If you’ve always wanted a BMW smartphone of your very own, you’ve (probably) been out of luck (unless you could find that one Vivo special edition). That’s a good thing. When companies with no experience make smartphones, the results tend to be terrible. But when Samsung is making the device? Then it might not be such a terrible idea. And the South Korean company isn’t the only one setting up strange partnerships.
Chinese brand Realme (which is related to both Vivo and Oppo) has announced a Coca-Cola partnership that really is quite special. Not quite as special as its recent Naruto-themed smartphone, but still a work of capitalist art.
BMW is phoning it in
Samsung’s partnership with BMW isn’t the company’s first branded rodeo. Nintendo, Adidas, Starbucks, and others have all joined up with the world’s best-selling Android device maker at some point. But the Galaxy S23 Ultra BMW M Edition is a little more extensive than other releases. And that’s saying something.
As far as phone hardware goes, it’s the 12GB/512GB version of Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra. But it comes with a BMW-themed hard case, a collection of company icons, a small air compressor (!), a watch, sunglasses holder, and a photo book. All of this arrives in a box designed to look like the first BMW M3. Oh, yes, and buyers also get a voucher for some BMW-facilitated driving lessons.
As with all the company’s other special editions, this one’s confined to South Korea for now. If you really must have one, today (13 February) is the last day you can order them. Unfortunately, only 1,000 units have been made available.
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Realme’s Coke habit
Perhaps going fast in a German vehicle isn’t your thing. Maybe you like your speed to be delivered by a mixture of sugar and caffeine. In that case, the RealMe 10 Pro 5G Coca-Cola Edition might strike you as particularly refreshing. This is an India-exclusive, mid-range smartphone themed heavily around the iconic soft drink. To the point of ridiculousness.
Opening the camera? It’ll sound like you’ve popped the tab on a can of Coke. All of the wallpapers and icons have been themed around the beverage like it’s 1998 and you’ve downloaded a mod pack for your Windows 98 SE installation. The phone’s build has also been modified to continue the impression that you’re typing on an icy can of coke.
If you want one, they go on sale in India from 14 February. Expect to pay a little under R5,000 for one. As special edition smartphones go, that’s not a horrifying price tag.