The Samsung Galaxy S5 Price War Is Already Happening

We’re still a week away from the Samsung Galaxy S5’s Australian launch, and the price-cutting battle between telcos, online stores and retailers is already happening. If you’re willing to wait a week or two for your new phone to be shipped over from Hong Kong, you can find a great discounted deal.

Millenius has the black 16GB SM-G900 Galaxy S5 for $779, as well as white — that’s the cheapest price we’ve seen online so far for an outright handset. Kogan has the same model for $849 in all four colour variants, as well as a $999 32GB capacity, but all stock has apparently already been snapped up. MobiCity wants $899 for the 16GB, but unlike Kogan is still taking orders. These phones will almost certainly be international units coming from Hong Kong, where prices are lowest for grey importers to source their inventory.

eBay prices are depressingly high; the cheapest you’ll find a 16GB model is $958 with free postage, and $1079 for 32GB.

If you want to buy a discounted new Galaxy S5 from a bricks-and-mortar telco with an Australian warranty, you’ll have to shell out for a subsidised handset on a 12- or 24-month contract. Buying a phone on a contract is a great way to split up the painfully high price over a year or two, but you’re locked into whichever network you choose until the contract runs its course, and breaking out will cost you the remainder of your handset repayments at a minimum.

Picking up a Galaxy S5 from Samsung’s Experience Stores in Sydney and Melbourne will set you back $929 — that’s the price you pay for knowing you’ll find stock of the colour you’re after. We’ve also seen the S5 at Dick Smith and Harvey Norman for full price.

Have you found a better price for a local or international Galaxy S5? Let us know in the comments below.


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