Re: Google Nexus 6 Carrier pricing / pre orders
BestBuy will match the PlayStore price, at least they did with the Nexus 5. They sold the Nexus 5 as a "Sprint" phone but it is/was the same model as the PlayStore version as there was only one US version. Just take the Sprint SIM out and pop in an AT&T SIM and you were good to go.
The only down side is that Google does not treat a phone purchased anywhere else but direct from them the same way meaning if you had issues then you needed to deal with the retailer you purchased from or your carrier so YMMV with a carrier phone.
There is also some question as to whether a Nexus 6 from a carrier will be free from carrier interference based on ArsTechica.
I can't link to it as I don't have enough posts. But just look on the main Ars page under the article "Unwrapping Lollipop: Ars talks to Android execs about the upcoming OS"
The following is from that article:
"As such, we asked if history would repeat itself with these new carrier Nexus devices. "I don't think we're going to do that. There is carrier testing that has to happen—you can't get away from that—but we're trying to have our updates be frequent," Burke said. "I think the carriers are learning and realizing that's a feature they want. So I think these are getting more efficient and they're getting better at it."
So it sounds like carrier Nexus devices will lag behind the unlocked versions, as they will have an additional carrier testing step. The hope this year is that the carriers wise up and won't delay things too much, but the potential for a delay is there."
Whether that is the case is to be seen.