The Olympic Games Edition Galaxy S20+ 5G has been canceled. Japanese carrier NTT Docomo has announced that the special edition Samsung flagship has been canceled owing to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) postponing the Tokyo 2020 Olympic games.
Samsung and NTT Docomo were planning to release the Galaxy S20+ 5G Olympic Games Edition in July this year. However, with the IOS postponing the mega sporting event to next year, the two companies have now pulled the plug on it.
The 2020 Olympic games were originally scheduled to take place between 24 July and 9 August 2020 in Tokyo, Japan. The event has now been rescheduled for 23 July to 8 August 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Galaxy S20+ 5G Olympic Games Edition canceled
Last month, the first live images of the Galaxy S20+ 5G Olympic Games Edition appeared on a Matte Gold finish, bearing the Tokyo 2020 Olympics logo.
Unlike Samsung’s previous Olympic Games Edition devices, this device wasn’t created solely for Olympian athletes. Samsung was planning to sell it to consumers as well.
In fact, NTT Docomo had already opened up reservations for this special edition phone. The carrier was planning to release the phone on schedule irrespective of whether the Olympics go according to plan or not.
This special edition smartphone is no different than the regular Galaxy S20+ 5G model in hardware terms. It lacks the Samsung branding though, as the company uses the ‘Galaxy’ branding in Japan. The handset was also priced almost similar to the standard Galaxy S20+ 5G.
However, in a disappointing turn of events, which also saw the 2020 Tokyo Olympics getting postponed by a whole one year, NTT Docomo has decided to cancel the Galaxy S20+ 5G Olympic Games Edition altogether.
This is certainly not the end of the Olympic Games Edition Samsung flagships, though. Samsung and NTT Docomo might now prepare a new Olympic Games Edition phone for next year. While there’s no word yet on this matter, the next year’s edition will likely be based on the Galaxy S21.
Samsung has been an Olympic partner since the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul. In December 2018, the South Korean giant signed an extension to its partnership with the IOC for another 10 years.
So it will continue to play the role of Worldwide Olympic Partner at least until 2028. This period will cover five Olympic games — three Summer Olympics and two Winter Olympics.
Samsung is also a Gold Partner of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games in the ‘Wireless Communications Equipment’ category.