The world’s largest retailer, WalMart, has begun taking pre-orders on Samsung’s Galaxy S2 smartphone, widely touted as the most viable opponent to challenge the dominance of Apple’s iPhonein the U.S market.
WalMart’s Galaxy S2 will run on Sprint’s 4G network, and be sold for only $99, a full $100 less than Samsunghad originally announced, and also less than its biggest current competitor, the iPhone 4.
Pre-orders are expected to be filled on September 16, the same day it will become available on WalMart shelves.
The South-Korean company rolled out the new device on August 30 at its flagship store in New York, marking the first time the device has become available in the States.
“The unveiling of the Galaxy S II is a landmark achievement for Samsung, our carrier customers and consumers,” said Dale Sohn, president of Samsung Mobile said.
The company had previously rolled out the device in international markets, selling 5 million units in just 85 days, making it Samsung’s top selling mobile device.
The features rival the current iPhone 4, considered one of the best phones in the U.S. market, and it even rivals the rumored specs of the forthcoming iPhone 5.
Apple has accused Samsung of “slavishly copying” its own iPhone, saying the design and features infringe upon Apple’s intellectual property.
The Cupertino-Calif. Based company scored a victory last week as Dutch courts ruled that devices from rival Samsung would not be allowed on shelves in the Netherlands.
But no such ruling has yet been made in the U.S., Apple’s home market.
The Galaxy S2 will be carried on AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint, with pricing to be determined by respective carriers. So far the iPhone is carried on Verizon, Sprint and AT&T in the U.S.
The phones will feature a 4.3-inch, Super AMOLED 800×480 screen, a dual core 1.2-GHz processor, making it more powerful than the iPhone 4.
The new phone will also get the 4G treatment, offering data speeds up to four times faster than what is expected in Apple’s forthcoming iPhone 5.
While unconfirmed, many analysts believe that Apple’s next generation phone will forego 4G, believing the company feels the technology is too immature.
Smartphone are seeing generally impressive growth, rising a healthy 76 percent annually to reach 110 million units in the second quarter, and both manufacturers are locked in fierce competition.
Samsung who saw the most astounding growth, propelling it to become the No. 2 smartphone vendor in the world.
In July the phone celebrated 3 million units sold globally, a number it achieved in just 55 days. It has also been the top seller for 17 consecutive weeks in United Kingdom where Samsung first launched Galaxy S2 and recently surged to rank No. 1 in Austria as well, in terms of Smartphone market share.
Despite Samsung’s stellar growth, Apple so far retains the crown as the No. 1 smartphone vender in the world.
[ibtimes]
