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Samsung Galaxy S4: Early adopters forced to wait

The early bird won't be getting the worm

Samsung Galaxy S4: Early adopters forced to wait
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Huge demand for the Samsung Galaxy S4 is leaving early adopters disappointed, as deliveries of their new toy won't now be arriving tomorrow as planned.

Last week, Samsung said during a visit to London on its world tour that it would be aiming for a European launch at 10AM on Saturday April 27.

For those who pre-ordered a SIM-free model, it seems that launch date won't now include you.

Despite having offered to pay anything from £580 upwards for a SIM-free 16GB model in black or white, those who pre-ordered will have been given a nasty surprise today, being told that it could now be May 3rd (Friday).

And, according to Amazon's email, even that isn't definite.

Customers received the following bad news from Amazon, instead of the expected 'now shipping' email, stating:

"Unfortunately, the release date for the item(s) listed below was changed by the supplier, and we need to provide you with a new estimated delivery date based on the new release date:

"Samsung Galaxy S4 16GB White - UK SIM Free Unlocked Smartphone"
Estimated arrival date: May 03 2013 - May 03 2013

One of Amazon's aims is to provide a convenient and efficient service; in this case, we have fallen short. Please accept our sincere apologies."

The same bad news continues for anyone that ordered from other SIM-free specialists like Expansys or Clove.

Expansys said on Twitter: "Galaxy S4 stock delayed due to “unprecedented” demand. Order now to be first for stock when it lands!"

On its website it expanded by saying: "Please note: due to unprecedented demand for the Samsung Galaxy S4 stock is not expected until next week at the earliest. Pre-orders will be prioritised for stock so order now to give yourself the best chance of getting a Galaxy S4 when the first shipments arrive."

It's unclear how exactly Samsung has fallen short on coming up the goods, given the whole idea of pre-ordering is to avoid such situations from happening.

Nor is it a particularly good way to treat the very people who were willing to stump up their cash long before a single review was published.

We're still waiting on our own device to review too, so we feel the pain. In the meantime, you can of course read our reviews of the lovely water resistant Sony Xperia Z and HTC's beautifully designed and incredibly loud HTC One.

Jonathan Morris
Jonathan Morris
From starting out as a games tester for Mastertronic, Virgin and Sega in the late 1980s, it may seem odd to then ditch everything to write about mobile phones that, at the time, lasted 20 minutes between charges. He always had a hunch mobiles would become quite popular, but possibly didn't realise how powerful (and, ironically, returning to 20 minutes between charges). Jonathan's job is to continue advising on the best hardware to buy, in order to enjoy games that have advanced considerably since those long days and nights testing Double Dragon on the C64.