Samsung Ativ S on pre-order

The Samsung Ativ S phone, which is a Windows Phone 8 handset, is now available to pre-order.

The device is up and available for pre-order at online retailer Handtec, with a price tag of £432 sim-free. That’s for the 16GB variant, mind, and there will also be a 32GB model for those who need a bit more room.

Handtec says it’s expecting stock in the first week of November, just after the official launch of Windows Phone 8 (and Windows 8) which will take place at the end of the month.

Samsung’s Ativ S is one of the major players for Windows Phone 8, and indeed, it was the first WP8 device to be announced.

The handset boasts a 4.8 inch Super AMOLED display, a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, an 8 megapixel camera with auto-focus and flash, and a 1.9 megapixel front-facing camera. A microSD slot will ensure storage can be further boosted by up to 32GB.

There’s no LTE on board, but the Ativ S will cover HSPA+42, which Three is currently busy rolling out across the country – and that offers pretty nippy surfing speeds.

Rival Windows Phone 8 devices include the Nokia Lumia 920, and HTC Windows Phone 8X. Handtec is selling the latter a tad cheaper at £395, with the Lumia’s pricing still unknown – but expected to be more than both the other handsets.