After what has felt like forever for many an Android fan, the Samsung Galaxy S II is finally set to touch down stateside. Come next Monday, Samsung will be spilling the details surrounding the Galaxy S II’s US launch.
Between the launch timeframe and its positioning as a flagship Android handset, it’s pretty much unavoidable that the Galaxy S II will be spun as the iPhone 5’s greatest rival — and in that battle, Samsung will need as much carrier support as it can get. Alas, it looks like they’ll have to go on without the support of the biggest carrier of all: Verizon.
According to a report coming out of the Wall Street Journal, Verizon will be the odd man out in the Galaxy S II game. AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint will all be a part of the big launch event, while Verizon plans to continue pushing the devices already in their portfolio.
Of course, this goes against prior rumors (though ones we left unreported, as they seemed a bit too shaky) that Verizon would be the first in the US to get the Galaxy S II, launching it under the name “Function”. That’s just how things go when you live life around the rumor mill.
It’s not as if Samsung couldn’t build a Verizon-friendly Galaxy S II; they’re already supporting CDMA if they plan to launch a Sprint variant, and they’ve been building phones that work with Verizon’s LTE network since April — so why might Verizon pass up such a long-awaited device? Blame it on the timing: Verizon knows a new iPhone is coming, and all signs are pointing to a September 8th launch of Verizon’s other big Android handset, the long, long delayed Droid Bionic. A carrier can only split their marketing love so many ways.
Update: We have confirmed with Verizon that, at least for the time being, they do not plan to carry the Galaxy S II.
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