A few weeks ago, a report claimed that a Galaxy S22 price drop was in effect in Korea following the massive throttling controversy. A new story offers a similar take on the matter, explaining that Samsung is facing a gigantic PR disaster in its home country. This prompted Samsung to allow massive subsidies in Korea, which means South Korea is where to get the cheapest Galaxy S22 prices.
However, caveats remain. Buyers looking for the big Galaxy S22 subsidy offers from carriers will also need to secure specific postpaid contracts.
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After the throttling scandal, Samsung faces at least one class action lawsuit from Galaxy S22 buyers. Besides, Reuters reports that the Korea Fair Trade Commission began investigating Samsung last month.
Samsung used the Game Optimizing Service (GOS) app to slow peak performance on Galaxy S22 phones. The company aimed to reduce the risk of overheating and preserve battery life. Samsung introduced GOS on its devices in 2016, Reuters Remarks. That was months before it pulled the Galaxy Note 7 from stores after various battery fires.
Samsung’s throttling disaster
GOS shouldn’t have come as a surprise to Galaxy S22 buyers. But early adopters quickly found that the software would slow down the Galaxy S22 by up to 46%. The findings turned customers against Samsung in the country, with people taking to social media to complain.
Samsung patched the GOS throttling in early March, a month before issuing the Galaxy S22 price cut order. We would have expected the cheapest price of the Galaxy S22 to arrive in the first months after its release. But the bottleneck issues amplified the price drop, at least in Korea.
Samsung apologized for the issue and said it did not cut costs when manufacturing the phone. But the Reuters The report also references Galaxy S22 teardowns that revealed Samsung was missing a cooling component. This would explain a more aggressive use of software like GOS to limit overheating.
Other reports have shown that the Galaxy S22 overheating issues are not just Samsung’s fault. The current ARM chip design could be part of the problem. Samsung also said recently that it plans to revise its Exynos chip design for Galaxy phones.
That said, Reuters confirms previous reports that the country’s three mobile carriers have nearly doubled the Galaxy S22 subsidies. They are offering the cheapest Galaxy S22 price right now, starting at 549,000 won ($451). At launch, the price was almost double at 999,000 won. The iPhone 13 starts at 1,090,000 won, with retailers offering a subsidy of around 150,000 won.
The cheapest Galaxy S22 price
“When subsidies increase simultaneously at the three telecom operators, it is usually the manufacturer who pays the contributions,” said an official from LG Uplus.
Quoting some analysts, Reuters the throttling effect of the Galaxy S22 on sales has yet to show. Samsung hit Galaxy S22 sales of one million in the country two weeks faster than the Galaxy S21. Samsung may have shipped over 6 million units by the end of March, in line with expectations.
Others expect Samsung’s June quarter to feel the pressure of the Galaxy S22 GOS controversy. Rising supply chain costs could also contribute to a weaker than expected June quarter.
While customers who don’t mind the Galaxy S22’s throttling issues will want to take advantage of the cheapest price in Korea, others will take legal action. The report notes that some 1,885 consumers are part of the first lawsuit against Samsung.
“If Porsche has a speed limit of 100 kilometers (62 miles) per hour, would you still buy it?” Kim Hoon-chan, the attorney representing the clients, said. He added that some 1,500 buyers had joined a second class action lawsuit.
As for international Galaxy S22 buyers, it’s unclear if Samsung will implement similar price cuts. The throttling issue mainly affected the Exynos Galaxy S22 variants sold in Korea and Europe.
US phones pack Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chips. Your best bet to get the cheapest Galaxy S22 possible is to wait longer after the phone launches. Throttling aside, Android flagships lose value faster than iPhones.