Would you like that in red? Apple and Samsung announce new red smartphones

Apple has just announced the rollout of a new special edition red iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, and Samsung has done the same for the Galaxy S8 and S8+. Nope, we are not in the Twilight Zone.

This might just be a bizarre coincidence, but two new red devices from the two largest smartphone makers in the world, announced within hours of each other, smacks of some competitive behaviour. Or at least it would if one of the handsets wasn’t severely region-limited. But hey, at least everyone has some crimson options on hand, whether they’re buried neck-deep in the Apple or Android ecosystem.

Apple’s Product (RED) announcement doesn’t come as a surprise — there were all the rumours that leaked out over the weekend, bolstered by the fact that we saw red iPhone 7 handsets hit the market last year. The Product (RED) devices are released by Apple in conjunction with U2 frontman Bono’s charity, a move which will see a portion of the proceeds from the sale of these devices going to combat HIV and AIDS in Africa. We dare say that Apple won’t kick the extra sales out of bed, either.

The Product (RED) phones will start from $699 (R8,500), but we don’t have any news of them entering the local market yet. Last year’s model did manage to cross the ocean, though, so we’re expecting these to turn up sooner rather than later. 

Samsung, on the other hand, has just launched their Burgundy Red edition of the Galaxy S8 and S8+ in India — we have no word on whether it will be available in the rest of the world. South Korea already has it and there are plans afoot to bring these devices to other countries but nothing concrete yet.

This edition launched in India (and South Korea at the beginning of the year) after the S8 line received price cuts because the S9 hit the market. The S8s were still in a very similar price range in India, and Samsung wanted to make them more appealing to customers by offering a pocket-friendly(ish) price tag and a new paint job. Otherwise, the device is identical to the smartphone that captured Stuff‘s collective hearts in 2017. 

Who wore it better? That depends on whether you’re feeling charitable or just like money. whether you’re an iOS or an Android fan, whether you like Apple or you prefer a real phone (Ed — I put that last one in). Special editions don’t always make it to our market, but we’re convinced that at least one of these will end up landing. As always, we’ll let you know once we have more info.