Preorder the Samsung Galaxy S8, Get a Free Gear VR

Pre-Order the Samsung Galaxy S8, Get a Free Gear VR

Samsung has opened up preorders for its new Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ handsets. And if you act quickly, you will get a free Gear VR virtual reality headset too.

UPDATE: As crazy as this sounds, Microsoft is offering the Galaxy S8 for preorder too! –Paul

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“Get the new Gear VR with Controller for free, plus Oculus content bonus when you pre-order the Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8+,” the Samsung website notes. “(Or,) for a limited time you can add premium headphones by AKG and a 256 GB memory card for just $99.”

Intrigued by the possibility that Samsung might have just hit one out of the park, and created a true Android flagship—unlike, say, the curiously lackluster Google Pixel XL I’ve been stuck with—I’ve actually pre-ordered one of these expensive devices directly from Samsung. Before getting too deeply into this, it’s possible I will cancel this order, as I want to ensure that the device is in fact unlocked. But I had to choose a carrier (AT&T, in my case, so I’m not actually sure.)

Anyway, the version I ordered is the larger Galaxy S8+ with the 6-inch screen, in midnight black. (Arctic silver and orchid gray are also available here in the US.) All US-based S8 handsets come with 64 GB of internal storage, which I’m fine with. That you can expand that with microSD is, of course, excellent.

I chose the free Gear VR and controller, rather than the $99 bundle, and it came to over $900 with taxes. If I had chosen to go with monthly installments, the cost would have been $35.42 per month for two years.

If you preorder by April 17, Samsung says you will get the phone on April 20. Shipping is free. You could also choose to preorder the device from any of the four major US carriers, starting today. For example, at AT&T, I see that the same Galaxy S8+ is $850 before taxes, or $28.34 per month. (You can also get the free Gear VR this way.)

So, we’ll see how this goes. Or, if this goes, I guess.

 

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Conversation 6 comments

  • skramer49

    Premium Member
    30 March, 2017 - 8:53 am

    <p>Hope it doesn't overheat.</p>

  • StudBen

    30 March, 2017 - 9:14 am

    <p>Paul according to other news outlets Unlocked preorders start May 9th https://www.cnet.com/news/samsung-galaxy-s8-unlocked-may-why-wait/ Like you to me these phones look great also like you I've always hated Samsung's customized Android UI</p>

  • MikeCerm

    30 March, 2017 - 10:38 am

    <p>As amazing as these screens are and as much as I feel that Quad-HD is actually overkill for a 6" screen in normal usage (I'd happily use 1080p and save some battery life), these screens look like <em>garbage</em> in VR situations like Gear VR and Google Cardboard. I can't imagine who would want to use these things for anything more than a 5-minute tech demo, at least in their current state. I am not sure VR will ever catch on (who really wants to wear a helmet??), but if it does then we'll need at least 4K <em>per eye</em> to make it look decent. It makes me think that the current plan for putting phones into head-mounted displays is sort of dumb. I don't want a 4K phone, much less an 8K phone. Not now, not ever.</p>

  • bassoprofundo

    Premium Member
    30 March, 2017 - 2:35 pm

    <p>Not sure you'll want a truly unlocked model if the S7's history is an indication as to how Samsung will handle updates. The 930u/935u models have gotten less-timely updates than the carrier-specific ones.</p>

  • beckerrt

    Premium Member
    31 March, 2017 - 5:12 am

    <p>Paul, once you get the S8 I'm sure you'll be wondering why you didn't return the Pixel when you had the chance. I can't see any reason to use it once the S8 arrives. </p>

  • Jorge Garcia

    03 April, 2017 - 6:04 pm

    <p><img src="https://cnet4.cbsistatic.com/img/GFGjH4MNkOHH6nBDw7UsCEOFxh0=/1170×0/2017/03/27/6f7bb760-839a-4d1e-b858-605003645dd6/samsung-dex-galaxy-s8-19.jpg"></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">If I'm Microsoft, the S8/S8-VR itself doesn't bother me….but this Samsung DeX screenshot certainly does. THIS is the actual desktop "windows" experience 90%+ of people actually want. Not "us", of course, but real everyday, non-techie people. Because it runs Android, it's literally ALL the latest and greatest social media apps you could ask for on a desktop, with enough productivity apps (custom-tuned by Microsoft!) to get you by, but with NO legacy win32 cruft such as 2-click-away viruses, browser toolbars you don't remember agreeing to, search engine changes you don't remember agreeing to, McAfee notifications, super long update downloads and updating-process hijackings that take forever, etc etc etc. To me, this is huge. If Samsung makes DeX-OS available on laptops and desktop boxes (please Samsung), then I would literally NEVER recommend Windows to any friend or family member, because no one in that circle uses big-daddy photoshop, lightroom or final-cut pro, etc, so why do they need the need all the danger of full Windows??? (And no, the still kid-like Chromebooks are not THIS ^^^ even after they get their long-awaited Android App hack released and in better shape, they are just not elegant enough, and people don't even "get" what they are still).</span></p>

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