While Samsung was the first out the gate to publicly announce their Windows Phone 8 device, the ATIV S is definitely taking it's time to come to various markets. The Italian market was due to see the ATIV S in November which was eventually pushed back to sometime this month.
According to sources from Samsung Italy, The Italian release of the Windows Phone 8 device has now been delayed to the end of January 2013.
The cause for the delay is a bit of a mystery seeing that the ATIV S is already available in other markets. We've even heard that Expansys USA has begun shipping their pre-orders for the ATIV S.
The Expansys version features just 16GB (but expandable) and is SIM Unlocked with the following bands: HSPA 42Mbps 850/900/1900/2100MHz EDGE/GPRS 850/900/1800/1900MHz . It can be purchased here for $649. Though not a bad offering, we should caution you that CES is right around the corner, meaning US carriers may announce this device, subsidized and with LTE support.
Hopefully the ATIV S fans in Italy won't see any further delays and will begin seeing the ATIV S on shelves shortly.
Source: Windows Phone Italy; Thanks, Rickard, for the Expansys tip!
