To commemorate the upcoming Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Samsung has taken the wraps off a special edition of the Galaxy S7 Edge.
The Galaxy S7 Edge Olympic Games Limited Edition more or less looks the same as the regular variant, except the speaker grill at the top is yellow, and so is the trim around the home button. The power button is red, the volume rocker buttons are green, and the outline around the camera and flash are blue — the four colors represent the Olympic rings, and the fifth color, black, is reserved for the rest of the smartphone.
Speaking of rings, the official Olympic Games logo rests on the back of the S7 Edge special edition — it’s blue, and it also notes Samsung as a “Worldwide Partner” below it.
This smartphone variant is designed for the Rio games and, as such, the Korean giant is offering 12,500 of these Olympic-branded devices to Rio 2016 Olympians. Thankfully, you’ll still be able to buy it — but only if you’re in the U.S. And you’ll have to act quickly — only 2,016 units of the Galaxy S7 Edge Olympic Edition were to be available when the device hits Best Buy store shelves Monday. Each will cost $850.
In addition to showing off the Olympic colors and logo on the exterior, the special edition S7 Edge will also display the Olympic Rings “in the phone’s user interface in the home and lock screens, as well as the message, dial, and contact screens, and notification bar.” A Samsung spokesperson tells Digital Trends that since it’s all a theme, it can easily be turned off and you can uninstall the Olympic apps if you want.
You’ll also find official Olympic apps pre-installed, as well as Rio 2016-themed wallpapers. Overall, after getting our hands on it we can say the Olympic Edition of the S7 Edge is drop-dead gorgeous.
Samsung has been heavily involved with the Olympics since the ’90s, and its current sponsorship deal lasts until 2020, ensuring its brand has a strong presence and its products are used by the International Olympics Committee. The Olympic Edition of the Galaxy S7 Edge isn’t the first specially branded phone from Samsung, either. The tradition stretches back to 2014, when athletes taking part in the Games received a special Galaxy Note 3.
Originally published on July 16, 2016. Updated on 07-18-2016 by Kyle Wiggers: Added pricing and availability information.
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