The Samsung Galaxy S II Android smartphone, available through Telstra from 26 July
Telstra has finally announced the pricing and launch date for the hotly anticipated Samsung Galaxy S II Android smartphone, more than a month after rivals Optus and Vodafone began selling the handset. The Samsung Galaxy S II will be available through Telstra from 26 July.
Read our comprehensive Samsung Galaxy S II review, and check out our guide to the best upcoming smartphones in 2011.
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Telstra is the last telco in Australia to launch the Galaxy S II, which is described by Samsung as "Australia's fastest smartphone." The Galaxy S II originally launched on Optus at the beginning of June, and was then made available through Vodafone about a week later.
The Samsung Galaxy S II will be available through Telstra for $20 per month on Telstra's $59 Freedom Connect plan over 24 months, for a total cost of $79 per month. The $59 Freedom Connect plan offers $550 worth of calls and MMS messages, along with unlimited text and 1.5GB of data per month.
Eligible Telstra business customers (anyone with an ABN) can purchase the Galaxy S II for $15 on a $79 Business mobile maximiser plan over 24 months. This plan includes $800 worth of calls, unlimited SMS and MessageBank and 2GB of data per month. Telstra will also sell the Samsung Galaxy S II outright for $840.
Telstra's rival Optus sells the Galaxy S II on a range of plans, starting at $0 on Optus' $79 cap over 24 months, while Vodafone has the device for $0 on its $65 infinite plan over 24 months.
Samsung officially launched the Galaxy S II in Australia in May and at the time described it as "the biggest mobile phone launch for Samsung this year." The handset is one of the first phones on the Australian market to feature a dual-core processor, and also has a 4.3in Super AMOLED Plus display, an 8-megapixel rear camera that doubles as a 1080p HD video recorder, and a 2-megapixel front camera for video calls.
The Samsung Galaxy S II also comes pre-loaded with a range of apps and content including 30 day free trial of Sydney and Melbourne versions of the Good Food Guide, Navigon's full turn-by-turn GPS navigation app with maps of Australia on board, and the soon to be launched music hub, a subscription based music service that will enable users to download tracks directly to the handset.
The Samsung Galaxy S II is also compatible with the newly launched Samsung Dive service, a free remote device management service that can locate, remotely lock, and remotely wipe the handset in the event it is lost or stolen.
The news of the Samsung Galaxy S II's launch on Telstra follows the announcement that HTC's flagship smartphone of 2011, the HTC Sensation, will also launch exclusively through Telstra this month.
