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Want an unlocked Galaxy S III? Amazon has you covered

Samsung's latest flagship smartphone is already available for preorder on Amazon, but there's a catch.

Roger Cheng Former Executive Editor / Head of News

Roger Cheng (he/him/his) was the executive editor in charge of CNET News, managing everything from daily breaking news to in-depth investigative packages. Prior to this, he was on the telecommunications beat and wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal for nearly a decade and got his start writing and laying out pages at a local paper in Southern California. He's a devoted Trojan alum and thinks sleep is the perfect -- if unattainable -- hobby for a parent.

Expertise Mobile, 5G, Big Tech, Social Media Credentials

SABEW Best in Business 2011 Award for Breaking News Coverage, Eddie Award in 2020 for 5G coverage, runner-up National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Award for culture analysis.

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Roger Cheng

May 22, 2012 4:46 a.m. PT

2 min read

Samsung Galaxy S III buddy share — The Galaxy S III promises to be among the most popular phones this year. Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

If you can't wait to get a U.S. carrier version of Samsung's Galaxy S III, Amazon is offering the unlocked version early.

Samsung Electronics' latest flagship smartphone is available for preorder now, and will ship June 1.

There is, of course, a catch. Since the unlocked Galaxy S III isn't optimized for U.S. carriers, there are limitations to what networks it can run on and how fast it can go.

The unlocked version is a GSM device, meaning Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel are out. At AT&T and T-Mobile, the device won't be able to tap into their respective fastest networks. At AT&T, the device will work with its speedy HSPA+ network, but not its 4G LTE one. Similarly at T-Mobile, it won't be able to access its HSPA+ network because of the incompatibility with the carrier's spectrum.

The Galaxy S III is expected to follow in the Galaxy S II's footprints and help Samsung retain its leadership position in the mobile and smartphone markets. The Galaxy S II was a huge success, ranking as one of the top selling phones of last year, often considered second to Apple's iPhone 4S in popularity and brand.

The Galaxy S III was unveiled to the global market at an event earlier this month. The company has only said the U.S. versions of the phone would be available in the summer.

The summer release timeframe should give it a nice start ahead of the launch of the next iPhone.