When most people hear the word “free” in an advertising context, the first thing they think is whatever is being offered and thrown in as part of a deal will be of second-rate or shoddy quality. We have all stumbled upon those late-night advertisement programs on TV during the occasional bout of insomnia where desperate manufacturers practically beg viewers to take their crummy products off their hands with loads of extra freebies to make one feel like it’s a bargain. Therefore, when we see the words “free cell phones” we can sometimes mistakenly think that the phones included at no cost when signing a cell phone service contract are of lower quality or are no good.
Free cell phones mean high quality cell phones
Happily, that is absolutely not the case. All of the free cell phones that are part of annual or multi-year service plans are of the best quality and some are the newest, most technologically sophisticated devices on the market. When it comes to the telecom service industry, the idea that a free cell phone is a lower quality one is total nonsense. This is an industry that wants repeat customers who will use the network and products to their maximum potential, not an industry that wants to unload useless gadgets on suckers who will run away unhappy.
Usually, when a free cell phone is offered with a plan, the cost of the phone is built into the monthly payments, so technically, it’s not particularly free, but it is a great deal in that an up-front cost is avoided. Furthermore, some phones can become “free” after a rebate is mailed in or validated and again the rest of the cost is absorbed into the monthly payments. That is why the free cell phones that are offered with the long-term plans are almost always of a very high quality and are the best on the market at the time of signing; they are phones that are meant to keep the customer happy.
The new industry standard for free cell phones: 4G
Because many telecom providers are now offering 4G services on their optimized, updated wireless networks, the standard for the free cell phone when signing a contract is a 4G, Android-powered smartphone. Some models are refurbished, while others are completely brand new; it depends on the plan a consumer chooses. A good example of a new, top-notch free cell phone is the Samsung Galaxy S 4G, an Android 2.3 Gingerbread with a 5 megapixel camera and a dual-core 1.5 GHz processor. With this free cell phone, due to the speed of its processor and the speed of the new 4G network, one can seamlessly browse the web, watch videos, download music, at speeds possibly higher than one’s home internet connection.
This Samsung is not an anomaly in the free cell phone offerings, it’s only one of the great phones that service providers offer. The idea that a free cell phone is not good is absolute bunkum; great quality phones are the norm in an industry that wants happy, repeat clients.
