Carrier branded LG G5 (with accessories) for $349 @ Best Buy

Etherton

Etherton

Will Bang for Poof
Joined
Aug 7, 2006
Messages
6,996
Saw this over on Android Police. Picked up a Verizon model. Seems like a great deal on a decently reviewed phone.

The post-Christmas deals are rolling in, this time with a best-we've-seen-it price on the LG G5. If you're on Verizon, Sprint, or AT&T, Best Buy has a carrier-branded model available for you with free shipping or store pickup in the US. On Black Friday, we told you about a $400 deal for this phone, but now it's another $50 cheaper than that.

Some like the G5, some don't. But for just $350, it's a whole new ballgame. It's hard to find a QHD screen and the Snapdragon 820 SoC for that price, not to mention the fact that they have already been updated to Android Nougat.

Note that these are carrier-locked, so only customers of Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T will find this deal of any use. Best Buy offers free shipping in the US and many stores will have these in stock. There's no telling how long this deal will last, so snatch them up before it's gone.
 
I heard that Verizon phones are factory unlocked, is that true? Might make it a better deal for the Verizon version if it is.

I used one of these for work for about a year. Good phone...Never really used the modularity feature (you have to pull the battery to do it so it's kind of shit) but it worked great, had good battery life and performed well. Only bummer to me was that it didn't have QI wireless charging like the G4 did, but it does have the aluminum body so that is nice.
 
Verizon phones are GSM unlocked from the factory, yes, been that way since 2013 (it's a requirement they have to abide by because of the FCC frequency auctions back in late 2012). The issue is that as of September 2016 Verizon has started implementing a layered activation lockout on new devices which basically is a lame bypass of the actual requirement for the devices being GSM unlocked. It basically means if you get a Verizon device and you owe any money on it whatsoever they can and will lock it out of any use for other GSM networks, period, and until that bill is paid off - whether it's a cell phone plan bill for airtime/data or whether it's a payment owed on the device cost itself - they won't allow the device to work on other networks. It's a slap in the face to the FCC but in some weird technicality Verizon claims it's legit and all legal and nobody is fighting them on it so, the issue is you're taking a chance with buying new devices if you get them from Verizon and want to or intend to use them with other networks because they're GSM unlocked.

Even if you went in and bought a Verizon branded device and paid the full asking retail price for it they can still keep it locked to their network until another payment is made, the problem is they don't always state how much that additional payment is right in front of you in very clear terms.

Sound weird? Yes, it does, and it actually is in real-world practice. A lot of people went out and bought that Moto G Play prepaid phone for just $85 (that's the cost at Verizon out the door) and thought because it's GSM unlocked (technically) they could just buy a cheap prepaid phone and use it with a GSM provider like AT&T and T-Mobile immediately and they found out fast that's not the case. Verizon requires those people to pay at least a month in advance depending on the device itself (each Moto G Play box seems to have different terms on the labeling) or even more money before it will work on any other network.

As stated, it's just lame practice on Verizon's part but I suppose they're doing what they can to not lose a ton of money on non-subsidized devices by forcing the consumer/purchaser into paying more than they originally expected given the devices are required to be GSM unlocked by law.

It's just a big bunch of steaming bullshit to be honest and a lot of folks aren't happy about it, and given it went into effect just a few months ago I suspect in 2017 we'll see a lot MORE people angry about it as newer devices come to market and sold by Verizon that are supposed to be GSM unlocked ready for use on any GSM provider's network but that not actually being the case.
 
That's a bunch of weird. If you could get it unlocked completely though, would it be compatible with the other networks fully?
 
Tiberian said:
Verizon phones are GSM unlocked from the factory, yes, been that way since 2013 (it's a requirement they have to abide by because of the FCC frequency auctions back in late 2012). The issue is that as of September 2016 Verizon has started implementing a layered activation lockout on new devices which basically is a lame bypass of the actual requirement for the devices being GSM unlocked. It basically means if you get a Verizon device and you owe any money on it whatsoever they can and will lock it out of any use for other GSM networks, period, and until that bill is paid off - whether it's a cell phone plan bill for airtime/data or whether it's a payment owed on the device cost itself - they won't allow the device to work on other networks. It's a slap in the face to the FCC but in some weird technicality Verizon claims it's legit and all legal and nobody is fighting them on it so, the issue is you're taking a chance with buying new devices if you get them from Verizon and want to or intend to use them with other networks because they're GSM unlocked.

Even if you went in and bought a Verizon branded device and paid the full asking retail price for it they can still keep it locked to their network until another payment is made, the problem is they don't always state how much that additional payment is right in front of you in very clear terms.

Sound weird? Yes, it does, and it actually is in real-world practice. A lot of people went out and bought that Moto G Play prepaid phone for just $85 (that's the cost at Verizon out the door) and thought because it's GSM unlocked (technically) they could just buy a cheap prepaid phone and use it with a GSM provider like AT&T and T-Mobile immediately and they found out fast that's not the case. Verizon requires those people to pay at least a month in advance depending on the device itself (each Moto G Play box seems to have different terms on the labeling) or even more money before it will work on any other network.

As stated, it's just lame practice on Verizon's part but I suppose they're doing what they can to not lose a ton of money on non-subsidized devices by forcing the consumer/purchaser into paying more than they originally expected given the devices are required to be GSM unlocked by law.

It's just a big bunch of steaming bullshit to be honest and a lot of folks aren't happy about it, and given it went into effect just a few months ago I suspect in 2017 we'll see a lot MORE people angry about it as newer devices come to market and sold by Verizon that are supposed to be GSM unlocked ready for use on any GSM provider's network but that not actually being the case.
Click to expand...

Interesting info, thanks for the post.

In this case, though, since you are not buying from Verizon, these phones should be unlocked free and clear, I would think?
 
You'd think that, sure, but there's no absolute guarantee of it, especially for the Verizon branded hardware. Only one way to find out, right? :D
 
How do you tell? I'm currently on AT&T but plan on switching to Verizon due to coverage in our market. Pop the SIM in?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top