Vodafone bundling Galaxy Gear smartwatch with Galaxy Note 3

Vodafone will bundle Samsung's Galaxy Note 3 smartphone with the Galaxy Gear smartwatch on a select range of plans, it has confirmed today.

Officially available in Australia from Thursday, 3 October, Vodafone will sell the Galaxy Note 3 on three of its new 'Red' plans, priced at $65, $80 and $100 per month.

The Galaxy Note 3 as a standalone device will cost $10 a month on the base $65 Red plan ($75 per month over 24 months), while the same plan bundled with the Galaxy Gear smartwatch will attract a $23 a month repayment, a total of $88 per month over two years.

However, Vodafone will reduce the monthly repayment from $23 to $15 (a total of $80 per month over 24 months) for customers who pre-order the Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear bundle before Thursday, 3 October.

Vodafone Australia's general manager of devices, Katie Turkal, said there has been "strong interest" in both new Samsung devices.

"We've put together a great bundle offer for customers who want to pick up both the Galaxy Note 3 plus the Galaxy Gear."

"We know that there's strong interest in these devices, which is why we've decided to make them available with a special pre-order price over a 12-or 24-month plan"

Vodafone's entry-level $65 Red plan offers unlimited calls, SMS and MMS messages, and 1.5GB of data per month. The telco offers both 24 month and 12 month contract options, with handset repayments varying depending on the plan and contract length.

The Galaxy Note 3 is Samsung's third generation of the extra large Note smartphone range. It features a larger screen, 3GB of RAM, and has an upgraded camera compared to its predecessor. However, it is thinner, lighter and faster than the current Galaxy Note II.

Telstra, Optus and Virgin Mobile will also sell the Galaxy Note 3 in Australia from October. Telstra will sell offer the phone on a range of plans, but unlike Vodafone it will not bundle the Galaxy Gear on any plans. It will sell the smartwatch through Telstra stores for $369.

Telstra is pushing the $80 Every Day Connect plan for the Galaxy Note 3, which attracts an $8 monthly handset charge for a total of $88 per month over 24 months.

The plan includes $800 worth of calls and MMS messages, unlimited SMS messages and 1.5GB of data per month.

Telstra will also sell the Galaxy Note 3 outright for $912, a saving of $87 over Samsung's official outright price.