Which Networks’ SIM Cards Will Work with the Nexus One Google Phone?
The official launch of the Google Phone was yesterday and served chiefly to confirm all the rumors and hands-on reviews we’ve already read about the Nexus One. Every gadget and mobile blog in the world has already rolled out extensive coverage on the Nexus One (manufactured by HTC and sold directly by Google) and the consensus so far is that the phone is pretty awesome but not exactly revolutionary. The biggest departure from mobile business as usual is the fact that the Nexus One is being sold either with a T-Mobile plan for $179 or unlocked (for a whopping $529).
If you’ve got the mad cash to spring for a completely uninhibited Nexus One, you should probably take some time first and consider which network you can use with your Google Phone and which ones you’ll want to. Here’s the official word from Google:
The Nexus One is a GSM phone for North America. That means it’ll work on T-Mobile (obviously) and AT&T as well as Rogers. It also supports four GSM frequencies (850/900/1800/1900) and three 3G/UMTS bands (2100/AWS/900 or 1/4/8), meaning you can hop on most GSM networks worldwide, too.
But…
The Nexus One is incompatible with the frequency band used for 3G by AT&T and Rogers. Which means, yeah, you can have an AT&T Google Phone – but it won’t have 3G speeds.
Meanwhile, a Nexus One for Verizon Wireless (a CDMA network) is still in the works. However, that phone will not be compatible with T-Mobile or AT&T.
So, if you were planning on getting the Nexus One unlocked and biding your time at AT&T or T-Mobile until the Verizon version came out, think again – you’ll just have to buy a new phone anyway.
With all that being said, it’s hard to see why you would want to get an unlocked Google Phone at this juncture. For U.S. users, there’s no better network for the Nexus One than T-Mobile (so why not get the subsidized version and save yourself about $400?). Plus, Google already said that they are working on newer versions of the Nexus One. Someone brougth this up at the launch (which Searchengineland liveblogged), asking if we should be concerned about buying the Google Phone and then regretting it six months later when something even more awesome comes along. Google reps were somewhat dodgy with their answer, stating something along the lines of “if you need a great phone today, you get one now.” With that being said, the rep suggested going with T-Mobile, as you might be eligible for an upgrade when one comes along.
What’s your opinion? Will you buy the Nexus One now, or will you wait? Tell us in the comments.
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- Google’s HTC Nexus One Review
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- Should I Buy an Unlocked Cell Phone?
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Tags: google phone, nexus one