Yesterday was the launch of the Nexus 4 and boy were things a bit shaky, at least on Google’s side with the Play Store. Quite a few people were left out of getting their hands on either version. Why? In the UK, the Nexus 4 sold out in just 30 minutes and in the US, both versions sold out as well in just 24 minutes.
This has lead many to question Google and their strategy. Did they severely underestimate demand? Are they just pulling a trick to create scarcity? No one really knows for sure. Today for T-Mobile customers, the Nexus 4 is available both online and in retail locations.
After all, the carrier is the official US launch partner. Several users have reported a good experience with buying the 16GB Nexus 4 from T-Mobile, either online, over the phone, or at an actual store. One person was told that if he wanted to buy the phone off contract, it would be cheaper just to grab it from the Play Store. Oops.
If you’re a T-Mobile customer, here’s the pricing: If on a value plan, it’ll run you a $199 down payment with 20 payments each at $15. If on a classic plan, you’ll pay $249 and receive a $50 mail-in rebate. If you want to buy it off contract, you’ll shell out $499.99, $150 more than what the Play Store was charging.
The numbers speak for themselves. Unless you’re on a classic plan and plan on keeping your service with T-Mobile, you’ll end up paying more for the Nexus 4. However, some people are willing to pay more instead of waiting. The choice is yours and we’ll keep you posted if we hear anything about when Google will be getting the Nexus 4 back in stock in the Play Store.