Want a Samsung Galaxy S5? AT&T pre-orders start Friday.
AT&T will begin taking pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy S5 smart phone on Friday, the carrier announced today.
The Galaxy S5 is the successor to the popular Galaxy S4, one of the few devices that has been able to consistently challenge (and in some cases overtake) Apple's iPhone in the global smart phone market.
Like the S4, the S5 runs on Google's Android operating system (in this case Android 4.4 KitKat), and like the S4, it comes equipped with a large HD screen (5.1 inches on the S5, a tiny notch up from the 5 inches on the S4).
"In the end, Samsung has indeed created the Android smartphone to beat in 2014," Zach Epstein wrote in a hands-on test of the S5 for BGR. "It’s lightning-fast, it packs a wide range of proprietary features and the display is jaw-droppingly gorgeous. It’s not the quad HD screen we were expecting thanks to a wave a rumors, but it’s still easily among the best in the business."
AT&T is pricing the phone at $650 if you don't sign up for a contract, and $200 if you agree to a two-year data and voice package. The device will also be available via AT&T Next, the company's new no-contract plan, which allows consumers to pay for their devices on an installment plan. (There are plenty of strings attached, naturally.) Next plans for the S5 start at $25 a month, and go up from there, depending on what kind of data and voice allowances you need.
AT&T says the S5 will begin shipping next month.
In related news, AT&T has announced a $299.99 price for the Galaxy Gear 2 smart watch.
