14 DAY TRIAL // Best Buy has started sales of unlocked Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ smartphones in the US, with prices that reach $724.99 for the base model and $824.99 for the variant with a larger display. However, the smartphones are available only in the Midnight Black color option.
The unlocked version doesn’t bring much to the table, except for the fact that it isn’t carrier bound and doesn’t come with bloatware. The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ unlocked variants are available for the same prices on Samsung’s online store in the US.
The Galaxy S8 comes with a 5.8-inch Infinity Display and runs Exynos 8895 or Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 835 platform, depending on the market. The battery inside is a 3,000mAh unit, smaller than the 3,500mAh juicer in the Galaxy S8+.
Galaxy S8 units pre-ordered from Best Buy are now shipping
In fact, display size and battery capacity are the only two differences between the Galaxy S8 variants, as the other specs are the same. The Galaxy S8+ has a 6.2-inch Infinity Display with 18:5:9 aspect ratio, allowing more content to be shown.
In addition, the phones come with 12MP rear cameras and 8MP selfie snappers. They have their own dedicated physical button for Bixby, although Samsung has yet to release the voice command feature for its virtual assistant. The Korean company is expected to equip Bixby with voice commands this summer, but a recent report suggested that the rollout could be delayed.
Best Buy recently announced that it started shipping Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ units which were pre-ordered last month. Deliveries should arrive to customers by the end of the week. Samsung has seen huge demand for the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ in the US and other markets around the world.
The Galaxy S8 sells faster than the Galaxy S7 in Korea, and Samsung expects to sell about 50.4 million units by the end of this year. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S8 Active is expected to arrive in the US, possibly this month.