AT&T preorders: April 16 for $249 on contract

[planoman]

Samsung and HTC get their money (whatever that is) for each phone. It is the carrier or in this case ATT that determines the subsidized price. That is why in quarters where big sellers hit like the iphone or S3 it reflects negatively on the carriers balance sheet and drags their earnings down. Because they pay more for the phones than they sell them for to get a 2 year contract signed so in the short term they lose money. This is a reason T mobile changed up their sales model. They were losing too much money subsidizing phones. Their contract sales were declining and the only customer segment that was growing was prepaid. So they went with the flow. No subsidy and no contract. They allow payments on phones because if they did not, their business would collapse.

If the S4 stays at 249 on a 2 year contract it is because that is what ATT decided. They could always lower it quickly if sales are not at target. That price tells me that they expect it to be a big seller and do not want to kill their sales quarter with lower revenue per phone.

 

[JasW]

I doubt there are going to be many, if any, people who decide not to get the S4 because it's $249 rather than $199. (Or who opt for the One instead assuming it's $199.) The Note 2 set me back an extra C-note from what I would usually pay for an upgrade. It's a kickass phone, and the best currently available, so I didn't think twice about it.

 

[paintdrinkingpete]

Samsung and HTC get their money (whatever that is) for each phone. It is the carrier or in this case ATT that determines the subsidized price. That is why in quarters where big sellers hit like the iphone or S3 it reflects negatively on the carriers balance sheet and drags their earnings down. Because they pay more for the phones than they sell them for to get a 2 year contract signed so in the short term they lose money. This is a reason T mobile changed up their sales model. They were losing too much money subsidizing phones. Their contract sales were declining and the only customer segment that was growing was prepaid. So they went with the flow. No subsidy and no contract. They allow payments on phones because if they did not, their business would collapse.

If the S4 stays at 249 on a 2 year contract it is because that is what ATT decided. They could always lower it quickly if sales are not at target. That price tells me that they expect it to be a big seller and do not want to kill their sales quarter with lower revenue per phone.

I don't disagree with this, but at the same time, I'd be willing to bet Samsung at the very least has some influence on the prices that are set -- they need the contract pricing for their phones to be competitive, since that is how most are sold. At the very least, I'm assuming there is deal in place to ensure "maximum" price point, as Samsung could care less if AT&T chooses to lower the price. In the end though, yes, it is ultimately the carriers that set those prices.

Since the One isn't $250, I'm thinking Samsung or someone might have to lower the price down to regular $199 levels if they don't want HTC taking up too much of their profit. People that already have their mind set on the S4 or had a bad past with HTC will probably still buy the phone, but it's going to be tough to convince the average customer to pay for a phone that's $50 more, has less memory, and weaker build material. Especially if an employee points these things out. You'd probably have a better chance at getting away with it if they're both priced at $199, it'd be more of a brand war at that point instead of the actual phones.

As I mentioned before, Samsung doesn't have too much control over it at this point

 

[Raptor007]

Okay, pre-orders start on 4/16 so when do they actually ship and when can I get one in the store since I have to port and will not pay anything until I get one hands on.

 

[BarackOdrama]

Okay, pre-orders start on 4/16 so when do they actually ship and when can I get one in the store since I have to port and will not pay anything until I get one hands on.

That's the date we're all waiting for.

 

[planoman]

I don't disagree with this, but at the same time, I'd be willing to bet Samsung at the very least has some influence on the prices that are set -- they need the contract pricing for their phones to be competitive, since that is how most are sold. At the very least, I'm assuming there is deal in place to ensure "maximum" price point, as Samsung could care less if AT&T chooses to lower the price. In the end though, yes, it is ultimately the carriers that set those prices


As I mentioned before, Samsung doesn't have too much control over it at this point

Looks like you are right with the 199 deal on the 16GB and 249 on the 32GB. Looks like they will have the S4 and One models at the 199 price point.

 

[Raptor007]

I don't the big deal on just saying pre-orders on 4/16 in stores x/xx date, Verizon pre-orders are typically 1 week from store launch but with AT&T its a crap shoot.

 

[BarackOdrama]

I don't the big deal on just saying pre-orders on 4/16 in stores x/xx date, Verizon pre-orders are typically 1 week from store launch but with AT&T its a crap shoot.

I'm not used to this myself.

I've always bought iPhones and when they're announced, you know what date they'll be in stores. I don't see why it can't be like that for the S4.

 

[Raptor007]

I was at AT&T today looking into porting my number over and what they could do regarding the pre-order stuff. They will assign me a temporary number for ordering and when it comes in port me over from VZW and off I go. The best part was they are showing in the system an expected date of 4/26 for the launch date. That was something positive since I will be selling my 1 month old iP5 asap and living on a basic flip phone for 3 weeks . . . ouch, but well worth it in the end.

 

[Suda]

I was at AT&T today looking into porting my number over and what they could do regarding the pre-order stuff. They will assign me a temporary number for ordering and when it comes in port me over from VZW and off I go. The best part was they are showing in the system an expected date of 4/26 for the launch date. That was something positive since I will be selling my 1 month old iP5 asap and living on a basic flip phone for 3 weeks . . . ouch, but well worth it in the end.

So it's still right around schedule on the late April/early May we've been hearing. That's good.

 

[wildmangk]

Price match n look for special offers (rebate or gift card w purchase). Most likely best buy,amazon, costco or radio shack will have a cheaper deal going on. Plus no activation fee or restocking fee plus longer return policy. Still dont understand why people buy from at&t retail stores.

If you do decide to price match at Best Buy be careful because their policies have changed. They will only price match to another retailer the day OF the purchase. They no longer price match after youve walked out with the product. Their price match window is now also 15 days...not 30. The only time theyll price match after the purchase is if its an instore match...meaning they lowered the price on the item you just bought within 15 days.

Hope this helps. I learned the hard way 2 days ago with my ipad mini...I shouldve purchased it at wal mart

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

 

[smooth3006]

Okay, pre-orders start on 4/16 so when do they actually ship and when can I get one in the store since I have to port and will not pay anything until I get one hands on.

my initial thoughts would be shortly before may 1st.

 

[Jnorton2724]

I've stopped caring about any price plus a two year contract. That two year contract full of overpriced monthly service isn't worth it.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Android Central Forums

 

[Raptor007]

I agree, and I certainly hope they keep the date they mentioned, I have vacation plans for starting the 2nd week of May and really want to have my phone before I leave.

 

[buckwheatdx]

I keep seeing ppl say that its cheaper to get a phone off contract than to get contract subsidized phones. How is that true? Do carriers make non-contract plans that are cheaper or something? It seems that either way you'll have to pay for the service at their prices. Probably a newbie question i know..

 

[buckwheatdx]

Also does anyone know what AT&T's preorder policy is on non contract buys? I plan to buy the phone off contract and sell my iP5 afterward.

 

[smooth3006]

Re: AT&T preorders: April 16 for $249 on contract

Also does anyone know what AT&T's preorder policy is on non contract buys? I plan to buy the phone off contract and sell my iP5 afterward.

I dont think you can preorder if you buy full retail. I just hope they dont have another mess like they had with the htc one presale. People couldnt even use their upgrades to order without making a 1000 phone calls. Ill probably go to my local store to order mine.

- - - Updated - - -

I agree, and I certainly hope they keep the date they mentioned, I have vacation plans for starting the 2nd week of May and really want to have my phone before I leave.

Id say you will have the device before may 1st.

 

[Raptor007]

Re: AT&T preorders: April 16 for $249 on contract

The only cheap part about buying full retail is your ability to change to another phone during what would have been your contract window or to another carrier if you want without ETF penalties. I am thinking through the contract free price, 1 year contract or 2 year contract price. I may go 1 year so I can get what I want next year like I always want to do.

 

[jtc276]

Re: AT&T preorders: April 16 for $249 on contract

The only cheap part about buying full retail is your ability to change to another phone during what would have been your contract window or to another carrier if you want without ETF penalties. I am thinking through the contract free price, 1 year contract or 2 year contract price. I may go 1 year so I can get what I want next year like I always want to do.

How are you going to upgrade with a one year contract? I would like to know if it's still possible because I haven't seen it offered in years. I would gladly pay $400 for the S4 on a one year contract over the $200 for the 2 year contract.

 

[Raptor007]

Re: AT&T preorders: April 16 for $249 on contract

Well, I stand corrected in part anyways. It seems AT&T will allow 1 year contracts at discounted rates on some phones, 2 year only contracts on some phones and 1 year contracts on others at full retail. The GS4 isn't listed yet so I poorly assumed it would be an option based on some of the existing Android phones I used as a baseline. My error on that. Seems if a phone has been out a while they will do a 1 year deal, possibly because it will be EOS a few months later and they know people will want to upgrade again.

So now I have to consider the full retail which if they think I am signing a 1 year at full retail they are nuts, if I pay $550-600 I expect to be month to month without issue so I can upgrade again in a year if I so want to.