Samsung Galaxy S II Finally Launched in U.S., To Be Released September 16 on Sprint for US$200

After fears of its bypassing the U.S. and after Hurricane Irene pushed back its unveiling event one day later, the world-famous Samsung Galaxy S II was officially announced today and will be arriving on mobile carriers Sprint, T-Mobile, and AT&T.

Sprint’s variant will be in stores starting September 16 for US$200 (with 2-year contract). It will be called the Samsung Epic 4G Touch (not the Samsung Epic Touch 4G or the Samsung Galaxy Within as initially rumored). Sprint also announced that it will start accepting preorders for the Samsung Epic 4G Touch starting today.

Neither AT&T nor T-Mobile attached release dates or pricing to their official announcements. AT&T vowed that its variant, rumored to be called the Samsung Galaxy Attain, will be available “in the coming weeks.” T-Mobile’s variant, rumored to be named the Samsung Hercules, will be available “this fall.” Earlier rumors pointed to October 26 as T-Mobile’s release date for the Samsung Hercules.

Verizon didn’t want to launch the Samsung Galaxy S II on its network in favor of something believed to be much better. Besides, the long-awaited Motorola DROID Bionic is about to come out on Verizon on September 8 according to a leaked timetable.

Although the Samsung Galaxy S II will go by different names when it hits the various U.S. carriers, it essentially refers to just the same device.

The carrier variants, however, differ in a few aspects. The most notable is the screen size. AT&T’s variant will bear the same 4.3-inch touchscreen as in the international version of the Galaxy S II.

Meanwhile, both Sprint’s and T-Mobile’s variants will feature a screen size inspired by the Samsung Infuse 4G‘s 4.52-inch display.

The following specs and features are common to all three variants: