The Nexus 'Brand', Carrier Dilemma (Verizon, T-Mobile)

[iandouglas]

Hey all,

I left T-Mobile last December to switch to Verizon to get the Galaxy Nexus, and wow what a rollercoaster that has been with late updates, Google Wallet, bloatware, etc. Then I got the free GSM model Galaxy Nexus at Google IO. I've been a "Nexus" user since the Nexus One, and have always appreciated OTA updates directly from Google, etc. Obviously, Verizon's handling of the "Nexus" brand has been worse than abysmal.

I put my Verizon plan on hold and am evaluating T-Mobile's "Unlimited 4G" data plan on the GSM edition, and I have about a week left to decide whether to stay with T-Mobile or stay with Verizon. If I wait beyond October 13, I get locked into a 2-year contract with T-Mobile.

T-Mobile:
$65/month, unlimited data, untrackable tethering (so I've heard), horrible cellular service at home, great service at work, I get 4G speeds up of about 8Mbit, and will allow me to use the GSM edition of any Nexus phone. And it's about a third cheaper per month.

Verizon:
$110/month, 4GB data per month, 2GB tethering data, decent service at home, great service at work, LTE speeds of about 15-20Mbit, but if a Nexus phone comes out next month on Verizon's bands I'd end up paying full price since I wouldn't be due for a subsidized phone for more than a year. If I leave Verizon, I face a $240 ETF.

Total expense by end of TMobile 24-month contract would be $1560 plus $240 ETF to Verizon.
Total expense by end of contract if I finish the next 14 months on Verizon is about $1540.
In other words, 16 months of Verizon would equal 24 months of TMobile including the ETF.

I'm honestly kind of stumped. I've considered CyanogenMod's new OTA setup and staying with Verizon, but frankly I'd rather get updates directly from Google. For all I do on the phone (Pandora for commute, lots of gmail/tweetdeck/camera and lately lots of tethering), T-Mobile's speeds are adequate. If I wanted to improve signal at home, I could spend an additional $150-$200 on a femtocell.

I'd love to hear other peoples' opinions on this. How do you put a value on software updates, how do you value the "Nexus" brand moving forward?

 

[font1975]

I'd say t-mobile. I assume a weak signal at home only affects voice? You use wifi for data? So thats the only negitive i see.

Also, t-mo has their "even more plus" plans, which is postpaid but no contract. About $10 less a month. But you have to ask for it, and i believe you have to go their store. (Not a reseller like best buy).

And if they can complete the purchase of metropcs, then t-mo is going to be getting a very nice lte network over the next few years.

( full disclosure: i am a current tmo customer)

 

[npark2012]

I agree with font1975 for Tmobile. I myself own the GSM Galaxy Nexus with Tmobile's $30/month 100 minutes, Unlimited text, and unlimited data (5GB of 4G).

In my opinion, ditch the contracts and move to the pre paid. Not only will you be saving twice as much money but you will have a lot less hassle with the updates, bloatware, etc. Tmobile service is good. Sure it's not LTE but with the LTE it uses more battery to boot. It just doesn't make much economical sense to me to go with Verizon, especially a 2 year contract.

So in conclusion:

Verizon:
More expensive
They give you bloat ware
Updates aren't fast (if ever...)
LTE drains battery regardless of the "increase" battery size on the LTE version
2 year contract......

Tmobile:
Less expensive
No bloatware
Updates are straight from Google
Speed is fast enough for a lot of people
Contract Free

 

[anon(847090)]

the two post above have given a good explanation. so i would say go with "T-Mobile"

 

[Biggnaa20]

T-Mobile prepaid all the way, but get the femtocell.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Android Central Forums

 

[KitN]

I have to agree with all the comments above.

Ditch Verizon & go with T-Mobile PREPAID!

With T-Mobile Prepaid even with the cost of ETF from Verizon you are saving money & will get the latest updates from Google + 4G speeds.

 

[Blaize19]

If you go with a Tmo contract, they will give you a femtocell as long as you live in a house, not an apartment. Just tell them at the store that you get terrible signal at home. I did this, and they were going to give me one, but because I live in an apartment they said there are too many walls and the femtocell would not work right. :-\

Sent from my HTC One S using Android Central Forums

 

[EVO-lutionary]

Go Pre-Paid T-Mobile. With Straight Talk and a T-Mobile SIM card, you get unlimited Voice Text and Data for $45 a month(no taxes or fees added, it really is $45). And you would still have the option to switch to an ATT sim at any time if you want, without changing anything. Total cost of 24 months on Straight Talk? $1080.

 

[iandouglas]

Thanks everyone, pretty quick unanimous replies, and I appreciate everyone's input.

Anyone know if the unlimited data on the $45/mo plan includes 4G? I can't imagine they'd be too quick to sell a pre-paid SIM on that plan when there are other plans available? If it's pre-paid, do I have to keep going back every month or does it just renew month to month? Doesn't seem like much of a win on their part to offer that to someone who's interested in long-term service, unless they only give you 3G speeds.

The new Unlimited 4G plan they came out with in early September basically gives you a nice discount on the monthly bill in lieu of a subsidized phone. In other words, the ~$240 you save on the 2yr contract would roughly equal the subsidy you'd get on one of their phones, so in the end it works out. It's targeted at those who already have their own device.

 

[Andrew Martonik]

Anyone know if the unlimited data on the $45/mo plan includes 4G? I can't imagine they'd be too quick to sell a pre-paid SIM on that plan when there are other plans available? If it's pre-paid, do I have to keep going back every month or does it just renew month to month? Doesn't seem like much of a win on their part to offer that to someone who's interested in long-term service, unless they only give you 3G speeds.

You get HSPA+ at 21mbps (max for the GSM GNex), you do not get LTE.

You can refill month by month with individual payments or refill cards. Or you can decide to do recurring auto-refill every month.

 

[iandouglas]

With this, I'll finish up:

I'm definitely moving back to Tmobile. Apparently this morning, Verizon pulled a real dick move with user privacy: all VZW users are opted INTO a new agreement where VZW can sell your web browser history and device geolocation with marketers, and their opt-out service is a painful "save every option one by one" interface where it takes a really long time to opt back OUT of this crap.