It seems that Google’s Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 debuts were considered to be overwhelming, selling out in a short period of time. This means that if you were hoping to get your hands on a Nexus 4 handset via the Google Play store, you could be in for a wait. Well the good news is that T-Mobile will be offering the Nexus 4 starting from today, although the catch is that you would have to sign on with a two-year contract with them if you are hoping to get it. However there is an option to get it without a contract, although it seems that you will be paying quite a bit more.
Now if you were to get the 16GB Nexus 4 on contract, you’d be paying $199 for it but you’d be tied down to a two-year agreement with T-Mobile. When compared to the Nexus 4 on Google Play for $349, it does seem like the “cheaper” option, although being tied to a carrier might not be for everyone. So how much then if you were to get it off-contract and unsubsidized from T-Mobile? Well it looks like you will have to fork out $499 for the handset, making it $150 more expensive compared to the Google Play version.
The “good news” is that T-Mobile’s version of the Nexus 4 is basically the same version that you would have gotten from the Google Play store, which means that you will still be privy to the timely updates that other Nexus 4 owners can expect. It has been suggested that perhaps the reason why Google is offering the Nexus 4 so cheap is because of its heavy subsidies, which means that the price T-Mobile is offering could be closer to its true retail price.