Pay $199 for a Galaxy S4 or pay $600 - is this a trick question?

[bnord1]

Went into a Sprint store yesterday with the intent to upgrade to a Galaxy S4. Past my 2-year contract so no ETF issues.

Was very surprised to see that the 2-year agreement for $199 that they show online is not available in the store. Instead, you get the privilege of paying $25/month for 24 months, which according to my calculations is $600!!!!! I was flabbergasted, I didn't even know what to say to the Sprint rep.

I guess this is paying full freight without being stuck with a 2-year contract, but for a $400 discount I'll take the 2-year contract. I know that back when we had feature phones it sucked to be stuck in a contract when smartphones came out, but at this point changes seem to be more evolutionary than revolutionary, so I'm wondering why anyone would pay full price for a phone.

I've never bought a phone online before so it's a little scary. I assume it's easy enough to activate, but I'm wondering about the best way to transfer everything from my old (HTC Android) phone to a GS4. I googled it and saw a few options, but I'm wondering if anyone has a recommendation. Thanks for any replies.

 

[UJ95x]

Went into a Sprint store yesterday with the intent to upgrade to a Galaxy S4. Past my 2-year contract so no ETF issues.

Was very surprised to see that the 2-year agreement for $199 that they show online is not available in the store. Instead, you get the privilege of paying $25/month for 24 months, which according to my calculations is $600!!!!! I was flabbergasted, I didn't even know what to say to the Sprint rep.

I guess this is paying full freight without being stuck with a 2-year contract, but for a $400 discount I'll take the 2-year contract. I know that back when we had feature phones it sucked to be stuck in a contract when smartphones came out, but at this point changes seem to be more evolutionary than revolutionary, so I'm wondering why anyone would pay full price for a phone.

I've never bought a phone online before so it's a little scary. I assume it's easy enough to activate, but I'm wondering about the best way to transfer everything from my old (HTC Android) phone to a GS4. I googled it and saw a few options, but I'm wondering if anyone has a recommendation. Thanks for any replies.

Welcome to Android Central
You can back up your pics to either Dropbox or Google+. There are a few others, but I stick to those
App data can be backed up with Helium
Contacts can be synced to your G-Mail account and will transfer over when you sign in on the S4
Hmm, what else would you like to backup?

 

[bnord1]

Welcome to Android Central
You can back up your pics to either Dropbox or Google+. There are a few others, but I stick to those
App data can be backed up with Helium
Contacts can be synced to your G-Mail account and will transfer over when you sign in on the S4
Hmm, what else would you like to backup?

Thanks very much for your reply. Sometimes I forget that this is all just part of the Google ecosystem.

I would also like to transfer the Messages (texts) if I can. Also, the bookmarks within the Internet application.

Have you tried the Backuptrans software? Sounds like it would be ideal if it actually works as advertised.

Thanks very much for your thoughts.

 

[UJ95x]

Thanks very much for your reply. Sometimes I forget that this is all just part of the Google ecosystem.

I would also like to transfer the Messages (texts) if I can. Also, the bookmarks within the Internet application.

Have you tried the Backuptrans software? Sounds like it would be ideal if it actually works as advertised.

Thanks very much for your thoughts.

I haven't used anything to backup SMS. There was a thread where they recommended this app though: https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...om.riteshsahu.SMSBackupRestore&token=DWlatF3q
The bookmarks should also transfer if you use the same g-mail account

Sent from my Galaxy S4 running SlimKat 4.4.2

 

[SactoKingsFan]

$199 is the subsidized price for signing up for a new 2-year contract. You pay less up front but still pay the full price of the phone throughout the contract.

Sent from my Xposed LG-G2 using Tapatalk

 

[prolongExistence]

I use SMS Backup+ to backup & restore my SMS. It backs up to your gmail account in real time so you'll never lose a message. Works great except that it does not restore MMS (not sure that there are any apps that can restore MMS). It will backup SMS, MMS, call log & WhatsApp. You can restore SMS & call log. I won't even attempt to comment on WhatsApp since I don't even know what it is.

I do also have Helium which also works decent. It is a bit of a pain if you're not rooted & the free version is a bit limited, but it does work. Titanium back up is another popular option but you MUST be rooted & it can be a little overwhelming/complicated to use.

 

[bnord1]

$199 is the subsidized price for signing up for a new 2-year contract. You pay less up front but still pay the full price of the phone throughout the contract.

Sent from my Xposed LG-G2 using Tapatalk

SactoKingsFan, I don't believe that is correct. The $199 is not a down payment, that's the total cost of the phone, all paid upfront. The idea has always been that they eat part of the cost of the phone but make it up on the data plan and extras over a 2-year contract, with an ETF if you leave early. Now it seems like they charge $25/month over 24 months, and if you leave early you still have to pay the total $600.

It would make sense if the data plans were priced differently but as far as I can tell the data costs the same either way.

Still puzzled by this. Thanks for all replies to this thread.

 

[cachun402]

Go to bestbuy you will get a better deal then doing it online

Posted via Android Central App

 

[raichur0xx0rz]

SactoKingsFan, I don't believe that is correct. The $199 is not a down payment, that's the total cost of the phone, all paid upfront. The idea has always been that they eat part of the cost of the phone but make it up on the data plan and extras over a 2-year contract, with an ETF if you leave early. Now it seems like they charge $25/month over 24 months, and if you leave early you still have to pay the total $600.

It would make sense if the data plans were priced differently but as far as I can tell the data costs the same either way.

Still puzzled by this. Thanks for all replies to this thread.

Well, yes the $199 payment when upgrading makes the phone yours and it's paid off on your end. But, as you said, the company still needs to get the rest of the $400, which, as both of you are saying, is part of your monthly bill, just not as a line item.

You can kind of see how this works with T-Mobile's plan pricing (and to an extent, Verizon and ATT) with them offering you a lower priced plan, but if you want to buy a new phone, the payment is split up over 24 months. If you look at the pricing with the phone payment vs. a traditional 2-year contract plan, the prices are comparable.

That ETF is so the company has a way to make up the money for subsidizing the cost of the phone, as well. That's why it drops over time, because they will need to collect less to make up the cost of the device.

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Carriers are just offering a payment plan on phones because it can potentially make them more money and some people need new phones before their upgrade eligibility hits, which means $600 up front. By offering a "finance" plan like this, those who have had bad experiences with lost/broken phones have an option to get a replacement, outside of signing up for insurance.

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Anyway, as for getting a new phone, the biggest hassle (depending on which phone you get, really) is to re-download apps. Sometimes your apps will automatically download once you login to your Google account on the new phone, but otherwise, you just go to the app store and you can view all the apps you have downloaded then just redownload from there. App data will generally be "reset", like certain games and whatnot. There are various SMS backup options available as well - just look at some that have been mentioned here, or read the reviews of others on the Store. Some phones will also have a migration/transfer feature to help you transition to the new device as well.