Samsung leaks the Galaxy S20, price increase vs S10 pops up with release details
Just when we thought that the pricing scheme for the Galaxy S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra 5G couldn't become more convoluted, Korean media pulled a surprise and revealed the local pre-order tags.
These are for the Snapdragon 865 versions, as that's what Korean carriers with their brand spanking new 5G networks will be getting, so they would be pretty close to, if slightly above the US carrier model prices, as usual.
Galaxy S20, Plus and Ultra prices
Without further ado, the report pegs Galaxy S20's pre-order pricing at the US dollar equvalent of $1050, the S20+ at $1135, and the S20 Ultra at the whopping $1350 equivalent. Bear in mind that these tags are for the 5G models with Snapdragon, and the Korean prices are usually about fifty bucks higher than what lands in the US.
Thus, the leaked T-Mobile pricing of $999, $1199 and $1299 may, unfortunately, turn out credible in the end. The report out of Korea pegs European pricing just as we heard it will be before, namely 900-1000 EUR for the S20 depending on 5G availability, 1050-1100 EUR for the S20+, and 1300 EUR for the S20 Ultra which only comes with a full-blown 5G modem inside.
Galaxy S10 vs S20 pricing in the US, UK and Europe
A quick comparison of the prices at launch for the S10 series in Korea is may be more useful to gauge the final retail pricing in the US, as the absolute numbers change from one market to another, but the percentage change stays fairly constant.
| Korea (5G models only) | US (5G models only) | Europe | UK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Galaxy S20 | 1.25 billion won (~$1010) ~40% increase over S10e | $999 (T-Mobile) $899 (AT&T) | 899 EUR (4G) 999 EUR (5G) | £799 (4G) £874 (5G) |
| Galaxy S20+ | 1.35 billion won (~$1135) ~23% increase over S10 | $1199 (T-Mobile) $1099 (AT&T) | 1050 EUR (4G) 1100 EUR (5G) | £999 (4G) £1074 (5G) |
| Galaxy S20 Ultra | 1.6 billion won (~$1350) ~20% increase over S10 5G | $1399 (T-Mobile) $1299 (AT&T) | 1300 EUR (5G only) | £1149 (5G only) |
As you can see, the largest increase for the S20 vs S20 crop is for the cheapest models, but the S20 is in a totally different category, too, only differing by size and a few marginal specs from its larger brethren the S20+. Still, the addition of 5G seems to tack at least a 20% premium to the price of the S20 models compared to their S10 counterparts at launch, so start saving.
Galaxy S20 release date
Unfortunately, despite hopes for the contrary, the Galaxy S20 series pre-orders in Korea will start on Valentine's Day and run till the end of February.
The early adopters should be getting their handsets on March 2, together with their free Galaxy Buds+ earphones promo, while the release date for the general public is set for March 6, at least in Samsung's home turf.
Samsung reveals the Galaxy S20 series naming scheme
Last but not least among the new Galaxy S20 series details that are pouring left and right today, are the actual names of the handsets. It seems that we will indeed have an S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra instead of S11e, S11 and S11+, as Samsung spilled the beans over at its Germany and Belgium websites while listing official wrappers for the upcoming phones.
Spotted by MobileFun, the listings include one LED Cover case for a "Galaxy S20," and one Clear case for a "Galaxy S20+," basically confirming what we have been hearing for months now.
Given that the official promo poster for the S20 series launch that you see in the header image above also includes the "S20 Ultra 5G" name, it's now certain that Samsung will jump from the eventual S11 naming straight to S20 in 2020. Now, the only question left is if it will release a Galaxy S21 series in 2021.
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