Samsung Galaxy S7 free @ du; free Gear VR @ Etisalat

With less than four days left for the official availability of Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge phablets here in the UAE, the country’s telecom operators are offering freebies with the new Samsung devices to lure first-movers into their respective camps.

Samsung’s new Galaxy flagships will be available at all major retailers in the UAE starting this Saturday. The recommended retail price for Galaxy S7 is Dh2,499, with the Galaxy S7 edge available at Dh2,799.

However, the telecom operators will be offering the devices for ‘free’ along with their monthly plans.

Dubai-based du will be offering the Galaxy S7 device for ‘free’ – at zero down payment on a 24-month contract with an EMI of Dh300 per month. This will include 300 flexible minutes and 11GB of data.

“We are excited to be among the first to bring the Samsung Galaxy S7 to our tech savvy customers,” said Fahad Al Hassawi, Chief Commercial Officer, du. 

For those willing to make a Dh369 upfront payment, the 24-month contract’s EMI will go down to Dh250 but the data allowance will drop too – to 2GB a month.

Another ‘free’ package for the Samsung Galaxy S7 offered by du is the most premium one – the same zero down payment on a 24-month contract, but an EMI of Dh1,000 will get you 2,500 flexible minutes (national + international), a premium ‘gold’ number, and additional 1,000 minutes for three numbers.

Etisalat, the UAE’s older telecom player, is offering a free Gear VR with a pre-booking of the more premium Samsung Galaxy S7 edge.

The firm is also offering the 32GB device for ‘free’ if bought along with one of its packages. The operator’s Smartphone 270 plan gives the device, plus 500 local minutes and 5GB worth of data per month for an EMI of Dh270. This is for a 24-month plan.

However, Etisalat mentions that it charges Dh1,000 as ‘advance payment,’ which will be adjusted from the customers’ forthcoming monthly bills.

Etisalat’s other plans that offer the Samsung Galaxy edge S7 for ‘free’ include Smartphone 410: 10GB local data along with 1,000 local minutes per month for an EMI of Dh410; contract period: 18 months. For the same plan, instead of the 1,000 local minutes, you could go for 300 minutes of local and international minutes.

Etisalat’s Smartphone 660 plan also offers the Samsung Galaxy edge S7 for ‘free’: 20GB local data along with 750 local and international minutes per month for an EMI of Dh660; contract period: 18 months. Skip the data for this plan, and you could go for 2,000 local minutes, instead.

Emirates 24|7 reported last week that Samsung Gulf will be offering the ‘Buy 1, Get 1 free’ Entertainer app deal with its Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge smartphones in the UAE, with both new flagships to go on sale in UAE from March 12.

Samsung Gulf will pre-load both the devices with the Galaxy Entertainer application, which will present its customers with more than 1,000 ‘buy 1 get 1 free’ offers – for free, said Tarek Sabbagh, Head of IT and Mobile Division at Samsung Gulf Electronics.

The combined value of the benefits (inclusive of international locations) is estimated to be over Dh390,000 worth of savings, said Donna Benton, founder and CEO of Entertainer, who was also present at the unveiling.

The 5.1-inch Galaxy S7 and 5.5-inch Galaxy S7 edge are constructed with metal and 3D glass (produced using Samsung’s 3D thermoforming technique).

Samsung says the 3D glass production involves the insertion of glass between two molds, heating it to a pliable forming temperature of 800 degrees Celsius, and then allowing it to then be pressed into a symmetrical shape. In this process, the glass is shaped in three directions at once, giving it its curved shape.

The new phones also come with an Always-On feature, says Sabbagh, which allows users to check relevant notifications with zero-touch – i.e., without the need to wake up the screen.

Sabbagh noted that the Galaxy S7 and the S7 edge were at the heart of the Galaxy ecosystem, which now includes the mobile virtual reality headset Gear VR, the smartwatch Gear S2, as well as the yet-to-be-launched virtual reality camera, Gear 360.

He noted that Samsung Gulf will be soon getting the Gear 360 here in the UAE since residents here have been one of the most savvy in terms of new technology take-up. “The UAE is among the top 5 countries for us in terms of Gear VR’s acceptance,” said Sabbagh.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge were launched ahead of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

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