If you’ve been looking forward to getting your hands on the new Samsung Galaxy S5, and possibly one of the new Gear smartwatches too, then we’ve got some good news. U.S networks will open the order books over the next few days for the Galaxy S5, the Gear 2, the Gear 2 Neo, and the Gear Fit.
Updated on 04-09-2014 by Andy: We’ve added in two new offers, one from Verizon and the other from Target, giving you an even wider choice of where to by your new Galaxy S5.
Order the Galaxy S5 at Verizon, and get another for free
Visit Verizon’s Galaxy S5 page and you’re greeted by a buy-one-get-one-free offer. If you choose the Galaxy S5 on a two year contract, you can also get the option to take another S5, an Ativ SE, or an HTC One M8 away for $50 on a two-year, which will be returned by a mail-in rebate. Verizon is charging $200 for the phone on its normal plan, and after a $50 mail-in rebate, or $25.22 per month if you select Verizon Edge. But one without a contract, and you’ll need to hand over $600. Verizon isn’t listing anything about the Gear 2 or the Gear Fit at this time.
Push through the pre-order pages, and Verizon says it’ll be shipping the Galaxy S5 by April 14, but doesn’t provide an exact date.
Target adds the Galaxy S5 to its trade-on offer
Head over to Target on April 11, with your old (qualifying) smartphone in your hand, and you could get $100 for it, ready to spend on your new Galaxy S5. This would reduce the price of an S5 on a two-year contract to $100, and that figure is guaranteed too. If you don’t have a Target nearby, the offer also works online. You’ll have to be quick if you want to be sure of getting $100 for your old phone, because the offer is only valid until April 26. If Best Buy is your preferred retailer, then it also offers a trade-in system, but currently has no specific Galaxy S5 offers.
Order at AT&T from March 21
AT&T is first on the list, and will start taking orders on March 21. The Galaxy S5, in either black or white, is yours for $200 with a two-year contract. Alternatively, it’s $25 per month on Next 18, or $32.50 per month on Next 12. If you’re feeling flush, and don’t want to sign on the dotted line, AT&T will sell you one without a contract for $650.
Following an earlier report providing pricing information on the Gear 2 watch, AT&T has also published its final pricing for the wearable hardware. As expected, the Gear 2 will cost $300, which is exactly the same as the Galaxy Gear – you know, the one everyone thought was too expensive – and the Gear Fit is $200.
There’s better news regarding the Gear 2 Neo, which was missing from the prior report. We estimated a $250 price tag, but surprisingly it’s going to be $200. The specs aren’t all that different from the Gear 2, aside from not having a camera, so it sounds like a solid deal. AT&T will give you $50 off one of the two watches if you buy a Galaxy S5 at the same time. The offer begins on March 21, runs until June 5, and is only available in AT&T retail stores or online.
The Gear 2 watch comes in three colors, Charcoal, Gold Brown, and Wild Orange. The Gear 2 Neo comes in Charcoal Black, Mocha Gray, and Wild Orange. Finally, the Gear Fit only comes in black, with no word on alternative color straps.
Although Samsung trumpeted an April 11 release for all the above devices, AT&T hasn’t committed itself to this date, saying only that shipping will begin in “early April.” This isn’t evidence of a delay, but it’s not confirmation there won’t be one either.
Sprint confirms April 11 launch
If you’re looking for a Galaxy S5 with Sprint, it’s available to order from March 21 in-store, ready for release on April 11. The phone with a two-year contract has been priced at $200, or if you select Sprint Easy Pay, it’ll cost you nothing up front with 24 monthly payments of $27.09. If the Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo or the Gear Fit are also on your shopping list, Sprint will carry the three wearables from April 11. The Gear 2 has been priced at $300, while the Gear 2 Neo and the Gear Fit are both $200.
The Galaxy S5 will be available in black or white, while the Gear 2 will come in either black or Gold Brown. There’s only a black option for the Gear 2 Neo, but Sprint has confirmed it’ll sell the Wild Orange and Mocha Grey straps for the Gear Fit, which will also only come in black. Finally, there’s a special offer for those buying a Galaxy S5 on a Family Plan with Easy Pay, where you can get a Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 for free, if you select a two-year data plan to go with it.
T-Mobile orders begin on March 24
If T-Mobile is your choice of carrier, then you’ll have to wait until March 24 before staking your claim to a Galaxy S5. It has organized a special pre-order package, where no down payment is required, provided you agree to pay $27.50 per month for two years, giving a grand total of $660. Of course, you’ll need to pay for your monthly call, message, and data charges on top. To get the deal, you’ll need to sign-up before March 31. T-Mobile is also guaranteeing you’ll have the phone on April 11. However, there’s no mention yet of its intention to stock the Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo, or the Gear Fit.
You can sign-up to be notified when pre-orders are available here.
March 21 is the big day for U.S. Cellular
U.S. Cellular will provide Galaxy S5 pre-orders online from March 21. The phone has been priced at $200 with a two-year contract, and will come with a $50 Google Play promo code if you order it online. The network also says the phone will be ready to collect on April 11, and that the Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo, and the Gear Fit will be on sale too. Sadly, no prices for the wearables have been provided. Visit this webpage to place your order.
RadioShack’s ready for March 21
RadioShack is preparing to offer Galaxy S5 pre-orders from March 21, and it will provide a $50-off coupon to be redeemed when the phone is ready to collect in-store. However, it hasn’t shared the final price, or a final release date, saying only the device will be available to collect in mid-April. It’ll also sell the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo, but hasn’t laid out any prices or release details for those either.
We’ll be updating this page regularly as more networks confirm their plans, so keep checking back.
Article originally published on 03-20-2014
