If you are not already waiting in line for the new Samsung Galaxy S9, there are sales on the current S8 duo. The S8 goes $574 in new condition, unlocked, with USA warranty by Amazon itself (limit 2) and at B&H Photo.

In a parallel sale, the larger S8+ goes for $674 in new condition, unlocked, with USA warranty at B&H Photo and by Amazon itself (limit 2).

Meanwhile the Galaxy Note 8 (unlocked, USA warranty) has upticked from $780 to $800 at Amazon itself and B&H Photo.

At both places, if you are surfing around the listings, make sure you are looking at the North American variant (if that’s the one you want).

SURPRISE! The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 has a big sale, the Midnight Black color scheme goes for $780 while the Orchid Gray goes for $800. These are new condition, with USA warranty, unlocked, no contract, sold & shipped by Amazon itself with up to two per color per customer! This is not a lightning deal… UPDATE: Both colors go for $780 at B&H Photo. Make sure you are buying the “North American” variant because their listing has International models too…

The US version with US warranty, factory unlocked, of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 flagship smartphone with its dual OIS back cameras, in the Orchid Gray color scheme is now at the all-encompassing “Temporarily out of stock” status at Amazon, sold and shipped by Amazon itself. This is a step in the right direction (over Pre-Order status without a date) but still not a concrete date. But it’s getting there!

Meanwhile the B&H Photo listings remain in “New Item – Coming Soon” condition. Note that the B&H page has a mix of North American and International variants, so make sure you are looking at the correct model you are interested in.

Speaking of flagships, the Essential Phone is now down to $599 (from $699) in both color schemes, in the new condition factory unlocked with USA warranty model.

BANG FOR THE BUCK ALTERNATIVE

This if you want an uber flagship smartphone. If not, for the same price, you can buy 3-4 units of the Moto G5 Plus with “all carrier” support (the Big Four in the US market) for $240 with Prime Lockscreen Ads or for $300 Factory Unlocked. Note [no pun intended] that the $185/$235 model is with 2GB RAM / 32GB storage, while this $240/$300 model is with 4GB RAM / 64GB storage. The extra RAM is more important, especially if you plan on keeping/using the phone throughout its lifecycle, since apps get more and more bloated as time goes by (even if you don’t upgrade to a newer OS version).