Samsung's first Windows Phone 8 mobile -- the stupidly-named Ativ S -- could be delayed until next year, reports suggest.
The 4.8-inch device won't see shop shelves this side of Christmas, SamMobile reports, saying it's received information that the Ativ S is going to be shipping from week 52 of this year. Calendar enthusiasts will tell you that's the very last week of the year, meaning we almost certainly wouldn't see the Ativ S in the UK until January.
There's no official word from Samsung yet on a release date for the Ativ S, but it's fair to say that since its unveiling at the end of August, this slender smart phone has dropped off the radar -- eclipsed by Windows Phone 8 devices that did make it into shops, like the Nokia Lumia 920 and HTC 8X.
One possible reason for a delay could be that the phone, which stormed its way into our top five worst-named products of IFA 2012, uses the same screen as the hugely popular Samsung Galaxy S3.
Both mobiles feature a 4.8-inch 720p HD Super AMOLED panel, and if Samsung is trying to decide which phone to make more of, my bet is that it would opt for the hot-selling, Olympic-sponsoring S3, rather than the unproven Windows Phone 8 gadget.
In the UK, O2 is going to be selling the Ativ S, but its product page still lists the phone as 'coming soon'. I've contacted Samsung for more information on the delay, and will update this story if I hear anything.
Apart from a fractionally larger display, the Ativ S doesn't appear to offer much over the Lumia 920, which impressed in our review. We haven't had a chance to award the Ativ S a star rating yet, but if you simply can't wait to throw your cash at a Microsoft-powered mobile then Nokia's option is a decent choice.
Are you holding out for the Ativ S? Let me know in the comments, or on our Facebook wall.
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1000105421 27 November, 2012 11:15
To be honest, I was kind of waiting for this phone because of two things: removable LARGE battery, and SD Card support, which on top of thinness and lightweight, was the only things I found this Samsung had over the Lumia 920...
But this delay seems to confirm my fear that Samsung aren't really truly invested in the Windows Phone platform, which worries me for future support/updates... So perhaps it's time for the L920 after all.
Jakee 27 November, 2012 11:19
I'm completely with you in thinking it's down to it using the same display as the S3. Samsung will quite happily put all resources into it's most popular device.
anonymous 27 November, 2012 11:49
I was waiting for this phone but last week decided to go with the 920. The WalMart Wireless had such a good deal on the 920 (counting a $100 WalMart gift card - they paid me $50 to take a yellow 920 - other colors were $20 more) and I was tired of waiting for the ATIV S with no confirmed release date. I really wanted to see the ATIV S before buying the 920 since it had a bigger screen, it was lighter and thinner, and had a SD card expansion. I was just notified my 920 is not being shipped so it will be just a few days before I have my new phone (I am replacing a HTC Android EVO 4G phone)
anonymous 27 November, 2012 14:56
I'm not sure what's wrong with the name "Ativ S" - it sounds better than the stupidly named 'iPhone', at least.
anonymous 27 November, 2012 19:47
It's stupid because Ativ is Vita deliberately spelt backwards.
Vita means life.
They wanted to use Vita but that belongs to someone else, so some bright spark thought "OK we'll spell it backwards then !"