Samsung introduced its new Galaxy Note 8 phone on Wednesday, and top U.S. Mobile carriers quickly started offering promotions and free gifts to entice buyers.
Verizon said it would start preorders for the Note 8 on Thursday for $960 upfront, or $40 a month for 24 months. But the carrier also said it would give a discount of up to half the price with the trade in of a recent smartphone. Verizon (VZ) buyers also get a free 128 GB memory card and a fast-charge wireless charger or free Gear 360 camera with the purchase.
T-Mobile said Note 8 pre-orders would start on Wednesday at 9 p.m. Pacific time and would be available in stores and online starting September 15. The cost is $210 plus $30 a month for 24 months, or $930 upfront. On the carrier’s Jump upgrade plan, the Note 8 will be $39 a month on an 18-month lease. T-Mobile (TMUS) customers who buy a Note 8 by Sept. 24 will get a Gear 360 camera for free.
AT&T (T) offered the Note 8 for $31.67 for 30 months in its Next program, with a credit of up to $200 for a trade-in. At full price upfront, AT&T is selling the phone for $950. Customers could choose from the same free memory card and charger or free camera that Verizon offered. Buyers who added AT&T’s DirecTV service could get $500 off a Samsung TV set. Buyers who already subscribed to DirecTV and bought the Note on the Next program could get $750 in credit towards another Samsung Galaxy line phone.
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Comcast (CMCSA), a new player in the wireless market, said it would carry the Note 8 starting September 15, but did not offer specific details about the price. “Pricing and pre-order details will be announced soon,” Comcast’s Xfinity Mobile service said in a statement.
Sprint (S) is offering the Note 8 for $40 a month on an 18 month lease, but customers switching from another carrier get half off, and pay only $20 a month. Customers can upgrade to a new Galaxy device after 12 months. Sprint is also selling the phone outright for $960. And the fourth-ranked carrier also offered the free memory card and charger or free camera promotion.
But carriers haven’t been offering the same bargains and discounts that they did for the new Apple iPhone 7 back in September.
Samsung is offering a separate deal on its own for people who owned the prior generation Note 7, which was recalled. Note 7 owners are eligible for a discount up to $425 on the Galaxy Note 8. To qualify, customers will have to be verified by the company to ensure they actually owned the ill-fated device, will need to trade in their existing smartphones and place their order for the new handset on Samsung.com.
At a press event in New York City on Wednesday, Samsung showed off the features of its latest Note device, including an OLED 6.3-inch screen, dual lens cameras on the back and support for a stylus known as the S pen.
The unveiling comes less than a year after Samsung had to recall the prior Note 7 due to faulty batteries that overheated and caught fire in some cases. At Wednesday’s event, Samsung showed fans of the Note 7 who said they were sticking with the brand and eager to try the Note 8.
