Verizon Wireless will be offering the 4G LTE-capable Samsung Galaxy Stellar for free with a new contract starting this coming Thursday.

The move comes as Verizon has also just revealed that it will offer the LG Intuition “phablet” this September 6.

However, unlike the LG Intuition which will only be available online starting Thursday, the Galaxy Stellar (SCH-I200) will be available at Verizon’s online and both brick and mortar stores on the said date.

The LG Intuition will be available in physical Verizon stores come September 10.

For free with a new two-year contract and after users get a mail-in rebate of $50, the Samsung Galaxy Stellar boasts a dual-core 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and comes with Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich preinstalled.

The Samsung 4G LTE smartphone is also equipped with a 4.0-inch screen that has a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels.

RAM for the Galaxy Stellar is at 768MB and internal storage is 4GB. This storage space can be supplemented by a microSD card since the smartphone comes with a microSD card slot that takes up to 32GB cards.

Connectivity, as we mentioned earlier, is taken care of through Verizon’s 4G LTE network. The phone will also run on 3G and 2G through the CDMA 2000 1xEV-DO and CDMA 800 / 1900 networks of Verizon.

Verizon says that Galaxy Stellar customers can expect fast download speeds of  5 to 12 megabits per second (Mbps) and upload speeds of 2 to 5 Mbps in 4G Mobile Broadband coverage areas.

For other connectivity needs for Galaxy Stellar users, the smartphone has Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP, and a microUSB 2.0 slot.

As for imaging, the Galaxy Stellar has two cameras. The front camera is 1.3 megapixels while the rear camera is 3.15 megapixels with built-in autofocus and geo-tagging.

The Galaxy Stellar is not, however, targeted solely for consumers. Samsung and Verizon are also targeting the enterprise sector as the new smartphone is certified under Samsung’s SAFE (Samsung Approved For Enterprise) program.

According to Samsung and Verizon, the Galaxy Stellar is equipped with the following business features.

• Microsoft® Exchange ActiveSync® (EAS) – Communicate directly with your Microsoft Exchange Server enabling push email, calendar, and contacts
• Virtual Private Network (VPN) and Mobile Device Management (MDM) Support from Industry-Leading Solutions Providers – Supports industry-standard VPN protocols to help users efficiently tap into VPN networks and MDM capabilities that allow IT departments to effectively safeguard employee’s mobile devices and corporate data.
• On Device Encryption – SAFE helps prevent unauthorized access to mobile data by leveraging the AES 256-bit encryption standard, encrypting all data, including app-specific internal data and internal/external memory.

The Galaxy Stellar also comes with Amazon apps.

About Solon Harmony Dolor

A passion for technology and journalism makes this upcoming writer very interested in social media and technology news. Fresh from finishing an English and Journalism degree from the University of the Philippines Diliman, he aims to bring interesting news to our readers .