Samsung Expands Unlocked Galaxy S8 And S8+ Availability, Retailers Offer $100 Discounts

by Brandon Hill — Monday, June 12, 2017, 03:55 PM EDT

Just over a month ago, Samsung made the unlocked versions of the hit Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ available to the public. The smartphones were eligible for purchase via Samsung.com and Best Buy priced at $725 and $825 respectively without any contracts or strings attached.

"By combining the freedom that Unlocked by Samsung provides, with the innovative and groundbreaking features of our latest flagship phones, we are giving consumers even more choice and convenience for their mobile needs,” said said Tim Baxter, president and chief operating officer of Samsung Electronics America, at the time.

Now, Samsung has announced that it is expanding availability of the unlocked Galaxy S8 series to include additional retailers like Amazon, B&H Photo, Target and online marketplace eBay. While giving customers the opportunity to purchase unlocked smartphone from a wider crop of retailers is great, the really good news is that some retailers are offering a rather sizable discount on the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ as an added bonus.

Best Buy and Amazon have lopped $100 off the price of the unlocked smartphones, so Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ now ring up at $724.99 and $824.99 respectively.

We should mention that unlocked versions of the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ feature both CDMA and GSM compatibility, so you should be able to throw any SIM at the phones and hop on to your wireless network of choice. In addition, these unlocked smartphones aren’t loaded down with obnoxious carrier bloatware apps, although you will still have to deal with Samsung’s penchant for duplicating functionality found with preloaded Google software via its own apps.

With that being said, both the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ are powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 processor paired with 4GB RAM, along with a 5.8-inch or 6.2-inch Infinity Display, 64GB of internal storage, microSD expansion, and class-competitive cameras (12MP rear, 8MP front-facing).

Tags: Samsung, Best Buy, krx005930, galaxy s8, galaxy s8+

Brandon Hill

Brandon received his first PC, an IBM Aptiva 310, in 1994 and hasn’t looked back since. He cut his teeth on computer building/repair working at a mom and pop computer shop as a plucky teen in the mid 90s and went on to join AnandTech as the Senior News Editor in 1999. Brandon would later help to form DailyTech where he served as Editor-in-Chief from 2008 until 2014. Brandon is a tech geek at heart, and family members always know where to turn when they need free tech support. When he isn’t writing about the tech hardware or studying up on the latest in mobile gadgets, you’ll find him browsing forums that cater to his long-running passion: automobiles.

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