Verizon Wireless is offering a refurbished “certified pre-owned” version of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus for $229, sans any contract.
The Google-partnered device is the first on Verizon Wireless with Android 4.1, Jelly Bean. While the phone is $49 with new contracts, the offering is significant for existing customers with grandfathered unlimited data. Verizon Wireless no longer allows customers to keep their unlimited data, and sign a new contract. They must pay full retail price when upgrading, or purchase a used handset.
With a full retail price of only $229, the Galaxy Nexus is an attractive option for those on grandfathered data to upgrade to a modern device, especially from a 3G smartphone… and keep their coveted data plans.
The Samsung Galaxy Nexus served as the design basis for the Samsung Galaxy S II. The key advantage that sets it apart from other devices, is that it is one of the few maintained as part of the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), and thus receives new firmware from Google within days of release.
While Verizon typically holds up firmware for months in testing and approval, hackers can create extremely stable and proper firmware releases, since Google provides pre-built workflows for creating firmware for the device. It is expected that the Galaxy Nexus will continue to receive AOSP upgrades after it is phased out, possibly six days from now at a looming Google announcement. It is all but confirmed that Google will announce its fourth Nexus smartphone, built in partnership with LG, at the event.
for existing V-zon customers w/ grandfathered plans… perhaps. BUT, if you haven’t learned yet, V-zon is notorious for getting timely fresh software updates to its customers.
if u are after PURE google, then it’s a NO brainer… buy the unlocked HSPA+ GSM Galaxy Nexus straight from the Google Play store… OR wait a few more weeks for Google’s newest Nexus phones.
going PURE google will assure you of version 4.2 — which V-zon models won’t get until its carrier releases it. pure Google models get updates from GOOG directly.
@$229 V-zon’s model is USED anyhow. the current GSM Google phone is brand new. and when the new Nexus comes out, there’s a chance GOOG will chop the price of the GSM GNex even more (prob lower than the V-zon-controlled model)
Mason, they said all that in the article. LTE blows HSPA out of the water. Try Verizon’s network and you’ll see.
That’s why people are paying hundreds of dollars to take over grandfathered plans that were offered as late as just a few months ago. Verizon’s LTE is that much better.
And like Chris said, you can build your own firmware thanks to it being an AOSP device… quickly and easily. You don’t have to wait for Verizon, unlike all the other Android phones on Verizon that are locked down.
Surprisingly, Verizon’s pricing is actually a pretty accurate reflection of the market price of $225 http://movaluate.com/samsung/galaxy-nexus-32gb-verizon
If you are a Verizon subscriber and you’ve been eyeing the GNex, this is a decent opportunity to own a certified device. However, keep in mind that the next round of Google AOSP Nexus product[s] will be coming to market in the very near future.
If you’re using Chrome, you may have trouble accessing the Verizon link directly. Copy/paste it into another browser:
http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/store/controller?item=phoneFirst&action=viewPhoneDetail&selectedPhoneId=5862
Just tries to purchase at retail and the website was forcing me to change my unlimited data plan. I called customer service and the rep said I can be on a month to month plan at retail price for the phone but I must change my unlimited data plan to do so. The retail price is misleading!
We tested it on a grandfathered Verizon account and were able to get past the plan phase without adding a new contract. We’ll test again to see if Verizon changed anything after we published.
Okay, we did some more testing, we think we have it figured out.
If you have a line that is not eligible for a new contract (meaning, the line is stuck in-contract), then you can order online.
But, if you have a line of service that is eligible for a new contract, you’ll be forced to purchase the upgrade at the on-contract price.
This appears to be a limitation of the Verizon online ordering system. The easiest workaround, is to upgrade to Galaxy Nexus Pre-owned with a line of service that is locked in-contract, and then SIM swap/swap lines after you receive the device. Verizon has a tool in My Account that lets you do this easily, without even going to the store.
Unfortunately, Verizon doesn’t seem to be matching this promo in-store or via telesales. If all your lines are either feature phones or out of contract, you may not be able to do this deal.