A division of Samsung Electronics prematurely launched the pre-order page for the Galaxy Note 9 over 24 hours before the handset’s official announcement. The mistake was made by Samsung Vietnam earlier today and while the unit in question eventually pulled down the page, the pricing details it revealed about the device already started circulating the Internet by then and Google’s algorithms even had enough time to cache it. The page in question had the base model of the Galaxy Note 9 listed as being priced at the equivalent of $980, in addition to revealing that Vietnamese consumers will have to pay close to $1,200 for the top version of the Android phablet.
Not accounting for the ten-percent value-added tax rate and the fact that Samsung’s products are generally slightly more affordable in Vietnam than they are in the West, the leak is mostly in line with previous rumors about the device which suggested it will either keep the pricing of the Galaxy Note 8 series or feature a slight price increase. The latter would be justified by the base memory configuration jumping to 128GB of storage while retaining 6GB of RAM, whereas the most high-end Galaxy Note 9 model is expected to offer 8GB of RAM and 512GB of data allocation space. The listing also mentions pre-order bonuses but those will almost certainly differ by individual markets and American consumers are expected to be able to choose between a $300 pair of AKG wireless earbuds, a unique Fortnite content pack, or both for $99.
The Galaxy Note 9 should have a two-week pre-order period starting from tomorrow, i.e. its announcement day, or the day after. The Android flagship is already widely expected to hit the store shelves come August 24, with Samsung likely targeting a simultaneous global release, much like it did with every other member of the same product family debuted in recent years. While every unit will come with an S Pen, the styluses will also be sold separately and their colors will match those of notes user make on the Galaxy Note 9’s always-on display, one insider claimed earlier this week.
