Samsung cellphone pricing should not be like Apple’s

On October 3, 2023, Samsung introduced the Galaxy S23 FE. All its press supplies mentioned the cellphone prices $599 for the 128GB mannequin. Nevertheless, when the cellphone really went up on the market at Samsung.com, the unlocked mannequin didn’t price $599 — it price $629, a $30 improve. This was uncommon, so we contacted Samsung in regards to the discrepancy.

In its response, the corporate identified which you could nonetheless get the cellphone from its on-line retailer for the $599 value — if you happen to purchase a provider model over the unlocked mannequin. It additionally informed us that Amazon, Greatest Purchase, and different retail companions nonetheless promote the unlocked mannequin for $599. The one exception right here is shopping for the unlocked mannequin immediately from Samsung. Nevertheless, the corporate didn’t clarify why it made this alteration.

Maybe Samsung has a last-minute purpose to hike the value that it gained’t inform us about (and pre-existing offers that preserve some retailers at $599). Nonetheless, I’m suspicious that this may very well be a brand new technique for Samsung as a result of that is precisely what Apple does for its entry-tier iPhones. For instance, the iPhone 15 has an MSRP of $799. However if you happen to head to Apple.com to purchase an unlocked model, you’ll really pay $829. When you decide as an alternative for a provider model, you get the unique $799 value. Apple began doing this in 2020 with the launch of the iPhone 12 sequence.

Curiously, Apple doesn’t do that switcheroo with Professional-level telephones — the iPhone 15 Professional and 15 Professional Max price the identical at Apple.com whether or not you go unlocked or carrier-locked. It’s all about making these entry-level fashions seem extra reasonably priced.

This weird “punishment” for purchasing an unlocked iPhone 15 or 15 Plus immediately from Apple is fairly irritating, regardless of the way you slice it. However Apple will probably be Apple, and strikes like this don’t appear to stain its status with Apple followers. However Samsung followers aren’t practically as forgiving. I sincerely hope this new cellphone pricing coverage isn’t going to proceed outdoors the Galaxy S23 FE.

Let me be clear by saying I’ve no downside with Samsung discounting a cellphone if you happen to determine to purchase a carrier-locked mannequin. For instance, shopping for a T-Cellular-branded Galaxy S23 Extremely from Samsung.com proper now prices $1,169, or $30 lower than the $1,199 MSRP. This low cost is smart as a result of Samsung is probably going making extra revenue from that cellphone due to provider subsidies. It’s passing on these financial savings to you, the patron, because it ought to.

However there’s a giant distinction between charging lower than the MSRP for a provider mannequin and rising the value of an unlocked mannequin so the provider mannequin has a perceived low cost. That’s not a reduction — that’s extra like a tax. The MSRP needs to be the start line for reductions, not the value after reductions.

You would possibly suppose this isn’t a giant deal as a result of it’s simply the Galaxy S23 FE. My concern is that Samsung is utilizing this cellphone’s launch as a testing floor. The corporate might wish to see if it might probably get away with this Apple-style value switcheroo for particular units. May we see wonky Samsung cellphone pricing like this within the upcoming Galaxy S24 sequence? I actually hope not.

When you’re a Samsung fan who thinks charging extra money for an unlocked mannequin is a horrible concept, pontificate within the feedback beneath and the ballot above. Hopefully, we are able to let the corporate know that simply because Apple can do one thing that pulls one over on the patron doesn’t imply Android followers will settle for the identical therapy.

Within the meantime, in order for you an unlocked Galaxy S23 FE, try the hyperlink beneath to seize it from Amazon so that you don’t needlessly spend $30 extra on it.