Those looking to pick up a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 this holiday season in the United States will be pleased to know that there should be an unlocked variant floating around a major retailer's shelves. According to a new report, electronics superchain Best Buy will be stocking unlocked Galaxy Note 3s, although its highly unlikely it will release the devices as soon as the sources indicate.
Well-known Samsung-centric website SamMobile claims to have received a few screenshots of Best Buy's inventory system that show a model N9000. N9000 is a Galaxy Note 3 variant based off Samsung's Exynos 5 Octa eight-core chipset instead of a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800. What this means is that the unlocked N9000 won't support LTE connectivity or be able to record in 4K video, and buyers looking for those features will have to pick up a model through one of the U.S. carriers. Other than that, however, the N9000 Galaxy Note 3 is the same as the ones offered by Verizon, AT&T and the like.
According to the screenshots, Best Buy's inventory system lists the "in stock date" of the unlocked Galaxy Note 3 as Sept. 19 for the hefty price of $999.99. Considering Samsung has stated that the Galaxy Note 3 will land Stateside in October, the date provided is most likely a placeholder, as is the price. Most unlocked Galaxy Note 3s from carriers run a little over $700, and should be the final price range for Best Buy's unlocked Galaxy Note 3.
Would you pick up the LTE-less Galaxy Note 3 from Best Buy over a more functional handset from a carrier? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.