Raise your hand if you’ve ever bought a phone only to find a cheaper one on sale right after the return period lapses. Anyone? Yes? Yeah, me too. Like just now. After recently purchasing an iPhone 4 on Sprint, I see Amazon is offering any Sprint 4G phone for a penny. On top of that, Amazon is waiving the activation fee for the phone. This is a very exciting offer at first glance, but there is a catch.
All of those phones are on Sprint’s original, Wimax 4G network. Sprint is about to roll out their own version of the Galaxy Nexus and with it, an LTE network. I gushed about AT&T’s LTE network in a previous article, and Verizon’s LTE network has impressed the heck out of all of our writers who have used it. Wimax won’t go away tomorrow, but you’re marrying yourself to a technology being phased out by Sprint at some point. Heck, it may not even be live in your are, so be sure to check. It could be in two years, it could be in twenty, but you’re buying a product with a built-in expiration date.
If you don’t mind that though, this is a heck of a deal. I personally recommend the Samsung Galaxy S II and the Motorola Photon 4G. I would caution you to avoid the Samsung Conquer 4G, as that is always a free phone and has a much lower-end screen and camera. If you need a keyboard, the Samsung Epic is head and shoulders above the HTC Shift. If you’re thinking of any other HTC, get the Evo 3D over the Design. Yes, the 3D feature is gimmicky, but the chips that power it make for a better overall phone in my opinion.
You're on your own in the "Plum vs Original" debate.
Will you be taking advantage of this sale? Let us know in the comment section and why you chose the phone you did.
Even at these prices, I can’t afford to upgrade to a smartphone — because my contract plan would change and get way more expensive than my current one.
But glad to know that the EVO is still a recommend – since that’s the one I have my eyes on for the “when I upgrade” decisions.