The Samsung Galaxy S5 may have been announced some three weeks ago, but its Korean maker has been rather tight-lipped regarding pricing and availability. We now know that the forthcoming flagship will begin retailing in early April, with pre-orders beginning later on this month, and now, UK network operator Three has divulged its pricing details of the sought-after handset.
Just yesterday, we heard that Vodafone UK had struck an exclusive deal to carry the gold variant of the Galaxy S5, and that the company would begin taking pre-orders on March 28th. Unsurprisingly, Three UK has followed suit, and will allow consumers to register their interest to purchase the device from the very same date.
Upfront, the handset will set you back £69, tethered to a 24-month contractual agreement. Prices start at £38 per month, which offers 600 minutes and 2GB of data, although if you want the fully-fledged, unlimited minutes / data package, you’ll be looking at a monthly fee of £44.
As with Vodafone, the Three launch of the Galaxy S5 will take place on April 11th, leaving us with just over three weeks to wait before we can finally get hold of Samsung’s latest and greatest.
Unveiled at Mobile World Congress last month, the Galaxy S5 is already the second major handset release from Samsung this year following the introduction of the Galaxy Note 3 Neo and Neo+ back in January, and with a fingerprint sensor, 4K video shooting and a significantly improved processor, should have no problem enticing long-time fans of the Galaxy S product line.
Also announced at MWC were the Gear 2 and Gear Fit smartwatches, both of which Three UK will retail alongside the Galaxy S5. At a cost of £199 for each, it will be interesting to note how these wrist-worn devices perform – particularly given the manner in which the Galaxy Gear was panned by critics after releasing alongside the Galaxy Note 3 back in September.
So, if you’re in the UK and keen to get your hands on the Galaxy S5, mark down March 28th in your diary. If you want the gold variant, you’ll certainly be looking to the Vodafone deals, but with Three’s unlimited data plan usually winning the day, you’ll certainly have to weigh up the opportunity cost of owning that shiny, stand-out color option.
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