It appears as if the habits of video game publishers have crept into the realm of smartphones.

We say this because Samsung is giving folks in the US the chance to reserve it’s next big smartphone.

While not as egregious as some of the pre-order nonsense we’ve seen in video games, it is interesting to note that Samsung is letting folks reserve a smartphone with no information about said device.

The good news is that you don’t have to pay for the right to reserve a handset, so perhaps the influence of video game publishers hasn’t completely hit the smartphone market. At least not yet.

So what do you get when you reserve a new Samsung handset? Well, erm, a guarantee that you will be able to pre-order the smartphone.

Other bonuses include $50 credit for accessory purchases and delivery by 8th March.

So then we know exactly when the handset will launch – 8th March. Whether that date will apply to South Africa remains to be seen. That having been said, over the last few years Samsung South Africa has been rather timely with its acquisition of the brand’s latest handsets so even if we don’t get the handset on 8th March we suspect it won’t be long after that.

Another interesting thing to note is that Samsung is offering US customers up to $550 for a trade-in device.

As for anything else about the new smartphone, Samsung remains tight-lipped. Previous leaks have strongly suggested that there will be three handsets shown off next week including a “lite” version of the handset.

We also know that the front facing camera will take the form of a hole-punch rather than the hideous notch that we are never going to forgive Apple for inspiring.

We’ll know more about the Samsung Galaxy S10, or whatever it will be called, next week.