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Sarah Tew
Samsung is eager to get its new phones to a lot of people — especially iPhone users.
The Korean electronics conglomerate said Friday that it would give iPhone users a chance to try its latest smartphones, the curved display-rocking Galaxy S6 Edge+ and the jumbo Galaxy Note 5 . (The standard S6 Edge is also an option.) During the 30-day test drive, users will get to try out the phones with a free data plan. There are no obligations and the offer is not tied to a single carrier.
It costs $1 to participate in the trial, which works with a subscriber’s current wireless carrier.
The program is an effort by Samsung to boost sales at a time when consumer excitement over smartphones has waned. Meanwhile, sales of the iPhone and a decline in premium pricing have kept people from purchasing phones from the world’s largest smartphone manufacturer.
The company saw its market share dip by around 4 percent in the quarter that ended on June 30, according to Gartner. Despite a flashy launch in March, the Galaxy S6 line failed to snap a streak of seven quarters of profit decline.
It’s unclear how many iPhone users might bite. This isn’t the first time a test-drive program has been done. T-Mobile tried a program through which customers could take an iPhone 5S smartphone out for a week. “It wasn’t a disaster, but it didn’t explode like T-Mobile thought it might,” said Avi Greengart, an analyst for consumer platforms and devices at Current Analysis.
While it didn’t do well in terms of numbers alone, it did contribute to the wireless carrier’s overall success and let its customers know that the iPhone was an option for them, Greengart said. T-Mobile’s test-run program was also intended to change the perception of its coverage, and not necessarily sell one kind of smartphone.
If you’re an iPhone user who is interested in taking advantage of Samsung’s offer, you can sign up here.
The program is for iPhone users only, and if you’re interested, you have to register using your iPhone’s Web browser. Included in the box that delivers the Samsung phone is a smart switch cable to let you move your photos, apps and music onto the new device.
Update, August 21 at 5:47 a.m. PT: Added details about the program.
Correction, August 21 at 9:07 a.m. PT: Changed the release date of the phone
