limited supply and no supply are two very different things. If they had the phones ready, we'd AT LEAST have a concrete date for the first batch of preorders. Even better, we'd have at least couple hundred/thousand customers with their delivered phones tooting of how great their device is, which would probably have a better effect on demand. If they want to increase demand, they would have increased the time between restocking of inventory or kept the delivery time of the second batch of preorders in the air. It doesn't make sense to promise AT&T customers that its shipping on the 18th and then not deliver on their promise. Its annoying, not exciting. The goal is to make people who aren't sure of what phone to buy fall into the hype of the GSIII and not be a hassle to those who are already 100% committed to the device. Its utter confusion right now. If you call At&t, some will say that only those who ordered the phone the first day had it already shipped, some say none had it shipped yet, others say its suppose to ship today, others say its arriving next Friday, almost no one knows when its going to be available in stores (whether its in the near future or not) and you already have internet ads floating around that's saying "Now Available." Its really confusing, lol. It seems more like they're not prepared for a rollout.

posted on Jun 20, 2012, 3:25 PM 0

5. GeekMovement unregistered

No wonder I haven't been getting a shipping e-mail from Sprint for like a week since I've pre-ordered mine. I'm just relieved to hear that the reason is not because Apple is holding them back like they did with the HTC EVO 4G LTE at the Canadian border.

posted on Jun 19, 2012, 9:13 PM 1

9. becazican

Posts: 52; Member since: Nov 09, 2011

i ordered mine on the first day of pre ordering and have not received my tracking num

posted on Jun 19, 2012, 9:36 PM 2

6. snowgator

Posts: 3617; Member since: Jan 19, 2011

On the bright side: Wasn't it just last year the GS2 was soaring all over the world except the US? A couple days delay? Take it with a smile, GS3 fans!!! You will have Sammy goodness for 2 years!

posted on Jun 19, 2012, 9:18 PM 5

8. CupZ83

Posts: 18; Member since: Jun 19, 2012

Hello VZW ummm anytime in July is unacceptable let alone anything after any of these piss poor carriers (besides ATT I suppose)

posted on Jun 19, 2012, 9:25 PM 2

10. becazican

Posts: 52; Member since: Nov 09, 2011

you may call sprint a piss poor carrier but i was with vzw for 10 years and i switched to sprint 2 years ago saved 40.00 a month and there was no difference in service

posted on Jun 19, 2012, 9:38 PM 5

15. CupZ83

Posts: 18; Member since: Jun 19, 2012

I was with sprint for 6yrs and to say unlimted data is a joke if it is abysmal at best and barely functional Im not saving anything by staying with them (same as verizon) so I left last month and waiting for my VZW SGSIII and ill actually have 4G(LTE) and get to use what I pay for!!!

posted on Jun 19, 2012, 10:22 PM 0

21. becazican

Posts: 52; Member since: Nov 09, 2011

i have never had a data problem i guess i am lucky or i dont spend my whole time on the internet. good luck with verizon, the phone service is wonderful , data not so good and alot more money . plus customer care for vzw sucks.

posted on Jun 20, 2012, 9:32 AM 0

24. CupZ83

Posts: 18; Member since: Jun 19, 2012

actually being on individual plan its 5 more dollars a month but have a 17% discount thru work so i save like 5-6 dollars/mo and i dont have to go thru the crud of sprint....btw thanks and good luck with the "not now, maybe later" network haha :D

posted on Jun 20, 2012, 11:16 PM 0

12. Sinaps

Posts: 60; Member since: Jul 27, 2010

The 10th seems so far away!

posted on Jun 19, 2012, 10:15 PM 0

13. remixfa

Posts: 14605; Member since: Dec 19, 2008

you obviously think that price means quality. you should hang with the iOS fans.. oi. I'll save the 60 a month over VZW while getting as fast or faster service and less BS. :)

posted on Jun 19, 2012, 10:18 PM 4

19. E.N.

Posts: 2610; Member since: Jan 25, 2009

aren't almost all smartphones priced the same? I still don't understand why people still think iPhones are more expensive

posted on Jun 20, 2012, 2:32 AM 0

11. PapaSmurf

Posts: 10457; Member since: May 14, 2012

Chicago is on the list! :D Waiting for the Note though. I'll wait until the end of July before I pull the trigger. My Sensation 4G is too small for me now.

posted on Jun 19, 2012, 9:51 PM 0

14. remixfa

Posts: 14605; Member since: Dec 19, 2008

jacksonville on the map.. yea. I saw the international version going for 525 today on ebay new from seller... gonna wait this one out. Just be careful. Day one adoption means you might get whatever assembly problems they have. that said, someone needs to do some heavy benchmarking of the american version so we can compare it to international.

posted on Jun 19, 2012, 10:19 PM 0

16. cepcamba

Posts: 717; Member since: Feb 27, 2012

Hey remixfa, was just reading this earlier, you might be interested:http://www.anandtech.com/show/6022/samsung-galaxy-s-iii-review-att-and-tmobile-usa-variants/4

posted on Jun 19, 2012, 11:18 PM 0

22. archangel9

Posts: 233; Member since: Feb 07, 2010

I was at the Sprint store in Kendall yesterday and they told me that it will be in stores on the 24th of June instead of tomorrow.Either way I'll wait til the stores get it because I want to put my hands on it. And use a early upgrade which I was promised since Sept '11..