There have been many posts about which carriers offer the lowest prices on single line plans for Smartphones. Basically, for this comparison, we use two models (minimum minutes with text and data & unlimited minutes with text and data) to see which carrier comes out ahead. Now, keep in mind, the best thing to do is go to the closest store to you and check coverage BEFORE you look at pricing. Great prices are fine and dandy, but without coverage where you need it, it won’t matter a bit.
Minimum Minute Plan
1st Place: Sprint – $69.99 for 450 minutes, unlimited text and unlimited data.
2nd Place: T-Mobile – $79.99 for 500 minutes, unlimited text and unlimited data.
3rd Place: AT&T and Verizon – $89.99 for 450 minutes, unlimited text and unlimited data.
Using Sprint over T-Mobile saves you $240 over a 2 year contract. Using Sprint over AT&T or Verizon saves you $480 over a 2 year contract.
Unlimited Voice / Text / Data
1st Place: Sprint & T-Mobile – $99.99
3rd Place: AT&T and Verizon – $119.99
Using Sprint or T-Mobile over AT&T or Verizon saves you $480 over the life of your 2 year contract.
Sprint may have the best pricing, and they offer a few extras like the Sprint Navigator and Sprint TV services, but keep in mind Sprint has the utmost lousy selection of hardware available on any major carrier. The Palm Pre was supposed to be a savior, but really the HTC Hero and Samsung Moment have been the device that most Sprint users have chosen. They also are still riding the BlackBerry wave with the new Curve and the Tour. Sprint’s lineup should become a bit more attractive later this year when the coveted HTC Supersonic launches.
T-Mobile has a slightly better hardware selection, but it is still far from strong. The nice part about T-Mobile’s GSM network is that you can purchase an unlocked phone off Ebay or from a 3rd party retailer and use it on their network. T-Mobile’s masterful marketing of the HTC My Touch 3G and landing the Touch Pro 2 before anyone has given them a great start. The are also due to launch the prized HTC HD2 soon.
AT&T is premium pricing and due to the iPhone destroying it’s bandwidth, is suffering from some major lag. The iPhone is the standard to which all other smartphones today are being judged. So, while AT&T continues to move 15+ million iPhones a year, the rest of their line up is rather lackluster at best. As a matter of fact, they recently launched their first Android device. AT&T is riding that iPhone as far as they can while giving users the option to add phones like the HTC Tilt and the BlackBerry Bold to their arsenal as well.
Verizon Wireless had the reputation of being so far behind the curve in hardware that most people think they can still by a Moto Q or a Razr from them. In the fall of 2009, beginning with the BlackBerry Storm, VZW has pulled off major upsets in acquiring hardware as fast as anyone out there. Their current lineup features some amazing HTC devices (Imagio, Droid Eris, Touch Pro 2), the Motorola Droid, the Samsung Omnia 2, and the soon to come HTC made Google Nexus One.
Overall, the carriers seem to balance their hardware and plans very well. There’s no clear winner in the price vs. performance category since it is so area dependent. As we said above, make sure you check the coverage in your area before you commit to what your friends say are the best deals. And don’t forget to ask about discounts for the companies you work for – they can save you up to 25+% on your monthly bill.
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