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Will N5 be available at BestBuy?

Hello everyone,
just a curiosity question: as most of us know that google sell some of its products at bestbuy (chromecast, nexus 7 tablets, chromebooks, etc)
I wonder does anyone know that Nexus 5 will be available at Best Buy too?
Thanks!

I work currently at Best Buy and have heard/seen nothing about it unfortunately, the mobile section works a little different than the rest of the store, they don't sell non contract phones so it would be unlikely that they would sell the Nexus 5 unless AT&T officially carries the phone as well.

mastarifla said:
I work currently at Best Buy and have heard/seen nothing about it unfortunately, the mobile section works a little different than the rest of the store, they don't sell non contract phones so it would be unlikely that they would sell the Nexus 5 unless AT&T officially carries the phone as well.
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Dangg I don't like it..

i just wish i knew if it will work on sprint.. cause i have an upgrade now.. waiting to see if it gonna come to sprint

unfortunately i don't think the N5 will be sold through best buy. it would be cool to buy it through best buy so you don't have to wait weeks for Google to keep their inventory levels up( looking right at the N4)

As previous poster said that BB does not carrier non contract phones is correct, BUT it may be carried online.
But at this point I personally or anyone in my department (mobile) has heard anything about it being carried.

There's actually a decent chance best buy will sell the nexus line up. They are currently setting up some best buys with a "Google experience" sections similar too the Samsung mini stores.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

parsa5 said:
There's actually a decent chance best buy will sell the nexus line up. They are currently setting up some best buys with a "Google experience" sections similar too the Samsung mini stores.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
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Kind of as my store has the displays already, but they are more like end cap displays like the small ipad one. But it could be possible.

mastarifla said:
I work currently at Best Buy and have heard/seen nothing about it unfortunately, the mobile section works a little different than the rest of the store, they don't sell non contract phones so it would be unlikely that they would sell the Nexus 5 unless AT&T officially carries the phone as well.
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Correction! Best Buy can sell you a phone without contract! On that note, Best Buy has sold the Nexus S(not just the Galaxy Nexus) in the past! If I had to guess, I would say Best Buy won't sell it. But it's possible, seeing as the Nexus 7 was!

I used to work for BestBuy/Geek Squad.
They stopped selling or at least offering off contract phones. They used to sell them. They don't make money/margin from them.
They want you on a contract/upgrade to get kickbacks from the carriers.
Off contract phones don't sell well enough in the US enough to warranty the limited space in their stores.
They have to have items that make margin to stay alive, so space is premium.
Now should they sell them online, mabey, but you won't see it in a retail store.
Yes you can buy sku outright, but it will not sell for the $349 price as google is subsidizing that directly through the play store.
Now this time around with the Google End cap, it is a possibility, but based on previous Nexus Releases and Googles decision to stick with the playstore. I doubt that would happen.

bigo1087 said:
I used to work for BestBuy/Geek Squad.
They stopped selling or at least offering off contract phones. They used to sell them. They don't make money/margin from them.
They want you on a contract/upgrade to get kickbacks from the carriers.
Off contract phones don't sell well enough in the US enough to warranty the limited space in their stores.
They have to have items that make margin to stay alive, so space is premium.
Now should they sell them online, mabey, but you won't see it in a retail store.
Yes you can buy sku outright, but it will not sell for the $349 price as google is subsidizing that directly through the play store.
Now this time around with the Google End cap, it is a possibility, but based on previous Nexus Releases and Googles decision to stick with the playstore. I doubt that would happen.
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BB needs to either commit, or GTFO. I just bought a HP Chromebook, and BB was my first destination: 3-5 weeks and no store stock is what I was told. Went to Play store, available with 1-2 day shipping. Will be here tomorrow from Lexington Kentucky. I know BB has a huge warehouse on the left coast, where these Chromebooks originally entered the U.S., so I don't understand how BB screwed up the logistics, but they aren't serving their customers by vacillating on stock and supply.

wideasleep1 said:
BB needs to either commit, or GTFO. I just bought a HP Chromebook, and BB was my first destination: 3-5 weeks and no store stock is what I was told. Went to Play store, available with 1-2 day shipping. Will be here tomorrow from Lexington Kentucky. I know BB has a huge warehouse on the left coast, where these Chromebooks originally entered the U.S., so I don't understand how BB screwed up the logistics, but they aren't serving their customers by vacillating on stock and supply.
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Based on sales and my store is in California...we have a lot of HP Chromebooks in store, what store are you saying is a 3-5 week wait?

fadentales said:
Based on sales and my store is in California...we have a lot of HP Chromebooks in store, what store are you saying is a 3-5 week wait?
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I searched Bay Area all the way into Central Valley. edit: and we're talking the new HP 11 inch, fwiw.

wideasleep1 said:
I searched Bay Area all the way into Central Valley. edit: and we're talking the new HP 11 inch, fwiw.
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Not sure when you searched
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/11-6-ch...9070440984&skuId=2235039&st=2235039&cp=1&lp=1
my zipcode is 92692 and every store near me has it, not sure when you searched however I know HP didn't push out much inv until the 16th
As for Best Buy and the Nexus 5, My guess is unless google does a partnership with them they will not be getting the unlocked version, however might get a contract version with the top 3 carriers. I think we are all just waiting to see what Google does next.
But with a lot of new things happening between them
http://www.phonearena.com/news/Empt...-at-Best-Buy-possible-Nexus-5-display_id48331
Who really knows.

fadentales said:
Not sure when you searched
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/11-6-ch...9070440984&skuId=2235039&st=2235039&cp=1&lp=1
my zipcode is 92692 and every store near me has it, not sure when you searched however I know HP didn't push out much inv until the 16th
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I'll be damned! Monday no one had it...now most stores near me say 3-5 DAYS (from weeks), and several stores across the bay claim to have stock. What a difference a few days makes...
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olstemp...9070440984&itemId=2111145&pageMode=searchmode

fadentales said:
Not sure when you searched
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/11-6-ch...9070440984&skuId=2235039&st=2235039&cp=1&lp=1
my zipcode is 92692 and every store near me has it, not sure when you searched however I know HP didn't push out much inv until the 16th
As for Best Buy and the Nexus 5, My guess is unless google does a partnership with them they will not be getting the unlocked version, however might get a contract version with the top 3 carriers. I think we are all just waiting to see what Google does next.
But with a lot of new things happening between them
http://www.phonearena.com/news/Empt...-at-Best-Buy-possible-Nexus-5-display_id48331
Who really knows.
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That display has nexus 7 and Chrome cast on it in my store.

Best Buy Mobile WILL sell you a phone without a contract as long as it doesn't seem to be fraud. If you tell them you're putting it on your plan, and let them log into your account(whatever provider it may be), they will allow you to buy it. They actually do make margin selling the phone off contract, but they don't accumulate revenue on the backend since there is no activation through a carrier.

xSeany said:
Best Buy Mobile WILL sell you a phone without a contract as long as it doesn't seem to be fraud. If you tell them you're putting it on your plan, and let them log into your account(whatever provider it may be), they will allow you to buy it. They actually do make margin selling the phone off contract, but they don't accumulate revenue on the backend since there is no activation through a carrier.
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No way BB will be selling an N5 for the price you see it in the Play Store.

[email protected] said:
No way BB will be selling an N5 for the price you see it in the Play Store.
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Never said they would.. In fact, on the first page I opinionated that they wouldn't be. I was referring to someone stating that Best Buy won't sell a phone unless it's activated with a 2 year contract.

xSeany said:
Never said they would.. In fact, on the first page I opinionated that they wouldn't be. I was referring to someone stating that Best Buy won't sell a phone unless it's activated with a 2 year contract.
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Yeah, BB will sell you a phone off contract but they jack the price up higher then you can buy it anywhere else. Don't know why anyone wouldbuy a phone off contract there.

[Q] Buying a Nexus 5 from someone in my city, is there anything I should be wary of?

I ordered a Nexus 5 from the Google Play Store, but it's still weeks away from shipping apparently. I'm from Canada, and on our local Kijiji page someone posted that they're selling a Nexus 5 for $375, which is really tempting as it's much quicker to get and because of no taxes it's actually decently cheaper.
He says he got it as an upgrade from Telus, a Canadian carrier, and claims it's unlocked. Are Nexus 5s from Canadian carriers unlocked? Is there a way I can check if his phone is unlocked?
Is there anything else I should be careful of? He says it's new in box.

DonutJuice said:
I ordered a Nexus 5 from the Google Play Store, but it's still weeks away from shipping apparently. I'm from Canada, and on our local Kijiji page someone posted that they're selling a Nexus 5 for $375, which is really tempting as it's much quicker to get and because of no taxes it's actually decently cheaper.
He says he got it as an upgrade from Telus, a Canadian carrier, and claims it's unlocked. Are Nexus 5s from Canadian carriers unlocked? Is there a way I can check if his phone is unlocked?
Is there anything else I should be careful of? He says it's new in box.
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First, every Nexus 5 is unlocked.
Second, make sure it has a clean ESN/IMEI/MEID. If it was stolen or claimed on insurance, they may have disabled the phone by its unique number. Generally, this renders the phone useless on any mobile network. There are a few exceptions, but trust me, you want a clean ESN. For the Nexus 5's, they come with a sticker on the back of the phone with the IMEI number and a bar code for easy activation at the store. Just check that number on Swappa's free checker. http://swappa.com/esn If it doesn't clear, that doesn't mean it's a bad ESN, but you need to do further diligence by contacting Telus/whatever carrier you use and have them check it in their system. If it doesn't clear with your carrier, do NOT buy the phone, no matter what the guy tries to tell you.

DonutJuice said:
I ordered a Nexus 5 from the Google Play Store, but it's still weeks away from shipping apparently. I'm from Canada, and on our local Kijiji page someone posted that they're selling a Nexus 5 for $375, which is really tempting as it's much quicker to get and because of no taxes it's actually decently cheaper.
He says he got it as an upgrade from Telus, a Canadian carrier, and claims it's unlocked. Are Nexus 5s from Canadian carriers unlocked? Is there a way I can check if his phone is unlocked?
Is there anything else I should be careful of? He says it's new in box.
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I would be careful buying from this...I'm also from Canada and with tax and shipping it came out to $410...since the phone is so new I don't believe anyone would benefit from selling for cheaper than that, so be careful that it is not a stolen phone.

bobokun said:
I would be careful buying from this...I'm also from Canada and with tax and shipping it came out to $410...since the phone is so new I don't believe anyone would benefit from selling for cheaper than that, so be careful that it is not a stolen phone.
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DonutJuice said:
He says he got it as an upgrade from Telus, a Canadian carrier
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http://www.telus.com/wireless/devices/nexus-5/
$99 on upgrade. He can't sell it for $410+, because someone would just buy it from the Play Store. There has to be a discount in order to account for the risk the buyer is assuming. So anywhere between $99+taxes and $410 he is profiting and the buyer is saving.

Paddington said:
http://www.telus.com/wireless/devices/nexus-5/
$99 on upgrade. He can't sell it for $410+, because someone would just buy it from the Play Store. There has to be a discount in order to account for the risk the buyer is assuming. So anywhere between $99+taxes and $410 he is profiting and the buyer is saving.
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Ahh true..okay that explains it.

S7 unlocked

I was wondering about retailers in the US that will sell the S7 unlocked from day 1 that aren't resellers on amazon/ebay. I know BestBuy sells unlocked phones now but I believe some of them are overpriced, and amazon/ebay resellers sometimes aren't trustworthy so I really don't want to deal with that extra hassle. Plus I need to buy it unlocked cause I'd like to try it for a couple weeks and sell it if I don't like it very much.

daLareid said:
I was wondering about retailers in the US that will sell the S7 unlocked from day 1 that aren't resellers on amazon/ebay. I know BestBuy sells unlocked phones now but I believe some of them are overpriced, and amazon/ebay resellers sometimes aren't trustworthy so I really don't want to deal with that extra hassle. Plus I need to buy it unlocked cause I'd like to try it for a couple weeks and sell it if I don't like it very much.
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I would like to know this also.

anyone know about this for Canada?

nolook said:
anyone know about this for Canada?
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PhoneArena claims availability from the following:
AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and U.S. Cellular stores, Best Buy, Car Toys, Sam’s Club, Staples, Target and Walmart
If I'm not mistaken Best Buy is also available in Canada so maybe there. However Best Buy doesn't seem to be offering the S7 unlocked atm.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/promo/samsung-smartphones-151359

I don't think best buy Canada sells unlocked phones but I could be wrong... I'm on public mobile (telus) so I'll try to buy from telus or kodoo

I would love an unlocked one in a Canada also, but not holding my breath for that. I just assume Samsung will make us go through the carrier.
Now will Bell let me by one outright? That's what I'm wondering.

daLareid said:
I was wondering about retailers in the US that will sell the S7 unlocked from day 1 that aren't resellers on amazon/ebay. I know BestBuy sells unlocked phones now but I believe some of them are overpriced, and amazon/ebay resellers sometimes aren't trustworthy so I really don't want to deal with that extra hassle. Plus I need to buy it unlocked cause I'd like to try it for a couple weeks and sell it if I don't like it very much.
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EBay is very safe, just buy it from a reputable seller. And you're protected by PayPal.
Sent from my VIVO XL using Tapatalk

barondebxl said:
EBay is very safe, just buy it from a reputable seller. And you're protected by PayPal.
Sent from my VIVO XL using Tapatalk
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Yeah, I buy frequently from Ebay. I'm just guessing since it'll be a reseller they'll probably sell it for higher prices than MSRP.

daLareid said:
Yeah, I buy frequently from Ebay. I'm just guessing since it'll be a reseller they'll probably sell it for higher prices than MSRP.
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Not necessarily. I bought the G4 and S6 within a few days after launch for the same price and a little less than other sites
Sent from my VIVO XL using Tapatalk

wifesabitch said:
I would love an unlocked one in a Canada also, but not holding my breath for that. I just assume Samsung will make us go through the carrier.
Now will Bell let me by one outright? That's what I'm wondering.
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just realized they have Samsung stores in Canada. some are in best buy and there are some standalone ones - not sure if they would both sell unlocked s7s

barondebxl said:
Not necessarily. I bought the G4 and S6 within a few days after launch for the same price and a little less than other sites
Sent from my VIVO XL using Tapatalk
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Guess I'll just have to wait and see, thanks! Btw I noticed you're using a VIVO phone, never heard of them but I just happened to stumble upon an announcement about the XPlay 5 with Snapdragon 820 and 6gb RAM, how are they?
nolook said:
just realized they have Samsung stores in Canada. some are in best buy and there are some standalone ones - not sure if they would both sell unlocked s7s
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I read on Android Authority if I'm not mistaken the Samsung won't be selling unlocked phones directly.

DAMN! $899 from the carriers for the 32GB non-Edge.
I don't know if I can shell out over $1000 (with tax) for a carrier locked phone that gets OS updates 6 months late. Disappointed I won't be getting a new toy.

in canada we dont see unlocked phones because the big three dont like it. like the nexus 5 was sold unlocked for 399 and at fido for 500. (not sure about the price)
we are really screwed right now in canada. exchange rate is so bad. i think the S7 will be 249-299 on contract and the S7 plus 120$ more.

I called the Samsung store at Sherway Gardens in Toronto. The guy said, they DO sell unlocked phones. They are taking pre-orders and you have to go to the store for a deposit. It also comes with the free VR headset!
Certainly good news if you live close to a Samsung store. I wasn't expecting this.
So can I safely assume updates should hit these faster than carrier phones since they are straight from Samsung?

wifesabitch said:
I called the Samsung store at Sherway Gardens in Toronto. The guy said, they DO sell unlocked phones. They are taking pre-orders and you have to go to the store for a deposit. It also comes with the free VR headset!
Certainly good news if you live close to a Samsung store. I wasn't expecting this.
So can I safely assume updates should hit these faster than carrier phones since they are straight from Samsung?
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Is that one of those stores inside a bestbuy or a full fledged samsung only store?

peachpuff said:
Is that one of those stores inside a bestbuy or a full fledged samsung only store?
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Full fledged.
I went to a Best Buy/Samsung one too, they told me they only do contracts.

wifesabitch said:
Full fledged.
I went to a Best Buy/Samsung one too, they told me they only do contracts.
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Good to hear.

wifesabitch said:
I called the Samsung store at Sherway Gardens in Toronto. The guy said, they DO sell unlocked phones. They are taking pre-orders and you have to go to the store for a deposit. It also comes with the free VR headset!
Certainly good news if you live close to a Samsung store. I wasn't expecting this.
So can I safely assume updates should hit these faster than carrier phones since they are straight from Samsung?
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That's really lucky for you. I already asked BB about the unlocked version, they hinted it might be available when the phone is released but definitely not available for preorder meaning unless it's a carrier phone no way to take advantage of the preorder bonus, unfortunately there's no local Samsung store down here. If you do go and preorder the unlocked version at a Samsung Store, mind getting the prices for us please? (s7 and s7 edge).

Had an unlocked Note 5 from the Samsung store. I don't see why they would stop selling unlocked phones.

daLareid said:
That's really lucky for you. I already asked BB about the unlocked version, they hinted it might be available when the phone is released but definitely not available for preorder meaning unless it's a carrier phone no way to take advantage of the preorder bonus, unfortunately there's no local Samsung store down here. If you do go and preorder the unlocked version at a Samsung Store, mind getting the prices for us please? (s7 and s7 edge).
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I did it today.
It's $899 for the 32GB S7, didn't ask about the Edge. It DOES come with the bonus VR with no contract or carrier sign-up nonsense.

Guide to buying S9+

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)

Buying from the Google Store

I am looking to buy a Pixel 3a after my original Pixel went swimming. I use Verizon, but I want to buy from the Google Store vs. the Verizon store because I want to be able to unlock the bootloader. The monthly price at both the Google and Verizon stores are nearly equal. But I have a few questions, if anyone could help.
1. I see on the Google Store, I can buy a carrier-unlocked phone or a phone with the Verizon sim card. Is this the same model phone for both options, or is the pone with the Verizon sim card the same as buying directly from Verizon?
2. If I need to get the carrier-unlocked model, how difficult is it to get the phone activated through Google?
3. I am leaving for vacation on July 31st. The Google Story offers free shipping, but how long does it really take?
Thanks!

1. It would be the same as unlocked, but the option to unlock bootloader is disabled in Developers options.
2. Unlocked model could be activated on any supported Carrier by inserting SIM card. It can't be simpler than that.
3. Both 3a models I ordered from Google came in less than 4 business days.

I am in Canada, and ordered from Google Store instead of my carrier.
Google shipped it really quickly. I think I got it in 2 business days from what I recall, if not, it was 3. The only downside I saw from Google Store is that if you want to return the phone, you need to cash out some restock fee and only gives you 15 days (I see this on both US and Canadian Google Store site policies).
I didn't get it from the carrier, as I discovered that purchasing your phone give you more benefits, such as:
- Well, as you noted, fully unlocked.
- No ugly carrier logo on the device.
- Negotiating power on your plan, at any time, as you are not under a yearly contract, and you can switch to the competitor with great ease the next day, pretty much. (This is more important to me, as in Canada our mobile service operators, is just as bad the US internet service providers. Backed by a government institution that say that competition is bad for Canadians, and some carriers chargers 10$ just for calling, and hope you don't get disconnected or hang up on you). Thanks to this, I have a plan and price that is simply unmatched.
Hope this helps

So I ordered the unlocked Pixel 3a. Last question. Will inserting the Verizon SIM card before I unlock the bootloader make the bootloader unable to get unlocked?

Bramton1 said:
So I ordered the unlocked Pixel 3a. Last question. Will inserting the Verizon SIM card before I unlock the bootloader make the bootloader unable to get unlocked?
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It shouldn't but I wouldn't chance it.