I shouldn’t need to pay a premium for an unlocked Samsung phone

Opinion post by

C. Scott Brown

On October 3, 2023, Samsung announced the Galaxy S23 FE. All its press materials said the phone costs $599 for the 128GB model. However, when the phone actually went up for sale at Samsung.com, the unlocked model didn’t cost $599 — it cost $629, a $30 increase. This was unusual, so we contacted Samsung about the discrepancy.

In its response, the company pointed out that you can still get the phone from its online store for the $599 price — if you buy a carrier version over the unlocked model. It also told us that Amazon, Best Buy, and other retail partners still sell the unlocked model for $599. The only exception here is buying the unlocked model directly from Samsung. However, the company did not explain why it made this change.