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Forbes
22-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Samsung Makes New $616 Offer To Galaxy Phone Buyers
The Samsung Galaxy S25 (left) and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra (right). (Photo by Firdous Nazir/NurPhoto ... More via Getty Images) Following a big Galaxy Z Fold 6 price drop and a free subscription giveaway, Samsung has made a new offer to Galaxy S25 Ultra buyers that includes a free device and a big discount. This story was updated May 22nd with new Galaxy S25 Ultra deal details. The Korean company's new double offer is one of its best yet and a clear indication that we're edging closer to the launch of a new product. Specifically, the Galaxy Z Fold 7, which should land this summer. In the meantime, Samsung is ramping up its discounts and freebies to clear stock before the new foldable phone steals the limelight. The offer applies to Galaxy S25 Ultra shoppers in the U.K. and combines freebies and discounts. The bundle promotions are fairly commonplace and included in almost every Samsung sale. But the combination of a free tablet and the guaranteed £200 off (without a trade-in) is a serious deal that totals £459 ($616) and is absolutely worth your attention. Even if you don't keep the tablet, selling it on the secondary market, unopened, will net between £150 ($201) and £200. It's worth pointing out that Samsung's £259 valuation of the tablet is the device's highest possible price. The reality is that the Galaxy A9 Plus is being sold on Amazon for £175 ($235), which is down from £208 ($279). At Currys, the tablet is on sale at £209 ($280). Interestingly, up until Wednesday morning, Samsung was giving away a free pair of Galaxy Buds 3 Pro with the Galaxy S25 Ultra, but the company seems to have suddenly switched to offering the Galaxy Tab A9 Plus instead. Samsung's freebies in this new Galaxy S25 Ultra deal. Samsung runs different deals for different territories. This week, the company bought back a version of its Samsung Boost program for U.S. shoppers, which gifts lengthy subscriptions to streaming services and software. Meanwhile, in the U.K., the company has previously given away free Chromebooks, earbuds, watches and now the Galaxy A9 Plus. Your mileage may vary on which you prefer. To me, free hardware is always the better deal. Not least because the device can be sold to extend your discount on the smartphone. Regardless of the offer type, buying directly from Samsung remains the most attractive option for deal hunters. Only Amazon comes close with deals that often match, or undercut, Samsung's pricing. Even for this Samsung store deal, Amazon is giving away a free pair of Buds 3 Pro or Buds 3 with all Galaxy S25 Ultra purchases. Amazon has a bigger 30% bundle discount on the Galaxy Watch Ultra and Galaxy Watch 7 compared to Samsung's 20% promotion. Alongside a £100 credit to be used on Samsung items bought through Amazon. The difference between the two promotions is that Samsung's upfront Galaxy S25 Ultra price is lower than Amazon's (£1,099/$1,477 vs £1,049/$1,410) and the Korean company is giving it all away for free, whereas Amazon gives shopper a choice between which freebie to choose, nor does it include a trial to Samsung Care Plus. Update 05/22: It is a good time to pick up the Galaxy S25 Ultra because it appears to be on sale at most major retailers. Best Buy has the latest deal and it is competitive. The retailer has dropped the price of the Galaxy S25 Ultra 256GB by $250, bringing it down to $1,049.99. Best Buy has also tried to match the freebies Amazon and Samsung are bundling with Galaxy S25 purchases, by throwing in a free Galaxy Ring sizing kit and a month-long pass to Xbox Game Pass. These freebies total $10 and obviously don't match up to the hundreds of dollars worth of services and hardware Samsung and Amazon are giving away. But the headline price is the real deal here. Samsung is still charging $1,299.99 for the 256GB device compared to Best Buy's $949.99. Amazon, too, has slashed the price of Samsung's flagship phone by $250, bringing the final price down to $1,049.99. A 19% discount. This U.S. Amazon deal comes with a $50 gift card and up to $785 in trade-in value. Amazon has a slight advantage here because it will accept more than one device to trade-in, which knocks more money off the handset.
Forbes
18-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Samsung Makes New Free Offer To Millions Of Galaxy Phone Buyers
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra comes with a handful of freebies. (Photo by Firdous Nazir/NurPhoto via ... More Getty Images) Samsung ended its hyper-generous rewards scheme, known as 'Samsung Boost,' last year. However, with the arrival of the Galaxy S25 series, including the new S25 Edge, the company is bringing back freebies for Galaxy phone buyers. This story was updated on May 18th with a new Samsung freebie offer. The difference between the Boost scheme and this is that the new offer is available to U.S. Galaxy phone shoppers, whereas Boost was restricted to the U.K. As is the typical with Samsung's freebies, the U.S. scheme isn't as generous as the Boost programme was, but there are some decent freebies here that sweeten the deal when it comes to buying a Galaxy phone. They're also phone-specific. Galaxy Z Fold 6 buyers will get the following for free. Galaxy S25 Ultra and S25 Edge get the following for free. The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra gets all of the above, alongside a year-long subscription to Goodnotes. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 may come with more freebies this summer. Photographer: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg These are solid, lengthy freebies. Particularly the Galaxy Z Fold 6 line-up, which is clearly tailored to the device's large foldable display. But they don't quite match up the final list of lenghy free subscriptions Samsung's U.K. boost programme offered, which included Deezer, YouTube Premium, Google Play Pass, Microsoft 365, Readly, Calm and much more. That may change as we edge closer to the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Fold 7 release this summer. But it is not uncommon for British shoppers to be handed free devices and services with their Galaxy purchases. In the last year, Samsung has given away a free Chromebook with Galaxy S24 purchases, a free tablet, free Galaxy Buds 3 Pro headphones and a free Galaxy Watch. If you're a U.S. shopper feeling hard done by, take some solace in the fact that Samsung's American trade-in pricing far outstrips its valuations in Europe and the U.K. For example, Samsung will pay £263 ($347.00) for a used Galaxy S22 Ultra, whereas in the U.S., the company values it at $500. Clearly, Samsung's internal purchasing data tells it that shoppers in Europe prefer a freebie over a trade-in, but that may be changing with the arrival of these free subscriptions. Update May 18th: Samsung has launched another freebie deal for the Galaxy S25 Edge. The company is giving away a free pair of Galaxy Buds3 Pro with every purchase using the code 'S25EDGE'. As you may have guessed from the nature of the deal, this offer is exclusive to shoppers in the U.K. The promotion also includes double the amount of storage for free (for example, 512GB for the price of 256GB), and an extra £100 ($132.81) off for anyone who joins the New Galaxy Club (think carefully before signing up to regular hardware upgrades). Samsung has also bought back its offer of at least £200 ($265.62) trade-in for any Android phone. In the past, Samsung has assured me that it truly will take any Android phone to trade-in, so check behind your couch, or eBay, for old phones that still work. For now, British Galaxy phone buyers don't get access to the same list of free subscriptions that U.S. shoppers have. That may or may not change depending on whether or not Samsung decides to bring back its Boost programme, perhaps under a different name. But, for the time being, the company is clearly focussing its efforts on giving away free hardware.
Forbes
17-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Samsung Makes Free Offer To Millions Of Galaxy Phones
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra comes with a handful of freebies. (Photo by Firdous Nazir/NurPhoto via ... More Getty Images) Samsung ended its hyper-generous rewards scheme, known as 'Samsung Boost,' last year. However, with the arrival of the Galaxy S25 series, including the new S25 Edge, the company is bringing back freebies for Galaxy phone buyers. The difference between the Boost scheme and this is that the new offer is available to U.S. Galaxy phone shoppers, whereas Boost was restricted to the U.K. As is the typical with Samsung's freebies, the U.S. scheme isn't as generous as the Boost programme was, but there are some decent freebies here that sweeten the deal when it comes to buying a Galaxy phone. They're also phone-specific. Galaxy Z Fold 6 buyers will get the following for free. Galaxy S25 Ultra and S25 Edge get the following for free. The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra gets all of the above, alongside a year-long subscription to Goodnotes. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 may come with more freebies this summer. Photographer: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg These are solid, lengthy freebies. Particularly the Galaxy Z Fold 6 line-up, which is clearly tailored to the device's large foldable display. But they don't quite match up the final list of lenghy free subscriptions Samsung's U.K. boost programme offered, which included Deezer, YouTube Premium, Google Play Pass, Microsoft 365, Readly, Calm and much more. That may change as we edge closer to the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Fold 7 release this summer. But it is not uncommon for British shoppers to be handed free devices and services with their Galaxy purchases. In the last year, Samsung has given away a free Chromebook with Galaxy S24 purchases, a free tablet, free Galaxy Buds 3 Pro headphones and a free Galaxy Watch. If you're a U.S. shopper feeling hard done by, take some solace in the fact that Samsung's American trade-in pricing far outstrips its valuations in Europe and the U.K. For example, Samsung will pay £263 ($347.00) for a used Galaxy S22 Ultra, whereas in the U.S., the company values it at $500. Clearly, Samsung's internal purchasing data tells it that shoppers in Europe prefer a freebie over a trade-in, but that may be changing with the arrival of these free subscriptions.
CBS News
07-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Pakistan's leader vows to avenge India's strikes, calling them an "act of war"
What led up to latest escalation between India and Pakistan Islamabad — India fired missiles into Pakistani-controlled territory in several locations early Wednesday, killing at least 26 people including a child, in what Pakistan's leader called an act of war. India said it struck infrastructure used by militants linked to last month's massacre of tourists in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir. Pakistan said it had shot down several Indian fighter jets in retaliation as three planes fell onto villages in India-controlled Kashmir. At least seven civilians were also killed in the region by Pakistani shelling, Indian police and medics said. People look at a part of an unidentified aircraft in Wuyan near Kashmir's main city of Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, on May 7, 2025. Firdous Nazir / NurPhoto via Getty Images Tension has soared between the nuclear-armed neighbors since an attack in which gunmen killed 26 people, mostly Indian Hindu tourists, at a popular meadow in the disputed territory of Kashmir, in some cases killing men before their wives' eyes. India has blamed Pakistan for backing the attack, something Islamabad has denied. Kashmir, which is divided between the two countries but claimed in its entirety by each, has been at the center of tensions for decades and they have fought two wars over it. Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned Wednesday's airstrikes and said his country would retaliate. "Pakistan has every right to give a robust response to this act of war imposed by India, and a strong response is indeed being given," Sharif said. The country's National Security Committee met Wednesday morning, and Pakistan summoned India's charge d'affaires to lodge a protest. In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a special meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security. A source told the Reuters news agency Modi postponed a trip to Croatia, the Netherlands and Norway. Girls whose relatives say were injured in a cross border shelling receive treatment in a hospital in India-administered Kashmir's Uri on May 7, 2025. Stringer / REUTERS Concern mounts South Asia analyst Michael Kugelman said it was one the highest-intensity strikes from India on its rival in years and that Pakistan's response would "surely pack a punch as well." "These are two strong militaries that, even with nuclear weapons as a deterrent, are not afraid to deploy sizeable levels of conventional military force against each other," Kugelman said. "The escalation risks are real. And they could well increase, and quickly." Stephane Dujarric, the United Nations spokesperson, said in a statement late Tuesday that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for maximum restraint because the world could not "afford a military confrontation" between India and Pakistan. Several Indian states planned civil defense drills later Wednesday, according to India's home ministry, to train civilians and security personnel to respond in case of any "hostile attacks," the ministry said in a statement. Such drills in India are rare in non-crisis times. Students take part in an emergency mock drill as part of the nationwide civil defence mock drill at a school in New Delhi on May 7, 2025, as border tensions surged. ARUN SANKAR / AFP via Getty Images Indian politicians from different political parties lauded the strikes. "Victory to Mother India," India's defense minister, Rajnath Singh, wrote on X. India's main opposition Congress party called for national unity and said it was "extremely proud" of the country's army. "We applaud their resolute resolve and courage," Congress party president Mallikarjun Kharge said. Details on the military action India's army said the operation was named "Sindoor," a Hindi word for the bright red vermillion powder worn by married Hindu women on their forehead and hair, referring to the women whose husbands were killed in front of them. India's missiles hit six locations in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and in the country's eastern Punjab province, killing at least 26 people including women and children, said Pakistan's military spokesperson, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif. Officials said another 38 people were injured by the strikes, and another five people were killed in Pakistan during exchanges of fire across the border later in the day. Sharif said the Indian jets also damaged infrastructure at a dam in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, calling it a violation of international norms. India's Defense Ministry said the strikes targeted at least nine sites "where terrorist attacks against India have been planned." "Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistan military facilities have been targeted," the statement said, adding that "India has demonstrated considerable restraint." Pakistan said the strikes hit at least two sites previously tied to banned militant groups. One hit the Subhan Mosque in Punjab's Bahawalpur city, killing 13 people including a child, according to Zohaib Ahmed, a doctor at a nearby hospital. The mosque is near a seminary that was once the central office of Jaish-e-Mohammed, a militant group outlawed in 2002. Officials say the group has had no operational presence at the site since the ban. In a statement obtained by CBS News, Jaish-e-Mohammed's chief, Maulana Masood Azhar, claimed India's attack killed 10 of his family members and four close associates. He criticized Modi, saying, "This cruelty has broken all limits—do not expect mercy anymore." Another missile hit a mosque in Muridke, damaging its structure. A sprawling building located nearby served as the headquarters of Lashkar-e-Taiba until 2013, when Pakistan banned the group and arrested its founder. Last month's attack on tourists was claimed by a group calling itself the Kashmir Resistance, which India says is also known as The Resistance Front and is linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba. In Muzaffarabad, the main city of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, resident Abdul Sammad said he heard several explosions as the blast ripped through houses. He saw people running in panic and authorities immediately cut power to the area. People took refuge on the streets and in open areas, fearful of what might happen. "We were afraid the next missile might hit our house," said Mohammad Ashraf. Chaudhry Ghulam Rasool, who lives near the mosque, told CBS News, "We were just about to go to bed when a huge blast happened. It was very big and terrifying explosions." Along the Line of Control, which divides the disputed region of Kashmir between India and Pakistan, there were heavy exchanges of fire. The Indian police and medics said seven civilians were killed and 30 wounded by Pakistani shelling in Poonch district near the highly militarized Line of Control, the de facto border that divides disputed Kashmir between the two countries. Officials said several homes also were damaged in the shelling. The Indian army said Pakistani troops "resorted to arbitrary firing," including gunfire and artillery shelling, across the frontier. Shortly after India's strikes, aircraft fell onto three villages in India-controlled Kashmir. Sharif, the Pakistani military spokesperson, said the country's air force shot down five Indian jets in retaliation for the strikes. There was no immediate comment from India about Pakistan's claim. Debris from a plane was scattered across Wuyan village in the outskirts of the region's main city, including in a school and a mosque compound, according to Srinagar police and residents. Firefighters struggled for hours to douse the resulting fires. "There was a huge fire in the sky. Then we heard several blasts also," said Mohammed Yousuf Dar, a Wuyan resident. Another aircraft fell in an open field in Bhardha Kalan village, near the Line of Control in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Village resident Sachin Kumar told The Associated Press he heard massive blasts followed by a huge ball of fire. Kumar said he and and several other villagers rushed to the scene and found two pilots with injuries. Both were later taken away by the Indian army. A third aircraft crashed in a farm field in India's northern Punjab state, a police office told the AP, speaking on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media. The officer did not provide further details. Other nations reacting Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday, President Trump called the strikes "a shame." "We just heard about it just as we were walking in the doors of the Oval," Mr. Trump said. "I guess people knew something was going to happen based on a little bit of the past. They've been fighting for a long time. You know, they've been fighting for many many decades, and centuries actually, if you really think about it. No, I just hope it ends very quickly." China called for restraint from both sides following India's strikes. "China expresses regret over India's military actions this morning and is concerned about the current developments. China opposes all forms of terrorism," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson said in a statement. "We call on both India and Pakistan to prioritize peace and stability, remain calm and restrained, and avoid taking actions that further complicate the situation." Beijing is the largest investor in Pakistan by far, with a $65 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project that spans across the country. China meanwhile also has multiple border claims disputed with India, with one of those claims in the northeastern part of the Kashmir region. French news agency AFP reports that British Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds told BBC Radio Wednesday the UK is "a friend, a partner to both countries. We stand ready to support both countries. Both have a huge interest in regional stability, in dialogue, in de-escalation and anything we can do to support that, we are here and willing to do." Moscow on Wednesday called for both India and Pakistan to show "restraint," AFP says.
RNZ News
26-04-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
India, Pakistan exchange gunfire for second day as ties plummet after attack
By Shivam Patel , Reuters An Indian security personnel patrolling at Dal Lake, a popular tourist destination in India-controlled Kashmir, on 24 April, following an attack on tourists on 22 April. Photo: AFP/ Firdous Nazir Indian and Pakistani troops have exchanged gunfire for a second straight day as ties plummeted between the two nuclear-armed neighbours after an attack on tourists blamed on Pakistani militants killed 26 in India's Kashmir region. The Indian Army said its troops responded to "unprovoked" small arms fire from multiple Pakistan Army posts that started around midnight on Friday, along the 740km de facto border separating the Indian and Pakistani areas of Kashmir. The Indian Army said Pakistani troops had also opened up with sporadic fire around midnight on Thursday. No casualties were reported from the Indian side, it said. There was no immediate comment from the Pakistani military. Kashmir's police have identified three suspects, including two Pakistani nationals, who carried out the 22 April attack . Pakistan has denied any involvement and its defence minister has said an international investigation was needed into the attack. After the attack, India and Pakistan unleashed a raft of measures against each other, with Pakistan closing its airspace to Indian airlines , and India suspending the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty that regulates water-sharing from the Indus River and its tributaries. India and Pakistan have a decades-old ceasefire agreement over the disputed region of Kashmir but their troops still exchange gunfire sporadically. The two nations both claim Kashmir and have fought two of their three wars over it. - Reuters Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
