Samsung Ativ SE tipped to reach Verizon on April 18, cost $599 off contract

We’ve been hearing a lot about the Samsung Ativ SE which is destined for Verizon in the US, but until now we haven’t had any concrete information on when the handset will go official. While Microsoft’s Build conference which is scheduled for next week appears to be a feasible platform, a new report suggests that the handset will arrive in the third week of April instead.

Based on information provided by trusted sources, WPCentral is reporting that Samsung has set the launch date for the Ativ SE on April 18. The website has also managed to get its hands on a price which is $599 off contract, making it as costly as the all new HTC One. This also suggests that the smartphone will come with high-end features, contradictory to previous leaks.

The first technical details on the Samsung Ativ SE arrived through GFX Bench benchmarking suite where the handset was seen as a mid-range phone with a 720p display and a quad core Snapdragon 400 processor. From what we know now, the device will come with a 5-inch 1080p screen, 4G LTE connectivity, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage.

If the said price is authentic, we expect to see more beefy components onboard including a Snapdragon 800 SOC and a 13MP rear camera. Press renders of the Samsung Ativ SE have been leaked showing the phone in silver and grey shades with a brushed metal plastic form factor. The phone is expected to launch with the upcoming WP8.1 OS that will also be found on the new Lumias.

All we can do is just speculate until Samsung decides to make the Ativ SE official. Well, April 18 isn’t too far off and we’re sure more concrete information will surface soon.