Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear on sale now in UK
The new gadgets can be snapped up from today, but will cost you a whole stack of cash.
Samsung's two newest gadgets have gone on sale in the UK, but the Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear smart watch will still cost you a pretty penny to acquire.
Samsung says its 5.7-inch gigantophone and wrist-based sidekick are out today, to buy 'from selected retailers' and Samsung's flagship shop in London's Westfield Stratford City.
The new kit is cutting-edge gadgetry, but it ain't cheap. The Note 3 can be had SIM-free from Phones 4u for £620, while online retailer Unlocked-mobiles has it for just shy of £600.
EE's cheapest 4G contract tariff is £26 per month, with an up-front charge of £310, and a measly 500MB of data. A 3G plan from O2 with 1GB of data per month and £100 up front will still set you back £37 per month.
That's a lot of cash to part with, though the Note 3 does pack incredibly high-end hardware, including 3GB of RAM and a 2.3GHz quad-core processor. We're still working on our review of the Note 3, but we can already tell you that according to our benchmarks, it's the fastest phone we've ever tested.
The Gear smart watch meanwhile is similarly pricey, listed at £335 on Expansys. You can buy both gadgets from this Samsung site, where the Gear is listed at £299, and at £868 when bundled with the Note 3 (a saving of £50).
That's very pricey, so if you're tempted to buy the Gear, your best bet is to wait and see if any networks are happy to bundle the Gear with the Note 3, or offer a discount when you buy both. I haven't spotted any such deals yet -- if you've seen a cheaper way to get the Gear, let me know via the comments.
Currently the Gear only works with the Note 3, but Samsung is sure to add compatibility for other smart phones sooner or later.
Are you tempted to buy the Note 3 or the Galaxy Gear? Let me know in the comments or on our Facebook wall.
