Samsung Galaxy S3 Sprint Variant Finally Available At $199.99 On Contract, Verizon Next Week

Sprint has kept its promise. After some holdup due to inventory issues, the carrier finally made available Samsung's latest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S3, for in-store purchasing starting Sunday, while Verizon Wireless will reportedly ship its variant starting next week.

Sprint initially announced that it would release the Galaxy S3 smartphone on June 21, but manufacturing issues at Samsung's end forced the carrier to push back the release date to July 1. The customers, who pre-ordered the handset weeks ago, have already received it. However, for those who didn't go for preordering the device, it has definitely been a long wait.

The Galaxy S3 is Sprint's first Samsung Android phone that ships with Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box. The carrier is offering the 16GB and 32GB models for $199.99 and $249.99, respectively, with a two-year contract.

The phone will run on Sprint's next-gen network, the 4G Long Term Evolution. Though the coverage is still limited, the carrier said that it would expand to more markets this year and next year, continuously, PopHerald reported.

When it comes to AT&T, the carrier was able to meet a number of its preorders for June 21 as well, but there are customers who are still waiting to get hold of the smartphone.

T-Mobile, on the other hand, launched the Galaxy S3 in 29 selected markets on June 21, while it postponed the in-store release of the device until June 29. The carrier has also reportedly increased the phone's price. While other carriers are charging $199 for the 16GB and $249 for the 32GB, T-Mobile is asking $279 for the 16GB and $329 for the 32GB, following a mail in rebate of $50, Motoring Crunch reported.

In the case of Verizon, it's expected to start shipping the Galaxy S3 around 11 July, after the addition of one-day delay to Verizon's original target of July 10 as a result of increased demand, PCMag reported.

Both RadioShack and Amazon Wireless are selling the Samsung Galaxy S3 for a less price, but as The Verge noted, it seems like neither of them has received full stock yet.

The Samsung Galaxy S3 in the U.S. features Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, while the international models come with the Quad-core Exynos 4 chipset including the Korea-bound version, which features the 4G LTE support.

Other key features of the U.S. variants of the Galaxy S3 include a 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display, surrounded by an ultra-thin bezel to maximize the viewing area of the handset; Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, 4G LTE connectivity, 2GB of RAM, an 8MP Rear-facing camera, a 1.9MP Front-facing camera and a 2100 mAh battery.

From the connectivity part, the Galaxy S3 comes with NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, DLNA, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n and MHL Video Out. It weighs 4.7 ounces (133.24 grams) and is 8.6 millimeters thin.

The Galaxy S3's other features include AllShare Play, Group Cast and Share Shot functions allowing users to share photos with others. Another feature, the S-Beam, allows easy transfer of large files from Galaxy S3 to another device by touching the backs of the two devices.

The much-talked about feature of the Galaxy S3 is S Voice, a language recognition technology allowing customers to control applications and services with words instead of touch. The handset also includes camera features like Best Shot to choose the best image from a series when taking a photo.

The South Korean tech giant claimed that sales of the Galaxy S3 could touch 10 million units by the end of July. The handset is planned to be shipped to 302 wireless carriers in 147 different countries worldwide by the end of next month.

Must Read: Google Nexus 7 Vs. New iPad 3: Two Titans Head-To-Head; Can The Search Giant's Latest Dominate Apple's Best Bet?