4 ms·

Not being snarky at all, but why is this so important to people? Why not just buy a Nexus 5? Or a Play Edition phone?

by pkulak 12y ago

justin66 12y ago
In this case, it's a Verizon phone. Verizon (quite illegally, to my understanding) keeps most devices it doesn't sell itself off its network.
runjake 12y ago
Because some people can't "afford" the price of the unsubsidized Nexus 5 next to a "$199" (on contract) S5. Some people like better cameras, some people prefer the S5 hardware, etc etc.
- lstamour 12y ago
  If you can't afford an off-contract phone, you really can't afford an on-contract phone. You just don't know it yet ... ;-)
  - ddorian43 12y ago
    it's too much thinking to realize that
    - hav 12y ago
      Isn't it more about the instant gratification part of the whole deal? People usually think it's easier/better/nicer to receive what they want and pay over time rather than to save the money and buy it at a later date. Or am I just wrong?
      - ddorian43 12y ago
        in Albania people buy a 700$ phone when they have a salary of 300$/month so i don't know what to believe anymore
  - Kurtz79 12y ago
    It's not that different than contracting a mortgage of asking for a lease to pay a car... Maybe it's not a matter of "affording" the same way most people cannot afford to pay for a house on the spot, but I can understand that some people prefer to pay ultimately more money, but a much smaller sum over time.
    - wmf 12y ago
      If your credit is good enough for a phone contract it's probably also good enough for a credit card that could buy the phone outright.
- JshWright 12y ago
  Some people are Verizon customers...
- gabriel34 12y ago
  So, AT&T/Verizon sell subsidized locked phones and get their money back on the long run. If I wanted to, in the US, could I get a contract with a lower value because I'm not buying this subsidy? If so, wouldn't the right move would be to do so and buy an unlocked phone? I'm guessing AT&T/Verizon's interest is far larger than banks', leading to a better deal, even if you don't have the money right now. On the other hand, locking my phone is the wrong way to enforce anything. It's my device to do what I want with.
  - mattmaroon 12y ago
    On many carriers (including Verizon, the best here) you pay the same plan fee, or very close to it, whether you bring your device or not.
  - L_Rahman 12y ago
    T-Mobile goes down the route you are suggesting: Lower monthly charges if you BYOD with the option of going the traditional contract route. They even push this as a competitive advantage. ATT and Verizon to my knowledge do not offer equal quality service as their contract plans at lower prices for BYOD customers.
    - btgeekboy 12y ago
      ATT does. If you're using their Mobile Share / Next scheme, you get a discount on your plan if you're not on a contract. If you use Next, they're effectively financing your phone for 0% interest for 18 or 24 months. (My bill is $40 for 2GB, $40 for the phone, minus $15 for not being in a contract.)
- zobzu 12y ago
  "the brand name"
smtddr 12y ago
Sometimes just the hardware. I have a Kindle Fire HDX from Nov.2013 sitting around waiting for an unlocked bootloader to run custom ROMs. Why not just get a Nexus tablet? Because I don't like the design of those; Kindle Fire HDX is much prettier IMHO.

Not being snarky at all, but why is this so important to people? Why not just buy a Nexus 5? Or a Play Edition phone?

by pkulak 12y ago

Not being snarky at all, but why is this so important to people? Why not just buy a Nexus 5? Or a Play Edition phone?

In this case, it's a Verizon phone. Verizon (quite illegally, to my understanding) keeps most devices it doesn't sell itself off its network.

runjake 12y ago

Because some people can't "afford" the price of the unsubsidized Nexus 5 next to a "$199" (on contract) S5. Some people like better cameras, some people prefer the S5 hardware, etc etc.

lstamour 12y ago
If you can't afford an off-contract phone, you really can't afford an on-contract phone. You just don't know it yet ... ;-)
- ddorian43 12y ago
  it's too much thinking to realize that
  - hav 12y ago
    Isn't it more about the instant gratification part of the whole deal? People usually think it's easier/better/nicer to receive what they want and pay over time rather than to save the money and buy it at a later date. Or am I just wrong?
    - ddorian43 12y ago
      in Albania people buy a 700$ phone when they have a salary of 300$/month so i don't know what to believe anymore
- Kurtz79 12y ago
  It's not that different than contracting a mortgage of asking for a lease to pay a car... Maybe it's not a matter of "affording" the same way most people cannot afford to pay for a house on the spot, but I can understand that some people prefer to pay ultimately more money, but a much smaller sum over time.
  - wmf 12y ago
    If your credit is good enough for a phone contract it's probably also good enough for a credit card that could buy the phone outright.
JshWright 12y ago
Some people are Verizon customers...
gabriel34 12y ago
So, AT&T/Verizon sell subsidized locked phones and get their money back on the long run. If I wanted to, in the US, could I get a contract with a lower value because I'm not buying this subsidy? If so, wouldn't the right move would be to do so and buy an unlocked phone? I'm guessing AT&T/Verizon's interest is far larger than banks', leading to a better deal, even if you don't have the money right now. On the other hand, locking my phone is the wrong way to enforce anything. It's my device to do what I want with.
- mattmaroon 12y ago
  On many carriers (including Verizon, the best here) you pay the same plan fee, or very close to it, whether you bring your device or not.
- L_Rahman 12y ago
  T-Mobile goes down the route you are suggesting: Lower monthly charges if you BYOD with the option of going the traditional contract route. They even push this as a competitive advantage. ATT and Verizon to my knowledge do not offer equal quality service as their contract plans at lower prices for BYOD customers.
  - btgeekboy 12y ago
    ATT does. If you're using their Mobile Share / Next scheme, you get a discount on your plan if you're not on a contract. If you use Next, they're effectively financing your phone for 0% interest for 18 or 24 months. (My bill is $40 for 2GB, $40 for the phone, minus $15 for not being in a contract.)
zobzu 12y ago
"the brand name"

smtddr 12y ago

Sometimes just the hardware. I have a Kindle Fire HDX from Nov.2013 sitting around waiting for an unlocked bootloader to run custom ROMs. Why not just get a Nexus tablet? Because I don't like the design of those; Kindle Fire HDX is much prettier IMHO.