Where to buy S3 or S4?

[byulax22]

I would like to upgrade to a Samsung S3 or S4, but I can't wait to see what the Blackfriday deals will be since my Motion died and I need a phone now. It's been a while since I looked at new phones at Metro, but I understand that I can either buy a Metro version of these phones at crazy high prices, or find an unlocked GSM version and bring it to Metro to get it set up. Any suggestions on where to get a cheaper S3 or S4 that will work on Metro?

Thanks for your help

 

[dportal2006]

Buy the LG G2. Much better than S3. Slightly better than S4.

 

[the hulk]

I would like to upgrade to a Samsung S3 or S4, but I can't wait to see what the Blackfriday deals will be since my Motion died and I need a phone now. It's been a while since I looked at new phones at Metro, but I understand that I can either buy a Metro version of these phones at crazy high prices, or find an unlocked GSM version and bring it to Metro to get it set up. Any suggestions on where to get a cheaper S3 or S4 that will work on Metro?

Thanks for your help

note 2 is obnoxiously large, but its a beast and cheaper then the s4

 

[dportal2006]

The Note 2 has a bigger screen and better battery. The S4 has better display (not by much) and an improved camera.

 

[Shabbypenguin]

im an idiot

 

[the hulk]

note 2 has a screen resolution of 1280x720 over 5.5 inches with a ppi 265, s4 has a 5.0 screen with 1920x1080 and a ppi of 441. the pixel count difference is 2 million pixels in the s4's screen vs 921 thousand pixels in the note 2 stretched over a larger screen.

as someone who had the s3 and teh s4 it is a noticeable jump and the 1080p really makes it so beautifully crisp. in terms of long life and happy phone-ness, i would consider getting the s4 if you really must have a samsung (avoid the att model) or IMO the better choice would be nexus 5 if if you wanna save 150 bucks, the nexus 4. both devices smoke the s3 and will have longer update lives than the s3 and teh nexus 4 is cheaper. teh nexus 5 is a true powerhouse that will last for years as an amazing phone.

agreed, plus I like the fact that my note 2 is a powerhouse and has zero lag, great reception, and great battery life, the only reason i got my note 3 is because i got it for a price i couldn't argue, if not, i'd have kept the note 2, rooted it and it would rock everyones world out.

 

[Shabbypenguin]

byebye

 

[dportal2006]

agreed? i was saying the note 2 is a terrible choice. you can literally buy a note 2, s4, or a nexus 5 for all about the same price (370-410). of those the note 2 would be IMO the waste of money in terms of specs compared to the others.

on a side note how is the note 3? i bet its amazing :O

The Note 2 offers considerably bigger screen and battery. I Nexus 5 and S4 barely last you a day.

 

[the hulk]

agreed? i was saying the note 2 is a terrible choice. you can literally buy a note 2, s4, or a nexus 5 for all about the same price (370-410). of those the note 2 would be IMO the waste of money in terms of specs compared to the others.

on a side note how is the note 3? i bet its amazing :O

In regards to the note 2, I think it depends on who's going to be using it. I still haven't sold mine yet even though I got my note 3, because its just that great of a phone on battery life and speed. The note 3 you ask? well, she's a beast, fast, cleanest display I ever seen, haven't found a reason to take a picture of something yet, but it's an amazing phone, can't wait to get the otterbox for it, unless the s5 has a new app that makes me money, I probably wont upgrade for a while.

 

[Shabbypenguin]

removed

 

[dportal2006]

a bigger screen doesnt mean much overall though. i would rather have a 50 inch hd tv than a 70 tv that can only do standard def, the pixels get stretched out when put on a bigger screen at a lower res. as for battery life its been a mixed bag, a lot of peopel are claiming the nexus 5 has fairly awesome battery life while some are claiming its terrible, i know with the s4 i had i had no problems going 2 days of use myself, obviously usage alters how much battery, my wife can barely get any phone she has to last 8 hours....

That is the thing though the Galaxy Note 2 has a pretty awesome screen. You make it sound like the S4 screen is worlds better. I guarantee you if i take an average person and put the screens side by side they would not be able to find a difference. Size difference is very noticeable. If you can see the pixels difference between the Note 2 and S4 there are three reasons why, either you are facing a gigantic placebo effect in favor of the S4, you read the screen an inch from your face or you use a magnifying glass to read your phone. 99.9999% of humans with good vision can't tell the difference.

 

[Shabbypenguin]

i had a long thing all typed out but then i remembered why i posted in this thread in the first place, no one had actually answered OP's question. apologies OP.

swappa is a good place to snag up a cheaper used android device, its made by phone geeks to help phone geeks sell their devices. http://swappa.com/buy/samsung-galaxy-s-4-tmobile/us you can grab a tmobile s4 for 410 on there (it doesnt have to be unlocked to be used on metro, and even then its not hard to unlock it with a few dialer codes). that is far cheaper than metro's brand new and will provide ya a good while with an awesome device.

i will however suggest that picking up a nexus 5 may be a better solution unless you are really wanting a samsung. the software will be updated more and far faster, and with the custom rom community it will live on far long than most OEM devices will. gogole sells em for 350/400, if you have a budget in mind then perhaps grabbing one through tmobiles uncarrier plans might be a better option, 41 bucks down and you walk out with a snazzy new device. it would mean porting your number and using tmobile's 10 dollar more plans.

also it should be worth noting that going from a cdma lg motion to a newer gsm device will require you to be on one of teh current 40/50/60 dollar plans, so if you have a promo plan you will lose it switching to gsm.

 

[the hulk]

I agree to an extent. I've had both, had them next to each other, and the screens (note 2 vs note 3), definite difference in screen resolution, but like you said, the average person may or may not notice the difference. Actually, I've had the s3, s4, and note 2 and 3, definite all have there goods and bads, i'll keep my note 3 personally, i do need an otterbox though badly.

 

[byulax22]

These are all great suggestions, thanks for the info. So where are you guys buying these devices from? Metropcs? Or another site, then setting them up with Metro? I used to know of a website that had less expensive Metro phones, but it's been years since I've seen it, and can't seem to find it. Thanks

Edit: Just saw Shabby's response, thanks! I'll take a look.

 

[Shabbypenguin]

These are all great suggestions, thanks for the info. So where are you guys buying these devices from? Metropcs? Or another site, then setting them up with Metro? I used to know of a website that had less expensive Metro phones, but it's been years since I've seen it, and can't seem to find it. Thanks

swappa, ebay, amazon or craigslist. IMO swappa is the best place because it provides a bit more of a protection where they check if a device has a clean imei/esn and the devices tend to be in better condition because its people like us who are on there selling who take care of their stuff.

please note that while it is safer than ebay/amazon it isnt foolproof, craigslist and meeting at the carriers store is your best bet of making sure the imei is clean and isnt on a tmobile payment plan.

 

[byulax22]

swappa, ebay, amazon or craigslist. IMO swappa is the best place because it provides a bit more of a protection where they check if a device has a clean imei/esn and the devices tend to be in better condition because its people like us who are on there selling who take care of their stuff.

please note that while it is safer than ebay/amazon it isnt foolproof, craigslist and meeting at the carriers store is your best bet of making sure the imei is clean and isnt on a tmobile payment plan.

Why can't it be one on a tmobile payment plan? Are those not compatible with the Metro plans?

 

[the hulk]

Why can't it be one on a tmobile payment plan? Are those not compatible with the Metro plans?

then you have to pay them for service too.

 

[Shabbypenguin]

Why can't it be one on a tmobile payment plan? Are those not compatible with the Metro plans?

if you get a device on a payment plan you are paying them for service and the device, once you are paid off its yours to do as you will including brining it to tmobile.

however if someone else walks into tmobile buys a device for a down payment, sells it to you for a few hundred they still owe tmobile for that device. what tmobile then does is when payment is late they blacklist the device so the person cant sell/use it, meaning he paid maybe 100 bucks for a high end device, sold it to someone for a few hundred and walked off with a profit while you have a non-working device.

i dont claim to pretend to know how often something like that happens, but i sure wouldnt want to have it happen. simply calling or going to a tmobile store and see if the imei is clean and clear is a far better way to do it. its why i would suggest craigslist and meeting in a store for best protection.

 

[yerpman]

I would like to upgrade to a Samsung S3 or S4, but I can't wait to see what the Blackfriday deals will be since my Motion died and I need a phone now. It's been a while since I looked at new phones at Metro, but I understand that I can either buy a Metro version of these phones at crazy high prices, or find an unlocked GSM version and bring it to Metro to get it set up. Any suggestions on where to get a cheaper S3 or S4 that will work on Metro?

Thanks for your help

I've got an extra S3 (CDMA) that I'll sell. It has been owned by a MetroPCS employee and is in mint condition. Less than 1 year old. Not a single scratch or blemish. Works perfectly. In original box with charger, headset, documentation. ESN is ready to activate.
It is rooted and currently on stock ROM. $175 including standard shipping

 

[byulax22]

I've got an extra S3 (CDMA) that I'll sell. It has been owned by a MetroPCS employee and is in mint condition. Less than 1 year old. Not a single scratch or blemish. Works perfectly. In original box with charger, headset, documentation. ESN is ready to activate.
It is rooted and currently on stock ROM. $175 including standard shipping

I just saw your offer of your CDMA version S3. If I understand correctly, this is the old technology that will be phased out within the next year or two, right? I'm just trying to wrap my arms around it all, as I'm not that technical. Thanks

 

[Bishop99]

$489 for the T-Mobile Galaxy S4. Great price.

Samsung Galaxy S4 4G LTE Smartphone w/ Accessories & T-Mobile No Annual Service Contract ShopHQ.com

 

[Shabbypenguin]

Getting an s4 at that price is an awesome deal, it has so many extra purposes. need a smartphone? bam, feeling a little cold? try playing some games, its overheating cpu/gpu will warm you up in no time.

if you are ever bored and tired of your life it even has an attempt suicide feature, it automatically detects that the owner isnt happy and will short on the charger while you sleep and catch fire. allowing a fresh start on life, or maybe even never having to worry about it again .

 

[OcalaFlGuy]

His comparison to the XBox deal is well taken.

Lessee.

Samsung makes and sells a defective product that could be injurious or even deadly and for me to get a replacement for it, I, who haven't done squat wrong have to Give Up My rights *before Samsung will fix THEIR mistake*?

Color me one chased off prospective customer Samsung.

Good job.

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

 

[Shabbypenguin]

The thing im not a fan of is he posted a video of the stock charger being burned and his phone. there have been numerous s3's that caught fire and or exploded and every single time was due to user error or a replacement battery/charger. when stuff like that happened on teh s3 people sent their phones in for repair and then let the public know about it all and then when it was found because they bought 3 chinese batteries for 4 bucks on ebay on why his phone exploded in his pocket kind of deal they werent ever heard from again.

this guy instead posted a video which is bad publicity and then posts a video of 2 sheets of paper that look like it was written in MS word causing even more bad publicity. in an age where companies try so hard to slander each other at any expense regardless of what samsung says regarding those papers the damage is already done.

now while i agree this is obviously and issue and should be addressed with, samsung isnt certain of what the problem is atm and this guy is instead creating bad press for it all. lets say it comes back of he had a fake battery in there and then just swapped out after the fire to an oem one it wouldnt matter to everyday people that find his video because they already heard what they needed to, samsung makes exploding fire riddled phones.

i personally think the hong kong one was some kind of accident and now others are hopping on the me2 train. why stop at just a replacement phone when you can get some hush money too, im sure youve seen all too often people trying to game the system to get what they want (heck im sure there is plenty of it just even on these forums).

 

[Bishop99]

Getting an s4 at that price is an awesome deal, it has so many extra purposes. need a smartphone? bam, feeling a little cold? try playing some games, its overheating cpu/gpu will warm you up in no time.

if you are ever bored and tired of your life it even has an attempt suicide feature, it automatically detects that the owner isnt happy and will short on the charger while you sleep and catch fire. allowing a fresh start on life, or maybe even never having to worry about it again .

Lol.. Thankfully I never got such a good deal