Why doesn't AT&T subsidize this phone?

[Andrew Martonik]

Thanks for your patience and willingness to help me. I'm paying $200 for 4 phones - 700min (we barely use this), unlimited texting, 200mb on each phone for data (would love to use more and have been limiting ourselves but mostly around wifi anyway).

If you're happy with that plan and have no need to move carriers, then just buy the phone unlocked. At $299/$349, you're not paying a big premium over what you'd be paying subsidized. It'll work with your current AT&T SIM.

 

[Dr0me]

So I just put in my two weeks at work and can basically leave my company with the ETF on my VZW G nex and still keep the phone. I am thinking about getting the nexus 4 from the google play store and opening a new line on ATT. Problem is I may need to do so before the 13th.

My question is, do you have to sign a yr/2yr contract to open a line on ATT if you have the unlocked phone? If so then i may just get a free HTC one X or something and replace it with the nexus 4. If not though I will just find a friends beater ATT phone to use for a week until i get my new phone.

 

[Andrew Martonik]

My question is, do you have to sign a yr/2yr contract to open a line on ATT if you have the unlocked phone? If so then i may just get a free HTC one X or something and replace it with the nexus 4. If not though I will just find a friends beater ATT phone to use for a week until i get my new phone.

No, they'll let you go month to month. If you're going to do this though, I seriously recommend just looking at prepaid. There's very little reason to go with AT&T if you're just going to stay off contract and buy unlocked phones. You can save a very good chunk of change going to prepaid.

 

[Woosh]

So I just put in my two weeks at work and can basically leave my company with the ETF on my VZW G nex and still keep the phone. I am thinking about getting the nexus 4 from the google play store and opening a new line on ATT. Problem is I may need to do so before the 13th.

My question is, do you have to sign a yr/2yr contract to open a line on ATT if you have the unlocked phone? If so then i may just get a free HTC one X or something and replace it with the nexus 4. If not though I will just find a friends beater ATT phone to use for a week until i get my new phone.

Unless things have changed recently.....you only need a 2 yr contract when you get phone subsidy. But why ATT postpaid when you could go with a $60 prepaid? I kinda think it might be cheaper, or better yet ST for $45 a month? You might even be able to use the $50 a month ATT prepaid since they probably won't know this phone is a smartphone.

 

[Dr0me]

so you pre pay for the data and voice and its only like $45 a month? how much talk/text/data do you get? my company was paying for my phone for the past 5 years so i never had to worry about anything.

 

[Andrew Martonik]

Re: Why doesn't AT&T subsidize this phone?

so you pre pay for the data and voice and its only like $45 a month? how much talk/text/data do you get? my company was paying for my phone for the past 5 years so i never had to worry about anything.

I wrote a big piece on the site about this a little while back. There's lots to learn!

Prepaid: Not just for burner phones anymore | Android Central

Also many great threads, a few in the Galaxy Nexus Forums, on prepaid.

 

[Woosh]

so you pre pay for the data and voice and its only like $45 a month? how much talk/text/data do you get? my company was paying for my phone for the past 5 years so i never had to worry about anything.

ST is unlimited everything.(In theory) The cap seems to be more like 5000 minutes, 3000 texts, 100mb a day of data, and 2GB a month before they either throttle, warn, or cut you off completely.

So while its a great deal, if you value your number some ppl do not want to risk it. Personally my phone number is now safe with Google talk so I can drop it anytime I want. But if thats not an option you might be better off in the hands of a regular carrier.

But like Andrew mentioned, you probably don't want to be paying full pricing(No contract)and not get subsidy unless you want the freedom to never have to pay ETF if you ever have to cancel. You might be better off buying an iPhone and selling it to make a little spare $$ and pretty much cover the full cost of the Nexus.

 

[Ry]

Nexus One. Didn't AT&T still have the iPhone exclusive during the Nexus One launch?

Nexus S. Best Buy subsidized this phone and sold them with AT&T contracts.

Galaxy Nexus. Verizon had the launch exclusive. People could eventually get it from the Play Store.

Nexus 4. AT&T's push for LTE devices and Google's reluctance to work with LTE.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Android Central Forums

 

[Ziptied]

Why would you want them to? With T-Mo's subsidy (which ATT would be the same or more) the phone is like $600, buy unlocked from google, thats the point of a nexus.