So, the Samsung Galaxy S4 will finally be available to buy in the UK from 26 April from the Samsung Experience Store at Westfield Stratford City, with all other major UK operators carrying it from the day after.

Presently, only the 4G-ready handset will be available to buy, which will have the Qualcomm quad-core Snapdragon 600 processor inside rather than Samsung's own much-publicised Exynos 5 octa-core chip. However, that's because the latter will not work on LTE bands, so you're actually better off, if you'll upgrade to 4G in the future, getting the quad-core model anyway.

European availability is through global mobile operators such as Deutsche Telecom, EE, H3G, Orange, Telenor, Telia Sonera, Telefonica and Vodafone.

EE

EE's order page is now open for business and it is specifically targeted at those wishing to make the early leap to its 4G data plans - the first in the UK and the only one in operation until later this year. It offers the new Android handset for just £19.99 - if you're willing to pay either £56 or £76 per month on a 24-month contract. That'll get you 8GB or 20GB of 4G data per month respectively.

Alternatively, you can go for a cheaper plan, but the phone will cost you £269.99 for the phone on a £31 per month 24-month contract. That offers 500MB of data per month.

T-Mobile

If you don't want to go for an EE 4G plan because they are a bit pricey for your tastes, you can stick with 3G through the two EE umbrella networks, T-Mobile and Orange.

T-Mobile's order page offers the Full Monty package, where you get unlimited 3G data, from £36 per month on a 24-month contract, with the phone costing £99. There are plenty of other packages too, but that's the cheapest with the most amount of data available. It also includes unlimited calls and texts.

Orange

Orange's order page offers similar prices to T-Mobile, but without the all-you-can-eat data. A similar £36 per month, 24-month plan offers 1GB of data per month. There are plenty of other tariffs too, including one that starts as low as £10.50 per month.

Three

Three offers one of the most attractive Samsung Galaxy S4 packages out there, with the 16GB version of the phone available for free on a £35 per month, 24-month contract. Its order page also explains the provider's Ultrafast network, which is faster than conventional 3G, but not quite 4G. For your cash, you also get all-you-can-eat data.

Vodafone

You can also get the handset for free from Vodafone, as listed on its order page, but it'll cost you a bit more per month. The network is offering it gratis on a 24-month contract for £42 per month. You also get 2GB of data per month for that. Paying £69 for the handset up front can get the monthly cost down to £37.

O2

O2 has also thrown its hat into the ring with an order page now open. It has an online exclusive deal of £37 per month with the handset for free. That gets you 2GB of data and unlimited minutes and texts. There are also tariffs available from £32 up to £52 per month, with the latter offering the phone for free.

Virgin Media

Virgin Mobile has announced its prices for the Samsung Galaxy S4 and is offering a £5 per month discount for Virgin Media TiVo and broadband customers. In addition, subscribers to all services will get free mobile phone insurance worth £7.99 a month.

Prices start at £31 per month (£36 normally), with the phone costing a £99 up front. This includes 200 minutes of talktime, 500 texts, 500MB of data and unlimited calls and texts to other Virgin Mobile customers. You can find out more on the Virgin Media online store.

Phones 4u

Phones 4u has the handset listed as free on T-Mobile for £36 on a 24 month contract, which is a good looking deal if you ask us. It saves you the £99 cost that T-Mobile asks for if you buy it from them. Phones 4 U was offering pre-order deals but those have now ended. It is worth checking Phones 4u's offer page to see what the handset costs on the network you fancy, it might save you some cash. 

Carphone Warehouse

The same savings possibilities can be had a Carphone Warehouse. The Three £35 per month offer is there, which nets you the phone for free and 2000 minutes to play with. For those who fancy buying from Carphone Warehouse, you can see its Galaxy S4 order page here

SIM-free

Online-only retailer Clove has it listed for £579, which is cheaper than the staggering £600 plus rumoured SIM-free price.

United States

US carriers AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, US Cellular, and Cricket are slated to carry the phone on 26 April. Unlike UK carriers, they haven't offered very much in the way of specifics.