Pricing for the Samsung Galaxy S4 has finally been revealed, and even Apple’s iPhone 5 is £100 cheaper to buy. So is this latest Android smartphone value for money? We’ve been scouting for views.

If you want to buy the Samsung Galaxy S4 Sim-free, it looks like you’ll have to cough up an eye-watering £630. That makes it the priciest smartphone (apart from those diamond-encrusted luxury ones) on the market.

So, how will that price go down with prospective buyers? Not well if Robert Follis’ (@robfol) tweet is anything to go by:

@whichtech $S4 Ludicrously overpriced! Why spend so much on a copy of the iPhone when you can buy the real thing for £100 less? — Robert Follis (@robfol) March 28, 2013

Get your Samsung Galaxy S4 on contract

There’s no doubt in my mind that the Samsung Galaxy S4 is a top phone. I can’t wait to see how it fares in our expert tests against the HTC One and Apple’s iPhone 5. It could even be the most powerful smartphone yet.

However, judged on today’s pricing information, the Samsung Galaxy S4 is simply too expensive to buy Sim free. It’s certainly out of my price range. The Sim-free market isn’t huge, but any handset that costs £100 more than the iPhone 5 is likely to struggle. Traditionally, Android phones have managed to sell like hotcakes thanks to their affordability. Just think about Google’s own Nexus 4, for only £239 Sim-free, as tweeter SinkingShip points out:

@robleedham @whichtech £330 less and you could get the Nexus 4 or save even more by haggling with O2 like I did. ;O) — SinkingShipProd_UK (@SinkingShip_UK) March 28, 2013

Getting the Samsung Galaxy S4 on a contract is a different story. After shopping round, I found Samsung’s latest flagship handset was available for the same price as the iPhone 5 or slightly less. I suspect most people will still prefer the allure of an iPhone, although many may be minded to keep the apps and files they’ve been using with their old Android.

The strength of Samsung’s Galaxy S brand will be really tested in the coming months. People with money to spend on a premium phone could put a massive dent in Apple’s past dominance over the mobile world. But those of us without the spare cash to spend will be rubbing our hands with glee at the impending deluge of Galaxy S3 deals.

So what do you think about paying £630 for a smartphone? Does it only make sense to get such a pricey phone on contract?