Soon after Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Note 8 last week, news emerged that Samsung will significantly discount the handset for the customers that were affected by last year’s unexpected Galaxy Note 7 recall. Samsung promised to offer buyers up to $425 in savings, which sounds great for a phone whose sticker price is $930.
If it sounds too good to be true, that’s because it is — here’s what you need to know.
The most disappointing thing about Samsung’s promo is that it won’t be honored across the globe. The offer is valid only in the US, CNET explains. Sure, the bulk of the Galaxy Note 7 orders came from the States, but that still leaves plenty of people who will not benefit from the offer.
The other problem with this deal is that it only runs through September 30th, so you really have to act fast to get it.
If that’s not enough, you should know you should go through Samsung to get the deal, which means you’ll likely have to buy the handset unlocked, for its full price to get the discount. Don’t worry, though, your preorder gifts will still be honored even if you also qualify for the $425 discount.
And about that discount, that’s the maximum you can hope for. To get it, you have to turn in a functional device. That’s right, Samsung gets your current phone in return for a new Note 8, and the phone has to be in good working condition for you to get the most money back. Furthermore, you’ll have 15 days to send in your current phone.
We’ll also point out the fact the obvious here. Samsung probably isn’t too thrilled to have to run this promotion, but it’s doing it anyway for the publicity value it can bring. And Samsung doesn’t have to run any deal for former Galaxy Note 7 owners. The company didn’t just forcefully remove the Galaxy Note 7 from your hands last year. It replaced your phone with something else or refunded the money. The Note 8 discount just a bonus for some of the loyal Note fans. But it’s not the best Galaxy Note 8 deal you can dream of. After all, no company is in the business of selling a phone that’s valued at over $900 for half the price to everyone who was hurt by a previous product recall — Samsung had to recall some 3 million units in total.
