Unless of course you want to use it on different networks, ie international.
Carrier phone comes with those fat discounts, so i don't know why anyone would ever PREFER to pay full retail?
Yet people say they prefer to do it.
Dillsnik said:
Unless of course you want to use it on different networks, ie international.
Carrier phone comes with those fat discounts, so i don't know why anyone would ever PREFER to pay full retail?
Yet people say they prefer to do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The unlocked international versions are often available before the US carriers release their modified versions. They also often have higher resale values for people who like to switch phones a lot.
ok, i was assuming both versions are available. but higher resale makes some sense, although that alone doesn't add up to not wanting carrier brand.
Maybe less bloatware, faster updates, etc?
Less bloatware is a big part of it, I think, but there are also contractual benefits. It's sometimes easier to cancel a plan without paying a hefty termination fee if you paid for the phone outright. Additionally, certain plans (e.g. T-Mobile's "best plan ever") do not provide subsidies for good phones (e.g. HTC Sensation). Basically, it's a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation. You can buy the phone outright and then get a cheaper plan or buy a subsidized phone with a more expensive plan. If you plan on keeping your phone more than 2 years and/or switching carriers, it's a good investment to get the cheaper plan.
I don't even think they have less bloatware, or get faster updates. They can't update their phone until a carrier somewhere releases a build for that phone. Unless they are going off an ASOP build which still requires that devices drivers to be released. I've never had an unlocked phone myself. I assume it would also make it easier to travel internationally, but if the carrier had already released their version of the phone I wouldn't go and buy an unlocked version.
I buy unlocked usually because I like to get the hottest devices first and they are usually released overseas before coming to US; Galaxy S2 for example. I am also not on a contract.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
If you're talking about new phones, the difference is the 2 yr contract. If you're talking about used phones, the difference is probably about ten bucks (or whatever the cost is to get an unlock code).
Unbranded phone=$10 unlimited data on at&t.
Dillsnik said:
Unless of course you want to use it on different networks, ie international.
Carrier phone comes with those fat discounts, so i don't know why anyone would ever PREFER to pay full retail?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sometimes (subsidized price + contract cost over 2 years) actually costs more, or negligibly less than (unlocked price + equivalent prepaid cost over 2 years). That was the case with me, and it depends mostly on what plans the carrier offers, as well as what promotions happen to be on at the time. When that happens, a contract is just plain not worth it.
Even if it is slightly or somewhat worth it (which is the most it's going to get), that's still 2 years of vendor lockin you have to consider.
And, of course, even the option of using your phone internationally is worth something, even if you have no actual plans of going yet.
The reason people get unlocked phones vary, but most can be classified under these:
- Phones that are not available in a given market
- Update without a two year commitment to a given carrier
- Cheaper to get a used phone on ebay/amazon than a new one from the carrier if you are not due for an upgrade
- Unlocked bootloader, rooted, or bloatware free. -- As most carriers nowdays want their phones locked.
- Possible higher resell value
allows you to use other carrier sim cards. Good if you travel and use different country sim cards on other networks.
The first step is understanding that you don't get a "fat discount" when buying a carrier branded phone. You end up paying more than the full price of the phone in most cases.
They get updates first look at the international phones and compare them to ours. The SG got the update over seas to gingerbread and here in the states it took forever.
sent from my Virtuous Unity
•Unlocked to use anywhere
•More resale value
•No bloatware from carriers
•Faster / more direct updates without needing carrier approval
•Usually more dev support since carriers variants isolate models from one another
•Availability much before carrier versions (mostly, depends on exclusivity)
There was a time when carriers would impose restrictions on features which were stock from the manufacturers and threaten them with not buying handsets if they did not implement these restrictions. For example, features like a music player would be locked out in favor of the carrier's music service and music player to help support their store. The phones would be heavily branded and often hardware locked out of even flashing to a different firmware/rom.
If you do a present value of all the payments you will pay to the carrier for the life of the contract + the cost of the "discounted" handset you have to pay today, you will find in many cases the cost ending up greater than buying the unlocked phone outright. I suppose time-value of money plays into it... (but not really with this economy)
its not too hard to unlock your own phone, also quite a few phones are global phones, the carrier branded ones just don't say that you can use them overseas
And they don't put crap in them to kill things. When you are not locked in for 2 years they tend to be more helpful. Unlike the droping 4g LTE big red. I am starting to think most of the AT&T hater's had a 2g iphone and got a droid and now think there is no better than the big red, becuase TV SAID SO 1000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 times. There ads are starting to make me sick, becuase they lie.
End of post.
After reading things like this I'll never buy a phone from a carrier again. I just don't want to be help to some absurd plan when much cheaper ones are available.
no choice
I live in Venezuela, and if I want to get a decently priced smartphone, my only choice is to buy an unlocked one over amazon or ebay if I cant get some dollars and a courrier service.
For example, you cant get an USED LG Optimus 2X here in my country at 4.500bsF, that's like 500$.
Nowadays, the smartphone market is growing a lot here, taking apart the fact that we have the greatest blackberry users per capita in South America.
Something like that happens in Brasil, Argentina etc.
Dillsnik said:
Unless of course you want to use it on different networks, ie international.
Carrier phone comes with those fat discounts, so i don't know why anyone would ever PREFER to pay full retail?
Yet people say they prefer to do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because those "fat discounts" are short term - the discounts are usually lost over the course of the contract you have to sign. You save a few hundred initially but end up paying a few hundred more by the end. I say 'usually' because it's not especially common in the U.S.
Related
The phone carrier pricing and phone selection in the U.S. is screwed up in my opinion. If you want the iPhone your stuck with ATT for now. If you want an Android, where do you even begin to look, so many options it is overwhelming for the non tech geek newb.
In my perfect world this would be great to see. Follow the plan that Google first announced with Nexus-One, but never happened, release the same identical phone on all 4 major U.S. carriers, only difference being the radios to allow them to work on each carrier. Then us, the consumer wins, we just choose the best carrier for the best price, and network in your town. Then there would be some major competition on monthly plans. None of this insane $100+ per month for a single smart phone unlimited. That is just insane, and Europe and Asia don't pay anywhere near that kind of pricing.
And I would like to see it done this way.
Every Christmas time, Google comes out with their hot new Nexus brand phone, will be the latest and "pure" OS, untouched by carrier bloatware. And release it for all 4 major carriers at the same time, and would be the exact same phone for everyone. Then the consumer chooses who they want to have for their service. Then in the Summer, Apple comes out with their hot new iPhone, with the best hardware for the time. And release that new iPhone across all 4 major carriers too, being the exact same phone, and again the consumer just decides who they want purchase service from.
Seemed like Google was so close to doing that last year with the Nexus-One...they did release it on T-Mobile first, then an ATT 3G version, and Verizon + Sprint were in a holding pattern, and pulled the plug. I bet the carriers did not like this idea, they knew what would happen eventually = major competition for the same phone, would have to lower their plan pricing, and they said NO !!!
Google doesn't set the prices. Plus why have the Nexus One on all carriers?
Verzion got the Incredible.
Sprint got the Evo
AT&T kind of sucks, but has Iphone.
Only way you can get the Nexus One was an online store.
Plus not like it matters too much anways. There are better ways to get the Nexus S, there are different devices out there that are plenty fast.
MONEY
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
This is directly from TMoNews but I'm curious to see how the results will compare with theirs. I figure that TMoNews just might be... a little biased. You think?
So I wanted to post a poll on here where there are a variety of people that would share their opinions. Some of you are with AT&T... some might be with T-Mobile... others... well... why do you even care anyway?
Right... so on with it.
So unless you’ve been sleeping for the past month you likely know AT&T is purchasing T-Mobile. Understandably so, there is a population of readers up in arms and want T-Mobile to stay T-Mobile and those who see the benefits of an AT&T deal. Here is your chance to sound off, T-Mobile reads this blog every day so they’ll see your vote. Will it affect anything, probably not. However, it is a chance to make your voice known as to how you feel regarding this shocking news. Vote away! (quoted from TMoNews)
WARNING!
By the way, keep this ON TOPIC! If it strays from topic I will close it without hesitation. This will not be used to raise your post count, this will not be used for flaming, this will not be a troll fest. If I see ANY of this, the posts will be removed, the member(s) will receive an infraction and the thread will be closed!
I'm not sure what to make of it, even if it does succeed. I prefer T-Mobile to AT&T for better data speeds and cell service where I am. But AT&T has decent cell service, too. Their data speeds aren't as good as T-Mobile's. Regardless of whatever happens with the acquisition, T-Mobile would be wise to market quad band 3G data phones because just the idea of AT&T buying them will severely hamper any sales of phones. If people know their brand new T-Mobile smartphones will continue to work with AT&T, then they will continue to buy. But if T-Mobile doesn't take steps to ensure the continued operation of their phones with AT&T, even if the acquisition fails, then sales will plummet.
MartyLK said:
...T-Mobile would be wise to market quad band 3G data phones because just the idea of AT&T buying them will severely hamper any sales of phones. If people know their brand new T-Mobile smartphones will continue to work with AT&T, then they will continue to buy. But if T-Mobile doesn't take steps to ensure the continued operation of their phones with AT&T, even if the acquisition fails, then sales will plummet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. Some T-Mobile devices already support AT&T 3G. To my understanding the Vibrant does already. Although I haven't tried it for myself. They are also releasing several new phones in the near future that got me all excited such as the HTC Sensation. I love pretty much everything about that phone and I can't wait until it's release this summer! BUT! If I can't use it on AT&T's 3G network... then what would be the point of buying it? Unless AT&T adopts T-Mobiles 3G spectrum which is also a possiblity. But honestly, I am having second thoughts now about upgrading to a new phone because what if this merger DOES go through and worse case scenerio DOES happen? I'm on a T-Mobile Loyalty plan that I love! After this deal goes through (assuming of course, it does) I don't think that AT&T will want to keep me on this 'special' plan.
Just comparing what I have now with AT&T:
Tmobile:
Plan: Unlimited Loyalty $49.99
Includes - Unlimited Whenever Minutes, Unlimited Weekend Minutes, Unlimited Weeknight Minutes, WorldClass International Service
Services:
CallerTunes $1.49
Data and Text: T-Mobile Android Unlimited Web + Unlimited Messages $34.99
TOTAL: $86.47
If I was to try to get something similiar with AT&T
AT&T
Plan: Nation Unlimited $69.99
Services:
DataPro 4GB for HSPA+ Smartphone Tethering $45.00
Messaging Unlimited $20
TOTAL: $134.99
Difference of 1gb less data each month and costing me $48.52 MORE every month.
I don't think so.
More 2/3G towers for TMO users to access and new HSPA+ towers for ATT..
Yeah good deal for signal.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA Premium App
What will happen to T-mobile contracts to those who still have T-mobile when and if AT&T buys it? will we start to pay more? or will we keep the same prices? what's going on :c
caoticpsycho said:
What will happen to T-mobile contracts to those who still have T-mobile when and if AT&T buys it? will we start to pay more? or will we keep the same prices? what's going on :c
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
T-Mobile keeps saying that nothing will change.
AT&T says that nothing will change.
But we all know that AT&T is not going to be offering T-Moble rate plans to new customers so they will probably be grandfathered. Which means once you change your T-Mobile rate plan to an AT&T plan... you can't go back. Also when you change your phone by upgrading it is possible that you may have to change your rate plan and services.
So worse case scenario here, you go with the merger, become an AT&T customer and two or three years down the row you want to get the newest and latest phone. By that time AT&T will more than likely NOT be able to allow you to keep your current plan.
But... all of that is just my own personal assumption and again... worse case scenario.
AT&T haven't acquired TMobile. Only T-Mobile USA as I understand it. Either way, my feelings are nothing. I nothing it as I'm English and really don't care nor understand the politics of choosing a phone provider in America!
MarkusPO said:
AT&T haven't acquired TMobile. Only T-Mobile USA as I understand it. Either way, my feelings are nothing. I nothing it as I'm English and really don't care nor understand the politics of choosing a phone provider in America!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then why respond to the thread?
My opinion is that it will only benefit AT&T customers (maybe)
T-mobile customers will be screwed. We will be grandfathered in until we want an upgrade and be forced to switch. It will also create a GSM monopoly which will benefit no one (customers, I don't care about shareholders or CEO bonuses) I truly hope they block this merger.
Sent from either my Nexus S, N1 or telepathically using two tin cans and some string.
If i dont see some good deals then im going right to verizon
Binary100100 said:
T-Mobile keeps saying that nothing will change.
AT&T says that nothing will change.
But we all know that AT&T is not going to be offering T-Moble rate plans to new customers so they will probably be grandfathered. Which means once you change your T-Mobile rate plan to an AT&T plan... you can't go back. Also when you change your phone by upgrading it is possible that you may have to change your rate plan and services.
So worse case scenario here, you go with the merger, become an AT&T customer and two or three years down the row you want to get the newest and latest phone. By that time AT&T will more than likely NOT be able to allow you to keep your current plan.
But... all of that is just my own personal assumption and again... worse case scenario.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As one of the oldest people in this forum, this will not be good for the consumer. I do mergers and acquisitions, and this one will not be a price reduction to us. Bottom line this will not benefit us the consumer. It will help ATT... but for us....... we will come up short and most likely have to look at going to Verizon or Sprint I hope it does not go through.
It is a terrible concept. At&t claims it will save consumers money, but as soon as new phones come out, and T-mobile customers want to upgrade to them, they will have to move to AT&T's expensive plans. I think the reasonably priced underdogs should have teamed up (Sprint and T-mobile) And I mean teamed up not bought out. Then they would be able to afford their cheap plans, they would be given the newest phones, and would make it to number one. Instead At&t will suck everyone dry until Sprint is out of business, and At&t customers realize how much they are getting ripped off. Then it will just be Verizon on top.
IMO
There's a reason Ma Bell was split up in 1984 due to an antitrust suit. Slowly they're sucking up the competition again. I don't think that having a GSM monopoly here in America is a good choice at all. It's bad for consumers because it's taking away our choices. I prefer GSM at this point to CDMA because I like the flexibility of a sim card and the fact that as far as 3G is concerned, the speeds are faster. (I'm not factoring in anything that has to do with LTE sim cards as it's still too new) I don't want to switch to Sprint or Verizon, I get too good of a deal on T-Mobile. I've had AT&T in the past and I lived in an area with a TON of dropped calls. It was horrid, and I hated their customer service. I do NOT want to be a part of AT&T again. I really hope this does not get approved. At least then T-Mobile gets 3 billion dollars from AT&T, some spectrum, and roaming agreements.
Censura_Umbra said:
...It is a terrible concept. At&t claims it will save consumers money, but as soon as new phones come out, and T-mobile customers want to upgrade to them, they will have to move to AT&T's expensive plans...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which is EXACTLY what I was referring to in post #7. And I don't look forward to paying $50 or more every month. Yes... it would be ~$50 according to my comparison:
Just comparing what I have now with AT&T:
Tmobile:
Plan: Unlimited Loyalty $49.99
Includes - Unlimited Whenever Minutes, Unlimited Weekend Minutes, Unlimited Weeknight Minutes, WorldClass International Service
Services:
CallerTunes $1.49
Data and Text: T-Mobile Android Unlimited Web + Unlimited Messages $34.99
TOTAL: $86.47
If I was to try to get something similiar with AT&T
AT&T
Plan: Nation Unlimited $69.99
Services:
DataPro 4GB for HSPA+ Smartphone Tethering $45.00
Messaging Unlimited $20
TOTAL: $134.99
Difference of 1gb less data each month and costing me $48.52 MORE every month.
So has anybody heard of any recent updates to this?
well ... i "vomited" online, all over, my rants ( opinions) on this matter, so, all i have to say is :THIS IS CRAP WRAPPED WITH A PRETTY AND SHINY BOW ... BUT AFTER U GET RID OF THE BOW, THE CRAP STILL SMELLS LIKE ...S /-/ iT ...
HERE IS MY REPLY / VIEW ON THIS from another post. We need to show our resent to FCC and DoD to stop this deal. Is there any cases/notices/appeals/votes going on ?? I am no lawer but i seriously believe that we can win the case by just presenting some of the FACTS from these posts.
Every company has flaws. For ATT it happens to be their network. As another member said pick your poison. I will agree with you that verizon is even more expensive than ATT but i wont agree that TMO-ATT merger can be good. I wont compare services as they are location dependent. But just for the competition sake. For e.g. :
1. TMO offers completely different plans than ATT. (and one of the cheapest data plans for $10). Also international users still have a choice of unlimited data plans. Its just what suits you.
2. TMO has more choices of top smartphones. Some of the current and future dual core phones for TMobile are - LG G2X, HTC sensation, Galaxy S2 while Atrix is the only dual core yet announced (Both are supposed to get LG 3Ds). TMO even beats ATT selection in single cores. Almost a year old Iphone 4 and Captivate are next best phones on ATT. While TMO has/had plenty of HTC, Samsung and motorola phones to choose from.
Just answer if GPS on captivate didnt work what choice were ATT customers given - none till this feb, meanwhile all the other companies released tons of android devices to suit everybodys needs. I know ATT supposed to release 15-20 android phones this year but when ? we are done with 1/3 year and all we know is LG thrill 3D and Infuse without any dates. I am sure even then TMO will have more choices to select from.
Its very important for US customers to have GSM competition as all new phone technology in world is first released in GSM. CDMA versions (IPhone, Bionic) are always months late.
3. Again right now TMOs 4G is ON while ATTs not. Atleast some GSM customers have a choice to select a working service.
4. As for what you said "Better coverage, lower prices? ", I seriously doubt less GSM competition will result in lower prices. Plus GSM coverage will still be the same. Its just that ATT will have it all and customers wont have any choice.
To conclude, If TMo-ATT deals is allowed to happen, competition (all the above stated FACTS) will severly degrade with only one GSM player.
I tried to be as neutral as i could & Just presented it from shoppers point of view. I know ATT has many positives over TMo as well. All the more reason the deal shouln't happen. Just to have a choice and maintain competition of devices and services. ATT should improve their network like everybody else by investing in it rather than buying off competition.
P.S: I hate long replies
link12245 said:
The reason HSUPA isn't enable is because android is very finicky with HSUPA. With the captivate, for example, you could change a modem file and get HSUPA, but it would normally knock out Bluetooth, or call quality. They're working to fix this, it's already in testing, so you should have your fix very soon. Also, what's your beef with the T-mo buyout? Better coverage, lower prices? Seems to be a win win for me. Either way, you can't really stop it, so just go to Verizon, get your Thunderbolt which is 1/2 as powerful with 1/4 the battery and twice the bill. Enjoy your 12mb/s (in only about 40 cities) while I'll enjoy my plenty fast 5-8mb/s when the back-haul to the towers is all complete (which in my area is the end of this month). Oh no, it actually takes time for a company to push out a nation wide roll out! Amazing that they can't just nod their head and it be done.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What's going to happen is just like what happened when alltel got baught out by verizon. Here's the scoop when your grandfathered in with tmobile and the switch happens, you can still keep your plan when you upgrade. You can still have the tmo plan but att is billing you. So it won't hurt people I don't think. Just better signal all around. Besides when the buy out is complete there will still be tmobile stands in some markets, if it goes accordingly as it did with alltel and verizon. Good or bad? I say good! Now America will have a good gsm network. Very much comparable to verizon.
they dont even have their own network together to be trying to buy someone else out!!!!
Someone needs to buy AT&T out! Even though it will never happen!
When I was working for Verizon last year there was talk of congress possibly cracking down on phone contracts and forcing service providers to get rid of them.
Now, that would make it impossible to get high end devices at subsidized rates.
The only alternative (i can think of) would be either ads inherint on the phone, like what KDDI is doing with the ads in the dropdown status bar, or company branded phones, like an HTC Pepsi Evo or a Samsung Ford Motors Galaxy.
Of course the phone's casing would sport the company logos, and such, and rooting would probably be much more difficult seeing as these major corporations have a big vested interest in making sure people see their stuff.
So, would an outside company's branding piss you off?
Sent from my Samsung Droid Charge 4G-LTE
I don't see that happening.
Sent from my DROID RAZR using xda premium
If that happened I'd go back to dumb-phones and forget all about smartphones. That's far too intrusive for my liking. (Incidentally, I see 0% chance of this happening.)
I don't think there is a reason for carriers to have ad-supported devices since consumers are still purchasing devices that are $199 and $299 with a 2-year contract. I don't know 100% what the numbers are but considering the rapid growth of a smartphone adoption, the carriers won't employ ad-supported devices so they can capitalize on a profit. Now in 10-years when carriers are looking for ways to further differentiate themselves from competitors, I could see the smaller guys offering ad-supported devices to try to get a leg up on the competition with a larger customer base (i.e. A T-Mobile or Sprint offering free devices to compete with Verizon because they can't compete on tower spectrum or device selection).
Archer said:
If that happened I'd go back to dumb-phones and forget all about smartphones. That's far too intrusive for my liking. (Incidentally, I see 0% chance of this happening.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This.
Maybe I could try living with it, but in the end I would just try flashing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xtuxax8Dtk4
Here in Canada, we now get rid of those contract for telecom. Now the contract only apply to the price of the phone. So if you bought a phone that worth 300$ but the operator give it to you for 0$ with a contract of 3 years, if you break the contract after only 1 year, you would have to pay 2/3 of the phone, 200$.
As simple as that.
That is a simple solution. Makes a lot of sense
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
I don't care about a contract but the way phones are getting EOL'ed so quickly and new stuff is flying around, contracts need to be dropped down to 1 year.
if they were required to eliminate contracts i would expect ad's in phones to become the norm in order to help subsidize the price of the phone will still attracting consumers.
I Am Marino said:
I don't care about a contract but the way phones are getting EOL'ed so quickly and new stuff is flying around, contracts need to be dropped down to 1 year.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can still get 1yr contracts, but pay a little more for your phone. One of the reasons I switched to T-mo years ago was that their offerings were just as good with only 1 yr contracts vs the rest having 2 yrs. Most of the time now if I get a new to me phone is it used, or at least previous gen to offset the cost. Nice being to upgrade on occasion tho.
papabear said:
You can still get 1yr contracts, but pay a little more for your phone. One of the reasons I switched to T-mo years ago was that their offerings were just as good with only 1 yr contracts vs the rest having 2 yrs. Most of the time now if I get a new to me phone is it used, or at least previous gen to offset the cost. Nice being to upgrade on occasion tho.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't mean 1 year contracts as an option and your phone is pricier, I mean 1 year is standard, and 2 year is the extended option.
The phones retail or discounted is still more than it costs to make them.
papabear said:
You can still get 1yr contracts, but pay a little more for your phone. One of the reasons I switched to T-mo years ago was that their offerings were just as good with only 1 yr contracts vs the rest having 2 yrs. Most of the time now if I get a new to me phone is it used, or at least previous gen to offset the cost. Nice being to upgrade on occasion tho.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
a lot of carriers no longer have one year contracts
http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/mobile/04/11/verizon.contracts.mashable/index.html
http://www.mobilemag.com/2011/09/30/sprint-drops-1-year-contract-option/
If the federal government mandated that a private corporation not be allowed to offer contractual subsidized phones there would be a libertarian uprising. Give them an inch and they take a mile. They have no business mandating a thing.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA App
Yeah i think the Ads would be a horrible idea, just another thing to bog down the phone and waste user data, and the government should stay out of the tech market anyway before they screw it up like everything else they touch and control
Can't see this happening. There's no way the ads could generate enough income to justify a £500 phone for every customer? Thought I could definitely live with it if it saved me a few hundred!
I hate Ads...thats why I use the AdAway app! Don't see the contracts going away...
I don't see it happening either, mostly because ad generated revenue would never be as consistent as X number of monthly plans at $Y. Big corporations like being able to predict their future revenue, especially if that's what they're used to.
Rominucka said:
When I was working for Verizon last year there was talk of congress possibly cracking down on phone contracts and forcing service providers to get rid of them.
Now, that would make it impossible to get high end devices at subsidized rates.
The only alternative (i can think of) would be either ads inherint on the phone, like what KDDI is doing with the ads in the dropdown status bar, or company branded phones, like an HTC Pepsi Evo or a Samsung Ford Motors Galaxy.
Of course the phone's casing would sport the company logos, and such, and rooting would probably be much more difficult seeing as these major corporations have a big vested interest in making sure people see their stuff.
So, would an outside company's branding piss you off?
Sent from my Samsung Droid Charge 4G-LTE
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This would also lead to more encrypted bootloaders. If the only way carriers could make money from the phone itself was to advertise, then they would take measures to insure you couldn't just load a new clean rom on the phone. So as a result of ads in phones, I think we would lose custom roms also. Not exactly the ideal scenario.
i want to try that, let see what will happen
I was just reading an Engadget post about how unlocking a carrier locked phone is illegal now, in the US anyway. It was long, but really didn't answer the question I had. I am on T-mobile with no contract and like to switch phones every few months. My most frequent stop for phones is eBay, although recently I've gotten unlocked phones from Amazon and Newegg as well. On eBay, I usually buy a locked carrier version (usually At&t) because they are usually cheaper than straight unlocked ones (carrier branded) and much cheaper than international unlocked ones. Then I buy an unlock code from eBay for a few bucks and voila. For some phones that are carrier exclusive or have no international variant yet, this is the only way to get them.
Does this new rule apply to me? I'm thinking no since it is second hand after all and I'm not the one who signed the contract, but they are vague about second-hand unlocking. I also sell my phone on eBay once I'm done using it.
I think of you as you are to unlock the phone which actually was first locked.
This is my opinion, now expect others to comment on
I think as long as the original contract has been satisfied it doesn't matter.
ruangle you
This is so Verizon,Contact phones and other junk. I have a unlocked phone from ebay on simple mobile which is gsm can use it anywhere in the world and no contract, I just rooted my sisters new S3 on the same phone carrier its under contract,lets see what happens I dont expect anything its my phone in so many words as long as I pay the bill Right ?
xtnelson said:
This is so Verizon,Contact phones and other junk. I have a unlocked phone from ebay on simple mobile which is gsm can use it anywhere in the world and no contract, I just rooted my sisters new S3 on the same phone carrier its under contract,lets see what happens I dont expect anything its my phone in so many words as long as I pay the bill Right ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As i know in europe and maybe also in US it is not illegal to unlock your phone - if you have no contract anymore with any provider !
Because it's "YOUR PHONE" and if you make the choice to cut it in small slices - why not - it is yours (when paid) !
But one decision - you have to unlock yourself - as i know it is not allowed by companies in US !
I read the actual text of the decision and it's pretty clearly spelled out (and not even that long). Sorry to be that guy. :silly:
Yeah I have no idea what some of you people are talking about. Or understand the Engrish. The phone is sold to an end user and the software is also licensed to them. This is the relationship between the carrier and the user entering a contract. However, I don't buy direct from the carrier or sign any contracts. Thus, I am not a license holder at all. Furthermore, the ruling allows for "legacy" devices to be unlocked and sold. Legacy device would be loosely understood as second hand, basically what I am buying and unlocking.
delete
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/make-unlocking-cell-phones-legal/1g9KhZG7
They'll have to respond to this issue now so hopefully it gets changed and you won't have to worry.
how to other country?
If you have the carrier unlock it, it is not illegal.
If you use your upgrade to get a cheaper phone with a contract and then use a 3rd party SIM unlocker to use on another carrier then it IS illegal.
Start with asking the carrier it is locked by for an unlock code
As the title would suggest, I going give my opinion on buying S9+. Again this is my experience and my opinions. I understand most of the community here is smart and don't need financial advice about how to spend their cash. I'll try to break it down into parts so people understand my opinion. So let's start:
So as many as you know S9 and S9+ was release 3/16/2018. There is 2 version of this phone you can get bloat or no bloatware. What do I mean? In San Diego where I live, my carrier is AT&T. They sell the S9+ at $789.99 if you do one of their payments plans. However if you want buy the device out right then the price is $940.99 this is the att version. I believe the same for Verizon and Tmoblie. But Tmoblie sell it at $839.99. If you are willing g to buy the unlocked version without carrier then it $839.99 however you have to buy it from a retailer like bestbuy or amazon.
My suggestion is to buy the phone out right and unlocked. The main reason is there is no bloatware. If you buy carrier version of the device out right from they add $100 more just to have bloatware. There is no difference hardware specs on the device. So why pay more just to have the carrier bloatware?
Now if that is not an option and you want to make payments, still buy the unlocked version and do payments with credit card. If you cant do that and you have to go thru your carrier then understand the payment plan and I advise against it. Right now all of the major carriers have deal where you can trade in your old Samsung up to $350 towards the S9 & + and its good. The catch is that credit goes towards your bill and not the device. That is crazy. Plus they give you an $150 Visa gift card. So in reality they are only giving $150 for the phone. I'm talking about AT&T. I'm pretty sure it's the same for the other carriers as well. Now my advice is to sell your device yourself and use that money towards the phone or come with at least half when you upgrade setup the payments wait a bill cycle and payoff the other half.
Honesty, buying this phone unlocked is the way to go. There is no reason to buy the carrier version since they just add bloatware and slow down performance. Plus you have the option of leaving your current carrier if they **** up your bill or there is a better deal out there.
I bought the ATT carrier locked version. The only "bloat" I see is a couple of games which I was able to uninstall. Not just deactivate, but actually uninstall. The ATT apps themselves I either uninstalled or use. Again, not disable but uninstall.
If you have the money to buy unlocked, good for you. However, the payment plans are 0% interest. Buying a 800-900 dollar phone on credit, your now paying more than what your claiming to save by buying it unlocked. Again, all the "bloat" I've noticed is uninstallable. On my last phone you could only disable them.
In my case I was able to sell my old device and only pay the difference. I considered just going through the carrier. Honestly I don't want to be held to a two year contract of paying off the device. Your right, buying a device on credit compaired to the carrier is cheaper with 0% interest. That not always going to be the case in the future. Again I'm just suggesting there options out there.
Certain cards, like best buys, offer 0% over 12 months. I upgrade every year with that and sell past generations phone and it covers about ⅔ the cost of the new phone
Sent from my SM-G955U1 using Tapatalk
Though this doesn't apply to everyone, I agree with OP on going the unlocked route to ensure faster official updates directly from Samsung. I am actually going a step further and getting international unlocked model (with unlocked bootloader) as I can't imagine buying a phone that has manufacturer/carrier enforced locked boot loader.
Not really followed the Galaxy Series as of late but I'm thinking of importing the SD 845 variant (for emulation) and wondering how long until bootoader can be unlocked? Would love project treble ROMs on it.
And does the Google camera work on the SD 845 variant?
There are ups and downs to each way of doing it. Though you mention the upside of doing unlocked, there is a downside if you want to use some functions too.
One upside you didn't mention on the unlocked versions is you get the Caller ID function stock! Most carriers will charge $3 a month for their "supreme" service.
Downside of doing unlocked is you might miss out on additional carrier features as well.
- HD Calling (hit and miss on this odd one at least with Verizon on past phones)
- Wifi / VoLTE Calling
- Hotspot (there can be work around to this)