Samsung Galaxy S3 Verizon Variant's Retail Release Date Postponed To July 12

The wait for the new Samsung Galaxy S3 for Verizon Wireless customers was extended apparently for another couple of days as the carrier pushed back the date of the handset's retail availability from July 10 to July 12.

Last week, Verizon announced that it would launch its version of the highly anticipated smartphone on July 10, following other carriers like Sprint and AT&T which made the Galaxy S3 available for in-store purchases from July 1 and July 6, respectively.

However, for some reason, Verizon's website now says that the smartphone will be available for purchase on July 12.

According to Droid Life, the delay doesn't appear to have affected pre-order shipments with many customers already receiving shipping notices.

As The Verge noted, Verizon's website also says that the Galaxy S III will start shipping on July 11th, so if you opt for overnight shipping you should receive the phone the same day it's available in Verizon stores.

Galaxy S III customers will have access to the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network which is available in 304 markets across the United States. Verizon Wireless 4G LTE will be in 400 markets covering 260 million people by the end of this year, the carrier said in a statement.

According to BGR, the availability of Samsung's latest flagship smartphone on Verizon will mark the arrival of the phone on all four major U.S. carriers.

When it comes to T-Mobile, it launched the Galaxy S3 in 29 selected markets on June 21, while it postponed the in-store release of the device until June 29, announcing no specific release date thereafter. The carrier has also 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.

On the other hand, U.S. Cellular and regional carrier C-Spire are expected to get the phone in the coming weeks, CNET reported.

The U.S.-bound variant of the Galaxy S3 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, unlike the international model that features Quad-core Exynos 4 chipset including the Korea-bound version, which features the 4G LTE support.

The U.S. variants of the Galaxy S3 come with features that 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 and WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n. It weighs 4.7 ounces (133.24 grams) and is 8.6 millimeters thin.

The other features of the Galaxy S3 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.

Meanwhile, many people have reported performance issues on the Samsung Galaxy S3 ranging from overheating, 3G Reception issues, visual voicemail issues, problems with the standby mode and other minor glitches.

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