Samsung Galaxy S21 pre-order reservations just went live — what you need to know

Samsung hasn’t announced the Galaxy S21 yet or even confirmed rumors that it’s going to officially unveil the phone on January 14. But that’s not stopping the phone maker from drumming up interest in its upcoming release.

You can reserve your chance to pre-order the Galaxy S21 by filling out a form on Samsung’s website. The form doesn’t specifically name the Galaxy S21 — all Samsung says is “the next Galaxy” — but with rumors pointing to a release next month, it’s a pretty safe bet as to which phone the company has in mind.

You’re not purchasing the Galaxy S21 sight unseen; rather, you’re enrolling to have first dibs on pre-ordering the device when it’s finally announced. Samsung has used similar pre-order registration when it unveiled previous flagships like the Galaxy Note 20 and the Galaxy S20.

Besides claiming your place in the virtual line to pre-order the Galaxy S21, you’re also streamlining the process of actually placing your oder. With the form, you provide you name, email and zip code; you can also select your preference of wireless carriers. Presumably, all that information is in place when it’s time to actually order the Galaxy S21.

Samsung’s providing another incentive for registering to pre-order now: you can get $50 in accessories credits as well as an extra $10 in credit for the Shop Samsung App. Users can also start their trade-in process if they so choose, receiving up to a $700 credit for trading in their current device. To receive the $700 credit, users will need to trade in a high-end phone from 2020, like the iPhone 12 or the Galaxy Note 20/Galaxy S20. There’s also up to a $550 cracked-screen credit, albeit for a limited time only. 

In previous years, Samsung has offered more accessories credits for those who preorder early, but still, $50 is a solid incentive. And with the Galaxy Puds Pro rumored to cost $200, every bit of credit helps. 

We’ve only got rumors to go on for how much the Galaxy S21 will cost, but the latest info we’ve seen is promising. A report on specs for the Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21 Plus suggest that those phones will cost slightly less than their Galaxy S20 counterparts did. Galaxy S20 prices started at $999, so here’s hoping you’ll have to pony up less when it’s actually time to order your new phone.