T-Mobile Galaxy S 4G available later this month

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Handhelds

T-Mobile and Samsung today announced that the Galaxy S 4G, an Android-powered smartphone that runs on T-Mobile's HSPA+ 21 network, will be available later this month.

The Galaxy S 4G is very similar to the existing Samsung Vibrant, a popular Android phone. It has the same 1-GHz Cortex-A8 processor, runs Android 2.2 on a similar 4-inch Super AMOLED screen, and has the same 5-megapixel camera. But it also has a front-facing 1-megapixel camera for video chat, that 4G modem, and a larger 1650 mAh battery, all of which the Vibrant lacks. Also, where the Vibrant comes pre-loaded with the movie "Avatar," this phone will come with "Inception."

"The Galaxy S 4G is going to be the fastest super-phone running on America's largest 4G network," said Randy Meyerson, T-Mobile director of product management.

The phone's fast Internet speeds will enable high-quality streaming television and video chat services, Meyerson said.

The Galaxy S 4G will run Android 2.2 at launch, although Android 2.3 is the most current version. T-Mobile was in the middle of working on this device when Android 2.3 came out in December, so it was too late to switch OSes, Meyerson said. On January 20, T-Mobile's CMO Cole Brodman said T-Mobile aims to offer Android updates three to five months after the software versions become open source, which in this case means a potential update between March and May.

"Cole challenged us as a development organization to find the right opportunity to deliver that update to customers," Meyerson said.

But the Galaxy S 4G runs the risk of being overshadowed even before it launches. On February 13, Samsung is anticipated to announce a next-generation Galaxy S lineup with more powerful, dual-core processors. Meyerson held out some hope that those phones would find their way to T-Mobile.

"I can tell you that they're a huge partner for us and we work very closely with them on their device lineup," he said.

This article, written by Sascha Segan, originally appeared on PCMag.com and is republished on Gear Live with the permission of Ziff Davis, Inc..