Samsung to hand out free Galaxy Note 8 to PyeongChang participants

South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics Co., an official partner for the 2018 Winter Games, said Wednesday it will hand out a special edition of the Galaxy Note 8 smartphone to athletes and officials participating in the event slated for next month.

Under the plan, the company will offer 4,000 units of the Galaxy Note 8 Olympic Edition to all athletes and International Olympic Committee officials visiting the host county of PyeongChang, located 180 kilometers east of Seoul. The Winter Games are scheduled for Feb. 9-25.

Shown in the photo released by Samsung Electronics Co. on Jan. 17, 2018, is the Olympic edition of the flagship Galaxy Note 8 smartphone. (Yonhap)

The special edition will not be sold to the public, Samsung said.

The Olympic version of the 6.3-inch Galaxy Note 8 will be released in white to represent winter sports, along with the gold Olympic rings engraved on the back.

The Galaxy Note 8 is the latest premium model currently sold by Samsung, boasting the signature S Pen stylus and a dual-lens camera setup. The so-called Infinity Display also gives the device a simple yet striking design.

The device will, moreover, come with a special Olympic-themed wallpaper, along with an application that provides details of the 2018 Winter Games, the company said.

Samsung added it hopes that the participants can share their unique experiences in PyeongChang with families and friends through the device.

The price tag of a 64-gigabyte Galaxy Note 8 stands around at 1.09 million won ($1,023) in South Korea.

(Yonhap)