Galaxy Note 8 Briefly Appears On Samsung’s Website, 256GB SKU Could Top $1200

Samsung briefly eclipsed the upcoming launch of its Galaxy Note 8 handset by going live with a product page on its website this morning. But like the total solar eclipse that will take place today, it was just a temporary thing—Samsung removed the listing after realizing its boo-boo, or after deciding it had sufficiently teased the handset (that would be called a controlled leak, though they are usually done through third parties).

The Galaxy Note 8 is expected to make its debut at Samsung's Unpacked event in New York next week (alongside a new GearVR headset and Gear Fit2 Pro fitness band). What was visible on the South Korean electronic maker's website this morning was an unlocked model (UZKAXAA) intended for the US market. The product link was dead even when the product page was live, though the listing itself revealed a few tidbits.


Unfortunately, pricing information was not one of them. However, the listing did reveal 64GB of internal storage on the base model, which goes in line with a brochure that leaked to the web recently. And at the risk of reading too far into things, the listing seems to suggest that the unlocked handset will be made available at the same time as the carrier versions that will be offered by AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon.

That would be an interesting development. If we look back to the Galaxy S8/S8+ launch, it was about a month after the carrier SKUs debuted that unlocked models were made available for sale in the US. And for the Galaxy S7, US buyers had to wait three months for unlocked handsets to arrive. Having the Galaxy Note 8 ship in unlocked form next to its carrier brethren would be a big treat for customers.

Let's circle back to price for a moment. While the premature listing did not give up any details on the cost of the Galaxy Note 8, there is a Chinese-language website (IT Home) claiming that pricing could breach approach the $1,200 mark. Here is a look:

• Galaxy Note 8 w/ 6GB RAM, 64GB storage: 6,288 yuan (~$943)
• Galaxy Note 8 w/ 6GB RAM, 128GB storage: 7,088 yuan (~$1,063)
• Galaxy Note 8 w/ 6GB RAM, 256GB storage: 7,988 yuan (~$1,198)

Even the Chinese pricing is correct, that does not mean it will translate into US pricing with a straight conversion. That does not usually happen. However, assuming the price in yuan is accurate, it would not surprise us if the top-end Galaxy Note 8 sold for $1,000 in the US.