The Samsung Galaxy S21 is already on sale. Surprised? I wasn’t.
Sarah Tew/CNETNever, ever buy a phone on launch day — unless you enjoy paying full price. Case in point: For a limited time, and while supplies last, Best Buy has the unlocked Samsung Galaxy S21 (256GB) for $650. (Be sure to choose the Activate Later option before adding it to your cart.) That’s a full $200 off and the best S21 deal I’ve seen to date.
In fact, the closest second right now is Amazon: The S21 with 128GB for $675. But you’ll have to wait one to two months (!) for delivery. Same goes for the 256GB model, which is $700. It’s actually a little weird that Best Buy is offering 256GB for the same price as 128GB. It almost feels like a price mistake — but I’m not complaining.
Read more: The best Samsung Galaxy S21 deals
Meanwhile, if you’re in the market for an S21 Plus or S21 Ultra, Amazon still has the best deals there:
Note, however, that the S21 Plus is two to five weeks out in terms of delivery, while the Ultra shows “out of stock” — but can still be ordered at that price.
Read more: Review: Samsung’s Galaxy S21 is the no-brainer upgrade phone
The key takeaway here is that you can now get 256GB of storage for the same price as 128GB — while still saving hundreds of dollars overall.
Amazon continues to offer one extra incentive: If you add the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro to your cart (look for the “1 Applicable Promotions” option below the price) along with one of the S21 phones, you’ll get an additional $100 off. That’s effectively a 50% discount on the new earbuds; read David Carnoy’s Galaxy Buds Pro review to see if they’re worth it.
Assuming you can afford to buy the S21 outright, where should you take it for service? That’s the beauty of an unlocked phone: Take it to whatever carrier has the best deal for your needs. At US Mobile, for example, you can save up to $250 on your first year of service when you bring your Galaxy S21. You could head to Visible and take advantage of the Party Pay plan, which can net you unlimited service for as little as $25 a month.
Read more: Cheap phone service: 8 affordable alternatives to the Big 3
Your thoughts?
Watch this: Review: The Galaxy S21 5G surprised us with its changes
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