Nexus 5 + Prepaid Cost Savings over 24 Months

[Gekko]

NEXUS 5 + GOPHONE PREPAID
Phone $350
Monthly Charge $60
Monthly Charge x 24 Months $1,440
Total Paid After 24 Months $1,790
----------------------------------------
FLASGHIP PHONE + AT&T/VERIZON POSTPAID
Phone $250
Monthly Charge $100
Monthly Charge x 24 Months $2,400
Total Paid After 24 Months $2,650
----------------------------------------
Difference after 24 Months $860 48% (This savings will pay for your next 2.5 Nexus Phones)

* this analysis assumes a plan of Unlimited Voice/Text plus ~2GB of LTE Data.

 

[thehabsonice]

That's so expensive for prepaid. Here we can get unlimited minutes + data for 50 $. Which actually is still expensive.What if you get it subsidized? How much would the plan be on a monthly basis?

 

[Gekko]

sure you can go lower. Straight Talk with an AT&T LTE SIM is $42.50/Month if you sign up for the auto pay feature. and i'm sure some AT&T/Verizon postpaid plans are more AND less than $100/month. i was just trying to do an average comparison of the two to illustrate the point. plug in your own numbers and see the savings. the bottom line is that BYOD Nexus + Prepaid is the way to go. AND you get a flagship device (arguably the best because of Nexus features), you can upgrade it annually, have a great LTE plan, have SIM freedom, no contract chains, and STILL save money. it's a no brainer.

 

[BTuck123]

That's ridiculously expensive. I can get an Unlimited Data Sim only deal for ?12.90pm, or $21. As the Nexus 5 here will be ?280, 280+12.9*24=?590, or $950 over 2 years. And the Xperia Z1 is ?34pm +?49 for unlimited data again, ?865 or $1400 over 2 years... Americans really get steamrollered when it comes to mobile contracts...

 

[Gekko]

this analysis assumes a plan of Unlimited Voice/Text plus ~2GB of LTE Data.

 

[Ry]

this analysis assumes a plan of Unlimited Voice/Text plus ~2GB of LTE Data.

Would be nice to have included the specific plans you're comparing.

 

[Gekko]

Would be nice to have included the specific plans you're comparing.

i can't spoon feed you everything.

 

[JonK]

this analysis assumes a plan of Unlimited Voice/Text plus ~2GB of LTE Data.

Excellent point. Not everybody needs lots of minutes. Also with google voice I think it is madness to pay for text. Unlimited text is something they add to the plan to make it "seem" like you are getting a lot for your money.

If cost is the only thing you care about then yes a mvno is a no brainer. If you care a lot about other qualities of the service though there are other considerations. I have yet to find an mvno that doesnt throttle data once you hit a cap. I also hear lots of stories of people being throttled before even hitting the cap. Another thing to consider when comparing is which network you are on. Comparing a plan on att to a mvno that operates on tmo is simply not equal. You arent getting the same service.

Im anxious to see how well voice calling through hangouts works. If it goes well, it might be time to try an att data only plan ($10/GB) and go voip. I have wanted to do this for a long time. With lots of LTE and HSPA coverage it might be time..

 

[Jnorton2724]

It's also cheaper even if you pay out a phone like a gs4 or HTC one then use it for prepaid service I think. Not cheaper then a Nexus. From my experience though Tmobile service is pretty spotty and not reliable. I used it for acouple months with my Nexus 4 and it was okay. Cheap, 30$ a month but I'd pay more for AT&T service.

I'm in San Diego, California.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[Ry]

i can't spoon feed you everything.

*yawn. Such laziness.

16GB Nexus 5 = $350
AT&T GoPhone Smartphone Plan - Unlimited minutes, unlimited messaging, 2GB of data = $60 (+$10 per 1GB over?)
2 years = $1790 ..and that's if you never go over 2GB in a month.

16GB Nexus 5 = $350
T-Mobile Simple Choice Plan - Unlimited minutes, unlimited messaging, 2.5GB of full-speed data (then throttled for the rest of the billing cycle) = $60
2 years = $1790

16GB Nexus 5 = $350
Straight Talk AT&T Compatible Unlimited Plan - Unlimited minutes, unlimited messaging, unlimited data (may be throttled after 2.5GB) = $45
2 years = $1430 and yes you can access LTE.

16GB Nexus 5 = $350
T-Mobile Individual Plan (450 minutes, unlimited messaging, 3GB data + $10 for 1GB over) = $90
2 years = $2360

LG G2 AT&T = $200
AT&T Mobile Share Plan (Unlimited minutes, unlimited messaging, 2GB of data) = $95
2 years = $2480

Moto X Verizon = $200
Verizon Share Everything Plan (Unlimited minutes, unlimited messaging, 2GB of data) = $100
2 years = $2600


And the usual caveats - these networks need to work where you need them to work. Example - AT&T customers at my work need mircocell access throughout the building to have usable coverage. T-Mobile customers at my office need to go outside to use their phones. Verizon customers have coverage throughout the building.

 

[Ry]

It's also cheaper even if you pay out a phone like a gs4 or HTC one then use it for prepaid service I think. Not cheaper then a Nexus. From my experience though Tmobile service is pretty spotty and not reliable. I used it for acouple months with my Nexus 4 and it was okay. Cheap, 30$ a month but I'd pay more for AT&T service.

I'm in San Diego, California.

Posted via Android Central App

I personally tested T-Mobile using the $30 100 minutes, unlimited messaging, unlimited data plan all over San Diego County, Orange County, LA County, and Riverside County. It wasn't good enough for me to give up Verizon.

 

[Jnorton2724]

I personally tested T-Mobile using the $30 100 minutes, unlimited messaging, unlimited data plan all over San Diego County, Orange County, LA County, and Riverside County. It wasn't good enough for me to give up Verizon.

Yup I'd completely agree. AT&T or Verizon is still a lot more reliable in San Diego.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[Orion78]

NEXUS 5 + GOPHONE PREPAID
Phone $350
Monthly Charge $60
Monthly Charge x 24 Months $1,440
Total Paid After 24 Months $1,790
----------------------------------------
FLASGHIP PHONE + AT&T/VERIZON POSTPAID
Phone $250
Monthly Charge $100
Monthly Charge x 24 Months $2,400
Total Paid After 24 Months $2,650
----------------------------------------
Difference after 24 Months $860 48% (This savings will pay for your next 2.5 Nexus Phones)

Looks like a nice plan. I'm going to go with T-Mobile. $10 extra will get me unlimited.

 

[MrkCrwly]

I am a new forum member looking to shed my iPhone habit and go with the Nexus 5. I have been a long time AT&T customer and recently switched to Straight Talk AT&T for $45/mo. We cannot tell a difference between AT&T service and Straight talk AT&T. The reason I want to jump to the Nexus 5 is that the unlocked iPhone with a AT&T sim will not allow me to access the settings for data and mms unless I do a Tmobile sim swap.
Will the Nexus 5/Kit Kat allow me to access any setting necessary for AT&T (or any other) prepaid service?
Thanks Mrk

 

[anon(5857193)]

16GB Nexus 5 = $350
T-Mobile [URL="https://goto.walmart.com/c/1943169/612734/9383?sharedid=159229&subId1=UUacUvbUpU3154330&subId2=vbac&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.walmart.com%2Fip%2FT-Mobile-Micro-SIM-Activation-Kit%2F24099996%22](online, in-store Walmart exclusive)100 minutes, unlimited messaging, unlimited data[/URL] (throttled after 5GB) = $30
2 years = $1070 (but I'm not sure if this plan lets you access LTE)

This plan does allow you to use LTE.

This is the plan that I'm using with my Nexus 4 since it fits my needs perfectly. I've been using it for at least six months already and am still amazed that I'm only paying $360 a year for great cell service. Seriously... If T-Mo has good service in your area and you don't use many minutes, you need this plan.

 

[JonK]

I am a new forum member looking to shed my iPhone habit and go with the Nexus 5. I have been a long time AT&T customer and recently switched to Straight Talk AT&T for $45/mo. We cannot tell a difference between AT&T service and Straight talk AT&T. The reason I want to jump to the Nexus 5 is that the unlocked iPhone with a AT&T sim will not allow me to access the settings for data and mms unless I do a Tmobile sim swap.
Will the Nexus 5/Kit Kat allow me to access any setting necessary for AT&T (or any other) prepaid service?
Thanks Mrk

I dont personally have experience getting that working but I am 100% confident it will work. The APN settings are available to change in android and plenty of people do have androids working on straight talk. You will find things are generally more readily changeable/modifiable/configurable/fixable in the android world. Especially on a Nexus. If there is something you dont like, change it! Welcome and hope you enjoy your Nexus 5!

 

[akuki]

This plan does allow you to use LTE.

This is the plan that I'm using with my Nexus 4 since it fits my needs perfectly. I've been using it for at least six months already and am still amazed that I'm only paying $360 a year for great cell service. Seriously... If T-Mo has good service in your area and you don't use many minutes, you need this plan.

The T-Mobile website describes 4G and 4G LTE as different coverage .
Their $30 plan states "First 5 GB at up to 4G speeds".

 

[Ry]

This plan does allow you to use LTE.

This is the plan that I'm using with my Nexus 4 since it fits my needs perfectly. I've been using it for at least six months already and am still amazed that I'm only paying $360 a year for great cell service. Seriously... If T-Mo has good service in your area and you don't use many minutes, you need this plan.

Is your Nexus 4 modified to use LTE?

Posted via Android Central App

 

[wpbfjr]

*yawn. Such laziness.

16GB Nexus 5 = $350
AT&T GoPhone Smartphone Plan - Unlimited minutes, unlimited messaging, 2GB of data = $60 (+$10 per 1GB over?)
2 years = $1790 ..and that's if you never go over 2GB in a month.

tiny nit to pick: att requires buying their 4g lte sim. so that make 2 years a cool $1,800...

plus, i cannot keep my existing att number that i've had for +/- 20 years... yes, i'm old...

 

[Gekko]

tiny nit to pick: att requires buying their 4g lte sim. so that make 2 years a cool $1,800...

plus, i cannot keep my existing att number that i've had for +/- 20 years... yes, i'm old...

why couldn't you port your number?