What are the deal options?

The rumors and speculation are over, with the Samsung Galaxy S24 series finally being unveiled today. The launch has also triggered the beginning of the pre-order period on all three Android phones. This window will last until the Samsung phones go on sale on January 31, so you have a couple of weeks to assess your options. You don’t have to do this legwork yourself, as we’ve got all the Galaxy S24 pricing and pre-order information you need right here.

While the hardware of the latest generation of Galaxy S phones is not super revolutionary compared to the S23 line, there’s plenty to be excited about. Galaxy AI is here to give the Pixel 8 range a run for its money, and Samsung has also matched Google’s commitment to seven years of updates. You can find out much more about what’s new in our Galaxy S24 Ultra hands-on guide.

We’ll go through the pricing of each model so you can choose the one that best suits your budget, then get to the pre-order info. Use the content menu in the top right to jump to specific sections if you’re in a hurry.

Samsung Galaxy S24 (8GB/128GB): $799.99
Samsung Galaxy S24 (8GB/256GB): $859.99

While not true of all the models, the Samsung Galaxy S24 has retained the same starting price as the previous three generations of the handset. That means you’re paying $799.99 for the base model with 128GB of storage or a slightly increased $859.99 for the 256GB variant. Considering there has been more than 10% cumulative inflation over that three-year timespan, Samsung would no doubt argue that the base model is getting cheaper in real terms.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus: (12GB/256GB): $999.99
Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus: (12GB/512GB): $1,119.99

Like its smaller sibling, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus starting price is unchanged from last year. This means that for four of the last five years, the base model of the Plus version has stayed within three figures at $999.99 for the 256GB variant. There’s also no change to the price of the 512GB model of the S24 Plus from its predecessor at $1,119.99.

The S24 Plus sticks with the extra boost from 128GB to 256GB of storage that the Galaxy S23 Plus received. In terms of design, the S24 and S24 Plus have very incremental upgrades over their predecessors, so Samsung may have felt a price uplift for the model would be tricky to justify. However, you are getting 12GB of RAM in both variants of the S24 Plus, compared with 8GB in the S23 Plus.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: (12GB/256GB): $1,299.99
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: (12GB/512GB): $1,419.99
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: (12GB/1TB): $1,659.99

The base model of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is the one price change from last year’s base models, with a $100 bump in price across the board. That means $1,299.99 for the 256GB version, and the increase on the other storage variants is even more pronounced. It’s now $1,419.99 for the 512GB model and a hefty $1,659.99 for the highest-spec 1TB handset.

Samsung justified these increases by highlighting the multiple years of retaining the same price point and stating that there were various reasons why it couldn’t maintain the same retail price on the most premium handset. There are valid arguments that could be envisaged, such as inflation and the fact that the S24 Ultra has the most significant upgrades of the three phones. But even if you think it’s fair enough, it does make the price freeze on the base models of the other devices more puzzling. The Ultra is usually the best-selling of the three siblings, so it will be interesting to see if this continues to be the case with a $500 difference between the base models of the S24 and S24 Ultra.

The iPhone 15 is the obvious Galaxy S24 alternative for Apple fans, and buying either of the ranges starts at around $799 for the cheapest model. The $100 uplift in the base model of the Galaxy S24 Ultra now means that the iPhone has the edge if you want the most powerful device, with the base model iPhone 15 Pro Max retailing for $1,199. The maxed-out variant of the iPhone 15 Pro Max is also now cheaper. The 1TB version is $1,599, compared to $1,659.99 for the 1TB Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Google is probably the chief competitor on the Android side of the bracket. While the Pixel prices have crept up in recent years, the stock Android phones retain the price advantage over their Samsung rivals. The 128GB Pixel 8 retails for $699, and you can occasionally pick it up on sale for under $600. That makes it at least $100 cheaper than the most affordable Galaxy S24 model. The Pixel 8 Pro has the same $999 retail price as the S24 Plus at the base level, and the most you can pay for the top storage option on that phone is $1,179 — $120 less than the base model of the Galaxy S24 Ultra.

The OnPlus 11 is a closer rival to the Pixel range than the Galaxy S24 when it comes to pricing. The 8GB model retails for $699.99, while its 16GB sibling is the same price as the base model Galaxy S24 at $799.99. The OnePlus 12 is already available in China and is due to launch in the US later this month. We won’t have long to wait to see where the manufacturer chooses to position the device from a pricing standpoint.

What seems apparent is that Samsung isn’t looking to win over buyers on a budget. The Galaxy S series has a loyal following and is most commonly compared with the iPhone line, so as long as it isn’t ceding a significant advantage to Apple, it is unlikely to put off its potential customers with incremental price increases.

The first place people will think to go to pre-order the Galaxy S24 is directly from Samsung, and there are strong arguments for this. Prospective buyers who managed to reserve the Galaxy S24 in the past two weeks are already saving $50 when they firm up their pre-order. This is stackable with all the other promotions, such as the up to $100 Samsung Credit everyone who pre-orders from Samsung will get.

Samsung is also offering a free storage upgrade when you pre-order any of the devices. This is a familiar offer from the brand, but it has stepped up the promotion for the Galaxy S24 launch. For the first time, you can use this storage upgrade to go from the 512GB Galaxy S24 Ultra to the 1TB model. That particular upgrade is worth $240 to prospective buyers. Combined with the credit outlined above, you could be getting $300 to $400 worth of value in the promotions before we’ve even got to trade-ins.

On that note, while you might get a better value for your old device from the carriers, Samsung’s trade-in program is pretty generous. You can offset as much as $550 when you switch up your old device for the Galaxy S24, $650 if you want the S24 Plus, or $750 on the Galaxy S24 Ultra.

There are also exclusive extra colorways of the Galaxy S24 range that are only available if you pre-order directly from the manufacturer. These include Jade Green, Sandstone Orange, and Sapphire Blue.

Other benefits you can get when pre-ordering from Samsung include savings on the Galaxy Watch 6 and Galaxy Buds when you bundle them in with your purchase, plus limited subscriptions such as Microsoft 365 Basic and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom.

The major US carriers all have big pre-order promotions on the Samsung Galaxy S24 in order to get your custom. There are options to get various models of the series for free, either via very generous trade-in values or even just for signing up for a new line of service. All providers are offering the same free storage upgrade as Samsung during the pre-order period.

Just remember that how free these devices actually are is questionable. The deals will usually require you to commit to a 24-month or even 36-month contract. At $70 per month or more, you’re committing to paying thousands of dollars over the term of the contract, which makes the free hardware much more understandable. That said, if you’re likely to go with that provider anyway or keep upgrading every year, you may see getting a stunning flagship phone for little to no extra outlay as a very nice perk indeed.

AT&T is offering up to $1,000 off any of the Galaxy S24 models with a trade-in, although there’s a pleasant twist to this offer. Trading in any Galaxy phone, regardless of year or condition, lands you the full $1,000 discount. Combined with the free storage upgrade, that gives you the chance to get either the Galaxy S24 or S24 Plus for free. The deal will require you to be on or to activate and eligible unlimited plan. You can also get a free Galaxy Tab A9 Plus with the deal, but only if you activate a tablet plan as well.

AT&T Galaxy 24 pre-order links: Galaxy 24 | Galaxy S24 Plus | Galaxy S24 Ultra

Verizon has almost the same set of promotions. Trading in any Samsung Galaxy phone in any condition gets you $1,000 off the new handsets, although you’ll also need to commit to 36 months on the Unlimited Ultimate plan.

Verizon Galaxy 24 pre-order links: Galaxy 24 | Galaxy S24 Plus | Galaxy S24 Ultra

T-Mobile has some nice offers for those with a trade-in and those without. New customers can get up to $800 off any of the devices just by activating a new line of service for 24 months on the Go5G Plus or Go5G Next plans. New or current customers with an old device to switch can up that to $1,000 off on the same plans. New lines on other plans or other trade-in scenarios can discount the devices by lesser amounts.

T-Mobile Galaxy 24 pre-order links: Galaxy 24 | Galaxy S24 Plus | Galaxy S24 Ultra

Other than buying directly from Samsung, the obvious place to pre-order an unlocked model of the Galaxy S24 is a major online retailer, such as Amazon or Best Buy. These outlets can’t match the manufacturer’s pre-order incentives, so Samsung is still your best bet in this regard. But you may well have credit with these retailers you want to offset against the cost of the devices, prefer the pre-order deals, or just feel more comfortable shopping with them.

Amazon is offering the free storage upgrade plus an Amazon Gift Card with your purchase. The amount of the gift card is $50 with the Galaxy S24, $150 with the S24 Plus, and $200 with the S24 Ultra.

Amazon Galaxy 24 pre-order links: Galaxy 24 | Galaxy S24 Plus | Galaxy S24 Ultra

Best Buy is similar in that it offers the free storage upgrade and a gift card. The gift card amounts are slightly less generous than Amazon, at $50, $100, and $150, respectively.

But Best Buy also has a trade-in program, and it has the potential to be better than Samsung’s. You can save as much as $600 on the Galaxy S24 when upgrading your old phone or up to $750 when pre-ordering the S24 Plus or Ultra. Samsung can only match that offer on the largest of the three siblings, although you’re getting a load of other benefits from the manufacturer.

Best Buy Galaxy 24 pre-order links: Galaxy 24 | Galaxy S24 Plus | Galaxy S24 Ultra

The approach here very much depends on a number of things, including your budget, whether you have a device to trade, and how important it is for you to be an early adopter.

If you enjoy being among the first people to own the latest Galaxy S phone, you’ll obviously want to get your pre-order in now. It’ll also mean that you almost certainly have one of the Galaxy S23 handsets that you’re willing to trade in for an upgrade. Doing this with Samsung will probably only leave a small balance to settle and possibly nothing to pay if you’re upgrading with your carrier.

It becomes a slightly trickier decision without a high-value trade-in option. The pre-order promotions might not justify the big outlay for the latest unlocked handset in your mind, especially if you’re on a moderate budget. In this case, you could wait for bigger deals to hit the series. There will likely be at least $100 off the devices at certain points in the coming months, and we’ll be sure to highlight them. This will be especially true if sales aren’t what Samsung had hoped. If you have the patience, waiting for the big sales events of the year, such as Amazon Prime Day, will probably bring more significant drops in price.

You may also consider using this opportunity to pick up the Galaxy S23 instead. We often talk about the virtues of buying the previous generation of phones, as there may well be some great deals on the 2023 models. This is a particularly good time to have this option in mind, given how subtle the upgrades are between the Galaxy S23 and S24. You’ll miss out on the latest processor, Galaxy AI, and a few other things, but the Galaxy S23 is still a top-of-the-line smartphone with several years of updates ahead.

Similarly, those not wedded to the Galaxy ecosystem might see this as a chance to venture to another manufacturer for a generation. Both the Pixel 8 and iPhone 15 are less than six months old. The Google phones are often on sale, so getting the Pixel 8 for under $600 may be a tempting alternative to the Galaxy S24 at $800 or more. The OnePlus 12 is also due to land in the US this month.

But there is an upside to the Samsung Galaxy S24 series not being radically different from its predecessors — you know what you’re getting. This is a state-of-the-art phone with exciting new software features and seven years of updates ahead. If you have a device to trade, a generous budget, or you’re a Galaxy superfan, you’re unlikely to be disappointed by pre-ordering now.