Virgin Mobile Samsung Intercept – $189.99 SHIPPED
(reg. $220) Sale expires 12/4
By: Dappered Tech Correspondent Paul Olson
Back in the in the spring, we mentioned that prepaid phones are a great deal. Then in the summer, we talked about cheap iPhone alternatives. This winter, Best Buy is offering the best deal yet on a Google Android-powered smartphone — the Samsung Intercept — and it’s offered on the best-deal-yet provider — Virgin Mobile. Get it at Best Buy, and it’s $189. Get it elsewhere, and it’s $249.
The plan is the great thing — unlimited text and data for $25 (Verizon charges $29 for unlimited data and charges extra for texts). With Virgin, you also get 300 voice minutes included — it’s insane. You can spend more at Virgin and get more minutes, maxing out at their $60 full unlimited plan. These are tremendous deals.
The phone has two shortcomings that I can see — a slightly slower 3G modem (supposedly, given the same connecting, other phones will be able to download data faster) and a lower resolution screen (240×400 instead of the 400×800 on higher-end phones). Do these matter? Probably not. It will run Angry Birds for Android.
Other features to note:
- Android 2.1
- 800 MHz, ARM11 Samsung S3C6410 processor
- 256 MB of RAM
- 2 GB MicroSD memory card included
- Physical keyboard
- Nationwide coverage on the Sprint network
What do you think? Is this a sweet enough deal to make you ditch your current contract?
The sale price and free shipping expire Saturday 12/4
In case anyone’s shopping for an Android phone that’s WITH a contract, Best Buy is also giving a bunch of them free this week only.
Butch — “free” is misleading. A free phone with an $80/month plan will cost you close to $2,000 over the course of 2 years. This phone, with its $25/month plan will cost you less than $800 over two years — less than half as much.
I just did some research, and a lot of people complain about the touch screen. Apparently it isn’t responsive enough, but I’m interested in trying one out for myself. I’ve been using android devices since they came out, and this may be right up my alley.
@James: Huh… I ordered one and it’s on the way. I’ll let you know if I have any issues, but thanks for the fair warning.
If my Verizon family plan didn’t suddenly get cut by a third I would’ve picked this up. $25/month is sooo good. I hope Virgin gets a more powerful Android phone this coming year too.