The much-rumored Samsung ATIV SE Windows Phone smartphone will reportedly hit the U.S. next month, launching on Verizon Wireless on April 18.
The Verizon-bound Samsung ATIV SE has leaked on several occasions so far, and all signs point to a notable smartphone. Samsung hasn't released any new Windows Phone devices for quite some time, but the upcoming ATIV SE is expected to become official very soon.
Despite various leaks and reports, no concrete information regarding the Samsung ATIV SE's launch was available until now. While some believed that Samsung may unveil this smartphone at Microsoft's BUILD 2014 conference in early April, a new report now claims that the smartphone will arrive later next month.
Citing "a trusted source," a new report from Windows Phone Central (WPCentral) claims that Samsung is planning to launch its new ATIV SE on April 18. WPCentral has also obtained the alleged pricing details for the smartphone, which will reportedly cost $599 off-contract. That's roughly the same price tag the All New HTC One is expected to sport at launch.
While earlier leaks suggested that the handset will come with mostly mid-range specifications, more recent rumors and the purported $599 price tag indicate that it may in fact boast some high-end specs and features.
The Samsung ATIV SE was previously thought to come with a Galaxy S4-like design but in the mid-range category, with a 720p display and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor. Contrary to earlier rumors, the smartphone is now expected to come with a 5-inch full HD display, a speedy processor (likely the quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800), 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage capacity, and 4G LTE connectivity, among others.
Based on leaked images, the purported Samsung ATIV SE will sport a sleek design similar to the Galaxy S4, but with a brushed metal look (although it will most likely be made of plastic). As you can see in the image above, the handset looks almost identical to the Galaxy S4, save for the Windows Phone button instead of the S4's home button.
So far the Samsung ATIV SE has leaked in silver and gray shades, but nothing is confirmed at this point. The handset is expected to rock the upcoming Windows Phone 8.1 operating system that will also grace new Nokia Lumia smartphones.
If WPCentral's report proves to be accurate, the Samsung ATIV SE Windows Phone smartphone will make its official debut on April 18, which means that more details should become available shortly. We'll make sure to keep you up to date as soon as we learn more, but take everything with a grain of salt until the official announcement.
