In a surprising turn of events, it’s beginning to look like Samsung’s latest Android superphone, the Galaxy S, may be headed to a carrier near you.

Forbes is reporting that an analyst for Broadpoint.AmTech, Mark McKechnie, ‘expects the Galaxy S to be sold at AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint before the end of June and to be picked up at Verizon "sometime later in the year"’. Those are certainly promising words, and Forbes seems to have enough faith in this prediction to run with it, but it should be noted that Samsung has declined to comment on carrier availability.

Android is already showing its potential on lower end handsets, and the Galaxy S is just one of many higher end phones (dubbed superphones by Google) that aim to provide a smoother and more powerful Android experience. The specs that many of these phones are carrying should allow users to enjoy a broader array of game and multimedia applications, and should be able to seriously compete with similar offerings from Microsoft and Apple.

The fact that this phone may hit all four carriers is a boon for Android developers and the Android platform as a whole. As more users trade in their G1’s for handsets such as the Galaxy S, the more incentive developers will have to develop applications that can fully unleash the potential of these devices.

It’s not often you see a feature-laden, drool-worthy phone launch without a carrier exclusivity agreement, so one has to wonder what the motivation was behind this decision. Forbes speculates that this could be due to Samsungs relative lack of brand strength when compared to other manufacturers like Apple or Motorola. Whatever the case, this is definitely a welcome move.

Here are the specs in case you’ve forgotten what the Galaxy S is all about:

  • 1GHz Snapdragon CPU
  • a 4" Super AMOLED screen, which is supposed to be 20% brighter and eliminate 80% of sunlight glare, 480×800 resolution
  • 5MP camera
  • 720P video recording and playback – no word on HDMI output
  • 1GB internal storage
  • 8-16GB MicroSD card included, expandable to 32GB
  • 512MB RAM (?)
  • WiFi b/g/n – not just B/G but N too, impressive
  • Proximity, light, gyro sensors, digital compass, GPS
  • Bluetooth 3.0 A2DP + EDR – 3.0 here, not 2.1, we have progress, people!
  • 1500mAh battery
  • Android 2.1 with Social Hub – whatever this ends up being
  • Dimensions: 4.82" x 2.53" x 0.39" (122.4mm x 64.2mm x 9.9 mm), this is quite thin – the HTC EVO 4G is 13mm
  • Weight: 6 ounces
  • MicroUSB connector

Being the hardware keyboard fan that I am, I can only hope that the Galaxy S’ more professional sibling, the Galaxy S Pro, will also be released on all four major carriers.