Samsung Galaxy S4 released in Australia, but shipping delays dampen launch

Samsung has officially launched its flagship Galaxy S4 smartphone in Australia, although delays in shipping the new handset will mean some consumers will have to wait to get their hands on one.

The new Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean smartphone was launched at an event in Sydney on Saturday, which saw the tech giant display a lightshow on the Sydney Opera House.

However, Australian carriers pulled back some of their official launch and pre-launch hype after it was revealed shipping delays would cause a supply shortage at launch time, meaning Samsung missed out on the crowds that would normally greet a major smartphone launch.

According to The Inquisitr, some consumers didn’t learn about the shortage until they arrived at retailers, only to read signs explaining the delay, with no clear indication of when new stock would be available.

News of the delay comes just days after SmartCompany reported the release of a key enterprise feature of the new smartphone, the Knox security suite, would be delayed pending further testing.

The news put a dampener on the launch of the new smartphone, with the company claiming strong pre-launch demand for the device after pre-launch sales opened on April 24.

“The Galaxy S4 is a best-in-class smartphone that will be a game changer here in Australia. Demand for the Galaxy S4 has been phenomenal,” says Tyler McGee, vice president of telecommunications, Samsung Electronics Australia.

“Samsung was the number one selling smartphone brand globally in 2012 and continues to be the number one growing smartphone brand in the world – the Galaxy S4 will take us to the next level in Australia.”

The new smartphone has an outright launch price of $899 in Australia, with the Korean electronics giant highlighting the fact it is fully compatible with both Optus and Telstra’s 4G networks at launch, along with Vodafone’s when it rolls out in June.

At 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9mm and weighing 130g, the Galaxy S4 is lighter and thinner than its predecessor, with the company hyping new features such as “Air View”, which allows a user to preview a message of email by hovering their finger over it without opening it.

Key features of the Australian version of the device  include a 5-inch Full-HD Super AMOLED (1920 x 1080) 441ppi display, a quad-core 1.9GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon Series 600 processor, a 13 megapixel camera with flash and zero shutter lag.

It also includes 16GB user memory with a microSD slot (up to 64GB), 2GB RAM and a 2,600mAh battery.