Verizon Wireless is sending out a special promotion to the email inboxes of its current customers. Those due for an upgrade can obtain a high-end smartphone completely free with a two-year contract. The qualifying handsets are the Motorola Droid Razr, Samsung Galaxy Nexus, and Samsung Stratosphere.
There’s just one small condition: the promotion only applies to Verizon Wireless subscribers in the south; ergo, it’s not nationwide.
Nonetheless, this is a fantastic deal for customers who do qualify. The Galaxy Nexus and Droid Razr usually go for $299.99 a piece on contract, yet Verizon is literally shredding hundreds of dollars off of the price just to get you to stay with the carrier for another two years. Don’t worry too much about Verizon though — it will make all that money back from those monthly data fees mandatory with any smartphone.
I’d venture to guess that Verizon is doing this to push regular dumbphone owners into buying a smartphone. Since this is only for customers about to sign another two-year contract, that means the last handset they bought was in 2009 or 2010 and it probably was not a smartphone. Well played, Big Red.
Not only is this beneficial for the carrier, but Google wins too. All three of the handsets being offered for free run Android. Were you thinking about switching to an iPhone or even a Windows Phone device? If money is at all an object to you, a free Android phone will probably beat spending around $200 for a competing smartphone.