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During T-Mobile’s Uncarrier 5.0 event in Seattle, the Uncarrier hatched their latest scheme to get more people to switch to Magenta: free phones. Well, a free iPhone 5s to be exact. T-Mobile’s Test Drive program will allow customers to try out T-Mobile’s 4G LTE network in their area on an iPhone 5s for a full 7 days — commitment-free.
Now, everyone who takes part in the offer will have a $750 hold on their credit card during the trial (so they don’t make off with the phone), and will be charged a reasonable $100 should the phone get damaged during the trial period. Pretty nuts. The new Test Drive promotion goes live on June 23rd and you can sign up by going here.
iPhone only? No thank you
Just take the SIM out and put it in your current phone. Pretty much all phones support T-Mobile’s HSPA bands and a lot of new ones (on Verizon at least) support their LTE as well.
But the problem with this iPhone offer is that the phone is an iPhone o. O
I’m pretty sure when you take it back you can get whatever phone you want, I think they just want you to try the network.
Yea but then again the iPhone 5s gets much better radio reception than most android devices. My 5s gets LTE in places my Note 3 couldn’t even dream of.
Same here lol I get great speeds here in Houston on my 5s, but I do hope that t-mo serves the android community as well, to me I think this announcement is exciting for all mobile users and I can totally understand why apple and t-mo made this partnership if that statistic john legere mentioned was true about people not being aware t-mo offers apple products.
I hope that android fans though can put aside their differences though and just see how the network works for them because I do believe t-mo is doing a lot of good for the industry.
I have no interest in testing out an iPhone, but I am seriously considering it just to check out their network.
I think that’s the point. All you need to check out ios is windows with small panes in them, just a row of boxes.
There, you have ios on your wall.
Well I don’t know if its still the case but Samsung specifically used to be known for weaker radios than the other guys. My mom went from an evo 4g to a gs3 and complained to me she wasn’t getting reception in all the same places she did before. I’m not sure if LTE speed is related or not
The fact that you can only test drive an IPhone is a clear attack on AT&T and Verizon which are probably 1 and 2 in IPhone sales. Good move T-Mobile.
But what if you want to test drive an actual phone?
Sorry bub, gotta go try out a store unit.
pop out the nano sim card in the iphone and use it on an unlocked phone.
They probably only offer the iPhone because it gets good reception. I would never own an iPhone, but my wife does (iPhone 5) and it gets way better reception than my Note 3. So it’s smart of Tmo to show off their network with a phone that gets great reception. Flame away.
They will probably get the S5 involved once it brings in iPhone customers to test out. This is a win win for T-Mobile. More refurb devices for a future program, selling and/or combing for user data and personal info.
they can also use them for their warranty trade in too.
Yep, exactly. Didn’t mention it, but that’s true. Ah, companies always have a hidden message or meaning in their actions.
I’d be happy to try out their network in my area, but not for a $750 hold on my credit card.
It’s temporary and goes away after a week, so long as you return the phone.
Yeah, but even one day is too long to have $750 sitting out there on something you didn’t purchase.
Figure out your billing cycles for your credit card and you’ll avoid any possible issues if you do it in the beginning of the cycle. Ample time for that hold to disappear.
They can’t just hand you hardware and network for that much and not tie you somehow.
I’m not worried about billing cycles. I just don’t want a $750 hold on my card while I test drive their network for “free.”
He was pretty transparent during the Q&A afterwards about why is the iPhone and not an Android. Basically Tmobile pitched the idea and Apple provided the phones. They’re completely ready to deal whatever phone people want. They expect 1 million people to take advantage of this promotion this year and if they need to expand it, they will.
I don’t have $750 of credit to spare :(
It’s okay, by using any credit card you’re actually creating money!
what about the bill thing that was rumored? that would have been more uncarrier!
How do you get rid of crappy iPhones? Create some people to buy them, “refurbish” them and then resell them under a refurb program. People will eat it up. iSheep or Sheeple love their iPhones. I like the iPad, but the current iPhone is too small and too archaic. It’s just copying Android now.
All this right before the iPhone 6 is supposed to launch… I smell a heavy discount coming on “used” iPhone 5s’ come September.
No thanks, I’ll stay with sprint. Keep your iPhone.
You like crappy slow LTE, with a horrendous 3G network as backup?
I’d test drive it, if I didn’t have to use an iPhone :/
you can pop out the sim card and use any unlocked android phone
That’s why I left T-Mobile..well one reason smallest reason..so..kiss my nexus tmo
WTF?
Because they have iPhones? What carrier doesnt? You are always welcome to take out the SIM card and put it in another phone if you don’t want to try it on an iphone.
Giving a chance a big thing, test drive as appicable for your car …………………………telecomvibe[dot]com
This sounded tempting – until I remembered that Sprint is now buying T-Mo. I’m afraid that Sprint will drag T-Mo down (again) and ruin all the hard-won progress T-Mo has made in improving its network and customer service…
I’m hoping that all these uncarrier actions will show the government competition is good and t-mobile is changing the industry and will block the merger.
It’s SoftBank combining the two companies together if it happens remember NOT Sprint buying tmobile to shut them down. All speculation currently points to that if it happens tmobile and John Legere would be in charge with sprint being folded into what tmobile is doing.
Regardless nothing has been officially announced yet. Everything is still in the rumor stage.
Yeah because THIS is the device you want to sell people on with T-Mobile. Brilliant.
Why would i want that???