Ask HN: Unlocked Nexus S and T-mobile

#1

Post by bishops01 » Tue, Dec 07, 2010, 8:38 PM UTC

I want to buy the Nexus S phone unlocked, but from what I can tell the only carrier that this works on is T-Mobile. If this is the case, then assuming I don't travel outside the country, what is the purpose of buying it unlocked as opposed to subsidized from T-Mobile?

I do not have any friends on T-Mobile, so I am unsure what quality of service I get in the area that I will be moving to in a few weeks (outskirts of Atlanta, Ga). I am afraid if I buy the Nexus S, even if I get month to month service, cancelling won't do me any good... because the phone is no good on another service.

Is there a way to know if T-Mobile will work for me, and what has peoples' service been like in other parts of the country (I do travel sometimes)?

Re: Ask HN: Unlocked Nexus S and T-mobile

#2

Post by johng » Tue, Dec 07, 2010, 9:18 PM UTC

The only purpose for you buying it unlocked is not being locked into a contract.

Re: Ask HN: Unlocked Nexus S and T-mobile

#3

Post by mcknz » Tue, Dec 07, 2010, 9:22 PM UTC

Never had a problem with T-Mobile service, and I've been midwest, southwest, and east coast. Haven't been to Georgia. I'm thinking about that phone too, but some of the features missing from Galaxy S (microSD slot) give me second thoughts.

Re: Ask HN: Unlocked Nexus S and T-mobile

#4

Post by percept » Tue, Dec 07, 2010, 11:29 PM UTC

I don't know anything about the Nexus, but T-Mobile's service has been great for me on the East Coast. I switched from Verizon about a year ago and with prepaid service spend well under half what I used to. I can also make calls from inside the house again, something I couldn't do with Verizon (except if I stood on one leg in a corner).

It also saves time because it's one less monthly financial transaction to monitor--I just buy a bunch of minutes every few months or so. I recommend it for anybody looking to reduce costs and complexity (start-uppers, for example).

Re: Ask HN: Unlocked Nexus S and T-mobile

#5

Post by jph » Wed, Dec 08, 2010, 2:31 AM UTC

Buying unlocked will save you money over two years because T-Mobile will give you a discounted monthly rate. I do it this way.

Also, if you are considering a variety of T-Mobile phones, then you can buy them and return them within 15 or 30 days. For example in the past season I've bought the Samsung Galaxy S, the Google G2, the HTC MyTouch 4G, and will buy the Nexus S.

FWIW, T-Mobile has been great for me. The network is significantly better than ATT in San Francisco. Also, the customer service people are head and shoulders above the other wireless providers. They have taught me how to tether in Linux, how to root a phone, and were especially helpful diagnosing a GPS chip issue with me.

Re: Ask HN: Unlocked Nexus S and T-mobile

#6

Post by notphilatall » Wed, Dec 08, 2010, 3:35 AM UTC

I lived in downtown ATL and worked in Norcross ~4 years ago, and had solid T-mobile coverage (better than I have with AT&T in SF now, but that's not saying much).