Best Buy Smart Phone Deal?
December 9, 2010 3:08 PM   Subscribe

I would like some help choosing a phone! Some snowflake (and long details) inside.

So, I need a cell phone anyway (like, actually need it for work - not having one is getting to be a pain in the ass) and I'm considering being a sheep and buying one from Best Buy, as they're offering a free smart phone with the included buy of a 2 year contract with one of the top four carriers.

Some facts: Due to my location, I -have- to choose AT&T, which I am fine with. I'm a female with small hands and fingers, so no big deal if the keyboard is small. I like the option of texting, and while being able to access the web would be nice, it's also expensive, my reception will be spotty, and it's not completely necessary. I've had a Droid Eris before, and enjoyed it quite a bit.

So I can't decide on which phone to get, or whether this is even worth it.

Is there fine print I'm not seeing? Does anyone know how much the different 2 year packages from AT&T are? And for pete's sake, what phone should I get? Also, if the Best Buy website says a certain carrier next to a certain phone, is the Droid lost to me forever through this deal?

Give me the insider, or reviewer, information please - I just didn't want the salesman approach to my question...
posted by DisreputableDog to Shopping (4 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
I have an iPhone and I love it! I'm a lady with small fingers too, and typing/ texting is a breeze.
posted by katypickle at 3:30 PM on December 9, 2010


Response by poster: Oops. Best Buy site with list of phones offered.
Best Buy with list of offered phones
posted by DisreputableDog at 3:31 PM on December 9, 2010


Best Buy isn't making phones any free-er than AT&T themselves are. Maybe there's a loss-leader in there somewhere, I don't really know, but at any rate I don't think it's enough to worry about.

That said, are you *sure* you have to use AT&T? This is a big question, so it makes sense to be sure. If so, or you're already on an AT&T plan and you want to use your 2yr upgrade, or whatever, you can always just get an iPhone. I see AT&T has refurbs down to $20(!), so that's worth mentioning. The HTC Aria is probably the smallest Android phone on any carrier, it's touchscreen-only, and was my ~3rd choice when I bought my Android phone (TMo MyTouch 3G Slide $50 refurb). And dang, you can get a refurb Aria for ten buck yo. These are all softkey phones, if you want a slider or hard keys at all it looks like AT&T only offers phones with exposed keys like a Treo or run of the mill Blackberry.

These prices definitely tell me I got my phone about 6wks too early, though. Ouch! Now I know December is the good cellphone-shopping month.

My research, which is to have as vanilla a smartphone as possible, indicates that Motorola is to be avoided in smartphones due to their interface...designs, additions, shovelware, etc. I don't know this first hand, it's just from reading, but I would not buy one.

The rest of the AT&T smartphones are, y'know, meh. Lots of Blackberry, some people like those. Maybe some Windows Mobile in there as well.

On preview: OH NOW I REMEMBER. Yes, you can get phones cheaper from BestBuy or other retailers. If you go looking for phones via something like Google Shopping, you'll find a lot of "good deals." Know where they get ya? You are restricted in the plans you're allowed and as a rule they exclude the cheapest plans of the provider. You're always better off just paying $10-40 more cash up front for a phone rather than paying $20+ more per month.
posted by rhizome at 3:57 PM on December 9, 2010


It looks like Best Buy is offering the iPhone 3GS for free, tomorrow only. If you're ok with not having the latest and greatest, and you want an AT&T smart phone now, GO FOR IT.

I love my iPhone 3gs (enough to deal with AT&T).
posted by Salamandrous at 6:15 PM on December 9, 2010


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