It looks like those in Poland will be getting a new Windows Phone to choose from come September as evidently the ATIV S from Samsung is headed to market. The phone, like the Sprint ATIV S Neo, is expected to be a minor refresh, possibly sporting a new chipset to support FM radio, Bluetooth 4.0 and OS build 10327 (GDR2).
The news comes via Samsung’s own Twitter account for the Polish market (Samsung Polska) and while pricing was not given, nor any updated specifications (if any), the time-frame of September 20th and the ATIV S model name was.
Interestingly, the ATIV S from Samsung was announced nearly one year ago in Berlin at the IFA and it is the only flagship level Windows Phone from the company since that time. It seems clear that Samsung will continue to limp along with the same model with minor hardware revisions for the foreseeable future. Certainly, that is the least that Samsung could do to keep its foot in the door with Windows Phone, possibly under contractual agreements with Microsoft, and it demonstrates that the company is not willing to invest more R&D into newer devices.
The flipside to that negative assessment though is that the fact that the ATIV S is an impressive offering both in terms of design and features. It is one of the few conservative-looking Windows Phone 8 devices available and with expandable storage, a removable battery and a large 4.8-inch Super AMOLED display all wrapped in a light, thin body, it is quite the workhorse. In fact, there’s little not to like about the ATIV S except for the fact it does not have the Nokia Collection.
Having said that, it may be a little hard to get consumers excited for a device announced globally one year ago (ironically, Samsung was late to market with the device too, offsetting actual market availability).
Speaking of the Sprint ATIV S Neo, that device is expected to go on sale in just over a week on August 16th, though that date, pricing and final specs have not yet been confirmed.
Source: Twitter; via Windows-Phone.pl (translation); Thanks, Łukasz P., for the tip!
