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Buy an unlocked Samsung Galaxy A51 for $400, get Galaxy Buds and Spotify free

New to the US, this budget phone is compelling even without the freebies. Plus: Two great Star Wars games for $10.

Rick Broida Senior Editor
Rick Broida is the author of numerous books and thousands of reviews, features and blog posts. He writes CNET's popular Cheapskate blog and co-hosts Protocol 1: A Travelers Podcast (about the TV show Travelers). He lives in Michigan, where he previously owned two escape rooms (chronicled in the ebook "I Was a Middle-Aged Zombie").
Rick Broida
2 min read
samsung-galaxy-a51

The Samsung Galaxy A51 has some flagship features but a budget price.

Juan Garzon / CNET

Looking for an affordable phone that's not the new Apple iPhone SE? Samsung's got you covered: The Galaxy A51 just arrived on US shores, and there's already a deal to be had. For a limited time, you can buy the unlocked Galaxy A51 and Samsung Galaxy Buds for $399.99, meaning you're effectively getting the latter free. But, wait, there's more: You can also get six free months of Spotify Premium, provided you've never had an account before.

Got a trade-in? It might be worth $50 if you purchase the Galaxy A51 direct from Samsung. Various Apple, Google and Samsung models can net you that discount. You'll have to choose the trade-in option to see which phones are included in the promotion. Either way you can still get the free Galaxy Buds and free Spotify. Samsung's page also mentions a free two-month YouTube Premium subscription, but I'm not sure if that's also available if you buy from Amazon.

OK, so what the heck is a Galaxy A51, and how does it compare to the likes of the aforementioned iPhone SE? Here's one notable difference: For $400, the former comes with 128GB of expandable storage. Pay the same for the latter and you'll get 64GB of non-expandable storage. Here's more on how the Galaxy A51 challenges the iPhone SE.

Read more: Samsung Galaxy A Series phones compared: A01 vs. A11 vs. A21 vs. A51 vs. A71 vs. A50

The Galaxy A51 also just made CNET's list of the best phones under $500. As for the Galaxy Buds, they're good, not great -- but it's hard to argue with free.

By all accounts this is an impressive Samsung phone -- and significantly more affordable than other models in the Galaxy lineup.

Your thoughts?

May the 4th be with this Star Wars game deal

the-force-unleashed

The Force Unleashed was a big deal in 2008. In 2020 it's a cheap deal.

LucasArts

In my younger days I loved the Jedi Knight games, which let you hack and slash with a light saber and fling Stormtroopers around with Force powers. That's why I'm also a fan of the "newer" (2008 and 2010) Force Unleashed games, which look amazing and deliver ample Force-flinging goodness.

They're also super-cheap right now. For a limited time, GOG has Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Ultimate Sith Edition and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II bundled together for $9.98.

These games aren't perfect, and reviews tend to be fairly mixed. (Here's what GameSpot had to say about The Force Unleashed and the sequel.) But the overall consensus is, they're really fun, flaws and all.

And for $10, they're a great way to spend May the Fourth.

Read more: A galaxy of Star Wars goods to bring you May the 4th quarantine cheer 

Watch this: iPhone SE or Galaxy A51: Battle of the $400 phone cameras

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