T-Mobile extended its promotion guaranteeing a free unit of the Gear VR headset to all buyers of the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus by ten more days, as reported by some of the company’s customers that were notified about the extension on Wednesday. The head-mounted display — regularly priced at $129.99 — can now be obtained by all customers who have purchased either member of the Galaxy S8 lineup from T-Mobile until May 14. Apart from people who are yet to buy Samsung’s new Android flagships, everyone who already did so and still hasn’t claimed their free Gear VR can do so until May 28, the Bellevue, Washington-based wireless carrier said.
The May 14 date only refers to actual purchases of the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus, while all customers can register their products to receive free headsets by providing proof-of-purchase to Samsung until two weeks later. The headsets seemingly aren’t being sent out by T-Mobile but Samsung itself, with the South Korean consumer electronics manufacturer saying that it will ship the products in around six to eight weeks after customers have registered their purchase of the Galaxy S8 or the Galaxy S8 Plus. This Gear VR promotion is similar to the one that Samsung and many carriers in the United States were running last year when they were incentivizing consumers to buy the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge with a free Gear VR headset. However, the head-mounted display that’s now on offer is the second generation of Samsung’s VR hardware that ships with a remote control and some minor design changes.
According to previous reports, even customers who opt to return their Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus units are getting to keep Samsung’s latest VR headset, though the number of consumers that are doing so is reportedly small. Samsung’s new flagship duo launched just under two weeks ago following months of teasers, leaks, and anticipation. Industry watchers believe that the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus will become one of the best-selling handsets in 2017 and help Samsung’s mobile unit reach record profits over the course of this year, though time will tell whether that prediction holds true.