Samsung Ativ S is delayed until January in the UK

KOREAN PHONE MAKER Samsung's debut Windows Phone 8 handset, the Samsung Ativ S won't be coming to the UK until January.

That's according to Carphone Warehouse, which has updated its Coming Soon webpage to show that the Ativ S has been delayed until next year. This comes amidst speculation that the handset won't tip up in December as Samsung had promised, although the reason behind the delay has not been revealed.

Samsung has yet to respond to our request for comment about the handset's anticipated delay.

If true, delaying the handset until January could be a terrible move for Samsung, with HTC and Nokia already filling shelves with their first Windows Phone 8 handsets. If reports are to be believed these are selling well, so it's unlikely that users will hang around to wait for Samsung's Ativ S smartphone.

That's not to say it's a bad phone, as the Ativ S features a decent 4.8in Super AMOLED screen, a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, an 8MP rear-facing camera, a 1.9MP front-facing camera and a 2,300mAh battery.

If you're after a less expensive Windows Phone 8 handset, Carphone Warehouse has also revealed that the Nokia Lumia 620, which is set to retail for around £150, will be arriving in the UK in February.

Check out our Samsung Ativ S hands-on review. µ