AT&T Offering Samsung Galaxy S4 Recertified for $179 Off-Contract

[chris]

For those looking to see if the grass is greener, AT&T is offering the Samsung Galaxy S4 (recertified) for $179 off-contract. I was surprised at the price. Maybe they are clearing out stock now that the S5 is here. There are some notable improvements in the S5, but that's $650 off-contract. You're getting what is basically a new GS4 for under $200 and no changes to your contract.

My renewal date was October, 2015 before I ordered. If anything changes, I'll eat the $35 restocking and ship it back. I'm guessing they won't deactivate my microSIM until I activate the SIM in the GS4, which I'll never do. I plan on using adapters, very carefuly I might add.

Here's the link for those interested.

https://www.att.com/shop/wireless/d...16gb-white-frost-refurb.html#fbid=FaDm6i5Iff7

 

[ricks2gtouch]

Wow. Tempted.

 

[ZR_Yancy]

That's a great deal. Too bad I already have one.

 

[chris]

That's a great deal. Too bad I already have one.

I was looking at the S5, but didn't want to add a line. It ends up being close to $1k after the contract expires. Off-contract was too much at $650, so was looking at the S4. Figured at some point, I'd look on eBay. I always think there's a catch with carriers, but maybe they are just clearing out inventory. That a Note 3 for $250. Dave @psylichon was going to grab it, but they sold out. The S4 is still there. Guessing they had plenty of them.

Siked. Should make for a nice companion to my iPhone 5s. Been through a ton of Android phones over the past year, many of which I returned or sold. We'll see how long this one sticks.

 

[ZR_Yancy]

I was looking at the S5, but didn't want to add a line. It ends up being close to $1k after the contract expires. Off-contract was too much at $650, so was looking at the S4. Figured at some point, I'd look on eBay. I always think there's a catch with carriers, but maybe they are just clearing out inventory. That a Note 3 for $250. Dave @psylichon was going to grab it, but they sold out. The S4 is still there. Guessing they had plenty of them.

Siked. Should make for a nice companion to my iPhone 5s. Been through a ton of Android phones over the past year, many of which I returned or sold. We'll see how long this one sticks.

You won't be disappointed. The S5 doesn't run much faster than the S4. IMO, the S5 is a very small incremental update from the S4. The S5's camera would be the only significant update. I don't even consider the FP scanner on the S5 a selling point since it's inferior to the 5s Touch ID.

 

[chris]

You won't be disappointed. The S5 doesn't run much faster than the S4. IMO, the S5 is a very small incremental update from the S4. The S5's camera would be the only significant update. I don't even consider the FP scanner on the S5 a selling point since it's inferior to the 5s Touch ID.

Excellent. In looking at the reviews, the camera seems to be the biggest upgrade. That and simplifying the interface. I'll use a launcher, so not as concerned with that. The camera is a big deal, but not for $400 extra. Grabbed a Glas.t and Spigen Ultra-Thin for $30 shipped. Since I work for home, I usually disable my passcode/Touch ID.

Dave ended up grabbing one too.

 

[chris]

Everything showed up today. Looks good as new. I popped in my nanoSIM using an adapter and it works without having to call for activation. Downloaded all of my commonly used apps, picked up a new Twitter app and charging. Spigen case and screen protector arrived from Prime. Win.

 

[chris]

Funny, I ordered a Glas.t to install. I haven't installed one in years, so I figured I'd hit YouTube for examples. Guess whose video popped up first. Yep, this guy. The install went perfectly. Not a single bubble and aligned like a champ. Snapped on my Ultra Thin case and ordered a 64GB microsd card for good measure. I'm not giving up my iPhone anytime soon, but having some fun on the other side of the fence for a bit. Not even the exciting iOS 7.1.1 release can keep me on iOS this week.

BTW, I definitely like the Glas.t if anyone is looking for a serious screen protector. It wasn't cheap (around $20 or so), but I feel it might help should the device hit pavement. Here's hoping I don't have to test that.

 

[Tattooed Alex]

Funny, I ordered a Glas.t to install. I haven't installed one in years, so I figured I'd hit YouTube for examples. Guess whose video popped up first. Yep, this guy. The install went perfectly. Not a single bubble and aligned like a champ. Snapped on my Ultra Thin case and ordered a 64GB microsd card for good measure. I'm not giving up my iPhone anytime soon, but having some fun on the other side of the fence for a bit. Not even the exciting iOS 7.1.1 release can keep me on iOS this week.

BTW, I definitely like the Glas.t if anyone is looking for a serious screen protector. It wasn't cheap (around $20 or so), but I feel it might help should the device hit pavement. Here's hoping I don't have to test that.

How well does the Glas.t work with a case? I've considered using one but I am worried about the screen raising from the case.

 

[chris]

It works well. Case is still above glas.t and it's a slim case. Only issue is home button which is recessed. I didn't like the jelly button, so ordered an aluminum button from eBay for $4.

 

[Tattooed Alex]

It works well. Case is still above glas.t and it's a slim case. Only issue is home button which is recessed. I didn't like the jelly button, so ordered an aluminum button from eBay for $4. View attachment 36523

How do you like the S4? I've been debating getting one for my daughter since she cracked her Moto X screen. Did you buy it as an upgrade?

 

[ricks2gtouch]

I bought the refurb Nokia Lumia 925 with the same kind of deal. No contract for $79. I had and an HTC One X and I use an Android for work. But have never tried out a newer windows phone. Of course, it will never take the place of my iPhone. But it will give me something to tinker with. I ordered a nano to micro sim adapter from amazon. I've never had to use one, though. How badly can I screw it up?

 

[chris]

I bought the refurb Nokia Lumia 925 with the same kind of deal. No contract for $79. I had and an HTC One X and I use an Android for work. But have never tried out a newer windows phone. Of course, it will never take the place of my iPhone. But it will give me something to tinker with. I ordered a nano to micro sim adapter from amazon. I've never had to use one, though. How badly can I screw it up?

You can destroy a phone if you insert incorrectly. I speak from personal experience, having destroyed two phones - a Samsung Focus and a Palm Pre 3. Never insert the adapter without the sim card in it. Make sure the card is secure in the adapter. Somethings some scotch tape will do the trick. If you are careful, you'll be fine.

These deals are gone. GS4 is now $589.

 

[chris]

How do you like the S4? I've been debating getting one for my daughter since she cracked her Moto X screen. Did you buy it as an upgrade?

At the price I paid, it's a no-brainer. I'm still in the "look, shiny new phone" stage to offer any critical feedback. As Android phones go, I do like it a a lot. I've had the Moto X/G, HTC One, Nexus 4/5.

 

[Kriss]

Somethings some scotch tape will do the trick.

Ahhh. Scotch Tape. The miracle cure. I remember the days of cleaning off my DSLR sensor with Scotch Tape. Everyone freaked when I told them it worked well. Lol.

 

[Europa]

You can destroy a phone if you insert incorrectly. I speak from personal experience, having destroyed two phones - a Samsung Focus and a Palm Pre 3. Never insert the adapter without the sim card in it. Make sure the card is secure in the adapter. Somethings some scotch tape will do the trick. If you are careful, you'll be fine.

These deals are gone. GS4 is now $589.

In my experience, tape is what causes the jamming problem. I mistakenly thought I needed to secure my SIM with tape and I nearly broke my old 4S as a result. I somehow managed to get the SIM tray out without damaging the phone and never used tape again. It worked perfectly without it. There isn't room for it to slide around and get lost in there.

 

[ricks2gtouch]

Started using the Windows Phone. Nokia Lumia 925. Very interesting concept. Not sure I could get real used to it. But the phone itself seems to be a pretty good quality phone. I put the dev preview 8.1 on it. I am not sure that I like a lot of the phone implementation. But I will play with this for a bit before going back to my iPhone 5s.

 

[chris]

Started using the Windows Phone. Nokia Lumia 925. Very interesting concept. Not sure I could get real used to it. But the phone itself seems to be a pretty good quality phone. I put the dev preview 8.1 on it. I am not sure that I like a lot of the phone implementation. But I will play with this for a bit before going back to my iPhone 5s.

I wish I would have picked up one of these too. Nokia makes nice stuff. I was a fan initially of Windows Phone, but that interest has waned in recent years. I'm always up for seeing what's new, but my Nokia Lumia 521 isn't exactly 'great hardware', so not keen on taking the time to upgrade it.

Good to hear that you're exploring. When you come back, it's a nice feeling.

 

[ricks2gtouch]

Seems my biggest problem is turning off imessage. Windows Phone is very interesting, but it is not my iPhone, for sure.

 

[Tattooed Alex]

Windows Phone is very interesting, but it is not my iPhone, for sure.

That's exactly how I felt when I tested the Moto X for about 4 days.