Are you counting the days until you can buy the Galaxy Note 3 and the Galaxy Gear? If so, you’ll be pleased to hear the the two stars of this year’s IFA 2013 tech show are headed your way very soon, as T-Mobile has confirmed it’ll be stocking them both from early October. You’ll need your wallet though, and if you want to walk away with the pair, it’ll need to be fairly stuffed.
(Check out our review of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 phablet.)
It’s going to cost you $200 up front for the Galaxy Note 3, then 24 monthly payments of $21 on T-Mobile’s 4G LTE Simple Choice Plan, which adds either $50, $60, or $70 per month to your bill depending on how much data you want. As for the Galaxy Gear, there’s no monthly plan involved, so it costs a straight $300. In other words, if you want the latest Samsung hardware on your wrist and in your pocket, you’ll need $500 on the day.
While this is a lot of money, you are getting a lot of tech. The Galaxy Note 3 has a massive 5.7-inch, 1080p resolution Super AMOLED touchscreen, wrapped up in a smaller body than the Note 2, and with a new stitched leather-look rear panel. As T-Mobile’s phone will connect to a 4G network, the processor inside is the Snapdragon 800, and it’s supported by a a whole 3GB of RAM. A 13-megapixel camera, Android 4.3, and a revised version of the S Pen stylus and its software are other highlights.
The Galaxy Gear smartwatch has caused considerable discussion following its launch, and it’s going to be fascinating to see how many people select this $300 accessory when buying the Note 3. The little watch has a 1.63-inch touchscreen, a 1.9-megapixel camera, speakers and a microphone for calls, plus its own application store.
T-Mobile will release the Note 3 and the Gear on October 2, and has opened up a registration page from today, so you can be among the first to place an order.
Updated on 10/11/2013 by Andy: The Galaxy Note 3 and the Galaxy Gear have come to Verizon on October 11. The big Note 3 is yours for $300 with a two-year contract, or $700 without. If you’re looking at Verizon Edge, then the monthly charge is $29.31. The Galaxy Gear can be purchased to accompany the Note 3 for $300, and it’s available in orange, grey or black, while the Note 3 is only listed in black.
Updated on 09/30/2013 by Andy: AT&T has amended the release date for the Galaxy Note 3 and the Galaxy Gear, saying that while pre-orders may ship on October 1, the official release date is October 4. This is for both its website orders and in stores. The Galaxy Gear smartwatch now has a price too, and it’s $300 in black or beige.
Updated on 09/06/2013 by Andy: Not to be left out, AT&T has also announced the availability of Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3. It’ll start shipping on October 1, but pre-orders start today. On a regular two-year contract it costs $300, but if you select AT&T Next, it’s $35 per month with an upgrade option after 12 months. The Galaxy Gear has its own AT&T page, but it’s listed as coming soon and has no price attached.
Article originally published on 09/06/2013
