What the Nexus One really costs

By Phil Nickinson
published

So how much is the Nexus One really going to cost you? If you're buying unlocked, it's a simple $530. If you're a current T-Mobile customer, it gets a little cloudy. Here's the official breakdown:

  • Nexus One with new, 2-year T-Mobile US service plan for new customers: $179
  • Nexus One with new, 2-year T-Mobile US service plan for qualifying existing T-Mobile customers who are adding data plans: $279
  • Nexus One with new, 2-year T-Mobile US service plan for qualifying existing T-Mobile customers who are upgrading their data plans: $379

Not quite so cut and dry, huh? (Thanks, Pneumatic)

Still not crazy about an unsubsidized phone, though? Below is an interesting 24-month breakdown between the Nexus One with the T-Mobile plan that comes along with a subsidized phone. Here you plainly see that if you buy an unlocked phone and go with a T-Mobile data-only plan (39.99/month), unlimited Skype calls to mobiles and landlines ($2.95/month) and a SkypeIn number ($30/year), you still come out ahead over the two years. In fact, you're ahead of the game in Month 11. Read the full findings at nosugrefneb (via Lifehacker)

Phil Nickinson
Phil Nickinson
27 Comments
  • thanks for pointing out the data-only plan option. It's a bit more work, but this is the kind of disruptive technology that Google is pushing for with the N1. Hopefully Tmobile won't shut it down or increase rates for the data-only plan.
  • Is it not possible to go to tmobile and buy this phone with a 2 year contract for 180 then immediately cancel the contract and pay the 200 termination fee and keep the phone for a total of 380 and then stick your existing tmobile sim and keep your old plan and save 160 dollars.
  • I believe if you buy the phone on contract and cancel the contract before 120 days (or something like that), you pay the 200 termination fee and still owe Google the remaining cost of the phone after the 180 already paid.
  • Can you send SMS and MMS with the data plan only?
  • use email and IM instead :P
  • Or you could use Google Voice. For mms google "picture mail emails" or something the like.
    You can use email to send mms directly to others' phones.
  • yes through google voice
  • So.... People keep reposting this chart with the data only plan and skype. Has anyone actually confirmed that there is a tmobile data only plan that works with android? Cuz I did, and there isnt one according to their website AND a store rep. So what am I missing?
  • is data not data in the US and it's tied to a phone? lol
    here if you pay for 2Gb of data on your SIM you can use it on whatever phone you want on whatever you want
  • Naw phone companies are dirty bastards here. Its not a prepaid deal like I assume you are talking about there, though it wouldnt be month to month so kind of the same thing, but the simply will not let you pay 30 a month for data instead of 60 (voice and data) on an android phone. They have them specific to the phone os which is utterly retarded.
  • You neglect to mention that the Skype app for Android completely blows - unless they did an update in the last few weeks to address how bad it is. I mean, you can only do skype-to-skype calls....
  • if you immediately cancel, do they have a satisfaction gaurantee? maybe they will only let you turn the phone in for a full refund. Id guess they probably have things in the contract that if you cancel in a certain amount of time, you have to forfeit the phone or something. otherwise I would be buying a new plan and cancelling it every day and selling the phones on ebay. bacause the phone I have now, I got for 180, could cancel for 175, and could have sold it on ebay for around 500+ back when it was released(except rebates stop that from happening)
  • Read the terms of service. If you cancel, you pay the full difference between the subsidized cost to the full price of the phone, billed to your credit card.
  • With Skype, couldn't you just add the number given to Google Voice, then all the calls would be routed through the Google Voice app in Android? SMS would always be handled through Google Voice correct?
  • Couldn't you actually just skip the skype number completely and have it all go through google voice? SMS is free with GV, but with wifi and GV would you really need the skype number or any other number for that fact? Seriously, anyone know?
  • You would need Gizmo5 and a voip/sip app to receive/send calls for free. Sipdroid is the only one I know of
    http://code.google.com/p/sipdroid/ Just using GV alone is the same as not using it, except for the voicemail and sms etc.
  • I'm pretty psyched that, as a long time T-Mobile customer and an owner of the G1 since its release date, there are no Nexus One options for me that don't require me to either a) spend $540 for an unlocked phone, or b) drop my "family plan" and messaging and sign up for a higher-cost individual rate plan and a 2-year contract. I'm not interested in playing wifi/Skype games to cut down my "total cost of ownership" by trading convenience for cost. I like Android and was hoping to be able to get a T-Mobile phone that runs Android smoothly enough not to be frustrating (unlike my sluggish G1). Hopefully this Nexus One deal isn't T-Mobile's only answer to the Verizon Motorola Droid.
  • Google voice still uses your phone minutes. Its not a VOIP service. However, google voice does send and receive sms via the data connection. So you don't need to pay for your text messaging plan. I did just see in the android market that the skype program still is worthless and hasnt been updated. However, the SIPdroid app supposably will allow you to make and receive calls using sipdroid and something like voipbuster or another voip service. trying that out now to see if it works. FYI voip calls get a delay a lot if you dont have perfect 3g service.
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  • With an unlocked Nexus One, why do I need a phone carrier at all??? If it will access the internet over any wifi output, and connect to Google.com, what is to prevent me from using Gizmo (or Skype) to make unlimited local or international calls to land or mobile lines, and useing GoogleVoice, Gizmo, Skype to receive calls from any source??? The internet is ubiquitous in most homes, offices and coffee houses.
    Do we all really need a connected phone 24/7???
  • Exactly why do you think data only plans jumped from $15 a couple of years ago up to $45 to $99? If people could get by with only a $15 data plan, and have to live with spotty VoIP service, they would. You can do it, and they'll call you clever. A few of your friends can do it, and you're a bleeding edge rogue. But if everybody starts ditching their minutes?? Corporate execs are going to be scrambling to keep their expensive habits paid for.
  • I was wondering the very same thing! Is there a Nexus One user out there who can give a definitive answer to this question?
  • Since the Nexus One has WIFI capabilities, can I just get the voice plan and connect to the Internet through a Hot Spot or does TMobile Thanks
  • Yes, Please someone answer this question! I bought an ipod touch because of the wifi. but now i'm thinking i don't really need it and am interested in the nexus one with verizon. but i do not want to pay for internet service. please!!!
  • Since the Nexus One has WIFI capabilities, can I just get the voice plan and connect to the Internet through a Hot Spot or does TMobile
    require a data plan?
    Thanks
  • is the data plan required when buying this phone? like from tmobile. for example the mytouch needs a data plan when you buy it with a contract. I'm guessing its the same for the nexus one since it's also android..
  • " Since the Nexus One has WIFI capabilities, can I just get the voice plan and connect to the Internet through a Hot Spot..." This is EXACTLY my thinking. I am in a 2 yr contract with AT&T and could just use my SIM card on the Nexus for voice, and use WIFI for data and for Skype over WiFi (since I already have Skype Out). Only issue I see here is that this thread says that Skype over WiFi App for the Nexus is not fully integrated and not ready for prime time. This is sort of exxential. I would be willing to pay a few hundred bucks (just wait 3 months) for an unlocked phone and shop around for plans from here on out and get out of the CONTRACT mode and the EXPENSIVE plan mode, especially for data service. This paradigm of unbundling the phones and the service is a GAME CHANGER and may open up the SmartPhone market for 80% of all users. The carriers can make up the difference of more affordable rates easily on huge volumes of new customers and by offloading lots of their airwave minutes onto WiFi. Its a win-win.