Every year, Samsung offers $200 off the 512GB model, so you can get the 512GB for the same price as the 256GB. I’m really disappointed this year because the offer is available only at Best Buy.
Other retailers are giving these kinds of promotions on their own dime.
While it's hard to say for sure, it's likely Samsung did not offer the same promotions they have in the past due to slimmer margins (resulting from current supply chain issues, see "chipflation")
Allowing third party retailers to eat the cost is a win/win/win for Samsung, retailers, and consumers.
Samsung gets to maintain pre order numbers, retailers get to boost sales, consumers get the prices they're expecting, just not from Samsung directly.
Just remember, if you have a carrier locked phone, and even if you get the carrier to unlock it, when you go to a different cell service carrier, your phone will not update because it is not on the same network as the previous cell phone carrier as their bloatware is still on the phone even though it's been unlocked.
