T-Mobile has begun taking pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 ahead of its U.S. launch on October 17. You can either pay full price for the unlocked device, or you can spread the cost over 24 months and pay nothing upfront.

If you’d prefer not to pay $31.24 a month for the next two years for the device, then it’s going to cost you $749.76 right away.  T-Mobile is offering both the black and white models initially, and it will be shipping them for launch day delivery on Friday, October 17.

You can also pre-order from AT&T or Verizon, if you’d prefer — while Sprint is expected to begin taking pre-orders of its own on Friday, September 26.

The Galaxy Note series has been a big success for Samsung, and by far the best-selling super-sized smartphone in recent years. But it now has some tough competition from an unexpected source; Apple is hoping its 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus can persuade Galaxy Note loyalists to make the switch to iOS.

We certainly believe the 6 Plus has what it takes to compete not only with the Galaxy Note 4, but other Android-powered phablets as well. It has one of the best 1080p displays we’ve ever used, Apple’s new 64-bit A8 processor, and an improved iSight camera that is rated the best smartphone camera by the experts at DxOMark.

Of course, which is best for you will all depend on whether you prefer Android or iOS.

• SourceT-Mobile