Aquila
Retired Moderator
I did not know this. That said, the philosophy still rings through, unlocked phones at an affordable price point is the way to go--for Google at least. I understand now that other manufacturers won't be so fortunate. Unless they all made Nexus devices, and Google subsidized them all, haha. Or perhaps, they haven't found a clever way to make phones affordable sans contract, nor do the manufacturers care to though either, right?
The OEM absolutely can afford to sell it unlocked for way less.. but they can't get Verizon or AT&T to sell it to you without a cut in the margin. Currently very few people go to Samsung.com to order their phone, they go to Verizon or AT&T or Best Buy, etc. Even the Nexus 4 is WAY more expensive to get it through any carrier.