Last night, Samsung launched the long anticipated (and heavily leaked) Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ at their event in New York. The phones will be arriving here officially on the 28th of April, so how can you get one?
The phone will come in three colours in Australia: Midnight Black, Orchid Gray and Maple Gold, with the colours available at all three major carriers, as well as through Virgin Mobile. The phone will be available through retail and carriers here in Australia so we thought a round-up of where to purchase the phone would be helpful. We’ll be updating this article with more information as it comes to hand, so if you see it somewhere let us know.
The Galaxy S8 and S8+ comes with high-end specs and here’s the full list of specs as has been confirmed by Samsung so far:
| Galaxy S8 | Galaxy S8+ | |
|---|---|---|
| Screen | 5.8” (146.5mm) Quad HD+(2960×1440), (570ppi) |
6.2” (158.1mm) Quad HD+(2960×1440), (529ppi) |
| SoC | Octa core (2.3GHz Quad + 1.7GHz Quad), 64 bit, 10 nm process Octa core (2.35GHz Quad + 1.9GHz Quad), 64 bit, 10 nm process |
|
| RAM | 4GB RAM (LPDDR4) | |
| Storage | 64GB UFS 2.1 with microSD Card slot |
|
| Cameras | Rear: Dual Pixel 12MP OIS (F1.7) Front: 8MP AF (F1.7) |
|
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz), VHT80 MU-MIMO, 1024QAM Bluetooth® v 5.0 (LE up to 2Mbps), ANT+, USB Type-C, NFC, Location: (GPS, Galileo*, Glonass, BeiDou*)*Galileo and BeiDou coverage may be limited. |
|
| Sensors | Accelerometer, Barometer, Fingerprint Sensor, Gyro Sensor,Geomagnetic Sensor, Hall Sensor, Heart Rate Sensor, Proximity Sensor,RGB Light Sensor, Iris Sensor, Pressure Sensor | |
| OS | Android 7.0 | |
| Battery | 3,000 mAh | 3,500mAh |
Carriers
Optus
Optus has announced their plans for the S8 and S8+, with pre-orders starting at 12.01am on Friday 31 March, with all pre-orders eligible to receive the new Gear VR Headset and controller valued at $199 thrown in for free. Samsung will be carrying the handset in all three colours announced and offer a range of plans.
The plans are decent value, with plans starting from just $40 per month, though a handset repayment on top of that means you’ll pay $82 per month for the S8 and $87 per month for the S8 Plus. The plan setup looks like this:
Optus pre-orders should be ready to go from 12:01am on Friday March 31st through the Optus website.
Telstra
Telstra has advised that they too will be carrying the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ with pre-orders going live at 12:01am 2:01am on Friday March 31st through their website. Telstra will be offering the new Gear VR Headset and controller valued at $199 with all pre-orders received through their website. Telstra hasn’t managed to snag any colour exclusives for the Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8+ handsets with all three colours available when the handsets go up for pre-order.
Telstra is excited to launch the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ promising high speeds on the Telstra 4GX network, as well as offering Voice over Wi-Fi (VoWiFI) to customers.
Telstra has announced pricing for the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Go Mobile Plans. Telstra includes Unlimited calls and text to 10 selected countries with their L, XL and XXL plans as well. But enough stuffing around here’s the table for the phones:
Go Mobile Plus and My Business Mobile Plus Plans:
| S | M | L | XL | XL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Included Data | 1GB | 3GB | 12GB (8GB+4GB Bonus) |
25GB (20GB+5GB Bonus) |
35GB (30GB+5GB Bonus) |
| Included Talk, TXT, MMS | $550 Talk Unlimited SMS/MMS to Standard Australian Numbers |
Unlimited to Standard Australian Numbers | |||
| Plan Cost | $55 | $75 | $95 | $135 | $195 |
| Handset Repayment | |||||
| Galaxy S8 | $35 | $25 | $10 | $5 | $0 |
| Galaxy S8+ | $42 | $32 | $20 | $10 | $0 |
Go Mobile Swap Plans + My Business Mobile Lease Plans
| S | M | L | XL | XL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Included Data | 1GB | 3GB | 12GB (8GB+4GB Bonus) |
25GB (20GB+5GB Bonus) |
35GB (30GB+5GB Bonus) |
| Included Talk, TXT, MMS | $550 Talk Unlimited SMS/MMS to Standard Australian Numbers |
Unlimited to Standard Australian Numbers | |||
| Plan Cost | $55 | $75 | $95 | $135 | $195 |
| Handset Repayment | |||||
| Galaxy S8 | $25 | $15 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Galaxy S8+ | $32 | $22 | $10 | $0 | $0 |
Telstra customers wanting to pre-order the Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8+ will be able to do so from 12:01am through the Telstra website.
Virgin Mobile
Virgin Mobile has jumped in early with their intention to carry the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+, with pre-orders going live at 12:01am on Friday 31st of March. Virgin Mobile pre-order customers will also have a choice of the three colours of handset, as well as being eligible to receive the new Gear VR Headset and controller valued at $199.
Pricing for the Galaxy S8 will start at $77 per month, and the Galaxy S8+ will start at $82 per month. Virgin offers a full range of plans which you can see below, and offers Virgin Australia frequent flier members 10% off plan costs when signing up to a $50 or above phone or 12-month SIM plan. The plans on offer through Virgin Mobile include:
Virgin Mobile Pre-orders will go live through their website just after midnight tonight.
Vodafone
Vodafone has listed the Galaxy S8 on their website, so they’ve confirmed they will be offering the Galaxy S8 to their customers. They’ve not listed a pre-order bonus, though this is a given with Samsung listing it as a bonus. Vodafone has said that pre-orders will go live on their website at the same time as others, from 12:01am on March 31st.
More information on plan pricing has come through, if you’re after a Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8+ on their network, here are your options:
Galaxy S8 Pricing
| Global | Data | Global | Data | Global | Data | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plan | $40 | $60 | $70 | $80 | $80 | $90 | $100 | $100 | $120 | $120 |
| S8 MPP | $37 | $26 | $18 | $10 | $10 | $5 | $3 | $3 | $5 | $5 |
| S8 Total Cost | $77 | $86 | $88 | $90 | $90 | $95 | $103 | $103 | $125 | $125 |
| Data (GB) | 1 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 11 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 22 |
| Bonus Data (GB | - | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 12 | 10 |
| GS8 Bonus Data (GB) | - | - | - | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Total Data | 1 | 4 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 15 | 17 | 20 | 30 | 32 |
| IDD* | - | 150 minutes | - | 300 minutes + super 1000 | - | - | 300 minutes + super 1000 | - | 300 minutes + super 1000 | - |
*super 1000 to 12 countries and 150/300 minutes to 55 countries
Bonus 1GB on the $60 plan ends 11th April
Bonus data on the $70/80/90/100/120 plans end 9th May
Galaxy S8+ Pricing
| Global | Data | Global | Data | Global | Data | |||||
| Plan | $40 | $60 | $70 | $80 | $80 | $90 | $100 | $100 | $120 | $120 |
| S8+ MPP | $43 | $35 | $26 | $21 | $21 | $15 | $11 | $11 | $10 | $10 |
| S8+ Total Cost | $83 | $95 | $96 | $101 | $101 | $105 | $111 | $111 | $130 | $130 |
| Data (GB) | 1 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 11 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 22 |
| Bonus Data (GB | - | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 12 | 10 |
| GS8+ Bonus Data (GB) | - | - | - | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Total Data | 1 | 4 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 15 | 17 | 20 | 30 | 32 |
| IDD* | - | 150 minutes | - | 300 minutes + super 1000 | - | - | 300 minutes + super 1000 | - | 300 minutes + super 1000 | - |
*super 1000 to 12 countries and 150/300 minutes to 55 countries
Bonus 1GB on the $60 plan ends 11th April
Bonus data on the $70/80/90/100/120 plans end 9th May
Woolworths Mobile
Woolworths Mobile is also intending to offer the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ on their service. Information on the Woolworths Mobile availability dates and pre-order information will be on Woolworths Mobile’s website soon.
Woolworths will begin offering the Galaxy S8 for $65/month, and the Galaxy S8+, for $69/month making it possibly one of the cheapest ways to grab one of the new Galaxy S8 range. Woolworths gets bonus points for using the Telstra network if that's an important part of choosing a mobile plan.
Here’s the full details of Woolworths’ pricing offers for the range:
| Handset | Plan | Price | Price Breakdown | Min Cost Over 24 months | Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Galaxy S8 | Small | $72 | $35 plan + $37 handset | $1,728 | 1GB |
| Galaxy S8 | Medium | $65 | $50 plan + $15 handset | $1,560 | 4GB |
| Galaxy S8 | Large | $92 | $70 plan + $22 handset | $2,208 | 8GB |
| Galaxy S8+ | Small | $76 | $35 plan + $41 handset | $1,824 | 1GB |
| Galaxy S8+ | Medium | $69 | $50 plan + $34 handset | $1,656 | 4GB |
| Galaxy S8+ | Large | $95 | $70 plan + $25 handset | $2,280 | 8GB |
Retail
As with all Samsung handsets, you'll find them at a range of retailers both online and at bricks and mortar stores. Samsung has announced outright pricing for the handsets, the Samsung Galaxy S8 will have a RRP of $1,199 and Galaxy S8+ will have a RRP of $1,349.
Samsung
Of course Samsung will be selling the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ through their website. Though pre-orders won't go live until 12:01am tomorrow morning, you can expect to pay the retail price for the phones, with delivery usually free from Samsung Australia.
Samsung will also be selling the DeX dock, Gear 360 (2017) 360-degree camera and the new Gear VR with controller on their site, but no word on when pre-orders will go live on those.
Harvey Norman
First cab off the rank in terms of retailers is Harvey Norman, who have the phones showing on their website in all three colour options with pre-orders starting from 12:01am on Friday March 31st.
No word on any pre-order bonus with the Harvey Norman pre-orders but it's expected that they will be eligible for the new Gear VR Headset and controller valued at $199 which is being offered to customers signing up for a contract on a carrier.
Harvey Norman has also listed a range of accessories on their website including the DeX dock and a range of covers including the Alcantara, LED View and Clear View Standing Cover for the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+.
Kogan
While they haven't listed pricing as yet, Kogan has listed the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ on their website. Kogan has listed the Grey, Silver and Black models on their website, a change from the official Samsung Australia colour range of Black, Grey and Gold. No date on when pre-orders will go live, or whether they will be accepting them or offering the pre-order bonus of the new Gear VR handset has been listed at this stage.
You can check out the range of Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ handsets on the Kogan website.
Wrap
We'll be keeping this site updated throughout the next few days as more information on where to buy the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ comes to hand.
Saw an ad on Fox League today while waiting for the NRL to start and Harvey Norman will be offering early pickup (not sure what that means – hopefully someone else who was paying attention to the ad in question can fill us in) and a Gear VR with preorders.
The phone will be sold over the counter on 29th April. If you pre-orders you can pick it up in store on the 21st April. Early pickup.
Samsung is also sending out direct website pre-orders on 21st April.
Fantastic work guys!
$1,200 unlocked bahaha
It’s getting a bit ridiculous now, isn’t it.
High end smartphones have skyrocketed in price in the past few years, led by Apple and followed by others.
The only good news is, low to mid range phones have gotten to the point where they perform everyday tasks just as good as high end phones and are no doubt sufficient for more than 80% of users.
For those wanting to gloat, then they can pay $1000’s for the privilege 😉
Cheers
Agree with you 100%
I either get a mid range phone like Moto G or buy a flagship from a year and a half ago.
Problem with midrange phones is their storage and memory speeds. I won’t buy a phone that doesn’t have UFS storage or faster. There is a noticeable difference in app loading and switching between apps when multi tasking between mid and flagship phones.
I had a Galaxy J5 2015 with Marshmallow, multi tasking isn’t as fast as my Xperia Z5 Compact but it’s definitely still acceptable.
Not sure if the Z5 compact has UFS storage.
The XZ still didn’t have UFS so I doubt the Z5 range did. I’m still rocking a Z3 compact but the screen has been coming away from the body for over half a year now so I don’y know how much longer it will last. I haven’t seen a phone released since I’ve liked as much. Think I’ll probably compromise on my desire for a smaller phone and get the S8.
Memory speeds will also play a part in how quickly a phone relaunches an app while multitasking.
Skyrocketed? My galaxy S2 was $800 outright 6 years and 6 generations ago. A 50% increase over 6 years is hardly good but it’s NOT what I would call skyrocketing.
Has your wage and inflation increased by 50% in 6 years?
How come all our other imported items and imported cars haven’t seen such ridiculous increases and have pretty much been steady, or even decreased in price in some cases.
It’s an item that’s been red hot in sales and I believe they think they can get away with it, simple as that.
If you’re happy with that price rise I guess, they’ll be happy to take your money 🙂
You’re an idiot! Trying to make a comparison with tech items to imported cars. Most other tech I look at regularly has gone up in price. If you’re happy being an ignorant poster I guess others will continue to laugh at your ineptitude 😉
Also if you could do maths or just follow my comment you would see I claimed inflation was 15% over 6 years or if you take yearly compounding into account a little under 2.5% per year. NOT 50% you moron!
Well when you consider that people moan about the price of a MS Surface Pro at 1500 that has a much more expensive and powerful CPU, much larger screen etc but are happy to pay nearly the same price for a phone that costs half the price to create. I guess they are programmed to believe what they will.
Only an idiot wouldn’t understand what you are saying and accept your opinion whilst arrogantly proclaiming their “fact” is more important than your opinion.
I started by saying a 50% increase isn’t good. So I understand what GrKTcB was saying. I thought the use of the word ‘skyrocketing’ was hyperbole. I then provided some brief analysis to make a case for arguing there is no real world difference in price.
Perhaps your thoughts on idiots would be useful here. You may consider how they could be self referential.
Your anecdote differs to mine. The price of tech as well as other consumer goods has increased in the last 7 years in line with the exchange rate differences between AUS dollar and US. Trying to make a comparison with tech items to imported cars is ridiculous. If you’re happy being an inept poster I guess others will continue to laugh at your ineptitude 😉 Furthermore if you did the maths or could just follow my comment you would see I claimed inflation was 15% over 6 years or if you take yearly compounding into account a little under 2.5%… Read more »
I’m ok with it. All the cutting edge specs I want, plus a gear VR with Remote, and Aug Headphones valued at $100. Compared to a $1100 LG G6 it’s much better value.
So I wonder if all of those who decried the HTC U ultra for the “small” battery will do the same?
Sucks that I can’t upgrade until June! At that point in time I may as well wait for the Note 8.
At these prices we need to all support one plus.
they don’t sell or support them in Aus yet. If they did sell them here i’d expect prices to be about $660 – $700 AUD.
I wouldnt categorically state that everyone should support a company who doesn’t support our country by even distributing to it.
if OnePlus supported us I would recommend them. But they do not have all the LTE bands required for Australia and nor do they sell them directly here. Maybe that will change this year and I sincerely hope it does but I can’t see it happening.
I agree with what your saying and i’m hoping that OnePlus will launch their next phone in Australia. I currently use a nexus 6p which was not a cheap phone but is priced fairly where as the HTC U Ultra, iPhone 7, Samsung S8 and Google Pixel are not. I will not support phones which cost well over $1000.
Both seem painful to the wallet ……….. but still fair prices to me when you look at the S8 device features and hardware , compare both devices to pixel variants , or ……. the htc u ultra which is the identical RRP price to the S8 ! As for the one plus , it looks a good basic device , but there are reasons its cheap , that being said if it came to a pixel or one plus choice as Montalbert-Scott has pointed out ………if one plus had the required radio bands , it would be one plus for… Read more »
$1199 doesn’t sound too crazy does it? Or have I just become numb to phones costing over $1000!
You’ve become numb.
Wake me up when the price halves.
Numb. I can build a pretty high performance desktop computer that does more than a phone, albeit not portable for this price range. The markups on these things must be incredible, because there’s no way the components inside are worth anywhere close to $1000+. I know you need to pay for engineers, software engineers, licenses, certification and the like, but still lots of markup. Apple did this to us. OEMs used to be able to get away with low pricing to undercut Apple and move people over to other smartphone platforms – but now everyone has their preference either way… Read more »
S7 BoM was US$255
These phones are at least half profit.
I don’t mean to be picky , but that’s a pretty crap analogy mate , i can build a really fast car for about 10 k that will beat a tesla , but it will have no warranty and be a pos in general , if the cost of an item was simply only the due to the cost of its parts manufacturers would be be making far more coin , research and development, warranty coverage , walk in stores , all that stuff costs millions , maybe billions for the bigger companies .
I literally mentioned the additional costs to Samsung in my original comment, then you went and tried to derail my point by saying exactly what I said.
Good one, boss.
No offence was meant by it Brad , but your conclusion was that mark ups must be ” incredible ” after you stating you could build up a high performance pc yourself for so much cheaper , you derailed your own comment when you left out the many other costs involved, again if a device was only the cost of its parts engineers and software and the like and there where no other costs involved that would be a fair comment , but in manufacturing and sales the costs are huge. i dont know what the slice of pie is… Read more »
These prices are crazy
the premium model pixel xl costs 1400+ , the premium model iphone costs 1500+ …… so how crazy are the S8 prices ???
The Samsung Galaxy S8 will have a RRP of $1,199 and Galaxy S8+ will have a RRP of $1,349.