Newbie question about Samsung Galaxy S2...

[asjdwf]

Hello all,

I'm currently up for a new upgrade from my Iphone 3gs on AT&T and I have been doing some mucho reading on the Samsung Galaxy S2. I have even almost ordered one from newegg.com but did not when I learned that my carrier MIGHT have one out with the name of the Attain sometime in August.

Problem is I don't know if I'm better off getting an unlocked version of this masterpiece of a phone or waiting for the AT&T version. What should I do? I'm so confused I'm beating my head against the wall on this one.

Thank you so much.

AJ

 

[AznAnarchy99]

Depends. Unlocked is better but you'll be spending $600 but not on contract. ATT will probably have it for $200 with 2 year agreement. Plus August is not a guarantee.

 

[Alone]

All comes down to money. What would it cost to get it from your carrier and what would it cost to get it online?

As far as being unlocked, there are no downsides as far as I've identified with my current Galaxy (or any other phone for that matter).

 

[pm]

As the others said...

Unlocked is good for resale, and it's great for international travel, or if you want to use the phone with a prepaid plan.

But if you are going to stick it on a post-paid plan, and don't travel internationally, you don't need unlocked and you are paying 2x-3x more for the priviledge of an unlocked phone.

I would say that the answer to this question depends a lot on your income level (is $600 a lot of money to you?), and how desperate you are to get the phone (do you need it now, or can you wait a month or two?). AT&T will get the SG2 this year... although August isn't guaranteed. Could be Sept. Maybe even Oct. I don't think a really believeable rumor is out there with a specific date for an SG2 AT&T launch.

 

[snikt]

I've had my SGS2 for a little under a month now and the honeymoon is still going strong. I don't regret buying it or paying what I paid for it but I did have the money burning a hole in my pocket and its one of the reason why we have jobs, so we can buy cool toys.

 

[Alone]

The S2 looks pretty cool. I'd probably buy one if they got rid of the center button.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Biggest thing that has held me back from buying an unlocked SGS2 is the lack of warranty. I have this fear I get $600 dud I am stuck with.

 

[pm]

Biggest thing that has held me back from buying an unlocked SGS2 is the lack of warranty. I have this fear I get $600 dud I am stuck with.

Yeah, good catch. I didn't notice that. 30 day warranty is a bit short for a $600 device.

 

[asjdwf]

Yes, 30 days is a little short lol. I noticed on Samsung's homepage that they are offering owners of new devices an extra 3 months warranty for registering new devices though which is good.

Any idea when this phone comes to AT&T?

 

[pm]

I haven't seen a credible rumor for the SG2 launch on AT&T. People say "August" but I personally won't believe it until I see a screenshot of an AT&T CSR that lists it with a date and enough details to be believeable.

 

[poofyhairguy]

I think you can safely say it will be on AT&T before 2012.

 

[asjdwf]

That's one of the reasons it's soooooooooo hard to wait for it. AHHHHH lol.

 

[lothar]

Hello all,

I'm currently up for a new upgrade from my Iphone 3gs on AT&T and I have been doing some mucho reading on the Samsung Galaxy S2. I have even almost ordered one from newegg.com but did not when I learned that my carrier MIGHT have one out with the name of the Attain sometime in August.

Problem is I don't know if I'm better off getting an unlocked version of this masterpiece of a phone or waiting for the AT&T version. What should I do? I'm so confused I'm beating my head against the wall on this one.

Thank you so much.

AJ

You should be able to unlock it by downloading a simple app on Android market.

If your carrier blocks it, go in airplane mode, turn on WiFi, and download it.

 

[asjdwf]

Wouldn't one from newegg already be unlocked? I am just saying it's hard to wait for the phone to come out on my carrier.

 

[lothar]

Biggest thing that has held me back from buying an unlocked SGS2 is the lack of warranty. I have this fear I get $600 dud I am stuck with.

That's why you should use an American Express card for payment.

 

[asjdwf]

And I dont own a credit card lol.

 

[ImDonly1]

Wouldn't one from newegg already be unlocked? I am just saying it's hard to wait for the phone to come out on my carrier.

Yes it's unlocked.

Also, fyi, if you order from expansys-usa.com I think they give you a warranty. Normally, these phones don't get a warranty in the US. But, expansys is based out of the UK, so they ship the phone back to their UK office and then submit the warranty for you. Might take a while though and more of a hassle. I don't see other websites offering this. You can get the phone for $648 from expansys now.

 

[you2]

How good is the phone side of the sg2 as well as the speakers/clarity?

I was playing with the photon @ sprint and it is a pretty nice phone. While I know the gs2 will have faster gpu and nice screen I don't know how well it will live up to being a phone...
-
It will lack led which the photon has.

I've had my SGS2 for a little under a month now and the honeymoon is still going strong. I don't regret buying it or paying what I paid for it but I did have the money burning a hole in my pocket and its one of the reason why we have jobs, so we can buy cool toys.

 

[tonygeor]

If you want it subsidized get the ATT version, if not get the unlocked

 

[snikt]

How good is the phone side of the sg2 as well as the speakers/clarity?

I was playing with the photon @ sprint and it is a pretty nice phone. While I know the gs2 will have faster gpu and nice screen I don't know how well it will live up to being a phone...
-
It will lack led which the photon has.

I have no complaints with the phone aspect of it. Speaker works great, clarity is great. But I imagine the carrier and coverage has as much to do with clarity as the phone. I live in the greater Los Angeles area and I get very good to great AT&T service for voice and data. I love my SGS2; if I could take long walks on the beach with it I would....wait a second, I can! I'm out!

 

[you2]

You would be amazed how different phones differ with regards to phone reception and clarity. Take the evo3d vs photon right now. Might be firmware issue but right now the photon is a lot nicer than the evo3d (as a phone).

 

[Doboji]

I recommend getting it the fastest way possible, this phone is like Jesus. Seriously.

There's always square trade for warranty...

 

[asjdwf]

man............I'm so confused. I really want this phone! LOL. If I wait for AT&T then I don't know how long I'll have to wait. If I buy it for an enormous amount of money and then it comes out two weeks later I'll feel really stupid.

 

[sygyzy]

Just remember, if you buy it through AT&T, it may cost $200 but you pay the full retail of the phone back through your contract. I mean, you realize that right? It's not the difference between a $600 unlocked phone and a $200 phone. The locked phone that's subsidized ends up costing you something like $480 or more. The confusing part is what sort of premium is baked into the unlocked phone's price. If you were able to find an out of contract Galaxy S II, it would probably be like $500 (my guess).

Speaking of which, does AT&T offer a bring your own phone option like T-Mobile (Even More Plus)?

 

[Ns1]

Just remember, if you buy it through AT&T, it may cost $200 but you pay the full retail of the phone back through your contract. I mean, you realize that right? It's not the difference between a $600 unlocked phone and a $200 phone. The locked phone that's subsidized ends up costing you something like $480 or more. The confusing part is what sort of premium is baked into the unlocked phone's price. If you were able to find an out of contract Galaxy S II, it would probably be like $500 (my guess).

Speaking of which, does AT&T offer a bring your own phone option like T-Mobile (Even More Plus)?

uh what?

$200 subsidized + 80/mo for 2 years vs $600 unsubsidized + 80/mo for 2 years

it's not like the cost of your phone plan goes down if you buy unsub'ed.