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While T-Mobile ranks itself among the big four US cellular carriers, they happen to sit squarely at the bottom of the list as they struggle to keep a competitive edge. Now with Verizon announcing the iPhone and Android getting better and better on every carrier, TMo is looking elsewhere to win over customers. The plan for now seems to be focused on value, with T-Mobile USA CEO Phillip Humm expressing a desire to the Wall Street Journal to bring the price of Android smartphones down. He is aiming for sub-$100 pricing, a feat already accomplished by devices like the LG Optimus T on their network.
We don’t see the price of high-end smartphones coming down much, and even if they do we are sure other carriers would drop their prices accordingly.
[via MobileBurn]
They could start by fixing the dropped calls issue in Downtown Bellevue. Seriously their if they can’t provide call quality where they are headquartered, what does that say about the rest of the country?
i*hone prices won’t come down anytime soon. I mean i*hone4 is now the least powerful phone on either Verizon (Thunderbolt, Bionic, Revolution) & AT&T (Atrix), but it doesn’t stop it from selling higher than em.
You know, the hype has value too. That is why Android will take off internationally, but in America?, i*hone seem to have settled in there.
See Meizu 9, and you will see what I mean. :)
Great for building their numbers by targeting the dollar store shoppers, but those of us desiring top of the line phones like the Optimus are outta luck. The only carrier without a halo phone is TMo. We owe them a debt of gratitude for getting Android rolling, but their focus seems to be on the wrong crowd.
I’m looking forward to getting off T-Mobile soon, I would never recommend it to anyone in NH except that it’s cheaper. Verizon is FTW in this area.
Don’t forget T-mo has held the top spot among high end Android phones 3 times, the g1, the n1, and at this moment, the ns.
Tmobile has great speeds in the few areas it works. But as we all know, tmobile is for poor people, so plan accordingly.
@GPL What’s a Halo phone? According to every benchmark, the T-Mobile G2 is the fastest Android phone on the market.
kinda good and kinda bad. we will have to see when the time comes.
T-Mobile: We put together a team so Fast, so Reliable, and with So many Players that we will DOMINATE in the sport of….Flag Football.
Whats the point of taking steroids if your just gonna play Ping Pong?
I have been tmobile for years and i am not by any means poor and alot of the time i have better coverage than some of my verizon friends in lots of areas!!!!
you verizon friends could say the same thing, only change”lots”to “most”
It does seem that their line of androids are geared toward teenagers, and socialites though.
I’m actually happy with T-Mobile now. They’re stepping up their game. They’re starting to get more high end phones (the Vibrant, G2, and MyTouch 4g) and their 4G network is only getting better. That, and the G-Slate. I need some specs for that thing.
@GinoA G2 is a small screen phone. I already have a G1 and my daily driver in my N1.And since I don’t want a plastic case and want a removable SD card, Samsung’s offerings are of no interest.
Some people have no idea what there talking about. I had tmobile for over 7 years now and have no problem what so ever! I have service more then verizon people by me. I have been up and down the east coast n the midwest and had service evrrywhere! I’m by far not poor and tmobile will always have some of the best android phones since it all started with tmobile! AND IF YOU HAVE ANY MIND AT ALL AND SEEN AT CES THEIR SOON COMING 4G NETWORK IS GOING TO BE THE FASTEST! As in no one can beat their 4g speeds. Most importantly tmobile has the best customer service by farr they would always send me a new phone even with the smallest problems always answer my questions and are very helpful not to mention sims cards! My friends mostly have verizon and they have to hand in their phones when they get new ones, pay to transfer contacts, no half year/earpy upgrade….in other words verizon blows and charges for everything. My friend broke he’s envy, the hinge broke from being open and closed to many times and verizon wanted him to pay full price whild tmobile have me a new phone for one pixel out of thousands being out you could barely see it but thsy
T Mobile has no high end phone. The G2 LOOKS like a high end phone but is riddled with problems, and the trendy hinge diminishes its otherwise professional looking build. The Nexus phones are not TMO phones….they just work on TMO’s 3g. The Nexus One is quality build, the Nexus S is a piece of cheap plastic. Samsungs, MyTouch, and the like look and feel cheap, and guess what….are also riddled with problems. The HD2 is also very professional looking build, but it runs an outdated OS. Well done TMO.
Sry for not proof reading^:x
Oh, great!! More cheap phones on T-Mobile!!
The G2’s “riddled with problems”?? In what universe? I’ve had mine for 2 months now and it’s fantastic and problem-free. And I really don’t get all the bruhaha over the hinge; it’s not been a problem in the slightest.
It’s generally true that if you’re going to be out and about in the hinterlands that T-mobile’s coverage probably won’t be as good as with others’, but that’s the down-side (and every carrier will have their own down-side of some sort). For my needs, which basically include most of Maryland and DC, T-mobile’s coverage has been excellent and the rates can’t be beat. (And no, I’m nowhere close to “poor” either.)
I’ll let T-mobile decide who to market to, but in my experience, while there’s always room for improvement with any carrier, they have the upper-end sufficiently covered.
TMO = Great Customer Service, Good Coverage and OVERALL Low End Phones.
Bring Evo with the same specs if not better than Sprints. Bring Galaxy with the Fucking Front Facing Camera.
Bring Bring similar Moto’s Droid Ex Spec phone.
CATCH UP TO THE GAME ALREADY!! People want good looking phones! Just compare mytouch 4g vs. Evo. WTF WTF WTF
It might be nice if TMO could get one of those tegra equipped LGs, but for all I know they’re cheaply built. Sure look nice.
Why does the mytouch 4g always get left out of the count?
It’s a damn good phone and it just keeps getting left out of the loop! It’s 4g 1ghz Nextgen snapdragon and I get 2500 on quadrant at oc 1400ghz!
I cannot switch to Verizon…..ever! They rolled over on their customers during that whole “let’s tap everyone’s phone without a warrant” and handed over everyones information to the government. No other company did that. Every other company refused. What else are they willing to do to your privacy?
Thanks vici. I’m glad you told us about the Verizon letting NSA do its peeping tom job. I’m NOT switching to Verizon. Oh well iPhone, good bye. I hope HTC brings out dual-cores soon.
Pro tip: Subsidize the phone for the customer without having them to sign a stupid 2 year contract. 30 day contract $300-350 high end android phone. There you go T-Mobile.
LOL i love T-mobile My G2 has NO problems had its sense early November & MY BILL IS CHEAP!! yeah! im poor so what? i always have 4 bars biochhhh! 2 LINES FOR ABOUT $100 EAT IT VERIZON!
I’m in NYC and rarely ever have a problem with T-Mo service. What I DO have a problem with is their lack of a high end, large-screen phone. I have been envying the Evo and Droix X for a long time now, and now we’ve got news of large-screen Tegra2 phones coming to all carriers EXCEPT T-Mo. People will obviously switch carriers for a great phone (eg. iPhone, Evo), so you’d think they would want to stay competitive. What gives?
Sprint makes tmobile look like junk
Low end phones is a major downside but keep in mind they are
Growing 4g speeds so fast that they have to wait to release flagship devices but by the end of 2011 things will change and I beat all yous talking sh#t now will run to tmobile. I have good sources who stat that our version of the Evo and more will be here soon but ours will have 45+mbps!!!!!! Making all others green with envy.
I’ve been with T-Mobile for over 6 years, and while they have been slower than other carriers in introducing high end smartphone nobody can knock their customer service. I bought a Vibrant in August with my upgrade and didnt really click with it. After 2 and a half months I called and told them that the phone didnt suit my needs and they let me upgrade again for the MT4G without question, and even credited a refund to my account. As far as service goes, I have used sprint & verizon, and neither compare to the speed and responsiveness I get with the MT4G. The MT4G is a great phone that is very well built, fast, stylish, and does not feel cheap like the galaxy phones do. As far as it having only a 3.8 screen, I want s mobile phone that has outstanding features. If you want a mobile device with a big screen that can be used to make calls get a galaxy tab.
I’m in houston, I’ve had t-mobile for 6 years, their service is good, I’ve driven to Dallas, louisiana, arizona and out works excellent on the freeways, but I did have problems around the heliports in louisiana because their so far out in the middle of nowhere by the shore where mostly fishermen live. last I checked with verizon it cost $40 more per month for the the same thing I with t-mobile, so unless your going to be out in the middle nowhere I don’t see any reason t-mobile won’t be good.
call me crazy but I don’t like verizon phones, I think I’m the only person that thinks the droid is ugly and too bulky and heavy, just like the G1, the droid x and incredible are nice but there too big, they’re more like tablets than phones and feel uncomfortable in my pocket (I’ve tried holsters and the car seat belt gets in the way), the G2 is nice but too heavy and bulky, the mytouch 4g is perfect to me (light, thin, fast, perfect size screen and doesn’t give me problems) the nexus s is pretty sweet too, people complain about plastic feel but I don’t see that as a big problem.
verizon was my last carrier before i switch to Tmo, have not regretted since. its way cheaper and customer service is awesome… verizon gave me headaches and BS… not really an iphone fan… i got a mytouch 4G totally awesome phone… not one place i dont have coverage everywhere i go theirs wifi… only time its using a signal is when im on the road… 4 bars!
I have been with T-Mobile since their Voicestream days. The plans are great but the cell service and phone selection is horrible. In addition, tmo is always a step behind compared to att and verizon. When the new iPhone 5 comes out in June or July I will be making the switch immediately to either verizon or att (whoever has the best deal). Countdown begins now!
It’s so wild to see how many Android users are truly no different than Iphone users they bash and proclaim to hate. So many of you just spout the same ridiculous verbiage that you read without any first-hand knowledge of what you speak. Now its no secret that T-Mobile lacks when it comes to high end phones, but to speak ill of the G2 or Mytouch 4G is to truly not have used either of them. As a true lover and early adopter(October 2008)of Android, I steer everyone I know to an Android device regardless of carrier. I also play/inspect Android devices on all carriers, so I can make informed decisions and points if discussing them. Because of this I know FIRSTHAND that my G2 and MT4G are much faster than the EVO, Incredible, DROID, DROID X, Nexus One, and every other Android Phone that came out in 2010. This is in Washington, DC. Now I too was underwhelmed with T-Mobile only showing off the Cliq 2(not a big fan of the line) last week and have been frustrated by the lack of a 4.3 inch screened Android phone, but T-Mobile does offer a lot in terms of true speed, prices, and customer service. Now T-Mobile definitely will have some catching up to do once AT&T and verizon’s new phones start being released, but based on speed and power RIGHT NOW, MT4G and G2 are at the top of list!! I came to T-Mobile from Verizon where i was very underwhelmed and overall displeased with my experience with them. All in all, if you are going to comment on T-Mobile or any other carrier or phone, please have real knowledge of what you speak and not just repeating what you heard or read. The Android movement is supposed to be better than this.
I love it how everyone likes to say T-Mobile is behind in some way. Yet, they were first to have an Android phone (at least a year before Verizon). I remember when a few friends started getting Droid phones and I told them I’ve had an Android phone for a year and a half they didn’t believe it. Also, I think the T-Mobile Android phone selection is very solid, Vibrant, G2, MyTouch 4G, etc. Maybe some like the blocky, heavy, and too big 4.3″ and larger phones, but I consider them more of a tablet, and not pocket friendly. If I wanted a tablet, I’d just go for 7″, which T-Mobile has both the Galaxy Tab and the Dell Streak 7 in a few days. Anyway, I can’t really think of a phone that I’d like to have that T-Mobile doesn’t carry. And it seems they have a nice pipeline of phones as well. Add to that their lower costs, non-contract pricing and faster 4G network, it’s all good.
If you simply buy a crappy $20 off contract phone (from BestBuy or anywhere *other* than your carrier’s store) and shop around for a month, you can get the phone of your dreams for nothing on contract. That’s the market right now.
(I am sick and tired of my friends buying less phone than they wanted because of cost, and me finding a limited-time deal on a better phone available around the same time they bought theirs.)
So, the way to get people onto your network is to offer better contracts. Better rates. Better data tiers!
T-Mobile USA is on the right track already. They *throttle* users who go over 5GB on their “unlimited” plan. They, and the other carriers, need to introduce throttled data when you go over their smaller caps, or simply offer competitive throttled tiers from the get go.
Data caps are terrible, because no one wants to lose their internet or get charged an arm and a leg for going over.
This is why internet providers do not have caps. They throttle you when you go hog wild, and they offer various speeds (throttles) at various price points.
I do not need to watch streaming movies on my phone. 64kbps would be excellent for surfing and using nav/maps (which are becoming more bandwidth efficient with each revision). Even medium-quality internet radio streaming. 64kbps is roughly equal to one voice channel. Heck, I might even pay $15 for 32kbps and limit myself to low quality radio. Most web pages, and every mobile web page, would still load quickly, I would get my email, and even listen to my google voicemail (though it might have to buffer some).
Caps are stupid. Speed tiers make sense. Every data phone doesn’t have to do video over cellular, just everything else (and wifi availability is always increasing).
I am by no means rich, but certainly not poor. Ditched my Vibrant, got a free G2 cyber Monday, and am using a mytouch 4g as well. Love both phones, htc is on top of their game, they both fly. Mytouch 4g is an mazing handset, put my buddies evo to shame. I even rock a blackberry on tmo, gotta love uma and wi-fi calling. I am never without a signal in Mass or Ny. They also have the absolute best customer service. T-Mobile is a great carrier, end of story.
There is such misinformation in these comments. I have an HTC G2 that runs Android 2.2 and supports HSPA+ and calling over wi-fi. I’ve hit speeds of 7Mbps in Tampa and I love my phone, I love my plan and I never drop calls. My mom has a myTouch 4G and video chats family in Puerto Rico all the time with the Tango app when she’s out and about and that is a gorgeous phone. It’s curved glass on the front (towards the ear piece), high impact plastic around the sides and metal on the back. It’s solid. My brother uses the Samsung Vibrant and even though I kinda hate TouchWiz UI, it’s a great media device with speeds up to 7.2Mbps. You can jump on the bandwagon with all these devices or you can be a smart consumer and shop around to find that you can have a world class GSM device that runs with the best of ’em without paying out the a$$.
Most of the people commenting about T Mobile most likely havent had a personal experience, they are just going based on hearsay. I’ve been with T Mobile for 2 yrs and been satisfied with the service. Not saying problem free but what company is. Realistically. I’ve been with Sprint,AT&T and Verizon. Each one has its share of problems. Keep your words short and sweet because you might have to eat them later…I really enjoy my MyTouch 3G and cant wait to get the 4G.
I really don’t know what people are complaing about with T-Mobile service. I had Cingular now AT&T in the Detroit Metro area. There service was poor, the customer service was lowsy, and I was getting double charged each month when they combined my bills for home phone and cell phone, and refused to fix it. I switched to T-Mobile 5 years ago and bang call quality is great, data speeds amazingly fast and I tether the heck out of my device and they don’t bother me.
I work in IT and can say they are a great carrier for me. I have the HD2 which uses Windows Mobile but also if you read up it can also run android on it to, best phone ever!!! I also only pay $10 for 4G unlimited internet and consistently go over 5gb a month and can download at a 4mb/s rate. I have yet to see anther carrier beat that.
I to have the HD2 running both Android and Windows mobile. I travel all over and the data speeds with 4g HSPA+ are super fast over 4mb/s. I find that most people dissing T-Mobile never have dealt with them. There a great deal as far as I’m concerned. I had AT&T for years and had nothing but problems and bad customer service. After switching to T-mobile customer service has been excellent and my cell signal strength all over in the Michigan area is way better then AT&T. T-Mobile will let you roam on anther carriers tower if that towers strength is better and not charge you for it. I have yet to see AT&T do that its either bars or no bars with them. With T-Mobile I always got signal no matter what!!!!!!!
T-Mobile also have great data rates if you’ve been with them for a long time! I called there customer service and asked to speak to a Loyalty Representative. They loyalty representative gave me a discount on my data plan for being with them for a long time! $15 unlimited internet for me big ups T-Mobile customer service!