Ever since rumors issued forth from gadget blogs that Google would sell its Nexus One unlocked and unsubsidized, or locked and subsidized by T-Mobile and its two-year contract, price has been a big issue regarding Google’s new smartphone.
We now know for sure we can pay $529 for the Nexus One and pop our own SIM into it, provided it’s for GSM networks.
Also confirmed is that T-Mobile, a GSM purveyor, will support the Nexus One with a two-year contract for $179.
Fortunately, the boys over at BillShrink have liberated us from clicking through the Websites of top smartphone vendors to see how much the Nexus One will cost consumers when unit acquisition costs and data plans are factored out.
Even better, BillShrink compares Nexus One pricing to the costs of smartphones with which it is intended to vie for market share, including Apple’s iPhone 3GS, Palm’s Pre and Motorola’s Droid device.
Here is the graphic, including itemized pricing for all of the phones, capped by unlimited and average net costs for the four smartphones over 24 months:
Since many reviewers have compared the Nexus One to the hallowed iPhone, you’ll note that the cost to consumers who subscribe to the unlimited plan for iPhone 3GS is $1,220 more than the comparable plan for the Nexus One over two years.
So, if price is the ultimate issue for you, you may want to give the Nexus One a good, hard look. You’ll save $30 more with the Pre by comparison, but the Nexus One blows the Pre away in features and functionality. It’s just a newer, faster fun.
So when you choose, choose wisely.