AT&T's 5G version of top Samsung phone gets ludicrous price

By Chris Burns/Aug. 17, 2020 2:25 pm EST

The Samsung Galaxy A51 isn't the device most people think of when they think of the most popular phones on earth. The Samsung Galaxy S20 is the newest line of top-tier phones from Samsung, and the next Galaxy Note is right around the corner. So what's the big deal with this "top" 5G Galaxy phone of which you've likely never heard?

If we look back to some analysis of the market earlier this year, worldwide smartphone sales showed that the Samsung Galaxy A51 was the best selling phone worldwide in the first quarter of 2020. After that was the Xiaomi Redmi 8, then the Galaxy S20+, Galaxy A10s, Redmi Note 8, and Galaxy A20s.

Fast forward to August of 2020 and we're FINALLY getting access to the 5G iteration of this smartphone here in the United States. This device was revealed for pre-order by Verizon with the Verizon Samsung Galaxy A51 5G UW as of August 13, 2020.

Today the AT&T 5G version of this phone was revealed and put on pre-order by the carrier. Don't mistake this phone for the Samsung Galaxy A51, an exceedingly similar smartphone that's already available from the carrier. The Galaxy A51 already listed by AT&T has 128GB internal storage, comes in Prism Crush Black, and can be purchased with an AT&T Installment Plan of $13.34 per month for 30 months, or a full retail price of $399.99 USD.

Above you'll see the 5G version of the phone, aka the Samsung Galaxy A51 5G. If you did not know better, you might very EASILY mistake one of these phones for the other.

AT&T seems to have a significant deal on this device right this minute, before launch – at pre-order. That is a $5 per month price for 30 months, just so long as you subscribe to an AT&T Unlimited plan. If you add that up, the price you pay for the phone is $150 USD.

That's a shocking price, no matter how you spin it. This device's MSRP is $500 USD ($100 more than the A51 without 5G). It does not appear that you can purchase the phone for the one-time "full" price of $150, which suggests there's more to the situation than meets the eye – but for now, it seems too good to be true... so long as you're OK with AT&T coverage.

This AT&T version of the smartphone will be released on the 21st of August, 2020. Then it would appear that users both new and old will be able to attain this phone with a new Unlimited plan and an agreement to pay $5 a month for 30 months.