T-Mobile To Sell Google (GOOG)’s Nexus 4 For $499 Off-Contract

Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) has experienced a few technical glitches when the Nexus 4 went on sale. The company is still managing to burn through its initial supply in short order. However, the ones, who have missed out on the first lot and were looking forward to a second chance at the nearest T-Mobile store, there is some bad news. The carrier will be selling the 16 GB Nexus 4 for $199, which is about $150 less than the unsubsidized model, only if the customer agrees for a 2-year contract.

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For people, who are not willing to subscribe to the services of T-Mobile, the Nexus 4 will cost $499. This is the same for the 16 GB model, whose retail price is $349.99 on Google Play. While signing up for a 2-yeear contract will help customers in saving $150, they will still need to pay the same amount if they want to walk away with the flagship Android handset without any obligations. Looking at it from a different mindset, that is still less than the full retail cost of other Android devices in the lineup of T-Mobile. Samsung Galaxy SIII is still being sold at $579.99 for the 16 GB model off –contract. The newly released Galaxy Note II can be had for $699.99. It is indeed a considerable disparity hinting at Google’s sacrifice of some profit as part of its plan to sell to its customers through Google Play.

It is not all that bad. The Verge has reported that the Nexus 4 that is sold at T-Mobile store is matching the model that is offered by Google. T-Mobile has not altered the device with any custom software or other changes that would stop one from updating with the latest Android software. A T-Mobile spokesman said that it is the same device that customers can get in the Google Play Store.