While the Samsung Galaxy S8 & S8+ smartphones were revealed recently, everything was focused on carrier-locked phones that would be arriving in April. However, for those of you out there who prefer phones that are unlocked will be able to get them that way not too long after the carrier-locked models launch. Pre-orders for the unlocked versions of the smartphones will go live on May 9th, which is over a month after pre-orders for the carrier-locked phones go live.
While there’s still a wait for users to be able to get the unlocked versions of the phones, this is actually quicker than it was for the unlocked versions of the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. This is likely being done not only to please their users as much as possible following the disastrous Note 7, but also to capitalize on a year where iPhone users have been disappointed with their latest smartphones from Apple. You’ll be able to get your unlocked Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ around two months earlier than the company typically releases them, which is pretty impressive.
However, the big question is of course the pricing, and thanks to Best Buy we have the details. While still on the very pricey side of things, the unlocked Galaxy S8 goes for $724.99 and the unlocked Galaxy S8+ goes for $824.99. That’s a $25 savings compared to the carrier-locked versions, which is a nice little bonus.
As for why you would want to go the unlocked route compared to the carrier-locked one, many elect to purchase unlocked devices in order to be free of carrier locks and save a little money. Each carrier comes with their own bloatware that they force on you, along with restrictions that vary depending on who you go with. The only issue in Samsung’s case is that their unlocked phones typically aren’t updated as quickly as their carrier-locked ones. Their flagship carrier-locked smartphones from last year received the Android 7.0 Nougat over a month ago, but the unlocked versions still have not been updated.
The good news for those who may be swayed by that fact is that the company has said that they will be trying to improve on that front going forward, releasing security updates on a monthly basis rather than quarterly as was the case previously.
If you’re looking for all of the details regarding the latest smartphones from Samsung, then be sure to check out our article giving you the complete rundown by clicking right here.
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