Samsung Galaxy S4 Release: Pre-Orders Begin At Radio Shack And Wirefly for Verizon, Check Out Their Discounts And Deals

Verizon Wireless is slowly but surely making its Samsung Galaxy S4 presence known.

The network began accepting pre-orders for the handset on April 25 for its May 30 release date, and now RadioShack is also accepting pre-orders for the highly coveted smartphone.

Verizon deferred its release date for the Galaxy S4 to May, while other carriers began offering the smartphone in late April. We suspect Verizon took this route to avoid the inventory delay issues that have been seen on other networks, such as Sprint and T-Mobile. Verizon will likely benefit from an uninterrupted supply when Samsung rolls out the 10 million units it says will ship this month following the Galaxy S4's preliminary release.

RadioShack’s Galaxy S4 for Verizon will sell for $249.99 with a new two-year contract. Verizon itself is advertising the Galaxy S4 for $199.99 with a two-year contract after a $50 rebate. While customers will have to pay $249.99 upfront, those who take advantage of the rebate will pay the lower price.

One upside to buying from RadioShack, however, is the retailer has a trade-in program where customers can receive up to $300 back on eligible phones. In addition, Radio Shack is offering a deal until June 1, where customers spending $30 or more in a single transaction will receive a $10 credit for future purchases.

The retailer hasn't yet indicated a shipping date for its Galaxy S4, but Verizon has set its shipping date for May 30, so we expect Radio Shack to begin shipping around that time. Handsets shipped directly from Verizon will likely begin to arrive on June 1 or June 2 with two-day shipping.

Other retailers offering presales for the Verizon Galaxy S4 include Best Buy and Wirefly. Best Buy began offering its Galaxy S4 on presale for Verizon in late April before the network even announced its release information. The retailer sent potential customers texts saying the presale Galaxy S4 was available in stores but gave no price or release date information at that time.

Wirefly has also began offering the presale Samsung Galaxy S4 at a discounted price, making it the first retailer to offer a deal for the smartphone. Customers can pre-order the Galaxy S4 for $179.99 with a two-year contract. While it isn’t the biggest discount, it's $20 less than most carriers and retailers that are offering the Galaxy S4 for $199.99 -- and $70 less than some Verizon retailers as well as Sprint, which are offering the device for $249.99.

All in all, Verizon customers appear to be eagerly anticipating the Galaxy S4, as the network is known for its extensive coverage.

Verizon’s Galaxy S4 will likely sell with a locked bootloader, which has been a concern as of late. AT&T customers recently discovered that the bootloader on the AT&T Galaxy S4 is locked. Renowned hacker Dan Rosenberg has reported that he has been able to bypass the bootloader on that Galaxy S4 model, and many expect that he'll release a bootloader unlocking tool at some point. Many expect Rosenberg will release a bootloader unlocking tool that will be compatible with all carriers that have the Galaxy S4 with locked bootloaders.