Samsung today made unlocked versions of its flagship Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ smartphones available for sale. People interested in the unlocked phones can pick them up at select Best Buy retail stores, as well as BestBuy.com and Samsung.com. Samsung says the unlocked variants of the S8 and S8+ are compatible with most wireless networks around the world, including those operated by AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless in the U.S. Samsung-branded apps and services are aboard the unlocked S8 and S8+, but carrier-branded bloatware is absent. Samsung's Bixby voice-based assistant is still not ready, though Samsung expects it to arrive in the next month or so. Best Buy and Samsung will permit phone trade-ins, as well as 24-month financing, to help defray the cost of the device. The Galaxy S8 costs $725 and the Galaxy S8+ costs $825. The unlocked phones are only available in midnight black.


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