Tearing itself away from its flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S III, for a moment, Samsung and Verizon Wireless have announced today that the company will begin selling a budget-friendly Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich 4G LTE smartphone on Sept. 6.

Samsung's Galaxy Stellar should particularly appeal to first-time smartphone buyers. The Android smartphone has a 4-inch 800 x 480-pixel display, 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 3.2-megapixel rear/1.3-megapixel front cameras, a microSD card slot for storage (max 32GB) and, as leaked earlier, it will come with a suite of Amazon apps that should make finding digital content a simpler task. Interested parties can pick up a Galaxy Stellar at Verizon Wireless retail stores and online for free after a $50 mail-in rebate with a two-year contract.

Check out the full press release from Verizon below for more info.

"VERIZON WIRELESS LAUNCHES FEATURE-PACKED SAMSUNG GALAXY STELLAR^TM SMARTPHONE

Features 4G LTE Connectivity, Dual Interface Options and B2B Enterprise Solutions

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., and DALLAS - Verizon Wireless and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile) announced today that they will offer the exclusive Samsung Galaxy Stellar^TM starting Sept. 6 in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online at www.verizonwireless.com.

The easy-to-use 4G LTE enabled Samsung Galaxy Stellar is designed to be compact so it fits easily in a customer's hand and make the first time smartphone experience simple.  Built with a compact design, the Stellar features a dual interface option so customers can choose between Starter Mode or Standard Mode.  Starter Mode gives customers a simplified home screen display with preset widgets such as Favorite Apps, Favorite Contacts and Favorite Settings for quick and easy access to frequently used apps and settings.  Starter Mode also features a quick dialer icon that allows customers to make phone calls directly from the home screen.  Standard Mode provides customers with a more conventional layout and gives customers the traditional Android^TM experience.  The Stellar also includes a Help app that features guided tours, walkthroughs, tips for changing settings and more, so customers can master their device.

Samsung Galaxy Stellar customers can take advantage of blazingly fast 4G LTE connectivity to access an array of convenient and multimedia rich apps. A suite of Amazon apps is included that offers customers an easy way to discover content such as watching movie trailers on the IMDB app, downloading audio books with the Audible app, and one-click ordering with the Amazon shopping app. The Stellar also offers a variety of premium TV and film content for rent or purchase through the Samsung Media Hub.

The Galaxy Stellar is a SAFE^TM (Samsung Approved For Enterprise) approved device featuring on-device AES-256 bit encryption, enhanced support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync®  and support for industry-leading Virtual Private Network (VPN) and Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions to make working on-the-go secure.

Additional features:

4G LTE - 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

4-inch WVGA display (800 x 480 )

Android^TM 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich - support for Google Mobile^TM Services including Gmail^TM, YouTube^TM, Google Talk^TM, Google Maps^TM and access to more than 600,000 apps available to download from Google^TM Play Store

Suite of Amazon apps includes Kindle, Shopping, MP3, Zappos, IMDB and Audible

1.2 dual-core GHz Snapdragon^TM application processor

Front and rear-facing cameras - front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera for video chat and 3.2 megapixel rear-facing camera with auto focus

Backup Assistant Plus - media management and online storage service designed to help customers store and access media content such as music, videos, pictures documents and contacts.

Wi-Fi® Connectivity (802.11 a/b/g/n)

MicroSD^TM card slot with support for up to 32 GB

Business features:

Samsung's SAFE enterprise mobility solutions provide flexibility and connectivity for mobile workforces, ensuring that users are able to operate     more efficiently while on-the-move.

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."

What do you think of Samsung and Verizon's pairing, and furthermore, its idea for a "free" smartphone?  Let us know in the comments.