Google is really letting Verizon screw this up. First no Wallet, then Verizon apps on phone, and now that the LTE model is released, we find that the GSM model is cheaper to import than the Verizon LTE model is to buy without contract.
The GSM model also happens to be pentaband 3g, so it works with TMobile and AT&T in the US. I've been using mine on TMobile for 2 weeks now, bought for about $730 from Expansys.
And yes, it is awesome. Just make sure you unlock the bootloader immediately, so you dont have to wipe it later if you choose to unlock then.
>we find that the GSM model is cheaper to import than the Verizon LTE model is to buy without contract.
The Verizon LTE model is $650 off contract. Third party retailers may charge more because they only otherwise make money if people sign contracts and generate commissions. I read Radio Shack and Best Buy charge $750 for the commitment free device. But if you go to a corporate Verizon shop or buy it off the web, it's $650.
That said: I actually found that with my corporate negotiated discount with Verizon getting me $50 off a device if you signed a contract, it is cheaper for me to add a contract line to get the subsidized price, and then immediately cancel it and pay the ETF rather than buy the phone outright. Doing that also means I only pay sales tax on the subsidized price rather than the full $650.
The GSM model also happens to be pentaband 3g, so it works with TMobile and AT&T in the US. I've been using mine on TMobile for 2 weeks now, bought for about $730 from Expansys.
And yes, it is awesome. Just make sure you unlock the bootloader immediately, so you dont have to wipe it later if you choose to unlock then.