Samsung Galaxy S5 Copper Gold Variant To See Limited Release Worldwide?

As more retailers and carriers reveal their plans for the Samsung Galaxy S5, it appears most markets will get only the black and white color options for the device.

When the Galaxy S5 was unveiled on Feb. 24 at World Mobile Congress, Samsung announced that it would be available in four colors: Shimmer White, and Charcoal Black, Electric Blue and Copper Gold. Though pre-order, pricing and availability information is now available for carriers and retailers in the U.S., Canada and parts of Europe, thus far no seller is offering the Samsung Galaxy S5 in all four colors.

Last week, U.K. carrier Vodafone announced that it would be selling the gold Galaxy S5 exclusively, which many sources interpreted as an exclusive for the country. But as more carriers around the world share their model details, it seems more likely that Vodafone may be the only carrier to sell the gold Galaxy S5, period. According to Vodafone, the gold Galaxy S5 will be an “exclusive from launch.”

Meanwhile, four major U.S. carriers, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and U.S. Cellular, have all begun accepting pre-orders for the Galaxy S5, and all the carriers are offering only the black and white Galaxy S5 options. Samsung Canada has also announced the Galaxy S5 will be available at 11 carriers, which will offer only the black and white options. Samsung has not to responded to IBTimes queries on whether the gold Galaxy S5 will be available to carriers and retailers other than Vodafone.

When the Galaxy S5 was unveiled, Samsung introduced the four color options all at once, and many were under the impression they would be widely available, but it appears the manufacturer could end up following a launch schedule similar to what consumers have come to expect.

Usually, Samsung launches its devices in white and black, and other color options, such as red, blue, pink, brown, and purple, become available weeks or months later. Certain carriers often get exclusive marketing of certain colors. We saw the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S4 pan out similarly: The device initially was released in White Frost and Black Mist, and over time in several other colors. The Red Aurora Galaxy S4, for example, is sold exclusively by AT&T, while the Blue Arctic was first offered by the Japanese carrier NTT Docomo and was eventually offered by Best Buy for the AT&T, Sprint and Verizon networks.

As competitors up the ante, Samsung has followed suit with more daring colors. Apple notably introduced its gold iPhone 5s in September to such a demand that the color was back-ordered for several months. Soon after, Samsung launched the Rose Gold Galaxy Note 3, and now the manufacturer will launch the Copper Gold Galaxy S5. Other rivals have also taken a cue from Apple; the recent unveiled and released HTC One (M8) will also have an Amber Gold color option in addition to Gunmetal Gray and Glacial Silver.

There is also no information on which networks will carry the Electric Blue Galaxy S5 at the moment; all that is known is none of the carriers that have announced availability information have details plans to offer the Galaxy S5 in blue. We noted on Samsung’s U.S. webpage for the Galaxy S5, under design, all four color options are shown, but only the white, black and blue can be viewed in detail. While unconfirmed, we wonder if this could be an indication that Samsung may market the white, black and blue Galaxy S5 options in the U.S.

Samsung opted for a “modern glam” look on the Galaxy S5 with a perforated back panel, which is intended to introduce texture into the handling of the new flagship. Prior to its release, there were many rumors that the Samsung Galaxy S5 might come out with a metal design. But Samsung has opted to continue its tradition of outfitting its flagships in polycarbonate. In addition to the updated design and new color variants, Samsung has also outfitted the Galaxy S5 with an Ingress Protection Rating of IP67. This means that the Galaxy S5 is not only dustproof, but also waterproof for up to 30 minutes in up to one meter or water.

Follow me on Twitter.