YMMV Nexus 4 $149 on T-Mo w/employer discounts

One of my customers alerted me to this, for some of you this may be a good alternative to waiting for Google to replenish their inventory.

It assumes you have access to a legit corporate discount through T-Mobile.

For me, my corporate discount is 10% on service.

Here's the math:

Nexus 4 16 GB is $149, plus tax, free shipping.
Cheapest plan you can sign for is 39.99 + 20 data = 59.99 - discount + taxes
Activation is waived (T-Mo seems to be waiving it for everyone)
ETF is $200

Compared to Play store:

Nexus 4 16 GB is $349, plus tax and at least $12.99 shipping.
Most people seem get $30 t-Mo plan or $45 Straight Talk plan.

Now the real math...

T-Mo: $149 (Nexus) + 6% tax = 157.94 shipped and activated
T-Mo: 1 month service = $59.99 * 10% discount + 6% tax = $57.23
T-Mo: $200 ETF

= Nexus + 1 month of service + ETF = $415.17

Google: $349 (Nexus) + 6% tax + 12.99 shipping = $382.93
ST: $1 SIM (assume it can be found) + $45 first month service (assume you don't pay tax) = $46

= Nexus + 1 month of service = $428.93

If you were planning on using T-Mo anyway this is a great deal. If you weren't, but want to get a Nexus 4 before they're back in stock from Google, still not a bad deal. If you have access to a corporate discount > 10% you can save a few bucks more on the first month's service.

outtawhack said:   For me, my corporate discount is 10% on service.

Now the real math...

T-Mo: $149 (Nexus) + 6% tax = 157.94 shipped and activated
T-Mo: 1 month service = $59.99 * 10% discount + 6% tax = $57.23
T-Mo: $200 ETF

= Nexus + 1 month of service + ETF = $415.17

Google: $349 (Nexus) + 6% tax + 12.99 shipping = $382.93
ST: $1 SIM (assume it can be found) + $45 first month service (assume you don't pay tax) = $46

= Nexus + 1 month of service = $428.93All that hassle and the NEED for a corporate discount to save $13 is hardly worth it. I bet T-Mobile has bloatware installed on their phone too. I'd just go straight to play store. Much much easier..

I thought the major carriers had tiered ETF, meaning basic phones = $200, smart phones = $350, etc.

ChefJoe said:   Isn't that section on "the real math" basically saying how you get a phone for $14 less by doing a whole lot of perfectly timed service cancellations and not being taxed on the phone before service discount ? I dunno man, seems like it's a lot more work for a small percentage of savings.

Agreed, but if you take Google's estimates at face value, it's going to be 6-8 weeks before you'll see a Nexus 4 available for order.

It beats the heck out of paying $450-$550 plus shipping for one eBay, which is the only other channel to purchasing a Nexus 4 right now.

Given that, and given many people are using it on T-Mo anyway, it's worth it to jump through the hoops. Just look at the Nexus 4 thread for how many people paid for 2 day shipping only to have to wait 1+ weeks from shipping notification to delivery.

And as far as bloatware, there is none. This is a Nexus.

kenyanboy said:   outtawhack said:   And as far as bloatware, there is none. This is a Nexus.

True. But is T-Mobile bastardizing the Nexus 4 by installing some of their own apps and maybe also SIM-locking?

OP, can you change to a value plan after 30-60 days? If yes, this would make a compelling offer for me.

Seems like a good deal if, for example, you're trying to get one for someone for Christmas.

kenyanboy, why wait 30-60 days? Once you receive it, you can call up and switch over to Value plan for $200 conversion fee. Seems like if you're going specifically Value Plan that would be cheaper!

You can also get corp discount on value plans too!

Shoot me a PM if you're a new customer to Tmo and looking for decent deals- I "know a guy"...

kenyanboy said:   outtawhack said:   And as far as bloatware, there is none. This is a Nexus.

True. But is T-Mobile bastardizing the Nexus 4 by installing some of their own apps and maybe also SIM-locking?

OP, can you change to a value plan after 30-60 days? If yes, this would make a compelling offer for me.

Whole point of Nexus is to not have the bloatware and carrier locks. If TMo were doing so, Google wouldn't be distributing through them.

So I can do this with SIII too, right?

I would gladly buy a nexus 4 for $150 and do a 2 year agreement, but you can't with the $30 unlimited data / 100min plan.

msiew said:   I'm sorry, but I don't get the math. Why is there one month of service added to the nexus purchased from the play store?

Because I assume 99.9% of people purchasing a Nexus 4 plan on using it as a smartphone as soon as it arrives, so they will have either bought a SIM + pin for their device, or they'll activate on a post paid account once it arrives.

Of those planning on using with a post-paid provider, most are probably going to buy an iPhone 5 16 GB for $199 to take a subsidy and will then sell on eBay for $500+ to effectively get their Nexus 4 free.

Sold mine for $489 today! Yay for me. Going to use the Note 2 in it's place. I love pure Google, et.al, but the Note 2 is just hard to beat. It's phenomenal.