Samsung Australia quiet on Galaxy S III
- — 04 May, 2012 10:22
Samsung may have unveiled its hotly anticipated Galaxy S III Android phone at a lavish event in London this morning, but it appears Australia has been left in the dark — at least for now.
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The Galaxy S III will be available at the end of May in the US, Japan, Korea and various European markets, but there is no word yet on an Australian release. We contacted Samsung Australia in a bid to find out more information and the company provided the following media statement:
"Samsung Electronics Australia is pleased there is continued interest about our GALAXY range in Australia, but we have no plans to make any announcements at this time."
While its feasible that Telstra, Optus and Vodafone will announce availability in the coming days, any delay in an Australian release of the Galaxy S III is likely to be a boom for online retailers such as MobiCity and Kogan. These stores will sell the Galaxy S III through what is known as grey importing, also called parallel importing.
A grey import tech product is one that is imported from another country without the permission of the intellectual property owner, in this case Samsung. This can be achieved by an Australian business that buys the product overseas and then sells it online, or simply an International business that will ship the product to Australia.
The Galaxy S III would certainly not be the first Samsung product to be sold in Australia before it officially released in the country. Last year, Apple won a Federal Court case which prevented Samsung from selling its Galaxy Tab 10.1 Android tablet in Australia. However, the banned tablet was freely available to purchase from a number of stores online. In addition, both the Samsung Galaxy S II and the Samsung Galaxy Note were available online from grey import stores well before the phones officially launched in Australia.
Will you consider purchasing the Galaxy S III from a grey import retailer if it meant getting it earlier? Or will you only buy it through a carrier on a two year contract? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Comments
Peter
1
Buy on line as it will be cheaper & less hassle than locking in with another plan..
Jaye
2
Why buy through one of the major phone companies who can never get it right, when you can buy hassle-free on line and be up to date immediately??
mrVR6exy
3
i prefer to buy one through on of the stores, i like the peace of mind of knowing i can walk straight into the shop where i bought it from if i have any problems..... i hope this gets released in aus soon as im in need of a new phone due to putting my galaxy in the washing machine by accident :(
Paul
4
My current plan contract is due to expire 18-May so the forecast release of 20-May is welcome news. I hope I will not have to wait too long for the Aus S3.
iShopper
5
I will buy from whoever can deliver it earliest at the best price. I purchased a Galaxy Tab 10.1 wi-fi only more than nine months ago online from eXpansys. Got it for more than AUD200 below local rrp and months ahead of local shoppers due to Apple's delaying tactics. Am very happy with it and will probably complement it with a Galaxy S III phone from the same supplier.