Is this phone worth 530$ ?

[vladsoft]

$429 was mistake , $529 - $179 = $350 is correct !

 

[Who Cares?]

$429 was mistake , $529 - $179 = $350 is correct !

How can you be so sure? Maybe the $350 is the mistake $429 - $179 = $250
I guess we will find out the truth next week?

 

[kyler13]

Americans are too stupid to understand that subsidies don't solve everything. You're still paying the same amount even if you get it on contract. In Europe if it is the equivalent price it will sell like crazy.

Subsidies make more sense in the US if you're holding on to the same phone for two years, seeing that the rate structure here is well established and isn't changing, plus the fact that all carriers use different standards or frequencies. You're paying the same amount monthly either way. If you're not satisfied with the carrier or hardware, obviously committing for two years is a risk. It's not stupid, it's just the way the mobile market has been established here and stupid would be not taking the fullest advantage of it.

The unlocked/unsubsidized selling model in Europe generally is better than the subsidy model, but that's strictly under the assupmtion that you hold on to the handset more than 2 years (the longer you hold on to the handset, the bigger the advantage). However, this advantage rapidly erodes for those that have to have the latest and greatest. If you're buying a high end handset every year in Europe, you're spending more money. Maybe that's okay. Maybe you guys have more disposable income. I will say that in a number of cases, a one year contract subsidy in the US beats the system in Europe.

The Nexus One is a little different as $529 unlocked is somewhat of a discount from Google for this hardware. I would expect that HTC would have set an msrp near $700 if the phone's sale was carrier supported.

 

[Kaige]

Today's market isn't going to change that quickly. You guys need to chill ; I think the Nexus One is competitively priced, reasonably as well - considering today's market.

The iPhone 3G S is priced at $699-799 (UNLOCKED) ; now that's assuming that you spend that much in Hong Kong for a factory unlocked iPhone. $530 with a Snapdragon processor and a open platform VS $799 with a over filled cup of 2 year old milk? Snapdragon please.

Now, most of you are probably pissed that the device is still limited in it's unlocked form. Nonetheless, it is STILL an unlocked device. You can use it with any SIM card without preforming any unnecessary tasks, regardless of what it actually supports (Edge, 3g, etc.)

Either way, you should always by a phone for it's hardware. And the Nexus One definitely has the next gen. hardware regardless of what it's compatible with. That being said, I'm going to check out T-Mobile's 3G coverage in the areas I spend my time most in yearly.

Regards.

 

[MagnusRagnarok]

Americans are too stupid to understand that subsidies don't solve everything. You're still paying the same amount even if you get it on contract. In Europe if it is the equivalent price it will sell like crazy.

I am a proud american,and above all a human,and last time i checked,unless you're GOD: what qualifies YOU to judge anyone???Especially over such a menial issue... It disgusts me to realize that there even are people as ignorant as you.....no offense.Not turning it into a usa vs europe issue because i cannot prove that you arent just an annoying child, messing w/ dad's pc saying stupid things to piss people off.
Issue @ hand, you all would probably be surprised to find out what your smart phone actually cost outside a contract...MY HTC HERO costs 664 usd. Glad i only paid 99 for mine...besides, look how much an IStone costs!!

 

[t-mizzle]

If I look at the hardware and raw numbers, the N1 unlocked is not too expensive, especially when compared to other unlocked phones with similar specs, they are within the same price range. I believe the details about signing up with only one plan for the subsidized version are wrong. We'll know more soon enough. As of right now, nothing wrong with the prices.

There are so many differences in European vs US carriers, if anyone tries to compare them without breaking down the differences, you are just trolling.

 

[3rd-Geer]

I don't think any phone is worth $570.....I have the N1 and love it.....but still it's a lot of money. I never pay for most of my phones thankfully, but the most I've paid was $299 for my iphone..and I thought that was a lot.

 

[siddharth]

I am a resident of India. Its the norm here to buy your handset unlocked and then choose your service provider a la the system followed in Europe. This promotes healthy competition between the service providers who have to maintain the highest QoS to retain and gain new customers. As a result, we have one of the lowest call rates (Avg: Eur 0.01/min) and the fastest growing telecom markets in the world (18 million new users in Nov'09). The consumers get to choose the best call/usage deals for themselves and are not "arm twisted" into staying with a certain provider with a sucky service just because of a phone bundled contract.

Most of the higher end phones retail at arnd $550 or more. The iPhone 3GS retails at arnd $700-750 unlocked and the Touch HD2 at $800 (crazy, unreasonable and unjustifiable IMO!!). So the Nexus One @ $530 with all its features, bells and whistles seems like quite a steal and a very competitive price hoping and provided it retails here at that price.

That said, We have had access to 3G-ready handsets for a while now but we'll have 3G services here only by mid 2010 after the frequency bands are auctioned in Feb'10. I want to order in the Nexus One but I'm concerned if it'll work with with my current service provider or any other provider after the 3G spectrum allocation coz I've read in quite a few places that the Nexus One will work on only T-Mobile's 3G network in the US even in its unlocked state. I'm curious as to whether an unlocked Nexus One in Europe or Asia will work on any 3G frequency band (truly unlocked). I really hope so coz I don't wanna be stuck with a particular provider because my phone is designed to work only on a certain 3G frequency band (one of the few areas where we Indians are spoiled for choice!). Any opinions/suggestions as to whether my concerns hold water??

 

[a.| )v4nc3d.]

This phone is a waste of money subsidized. Get it unsubsidized, it's almost 100 dollars cheaper.

Price difference between Sub'd and Unsub'd versions is 350. Divide that by the 24 months of service of a 2 year agreement and you get less than 15 dollars per month. Add that on top of the Even More Plus (monthly non-contract plan) and it's still 6 dollars cheaper a month than the subsidized Even More Plan. (There is a 20 dollar difference between the sub'd and unsub'd plans per month. It comes to about 100 dollars cheaper in the unsubsidized phone even though the up-front cost is heftier, it ends up being cheaper in the long-run!!!!)

 

[lekky]

I believe we use the subsidised model in the UK too. Ie, I've never paid for a phone in my life. But our contracts seem so much more cheaper than you pay in the USA. So I@d really like to see what options will be open to us in the UK.

 

[kyler13]

I am a resident of India. Its the norm here to buy your handset unlocked and then choose your service provider a la the system followed in Europe. This promotes healthy competition between the service providers who have to maintain the highest QoS to retain and gain new customers. As a result, we have one of the lowest call rates (Avg: Eur 0.01/min) and the fastest growing telecom markets in the world (18 million new users in Nov'09). The consumers get to choose the best call/usage deals for themselves and are not "arm twisted" into staying with a certain provider with a sucky service just because of a phone bundled contract.

Let me remind anyone not in the US that no other country's mobile providers have the challenge of providing widespread service like those in the US. The fact that Verizon, AT&T, and to a lesser extent, Sprint have built out the network they have over the past decade is testament to major investment that cheap Euro plans couldn't support. I'm glad if you live in France, Sweden, or Germany that you have 12 carriers all competing for your business, but those companies have the advantage of only needing to cover a small fraction of land area compared to the US. What works in elsewhere isn't exactly a formula for success here. The carriers subsidize your handset and in turn, you subsidize the maintenance, improvement, and build-out of the vast networks.

 

[sthoeft]

A cheaper price tag for the N1 ism't so good for google at all (imho). Many people think that cheap can't be good. The main point is that they would sell the N1 for 300$ without contract they would be way chaeper than every competitor. But Google needs them, they'll give the Android OS they market share it need to get. HTC, Samsung, Motorola and co. who live from selling hardware and making profit with it would be very very upset and in the worst case ending the cooperation with google because of this behavior.

Google needs to set a realistic price tag. For example, the HD2 costs about 500-550 € in germany, the Hero about 400-450 €. If google would sell the N1 for 300 US$ (around 300 € with shipping and taxes I guess), who will by any other device. Is behavior would destroy the market.

 

[rubi76]

First,
an initial tag for 530 means within 2-3 months the price will drop to 400 or so.
With the Euro rate right now it means that in Europe it would sell for $ 530 or Euro 370, which is very competitive.
I think Americans are still scared of any UNLOCKED price - they are used to pay $ 200 or less for their phone and signing up for two years, not knowing they are paying MUCH more in the long run (biggest example, the iphone users I meet - happy to pay only $ 200 for the phone and at least $ 90 per month....).
Reality is that $ 530 for an initial price for a phone with this hardware is not much. $ 180 subsidized is definitely very very competitive.
The only issue I see is the fact they are not allowing TMO Family plans to sign up for this, which reduces the target market, and pisses off TMO customers. I have a family plan, I am due for an upgrade, i can't buy this for $ 180.
Besides that, I don't think the prices are high, Google is still a company that needs to show a profit and naturally won't sell at cost, especially after spending a lot of resources in Android development.

 

[vikingisson]

Let me remind anyone not in the US that no other country's mobile providers have the challenge of providing widespread service like those in the US. The fact that Verizon, AT&T, and to a lesser extent, Sprint have built out the network they have over the past decade is testament to major investment that cheap Euro plans couldn't support. I'm glad if you live in France, Sweden, or Germany that you have 12 carriers all competing for your business, but those companies have the advantage of only needing to cover a small fraction of land area compared to the US. What works in elsewhere isn't exactly a formula for success here. The carriers subsidize your handset and in turn, you subsidize the maintenance, improvement, and build-out of the vast networks.

I don't buy that argument. It isn't like any geek in his basement can throw up one tower with duct tape and make a go of it. But it is nice that a smaller outfit can get into the business and that isn't about being in a small country. People still travel and want their phone to work in the next state/country. And they expect to be able to change providers and use the same phone or any other that they prefer. And just because someone lives a few kms beyond the big town they have a better chance to get the same coverage and speed as their big city friends, the whole continent isn't jam packed with people. Small political borders mean very little, people aren't cowering behind fences and walls (anymore) just because their country is small on a map. Some of the providers in Europe are very large and cross all borders so have to cover large areas just like the poor yanks.

So with all that money that we're so happy to hand over so that the poor mega companies can build their networks you would think that by the tired density argument that this would equalize things. But it doesn't, one phone is less likely to work on the other carrier, calls drop even in the big city, you're lucky if you can get usable speeds beyond the megapolis, and other issues that no longer make sense.

I'm all for subsidized phones and contracts as a choice. If you're in Canada you expect to be on a 3 year contract to get that cheap phone. But I'd like to see unlocked, no contract as a viable choice too. It isn't that easy over here. The industry will never change for the better IMHO until enough of us start buying unlocked phones. If I remember my history correctly wireless wasn't invented to make us mobile but to make covering large areas much easier and cheaper than copper. Consumer wireless phone came much later.

 

[a.| )v4nc3d.]

This is all kind of meaningless, again, when you realize that (at least in the US) the unsubsidized phone along with the T-Mobile Even More Plus plans with Unlimited Text Web and 500 mins at 60 dollars per month for 2 years is cheaper than the subsidized phone with the Even More plan at 80 dollars per month for 2 years. Do the math. It's over 100 dollars cheaper in the long run.

 

[sthoeft]

I don't see the Point.

A unsubsidized phone would cost you more but therefore the carrier charges you less (at leas that's the way it works in germany). A subsidized phone on the other hand does cost less but your monthly fee is more.

Everyone does need to calculate for his/her own whats cheaper.

For example: I'm going to get my Milestone with an Vodafone Contract for 2 Years, this does cost me ~10€ the month and the Milestone ~90€, so I'll pay 330€ for the Milestone after the two years. The Milestone is SIM-Lock free and I'm going to use it with my "old" SIM Card (with 6,5 € Monthly for INet Flatrate UMTS and calls for 0,12 €/min). So in this case it's cheaper the get this contact and put it somethere and make a mark in the calender then to cancel it. The Milestone without contract does cost between 400-450 € in Germany.

Sometimes you will pay more for the contract and the gadget after the two years. In this case its worth to buy the gadget without contract and be free of choice.
For example:
The iPhone is regularly sold by T-Mobile in Germany. The cheapest contract for the iPhone does cost ~25 €/month (without anything expect of 200 MB Internet). Then the iPhone 3GS with 16 GB does cost 250 €, makes 850 € for a Simlocked iPhone. A free iPhone does cost between 650-700 € without any contract and an iNet Flatrate comes to ~7 €/month. So it does cost the same, expect that you then have a real iNet Flatrate (you won't be charged anything more for Internet, but you might get solwdowned to GPRS after 200 MB/month) and much cheaper phonecalls (0,12 €/min, not 0,29 €/min). If you'll whant to have FullFlat for everything the rates are 120 €/month and 1 € for the 32 GB Version (=2880 &#8364 or 700-750 € for the iPhone 3GS 32GB and 60 €/Month for an unlimited Plan for voice and data (=2190 &#8364.

In Germany it used to be the same like in the US. By now every carrier let you choose between a cheaper contract (range from 5-20 €/month) without an subsidized phone or the other way around.

So you see, you'll pay the price anyway, the difference is just how. No company will give you the most modern handset for free. They need to and want to make profit, they are no charity!

 

[Phydeaux]

Interesting that almost nobody in the poll is interested in the subsidized option. It sort of implies that Google chose the wrong carrier for this phone.

Having said that, I'm sure more than 3% of adopters of this phone will choose the subsidized option.

 

[a.| )v4nc3d.]

That is only because people literally don't do the math and just take the easier, more typical subsidized option...

I think there's even a way where you can buy the sub'd phone for 180 and then switch to the cheaper plan (60/mo) as long as you keep it for 2 years as your contract says, can anyone confirm this? If so, that would be by FAR the cheapest option.

 

[sthoeft]

In Germany there aren't such options. You can't switch to a cheaper plan, just to a more expensive one.

 

[vikingisson]

Interesting that almost nobody in the poll is interested in the subsidized option. It sort of implies that Google chose the wrong carrier for this phone.

Having said that, I'm sure more than 3% of adopters of this phone will choose the subsidized option.

Yet I'll bet that most will go for the subsidized option especially after a year when it is available by more providers. We don't like to admit it but that's what we do here, buy what sounds cheaper on day one. Plus the plan pricing isn't cheaper if you bring your own phone like they are in some other countries. You do however have more plan choices if you don't buy the $0 phone and aren't forced to buy package X because you got suckered into phone Y.

Over time and enough unlocked phones we'll get better service and lower real prices.

 

[a.| )v4nc3d.]

....Plus the plan pricing isn't cheaper if you bring your own phone like they are in some other countries...

Please see the T-Mobile Even More plans versus the Even More Plus plans. The former is a contracted plan, the latter is a monthly service plan. The Plus plans are about 20 dollars cheaper than the subsidized plans per month. Thus, making any phone that's not more than $480 more expensive than the subsidized version worth it.

 

[rubi76]

Interesting that almost nobody in the poll is interested in the subsidized option. It sort of implies that Google chose the wrong carrier for this phone.

Having said that, I'm sure more than 3% of adopters of this phone will choose the subsidized option.

It's actually exactly the opposite.... TMO is the only carrier that has plans for unsubsidized phones - even more plus - that's why Google choose the right carrier for this phone.

 

[kyler13]

I don't buy that argument. It isn't like any geek in his basement can throw up one tower with duct tape and make a go of it. But it is nice that a smaller outfit can get into the business and that isn't about being in a small country. People still travel and want their phone to work in the next state/country. And they expect to be able to change providers and use the same phone or any other that they prefer. And just because someone lives a few kms beyond the big town they have a better chance to get the same coverage and speed as their big city friends, the whole continent isn't jam packed with people. Small political borders mean very little, people aren't cowering behind fences and walls (anymore) just because their country is small on a map. Some of the providers in Europe are very large and cross all borders so have to cover large areas just like the poor yanks.

That's nice, but you're ignoring national versus int'l economies. It's easy for individual countries making up the EU to support multiple carriers per country with larger population densities. Population in the US is spread out. We expect to drive across the country, hopping from city to city with uniform coverage the whole way. That takes A LOT more coverage and investment than any one country, or even multiple countries, in the EU. I will agree that the different standards/frequencies between the big four in this country is ridiculous. The fact that I can't move freely from network to network is dumb. Not sure if the FCC dropped the ball or if free development of mobile technology simply spawned different upstarts. Not that solid on my history of cellular growth in the US. Clearly the worldwide (non-NA) support for 900/2100MHz 3G was thought out much better than here.

 

[vikingisson]

That's nice, but you're ignoring national versus int'l economies. It's easy for individual countries making up the EU to support multiple carriers per country with larger population densities.....

How often do you drive or fly across the country? Perhaps just as often as the Euros cross international borders for the same distance. Again, lines on a map don't mean very much in this context. Yet they can just as easily in many cases use their phones in the next country like we can in the next state. Despite all the countries, languages, and local interests they have a system that is more standardized than we do. Density has little to do with it. And there are low density countries that have good coverage and lower prices. There are other reasons for the mess we're in and the feds are the wrong people to ask to fix it, their interest in is keeping the status quo because of the extra revenue from bogus logic.
We need more early adopters of unlocked phones. Eventually we'll get more standards and better service.

 

[vikingisson]

But I'm not saying that $530 is a great deal. Early adoption always costs more. The 2nd generation is usually a better value. But unlocked is what we need more of over here.