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tjl3

macrumors 6502a
Mar 8, 2012
595
4
It's in stock on t-mobile.com...

PS, I swear if it goes out of stock after I hit post I'm gonna flip out on this board :D

Edit: Or they can make it painfully difficult to pick the pay as you go plan for a non 4G Nexus 4 -_-
 

tjl3

macrumors 6502a
Mar 8, 2012
595
4
such a premium price though...

Ya, some reason I thought the price difference was $50, and I wanted to see what the shipping charges would be at the end, since it's probably close enough to $400 after shipping and taxes from Google Play. But at $499, no thanks, I'll wait.
 

jrswizzle

macrumors 603
Aug 23, 2012
6,107
129
McKinney, TX
Aren't you guys curious about what's being announced at CES before jumping on this Nexus?

Nah - I'm still going to be using my iP5 as my main personal device. The N4 is an Android tester which will replace the iP4S I got through work. I have to buy off-contract and the N4 is as cheap as they'll come. Plus I'm not giving up anything (in fact its a little bit of an upgrade) from the 4S to the N4.....

I have an upgrade coming in September so we'll see if I want to make a more drastic change then with some of the cool tech showing at CES.

----------

It's in stock on t-mobile.com...

PS, I swear if it goes out of stock after I hit post I'm gonna flip out on this board :D

Edit: Or they can make it painfully difficult to pick the pay as you go plan for a non 4G Nexus 4 -_-

By the way - it's out of stock....
 

Sounds Good

macrumors 68000
Jul 8, 2007
1,692
57
Nah - I'm still going to be using my iP5 as my main personal device. The N4 is an Android tester which will replace the iP4S I got through work. I have to buy off-contract and the N4 is as cheap as they'll come. Plus I'm not giving up anything (in fact its a little bit of an upgrade) from the 4S to the N4.....

I have an upgrade coming in September so we'll see if I want to make a more drastic change then with some of the cool tech showing at CES.
I see. I'm eligible for an AT&T upgrade from an iPhone 4 so my choice is a bit tougher. Although AT&T doesn't carry the Nexus 4.
 

ybz90

macrumors 6502a
Jul 10, 2009
609
2
But if I renew my 2 year plan with AT&T it would be even cheaper to get a different phone. What's the advantage to an unlocked phone? (serious question, I really don't know)

Thanks...

It's not really cheaper if you have to renew your contract with the outrageous prices they charge for things like data. The US is one of the few countries where most wireless subscribers still go post-paid instead of pre-paid, though this is still starting to equalize and reverse.

A phone generally really costs around $600-700; you only pay $200 or so for a flagship device because it is subsidized by the carrier. In exchange, you have to agree to a 2-year contract generally, where you really are charged through the nose for services. So in reality, over the life of the contract, you might have saved $400 up front for the actual phone's hardware, but the carrier made it all back and then some by gouging you on your wireless fees.

I'm on T-Mobile and while I am on contract as well, I basically use a grandfathered family plan that's cheaper than prepaid (and I just sell the phones I get when I get an upgrade for even more money). The great thing about using unlocked devices on TMO is that you can use their $5 data plan for non-smartphones, which is unlimited HSPA+ throttled after 5GB, with any unlocked device as they can't tell it's a smartphone since they didn't sell it. Likewise, you could take your unlocked phone to any prepaid carrier and pay for cheaper plans or only pay for what you need, instead of 30+/mo for capped data on major carriers. Plus, it's unlocked, so you can switch carriers if you need to and it's less hassle when you go abroad or travel.

When you consider then that the Nexus 4 is only $300 completely unlocked, then you realize what an outrageous deal that is. Buying unlocked and going prepaid is represents hundreds (maybe over a thousand) in savings yearly even if you go for a $600 phone like the iPhone, but with a Nexus 4, you save another $300. When it costs just a $100 more than a smartphone you get on contract, and you can save in my case, around 600/per line on data alone (and I have four lines) over the life of the contract, the value proposition is tremendous. It's about time carriers stopped having so much control and become the dump pipes they're meant to be.
 

Sounds Good

macrumors 68000
Jul 8, 2007
1,692
57
Thing is, I'm on a Family Plan with AT&T (also grandfathered from years ago) and my wife is only about 6 months into her 2 year contract on her iPhone 4S. Therefore, I basically HAVE TO stick with AT&T for another year and a half since I'm tied to her plan. Know what I mean? Any workaround suggestions, or am I stuck just like I think I am?

Thanks again.
 

eazy75217

macrumors newbie
Jan 7, 2013
1
0
I just called a T-Mobile store here in Savannah, Georgia and the rep informed me that all of the retail stores on the west coast have them but they don't carry them in Georgia. :mad:
 

Frankied22

macrumors 68000
Nov 24, 2010
1,775
578
I'm not really interested in anything presented at CES. If I use Android I like to stick with the pure google experience with their Nexus line. It runs better and I get updates right away.
 

PDFierro

macrumors 68040
Sep 8, 2009
3,932
111
Thing is, I'm on a Family Plan with AT&T (also grandfathered from years ago) and my wife is only about 6 months into her 2 year contract on her iPhone 4S. Therefore, I basically HAVE TO stick with AT&T for another year and a half since I'm tied to her plan. Know what I mean? Any workaround suggestions, or am I stuck just like I think I am?

Thanks again.

Well look at the advice given by ybz90.

AT&T will not get the Nexus 4. Whatever smartphone you do get will probably be 100-200 on contract. The Nexus 4 is $300 without one!

If you really want the Nexus, that's why people are suggesting to pay the extra 100 and then save your upgrade for something else down the line.

But sounds like you aren't sure what phone you really want.
 

Sounds Good

macrumors 68000
Jul 8, 2007
1,692
57
If you really want the Nexus, that's why people are suggesting to pay the extra 100 and then save your upgrade for something else down the line.

But sounds like you aren't sure what phone you really want.
Oh, I see. Okay, thanks. Yeah, you're right -- I've had an iPhone since the original 2G iPhone so I'm not sure which phone to "switch" to. But after reading about the new waterproof Sony phone that's due out soon, I might wanna wait to hear more about it.
 

PDFierro

macrumors 68040
Sep 8, 2009
3,932
111
Oh, I see. Okay, thanks. Yeah, you're right -- I've had an iPhone since the original 2G iPhone so I'm not sure which phone to "switch" to. But after reading about the new waterproof Sony phone that's due out soon, I might wanna wait to hear more about it.

I'm not sure, either. So don't feel bad. I was all set to get the Nexus 4, but then I realized I did not want to leave Verizon at all. I'm down to a selection of 1 or 2 phones, just waiting a little bit longer.
 

jamojamo

macrumors 6502
Feb 12, 2010
387
7
I am interested in picking one up as a secondary device to see how it integrates with the rest of my setup. However, I agree with the earlier posters about picking one up anytime when there are probably newer models coming around the corner.

That's the flip side of the once a year update I guess.
 

osx-addict

macrumors newbie
Jan 8, 2013
28
0
The great thing about using unlocked devices on TMO is that you can use their $5 data plan for non-smartphones, which is unlimited HSPA+ throttled after 5GB, with any unlocked device as they can't tell it's a smartphone since they didn't sell it.

When you activate such a device (e.g. iPhone 3gs for instance), are you buying a SIM via their website or did you visit a TMO store? The reason I ask is that I visited a local TMO store here in the Los Angeles area a few days back and the rep there would NOT sell me a pair of SIM cards -- he wanted me to bring in the phones so they could be activated.. I realize you can buy the SIM cards from TMO's web store and I'm thinking that is how you do this.. Is that a safe assumption?
 

ybz90

macrumors 6502a
Jul 10, 2009
609
2
When you activate such a device (e.g. iPhone 3gs for instance), are you buying a SIM via their website or did you visit a TMO store? The reason I ask is that I visited a local TMO store here in the Los Angeles area a few days back and the rep there would NOT sell me a pair of SIM cards -- he wanted me to bring in the phones so they could be activated.. I realize you can buy the SIM cards from TMO's web store and I'm thinking that is how you do this.. Is that a safe assumption?

I would just get them online, it really depends on the local store, some seem stricter than others. Unlocked phones also generally don't need to be activated; there's nothing T-Mobile needs to (or even can) do to the phone. Just plug in the SIM and you're ready to go.
 

PDFierro

macrumors 68040
Sep 8, 2009
3,932
111
Which ones ?

Not sure. I don't even have a smartphone right now. I was thinking RAZR M or iPhone 5, not a fan of the big phones. Would be awesome if that RAZR M HD rumor is true.

But I like what Nokia does for Windows Phone, and BlackBerry 10 looks really promising.
 

osx-addict

macrumors newbie
Jan 8, 2013
28
0
I would just get them online, it really depends on the local store, some seem stricter than others. Unlocked phones also generally don't need to be activated; there's nothing T-Mobile needs to (or even can) do to the phone. Just plug in the SIM and you're ready to go.

Thanks.. I actually ordered them online this morning from TMO and the total cost was a bit over $2 including free shipping.. Doh! I suspect I would have paid about $6/ea if bought in the store since I got a web-discount.. Hopefully I'll have them soon in my hands to try out.. Gonna sign up for the $30/mo pre-paid to see how that works out.. thx!
 
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