Samsung launched the much-awaited Galaxy S4 and it is due to hit shelves soon. A recent report says that the Galaxy S4 SIM-free will cost more than staunch rival Apple's flagship smartphone, the iPhone 5.

"Speaking with TrustedReviews, high street smartphone retailer Phones 4u has revealed that the entry level, 16GB storage capacity SIM-free Samsung Galaxy S4 will set wannabe owners back just a penny shy of £600. Although Apple is known for its premium prices, Samsung's latest smartphone powerhouse has made its biggest rival seem positively cheap with the 16GB iPhone 5 costing £529 SIM-free," says Trusted Reviews.

As the flagship smartphone of the company it is inevitable that the price of the Galaxy S4 will be on the steeper side. However, if the Galaxy S4 is sold for £600 then the phone will become one of the most expensive handsets in the smartphone market today.

"Anticipation for the upcoming release of the new Samsung Galaxy S4 is really escalating and we're excited about it hitting the store floors next month," says Scott Hooton, Phones 4u Chief Commercial Officer. "In the pre-registration period alone, interest for the Samsung Galaxy S4 has surpassed the interest for its predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy S3, as well as the iPhone 4S, which until now did hold the record for the highest volume of pre-registrations at Phones 4u."

The Galaxy S4 packs in high-end features which can compete with any other top-end smartphone available in the market today. The Galaxy S4 has a 4.99-inch Super AMOLED display with 1080 x 1920 pixels resolution and is equipped with a massive 13-megapixel rear-facing snapper. A powerful processor, a bigger 2600mAh battery and on-board storage options of 16/32/64GB will definitely attract customers looking for a top-endphone.

If you really want to buy the SIM free-version of the Samsung Galaxy S4, will you pay £600?