Database Users

Decision on buying Unlocked or AT&T Brand

If I buy an unlocked version for AT&T where is the best place to buy one? I would want one with a warranty first and foremost. Also, is the home button one that goes out easily? Will the phone run as fast as the one that will come out on AT&T officially? I wouldn't want to spend a ton of money on an unlocked one to find out it's slower than the one that AT&T puts out for hundreds of dollars cheaper.
Next is what about warranty. How safe am I buying unlocked? I have read a lot on this board about yellow stains and stuck pixels. How common are these to get? I don't want to buy a phone that's so much money to be stuck with these problems.
Thanks all
AJ

asjdwf said:
If I buy an unlocked version for AT&T where is the best place to buy one? I would want one with a warranty first and foremost.
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Expansys-USA provides warranty support for phones they sell meaning they'll ship it back to the UK if it needs service. If you buy it from an authorized dealer in the U.K. it's covered by Samsung's two-year global warranty. Regardless, count on being without your phone for a couple of weeks if it needs repair. If you're looking for the safety and security of a direct replacement overnighted from your carrier and loss/theft coverage importing a phone probably isn't for you.
Also, is the home button one that goes out easily?
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It seems sturdy and I don't think there were problems with the SGS1 which utilized a home button also.
Will the phone run as fast as the one that will come out on AT&T officially? I wouldn't want to spend a ton of money on an unlocked one to find out it's slower than the one that AT&T puts out for hundreds of dollars cheaper.
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Unless the AT&T version has an upgraded processor then it wouldn't be any faster. T-Mobile is getting a version with the same Qualcomm chip as the Sensation which hasn't benchmarked well. The leaked pics of Sprint's version appears to be a real SGS2. Nothing specific's been posted about AT&T's version so it could be a 4.3" display with an Exynos chip or a 4.5" display with a Qualcomm chip. They just announced there first LTE phone won't be out until the end of the year and code for AT&T's LTE network was found in one of the latest ROMs. This means their SGS2 might not come out for a while or they'll be releasing it sooner as an HSPA+ phone vs. an LTE phone.
Next is what about warranty. How safe am I buying unlocked? I have read a lot on this board about yellow stains and stuck pixels. How common are these to get?
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There have been some QC issues with the screen and some variances in color temperature from device to device. If you but if from Expansys exchanging it would be fairly simple. If you buy it in the UK it'll cost you shipping. Stay away from Handtec, they were hassling people on display related exchanges.

You have been very helpful my friend. What would you do? Would you wait for AT&T? Or would you buy unlocked? I have also heard a rumor that AT&T is going to go with the 4.5 inch screen size is that true?
What about Newegg? Are they any good?
Thank you for your time.
AJ

asjdwf said:
You have been very helpful my friend. What would you do? Would you wait for AT&T? Or would you buy unlocked? I have also heard a rumor that AT&T is going to go with the 4.5 inch screen size is that true?
What about Newegg? Are they any good?
Thank you for your time.
AJ
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Click to collapse
Newegg doesn't give you a warranty with the phone and I also seen a lot of people saying it comes without a seal if that means anything.

asjdwf said:
You have been very helpful my friend. What would you do? Would you wait for AT&T? Or would you buy unlocked? I have also heard a rumor that AT&T is going to go with the 4.5 inch screen size is that true?
What about Newegg? Are they any good?
Thank you for your time.
AJ
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I would get international version for faster updates or bug fixes. You get to have SGS2 before many people.

Also, is HSPA+ phone as fast as the LTE phone? Will I even notice that big of a difference?

So newegg is a no go. I checked out Expansys-US and it looks legit.

asjdwf said:
Also, is HSPA+ phone as fast as the LTE phone? Will I even notice that big of a difference?
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LTE only matters if you plan on keeping the phone for a long time. AT&T's only going to have 15 markets up this year. If you get an international phone you can get fake-4G for $10 a month. LTE, while faster, is $30 for 2GB of data and $10 per GB beyond that. And you can't tether at that price. I stream video and tether a tablet and have had no speed issues and I'm in a 3G market.
You sound really paranoid about getting an international phone. You need to think hard about the downside.
- Warranty work will easily take weeks.
- You can buy accident insurance from SquareTrade for $94 for two years but you can't get theft/loss protection.
- If there are QC defects out of the box it'll be a pain to exchange the phone.
The upside is you can get cheap unlimited data (via AT&T), upgrades directly from Samsung, and there's no carrier molestation with crap added or functions stripped out.
Personally, if AT&T gets the same phone T-Mobile is (4.5" display/Qualcomm chip), I'd skip it. Without the Exynos chip the 4.5" phone is an SGS2 for marketing purposes only.

Not paranoid just getting all of the facts. Is the att version going to be 4.5?

asjdwf said:
Not paranoid just getting all of the facts. Is the att version going to be 4.5?
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Nobody knows yet...
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA Premium App

Why don't you just buy from Amazon? I did today and it will be here tomorrow...
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-i9100...uchscreen/dp/B004QTBQ2C/ref=cm_cmu_pg__header

ericshmerick said:
Why don't you just buy from Amazon? I did today and it will be here tomorrow...
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-i9100...uchscreen/dp/B004QTBQ2C/ref=cm_cmu_pg__header
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+1 that's what I did and it shipped extremely fast
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA Premium App

ericshmerick said:
Why don't you just buy from Amazon? I did today and it will be here tomorrow...
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-i9100...uchscreen/dp/B004QTBQ2C/ref=cm_cmu_pg__header
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No warranty. Also, their phones have been sourced from some strange places including Russia. If you're going to mod the phone than where it's from is less important.

BarryH_GEG said:
No warranty. Also, their phones have been sourced from some strange places including Russia. If you're going to mod the phone than where it's from is less important.
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So do any models actually have a real US warranty? (I.e. Not the Expansys deal).
I didn't think Samsung offers any US warranty coverage since the GSII hasn't been produced for the US.
I saw the "International Warranty" model on Amazon but no one can prove it's actually warranted...they just assume it's covered in the US.

ericshmerick said:
So do any models actually have a real US warranty? (I.e. Not the Expansys deal).
I didn't think Samsung offers any US warranty coverage since the GSII hasn't been produced for the US.
I saw the "International Warranty" model on Amazon but no one can prove it's actually warranted...they just assume it's covered in the US.
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If you send a phone to Samsung for repair they'll ask for a copy of the invoice and possibly a credit card statement if they're suspicious about the authenticity of the invoice. Any phone purchased outside it's intended market of sale is considered grey market and therefore has no warranty. Same thing for purchasing it from a retailer not authorized by Samsung. Since no model of the SGS2 is intended for sale in the U.S. buying it from anyone in the U.S. means it has no warranty - no matter what the seller might tell you. Supposedly, because the warranty is considered global, a properly purchased UK phone should be repaired by Samsung in the U.S. No one's tested that though. Expansys, because they have offices in the UK, ships the phone back through their UK office for warranty repairs.

If I were to buy Expansys-US would be the place because they do cover it. Now only problem is what if I buy it and AT&T come out with theirs in two weeks LOL! Also, what's the fail rate on the screens, etc?

asjdwf said:
If I were to buy Expansys-US would be the place because they do cover it. Now only problem is what if I buy it and AT&T come out with theirs in two weeks LOL! Also, what's the fail rate on the screens, etc?
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AT&T WILL probably have the Galaxy S II in a few weeks... if you can you are probably better off waiting to see which model you prefer. I heard US varients of the GS II were getting Tegra processors and of course AT&T will cripple the phone with bloatware and slow updates.. so I went ahead and got an unlocked one from Amazon that DOES have a warrenty. Who knows, maybe AT&T will surprise everyone and keep the Galaxy S II the way it should be.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA Premium App

So you don't think apple will keep it from coming out? I can try to wait a few weeks but man........it's tough. Also, hope there are not long lines like there was for the 3gs.......not worth it for this crap phone..(3GS I mean)

asjdwf said:
So you don't think apple will keep it from coming out? I can try to wait a few weeks but man........it's tough. Also, hope there are not long lines like there was for the 3gs.......not worth it for this crap phone..(3GS I mean)
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I doubt there would be long lines, if any for the Galaxy S II at an AT&T store. Now the iPhone 5... that's a different story haha . But yea I don't know what to say, the unlocked Galaxy S II is awesome if you have some extra money to spend... otherwise wait and see what AT&T has to offer.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA Premium App

Well I thank everyone for the feedback. I may wait because no warranty and the whole few weeks thing. I just hope att version isn't big as the infuse.

Carrier Unlocking to be Illegal

In case no one has read the internet or has not heard the news ...
http://www.droid-life.com/2013/01/2...-tomorrow-has-nothing-to-do-with-bootloaders/

So can't you JUST buy the phone and not a contract then?
Sent from my unlocked R800x using XDA Premium

Carriers like shooting themselves in the foot I guess, now we'll just see which companies even try to enforce it. I don't think much will come out of it.
Otherwise if this is enforced, it will be effective as antipiracy and growth in sale of unlocked phones and prepay.

DubleJayJ said:
So can't you JUST buy the phone and not a contract then?
Sent from my unlocked R800x using XDA Premium
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Basically, what everyone will do Im sure. Unless it's enforced somehow.
eksasol said:
Carriers like shooting themselves in the foot I guess, now we'll just see which companies even try to enforce it. I don't think much will come out of it, though maybe the two big carriers might try and lose massive customers in the process. One carrier won't because they rely too much on phone sales.
Otherwise if this is enforced, it will be effective as antipiracy and growth in sale of unlocked phones and prepay.
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Click to collapse
Like TMobile just started expanding HSPA+ for unlocked AT&T phones across the US.. I can't see TMobile running out and canceling it now.. I don't think the law will stick.

Read about this earlier this week. Its stupid and assinine. This why verizon is my last contract. Hate how much you have to bend over to these carriers. When my wife and I were in china for 6 months using a phone there was a total different experience and I loved how much control you have. Then again there's no such thing as contracts and you buy the phone out right but I'm all for that anyway. Plus then I can say I own the phone outright. Sort like verozon I started with a droid 2 and sold ot 5 months in for the PLAY.
Sent from my GT-P7510 using xda premium

Really? Enforcing? Don't make me laugh
216Monster said:
Basically, what everyone will do Im sure. Unless it's enforced somehow.
Like TMobile just started expanding HSPA+ for unlocked AT&T phones across the US.. I can't see TMobile running out and canceling it now.. I don't think the law will stick.
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Hmm. But they'll need some special thing to track and the enforce that (se) laws. And anyway, once you unlock BL you are likely to flash a ROM so any software the carrier may put on it will be wiped.... Wonder how they'll enforce it.. (if at all)

This will catch the people that use a service like cellunlock.net. I used it last week to unlock an Xperia Play I found in a house that I just moved into. After I heard about this I'm just feeling fortunate that I did so earlier, otherwise I'd probably have to fear being made an example of. The reach of this stupid law isn't as bad as it's made out to be but it shouldn't exist in the first place.

ozzmanj1 said:
Read about this earlier this week. Its stupid and assinine. This why verizon is my last contract. Hate how much you have to bend over to these carriers. When my wife and I were in china for 6 months using a phone there was a total different experience and I loved how much control you have. Then again there's no such thing as contracts and you buy the phone out right but I'm all for that anyway. Plus then I can say I own the phone outright. Sort like verozon I started with a droid 2 and sold ot 5 months in for the PLAY.
Sent from my GT-P7510 using xda premium
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Agree totally. Contracts are like those little Chinese finger traps -_- This law is so funny, lol. With as much as phone unlocking has expanded and benefited people, this is just laughable.

srkelley said:
..unlock an Xperia Play I found in a house that I just moved into
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Lol, what are the odds.

Funny thing is is that the Librarian of Congress doeznt have any law making power...he/she is just an archivist lol
But PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong.
Sent from my R800x using xda app-developers app

Really bad HTC customer service experience

Broke the screen of my HTC One Developer Edition bought from letstalk. Sent in back to HTC USA and they charged me $300 to replace it. Although the price is high, I decide to accept it (As far as I remember, the cost of a S4 is less that $250)
What's worse, I never get any updates from them for two weeks. After I called, I was told that I have to wait for a month!
I will never try HTC again.

jinrf said:
Broke the screen of my HTC ONE. They charged me $300 to replace it.
What's worse, I never get any updates for two weeks. After I called, I was told that I have to wait for a month!
I will never try HTC again.
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Where did you get your phone from? In many countries phones are brought in by an official distributor, and they handle all warranty related issues (as well as repairs). They may have regional HTC offices, but they are mostly admin branches. So maybe you should direct your rage to whoever it is you bought your phone from.

ArmedandDangerous said:
Where did you get your phone from? In many countries phones are brought in by an official distributor, and they handle all warranty related issues (as well as repairs). They may have regional HTC offices, but they are mostly admin branches. So maybe you should direct your rage to whoever it is you bought your phone from.
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I bought my HTC ONE developer edition from Let's talk.com, US. I sent the device back to HTC USA factory. So I guess it's not a distributor issue.

HTC told me it would take them 2 days to fix my phone after receiving it (this was when I broke my One X).

ataft said:
HTC told me it would take them 2 days to fix my phone after receiving it (this was when I broke my One X).
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I was told the similar thing... please keep me posted

Just curious. Why would you buy it from let's talk.com ?
Sent from my aokp_tenderloin using Tapatalk 2

Be nice, people no need to call others names

Piaband said:
Just curious. Why would you buy it from let's talk.com ?
Sent from my aokp_tenderloin using Tapatalk 2
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because they sell the unlocked and developer edition at msrp price than ebay?
Or sole retailer for it..

Just to clarify, if you buy a phone from HTC art htc.com, letstalk handles order processing and fulfillment. So the "reason " I bought my phone from letstalk is: I didn't. I don't know who they are and I don't care. I bought my phone from HTC.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app

Piaband said:
Just curious. Why would you buy it from let's talk.com ?
Sent from my aokp_tenderloin using Tapatalk 2
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Click to collapse
because only HTC sells developer edition, and letstalk handles all the orders from HTC.

jinrf said:
Broke the screen of my HTC One Developer Edition bought from letstalk. Sent in back to HTC USA and they charged me $300 to replace it. Although the price is high, I decide to accept it (As far as I remember, the cost of a S4 is less that $250)
What's worse, I never get any updates from them for two weeks. After I called, I was told that I have to wait for a month!
I will never try HTC again.
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Click to collapse
Are you a student? do you work for Samsung?

dahmmy said:
Are you a student? do you work for Samsung?
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This is my real experience!

Do note htc online store is not handled by htc but negotiated out to a separate company in this case letstalk whos customer service is terrible and really the entire company is bad from order processing to customer service. If you have an issue call htc main headquarters or file a better business complaint against htc to their Washington headquarters. I had an issue and they resolved it alot better and quicker than letstalk customer service ever would.
Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

Xperia Z1 possibly on AT&T or T-Mobile

Just called Sony to get a new charger for my ion and happened to ask about the Z1. Apparently they have a contract with AT&T and that more than likely it will be released to them, if not T-Mobile. This could be another 6 months from now, but for those of you, such as myself, who have AT&T i thought this was good news. Hopefully it will put Sony on the map and allow them to release more high-end phones in the US on major carriers.

liljamjam said:
Just called Sony to get a new charger for my ion and happened to ask about the Z1. Apparently they have a contract with AT&T and that more than likely it will be released to them, if not T-Mobile. This could be another 6 months from now, but for those of you, such as myself, who have AT&T i thought this was good news. Hopefully it will put Sony on the map and allow them to release more high-end phones in the US on major carriers.
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Click to collapse
This is nice news! It's a shame I don't see much in the way of any hint as to when this may come out in the U.S., I really hope it's not another six months, I'm not willing to spend $800 on this thing as much as I like it :/

liljamjam said:
Just called Sony to get a new charger for my ion and happened to ask about the Z1. Apparently they have a contract with AT&T and that more than likely it will be released to them, if not T-Mobile. This could be another 6 months from now, but for those of you, such as myself, who have AT&T i thought this was good news. Hopefully it will put Sony on the map and allow them to release more high-end phones in the US on major carriers.
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Click to collapse
Could it be the 14 spring model, since somebody mentioned that att's not going to carry any Sony this year
Sent from my C6602 using xda app-developers app

greatremix said:
Could it be the 14 spring model, since somebody mentioned that att's not going to carry any Sony this year
Sent from my C6602 using xda app-developers app
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Not gonna argue with that, sounds even better to me. And remember, "this year" is almost over

@evleaks just tweeted a T-Mobile branded Z1 today.

MRMNYC said:
This is nice news! It's a shame I don't see much in the way of any hint as to when this may come out in the U.S., I really hope it's not another six months, I'm not willing to spend $800 on this thing as much as I like it :/
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Click to collapse
I see what ur saying about not willing/wanting to pay $800 for this phone, but i've had my C6903 for about a week now on T-Mobile LTE and all i can say is that it's nothing short of AWESOME. It's the first phone in quite a while that feels premium enough to keep for a while... and i've had ALOT of phones (about 6 just this year). And did i mention LTE! And another plus of the unlocked version: bluetooth internet sharing right out of the box! :good:

devildogthug said:
I see what ur saying about not willing/wanting to pay $800 for this phone, but i've had my C6903 for about a week now on T-Mobile LTE and all i can say is that it's nothing short of AWESOME. It's the first phone in quite a while that feels premium enough to keep for a while... and i've had ALOT of phones (about 6 just this year). And did i mention LTE! And another plus of the unlocked version: bluetooth internet sharing right out of the box! :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thepanttherlady said:
@evleaks just tweeted a T-Mobile branded Z1 today.
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Click to collapse
Great to hear! It sounds like you got the LTE version in time since it looks like T-Mobile is going to carry it, but not AT&T. Just out of curiosity, what kind of download/upload speeds are you getting and where are you based? I'm in NY, and on AT&T -- when LTE was first introduced here, I was getting 30 down and 40 up, but nowadays, it's about 10 up and down. I may make the jump of carriers if the speed and network is OK.
Based on the EVLeaks photo, it seems it's a slightly modified version that will come out with T-Mobile, so, we'll see. Man, it's great being a consumer in a competitive market -- it sounds like Sony may be coming out with a new flagship in early 2014 using the WhiteMagic panel (http://www.androidauthority.com/jdi-super-bright-full-hd-displays-282810/) and with that one, hopefully Sony decides to go full force in the US. I'm also liking the rumors I'm hearing about the Samsung S5 thus far (water-resistant/proof, octacore, etc.). Decisions, decisions, decision!!!

where did you guys ordered yours? do you need an account on Sony to order one? or did you order it here in the States?
Thanks

I just picked up a Z waiting for the Z1 to be released on T-Mobile and the rep said "soon".
So I ran across this on the T-Mobile UK site http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/shop/pay-monthly/sony-xperia-z1-black/
Why isn't this available on T-Mobile US?

I bought my z1 off Craigslist. I'm on t-mobile 70 $ month unlimited data text and calls. I'm in Philadelphia. This is the speeds I get
Sent from my C6903 using xda app-developers app

still waiting for this phone to be released with LTE

samven582 said:
still waiting for this phone to be released with LTE
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I don't remember about the other models, but I ordered a c6906 model, Telus branded from Canada, and it has LTE Bands for both T-Mobile and AT&T.

kusanou said:
I don't remember about the other models, but I ordered a c6906 model, Telus branded from Canada, and it has LTE Bands for both T-Mobile and AT&T.
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Click to collapse
but there is no warrenty when you import

samven582 said:
but there is no warrenty when you import
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Damn, I forgot about that. Oh well, I take care of my stuff, and haven't been unfortunate enough to have anything severely damaged. I just hope there aren't any defects to worry about

I have a c6903 on tmobile. Insured for 6.99$month is fine enough for me. C6906 has all the lte bands. By the time this hits USA carriers it'll be old
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

stealthj said:
I have a c6903 on tmobile. Insured for 6.99$month is fine enough for me. C6906 has all the lte bands. By the time this hits USA carriers it'll be old
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
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Same here. Got a C6903 from Clove UK along w/the SW2 for free. i didn't opt for a warranty but take care of my phones.
so far it works great on Tmobile and good on ATT and 3G only. Tmobile you can get LTE/4G if you have it in the area.

Guess what? Another carrier only stocking 32GB Blue in store: Sprint

http://www.androidauthority.com/sprint-32gb-midnight-blue-nexus-6-565656/
Makes me wonder what the heck is going on that carriers would intentionally gimp their inventory like this.

Will they have the 64GB version available online from sprint?

sprint usually only sells the 32gb variant of these celebrity phones.

Its not a official source. Google didn't over produce the "Blue" ones as they can't even keep them in stock so there is no surplus. This is a bust article from a bust reddit post.

eskomo said:
Its not a official source. Google didn't over produce the "Blue" ones as they can't even keep them in stock so there is no surplus. This is a bust article from a bust reddit post.
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God I hope so. I can't afford to buy one straight out without it being subsidized.
Sent from my LG-LS980 using Tapatalk 2

Wouldn't matter anyway. If Sprint's getting limited stock my experience with the One M7 would suggest they won't sell outright; you'd need to be a new customer or upgrade on contract.

Sisyphus306 said:
upgrade on contract.
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That's what I'm trying to do. Returned my Note 4 after 8 days because it was announced they would be carrying it. Was looking to get it at the contract renewal price, but if they're only going to carry the blue 32 (I want the white 64), then I may just go back to the Note 4 (or even switch carriers) as I can't afford to buy the phone outright for Play Store or Moto. Oh well. We'll see how true it is.

jayharper08 said:
That's what I'm trying to do. Returned my Note 4 after 8 days because it was announced they would be carrying it. Was looking to get it at the contract renewal price, but if they're only going to carry the blue 32 (I want the white 64), then I may just go back to the Note 4 (or even switch carriers) as I can't afford to buy the phone outright for Play Store or Moto. Oh well. We'll see how true it is.
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Yea I bought mine outright...I'm not thinking I'll stay on Sprint another 2 years considering how awful their coverage continues to be.
Also If I'm overseas, I can just plop a nano-sim in a single device.

Skripka said:
Yea I bought mine outright...I'm not thinking I'll stay on Sprint another 2 years considering how awful their coverage continues to be.
Also If I'm overseas, I can just plop a nano-sim in a single device.
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That's the way I'm leaning also. By the time I save up for it, maybe it will actually be available to purchase from the play store. I'll just take it to whatever carrier I like.
Sent from my LG-LS980 using Tapatalk 2

jayharper08 said:
That's the way I'm leaning also. By the time I save up for it, maybe it will actually be available to purchase from the play store. I'll just take it to whatever carrier I like.
Sent from my LG-LS980 using Tapatalk 2
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Catch being with carrier devices...who knows what the FCC final rules on carrier-locked devices will be come the new year. Presuming that carrier sold Nexus 6s will end up being carrier locked (for duration of contract or what have you).

Skripka said:
Catch being with carrier devices...who knows what the FCC final rules on carrier-locked devices will be come the new year. Presuming that carrier sold Nexus 6s will end up being carrier locked (for duration of contract or what have you).
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Yeah. I was meaning buying it outright from the play store and deciding where I want to take it.
Very frustrating if this is true.
Sent from my LG-LS980 using Tapatalk 2

Yeah, last year Sprint only carried the 16GB Model of the Nexus 5. I end up getting the 32GB model from the Playstore but was unable to insure it through Sprint. I honestly expect the same this year. As bad as their bleeding customers you would think they would offer more variety. If I have issues activating my 64GB variant this will push me over the edge & I'm going to T-Mobile