What is the difference - HTC U11 purchased from Sprint vs. directly from HTC?

[Miner]

What exactly is the difference between an HTC U11 purchased directly from HTC.com (US) vs. from Sprint?

I'd use the phone on Sprint.

Will there be complications in getting the phone setup on my sprint account? It will replace an HTC M7 I've used for four and 1/2 years.

 

[anon(9602380)]

The biggest difference will be that you won't get all Sprint's bloatware if you buy directly from HTC. I buy all my phones directly from the source and not from cellular carriers. I've never had any issues setting up any of my phones with my carrier. Thanks.

 

[Morty2264]

I also recommend buying outright. You spend more outright, but at least you're not locked into a two-year contract! And you won't have any carrier-specific bloatware. What colour HTC U11 are you looking at?

 

[Miner]

Morty, the cost from HTC is slightly less than from Sprint. $649 vs. $696 directly from Sprint.

I may be wrong, haven't been paying close attention lately, but I believe any Sprint plan becomes a no contract arrangement when you change phones (the higher end plans).

 

[Morty2264]

Morty, the cost from HTC is slightly less than from Sprint. $649 vs. $696 directly from Sprint.

I may be wrong, haven't been paying close attention lately, but I believe any Sprint plan becomes a no contract arrangement when you change phones (the higher end plans).

Oh, sorry about that! In Canada, the HTC U11 is $900 outright. I should've looked at US prices and such before just saying what I did above!

What are the benefits of you buy from Sprint? Do they throw in warranties, replacements, etc? For those kinds of reasons, sometimes it's best to stick with carrier-specific plans. Of course, you could always purchase insurance plans from institutions like Best Buy.

 

[mfreeland]

I have the Sprint version and there is very little bloatware as there was in the past. We've also been getting security updates on a regular basis, the last month before the unlocked ones got theirs... There are no contracts, just pay it off by the month, and the price is comparable and sometimes there are discounts.

 

[Nate79]

I have the Sprint version and there is very little bloatware as there was in the past. We've also been getting security updates on a regular basis, the last month before the unlocked ones got theirs... There are no contracts, just pay it off by the month, and the price is comparable and sometimes there are discounts.

This. I got it from Sprint also. Almost no bloat and I got it like a month after it was released and Sprint was already offering $150 discount for a web order.

 

[dwb3838]

I got my U11 from Sprint just like I have all my phones for the past 10 years and it's not as near as much bloatware as they use to have and I have insurance on the phone and if I ever have a problem I go to sprint about it and they take care of it right away. Only problem is I still don't have Oreo and the unlocked U11's got there's a month ago.

 

[BigDinCA]

Just a quick heads up, make sure that the one you order from HTC is the Sprint version. It doesn't seem very clear if that's what you're asking. If you order the Sprint version from HTC it's the exact same phone that you would get from a Sprint store. If you order an unlocked version from HTC, it won't have any of the Sprint bloat. But it also won't work on Sprint. The CDMA radios in those phones are not active.