After all the hype surrounding the next-generation premium phablet from Samsung Electronics, the device is finally here. The Galaxy Note 7 was unveiled earlier this week by the South Korean manufacturer at its ‘Unpacked’ event in New York City, and already many carriers around the world have started announcing the phone’s availability on their respective networks. While most of the major carriers in the U.S. and Canada have already announced availability and pricing details for the phablet, it is now the turn of three leading telecom companies in Samsung’s home country of South Korea to follow suit. SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus, have all confirmed plans of carrying the Galaxy Note 7, and according to latest reports, all three will open pre-orders for the device from 9AM on Saturday, August 6.
While the unlocked, SIM-free version of the Galaxy Note 7 will come with a rather hefty price-tag of 988,900 won ($890), there are a few notable differences in how the carriers are pricing the gadget on their networks. All three are offering discounts that will hopefully soften the blow a little bit for users wanting to get their hands on the latest premium smartphone from the country’s most well-known electronics company. While SK Telecom subscribers who sign up for a two-year contract using the T Samsung Card 2 V2 credit card are all set to get a 480,000 won discount on the device, KT will reportedly slash 360,000 won off of the retail price of the Galaxy Note 7 for all customers who buy the phablet under a two-year contract using the KT Olleh’s Super Card. LG Uplus customers, meanwhile, will get a 7% discount on monthly network usage payments if they buy the device from the company’s e-commerce site, U+Shop.
The Galaxy Note 7 has been a highly anticipated smartphone around the world, and even though it is technically only the sixth-generation flagship phablet from Samsung, the company has chosen to market it as the Galaxy Note 7 presumably to bring it in sync with the naming convention of the Galaxy S7 line and the forthcoming iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. The device, of course, is the first-ever mainstream smartphone to feature an iris scanner, so it will be interesting to see how that works in real life.