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Samsung made a limited edition Galaxy S7 Edge for the Olympics

Athletes get it for free, and Best Buy will start selling it July 18th

The Galaxy S7 Edge is one of this year's best phones, so why not give it to some of the world's best athletes? Apparently the Batman phone wasn't enough, as Samsung is churning out yet another special edition of its curved smartphone — this time to celebrate the upcoming Olympic Games in Rio. This unlocked version of the S7 Edge will be gifted to everyone participating in the games, but it's also coming to stores this month. Well, one store: Best Buy. The big box retailer has exclusive dibs on sales for this one, which will be made available in limited quantities on July 18th. Best Buy is pricing the Olympic Games edition at $849, whereas the regular S7 Edge costs $769 unlocked. Only 2,016 of them exist. (See what they did there?)

So what separates this from the Galaxy S7 Edge that's been on shelves for months? Just like the Batphone, it's really all aesthetics. The metal sides are black and glossy, which feels quite different in hand compared to the regular model. And then there are the buttons. Samsung has customized the accents for each hardware button to correspond with the Olympics rings. The home button and earpiece are yellow, the power button is red, the volume rocker is green, and there's a blue bezel around the camera. It looks a little funky! But it makes more sense when you realize what the phone commemorates.

A little more colorful than the Batphone

Sadly, Samsung isn't tossing in a Gear VR this time. So you lose out on the really sleek, all-black VR headset that came with the Batman edition. Perhaps Samsung figures athletes are too busy training to spend much time getting lost in VR. Oh well. You do get a nice (though rather large) carrying case alongside the phone. And that's pretty much it. The Olympic Games Edition is just another new coat of paint for Samsung's flagship. It's free swag for Olympians, and yet another thirsty marketing tactic for the company to get its brand front and center in Rio. If you're a fan of the color scheme, you'll be able to buy it from Best Buy beginning on July 18th. And since this is the unlocked model, it should work on all the major US networks.

Correction: The article originally said the S7 Edge Olympics edition would be made available in August. Its release date is actually July 18th.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Olympic Games Edition photos

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