Inspired by this post, prior to which I was completely unaware of the existence of Project Fi. Apparently it’s been making a small amount of noise over this year, but is still in beta and invite-only.
Based on the main page and several third-party articles, it seems very interesting and I’m cautiously optimistic. The pricing structure seems great: $20 for unlimited voice and text plus $10 per GB used (with a $1/100MB overage). Way cheaper than the major carriers, and the fine granularity of the data overage metering is really attractive.
There are still some unanswered questions and concerns, though. For one thing, can voice calls be made with standard cell coverage, no data? The whole thing seems to revolve around VOIP and the coverage map only differentiates between 2G, 3G, and 4G. That suggests that if you don’t have at least 2G or WiFi, you’re out of luck. Every online resource I’ve tapped so far hasn’t shed any light on the situation.
Privacy is also a concern. They supposedly use a VPN when calling via open public WiFi to encrypt call data, but I’m still concerned. Then there’s Google, T-Mobile, and Sprint all potentially listening in and retaining calls for an unknown amount of time. I haven’t read the Project Fi Privacy Policy yet, though, so that might end up allaying my concerns somewhat.
All in all, it’s intriguing and I’m considering making the switch. I’m currently on Verizon, no contract, so I’m getting unlimited talk/text and 2GB of data for $60/month. Project Fi certainly has a better price point and more flexibility. So I could presumably purchase a Fi-capable phone, make the switch, and then jump ship to T-Mobile or AT&T if Project Fi doesn’t work out. Then again, it’s probably smarter to wait to see if it catches on.
My Nexus 6P is shipping today with a Project Fi SIM card. Talk and text are included for the $20 base rate, whether the data for those services is transmitted over WiFi, Sprint or T-Mobile.
Analog cellular service has been obsolete for almost eight years. If you can’t get a 2G or WiFi signal, you’re not making a call on any mobile phone network in the US. Voice and SMS are included and don’t affect your data usage, nor does actual data usage on your own or any other WiFi network you can access. Basically, you’re only paying for usage on Sprint and T-Mobile networks when you use them for data.
The real magic (allegedly) is the seamless shifting between networks to find the strongest possible connection. There are definitely negative reviews out there for Project Fi on the Nexus 6, which was until now the only supported device. With the Nexus 5X and 6P and a new Android build, I’m hoping the majority of issues have been worked out. If not, the new Nexus phones are unlocked and can be moved to any major carrier in the US since they support all frequencies used here.
As far as privacy, you don’t have to use public WiFi if you don’t want to, but that kind of defeats the purpose of Project Fi, which is to move as much data as possible through existing WiFi infrastructure, where it’s “free”. And if you have a mobile phone, some company has access to all of your phone usage data, so does it really matter if three companies have it? That’s entirely subjective, but it doesn’t bother me. None of these companies are going to freely hand out my personal information and if one can be compelled to do so under government warrant, they all can.
I’m hoping the service works as well as the idea of the service and like you, I’m cautiously optimistic. For me, I was going to switch to Verizon or T-Mobile anyway. Both have abandoned carrier subsidized devices, so I don’t think I’m risking much by purchasing a Nexus device and taking Project Fi for a spin.
I don’t use a ton of mobile data either, which make Project Fi ideal for my use. I guess it boils down to your current service charges and how old your phone is. I don’t really need a new phone, but the monthly phone payment (interest free for 2 years) with unlimited voice and SMS plus 2GB of data on Project Fi is still going to cost me significantly less than I’m paying for service alone (450 minutes plus unlimited data) on Sprint.
The fact that I’m only paying for the mobile data (under estimated use gets credited and over is charged, all at $10/GB) I use is very appealing, especially when you consider that Nexus phones can be used as mobile hotspots without paying extra for the privilege. I want that functionality occasionally (say for WiFi connection a laptop) but it costs $20 a month for 2GB with Sprint, so I never have it.
I should have my phone tomorrow. I’ll report back in a couple weeks with my impressions of the service.
Please do! I would love to hear your impressions on both the phone and the service.
Those are exactly the reasons I’m interested in Project Fi as well. That, and it would be great to have a pure Nexus phone that gets prompt updates. It was always incredibly frustrating how Verizon would take 6-9 months to implement an update because they needed time to barf all over it first.
Right now I’m waiting for my invite and then I’ll decide on a phone. Even if I get the nicest Nexus 6P and a comparable plan, I’d only be paying around $7/month more than I am with Verizon, including the interest free phone financing. No contract, and I can pay the phone balance and jump ship any time I want.
Or, I may just pick up a Nexus 6 on a Black Friday sale and save some money. If I decide to go crying back to Verizon, all three Project Fi phones will work, and I’d only be paying $5/mo more than I am now if I lost my promo deal. So not a terribly risky experiment for me.
I’m interested, and I hope those who try it will report back.
One thing I’m cautious about: Google has not historically had very responsive or available customer service. If you have a problem with one of their products, it’s pretty hard to talk to an actual human who can resolve it. Maybe that will be different with this because you’re actually a paying customer, not a set of eyeballs for their advertisers.
I’m a Google Fiber customer, and we’ve gotten very good customer service. They seem to outsource everything, and the Fiber support personal have been knowledgeable and helpful. I’ve found you’ll get more technical people available via the text chat service than by phone though, and I have managed to build a small collection of @google.com e-mails who actually follow through and fix problems.
But they’re such a huge company, I don’t imagine any two divisions have the same responsiveness. For instance, I can’t imagine that they could afford to pay anybody to support Gmail, unless you have business Gmail accounts.
Rumor is that people who buy a phone at the same time get faster invite fulfillment than those who bring their own, but that may be sour grapes.
One thing to note is that Black Friday is swiftly approaching, and there are generally some pretty good deals on buying cell phones outright. Deals, deals, deals.
As I was setting up my phone, I expected my existing number to automatically port over, since I had previously given all the account information. It didn’t, and I should have done more digging before contact Google Fi by chat, but they were enthusiastic about helping me. It may be a honeymoon phase, but I really can’t think of a better way to describe the support than competent and enthusiastic.
I requested an invitation 3-4 weeks before the Nexus 5X/6P launch, and received one the day before launch. You can’t really bring your own device yet. Nexus devices are only sold through Google Store and nothing but the Nexus 6/5X/6P are supported at this point.
That’s great if Google has a Black Friday sale on freshly released Nexus devices with worldwide demand, but I don’t think they will. Otherwise, as I mentioned before, you can’t get Project Fi with anything but a Nexus phone at this point.
Initial impressions. The nexus 6P is, physically, a pretty enormous phone. But I knew that going in and I’m already getting used to it. In the few hours I’ve used it, I love pretty much everything about it. The aesthetics of the phone are fantastic, the performance is better than any other phone I’ve ever used and the fingerprint reader is amazing.
I’ve never used a phone lock before, because PIN and swipe are a pain in the ass. The fingerprint reader asks for 5-6 reads of any digit you authorize (I set up my two index fingers, but you may want to authorize a spouse or whatever) from multiple angles and it works great. No dicking around whatsoever. You pick up the phone and move your finger to the sunken fingerprint hole with your authorized digit and it reads perfectly. Fast and perfectly.
The display is phenomenal. It’s sourced from Samsung and I’ve heard it’s not as good as what they use on the Galaxy S6, but it’s honestly stunning. The phone starts up with a white Google logo on an impossibly black backdrop. From a hardware perspective, performance and functionality, this phone lives up to all the hype. From a voice and data experience, time will tell. It works swell within a few dozen feet from an AC WiFi router. Real world testing to follow.
Worst case scenario is I just pay off the phone and take it to another carrier. If nothing else, I’m more than pleased with the hardware.
Absolutely. I’m torn between springing for a Nexus 5X or 6P, and waiting for Black Friday to see if I can get a Nexus 6 for cheap.
Thanks for the info! I’m really interested in the 6P but I’m not positive I want something that huge. I really love how I can easily de-pocket my Galaxy S3 and fiddle with it one handed. With something as large as the 6 or 6P, I’m worried that i would fit awkwardly in my pocket and be difficult to use one handed. If they had made a premium version of the 5, I would probably have jumped on it.
The 6P isn’t awkward with slacks or khakis and is only slightly awkward with jeans. It’s the same weight as my HTC One M8 and the same thickness. I also would have preferred a Nexus 5X with the same specs and build quality as the 6P, but the differences were too much to ignore. If you can’t get past the size of the 6P, you should seriously consider the 5X. They have the same camera and fingerprint reader. The 5X has a slightly slower processor, slightly inferior display and slightly lower build quality.
Fuck it, get a 6P. When I took it out of the box I had a few moments of buyer’s remorse. Fuck, this thing is huge! When I started using it, I fell in love with a piece of computer hardware like I haven’t felt in 15 years. And if you’re concerned about the size of the 6P, do not, under any circumstances get a Nexus 6. Seriously, just don’t. It makes the 6P look svelte and nimble in comparison.
I’m this –><– close to buying a 5X. It’s time for me to upgrade from my original Moto X. And I don’t want a huge phone. It just doesn’t feel good in my hand.
My only concern with the display is that I saw a comment about it being hard to read in bright sunlight. I’m waiting to hear some more discussion on that.
Oh, I know that the Nexus 6 is really beefy. But I would feel less annoyed if I wasn’t thrilled with its size since I’d only be spending $250-300 on a 6, as opposed to $600 on a 6P.
Still, you plus the litany of rave reviews are definitely tempting me to go with the 6P. Though it’s all academic until my Project Fi invite comes in.
As for further discussions, there’s some relevant reddit groups:
My phone says 1G on it pretty often indoors, although I never actually use it to make calls. Seeing as the phone was created sometime this decade, it was well after the 2008 analog sunset.
I hate it, BTW. People used to be able to use the cell phones everywhere around here. Now they often can’t indoors. This Project Fi would be great if we still had open wifi everywhere, but we don’t. Businesses offer gated open wifi which requires you to submit to an EULA, which works online and not over VOIP.
Plus, as far as I can tell, there is a certain part of the data that is required to be voice in 2G, and that has priority. So I’d expect more drops.
Maybe, but you’ll get much better resale value on the 6P if you hate it. Which you won’t.
Honestly, we’re like the same person. You will get the 6P and be like “fuck, this thing is way too big to be a phone” and then an hour later you will be in love with a computer that you can hold in your hand. If you have big hands.
Did you go through the order process at Google Store? I had an invite before, but you may just get an option for a Project Fi SIM card kit. If not, you can abandon the order and that might not be a terrible way to tell Google you want in on Project Fi.
Google is using Sprint and T-Mobile as mobile data partners.
As I mentioned, 1G is analog. I will bet you One Million Dollars that Verizon is not providing analog network service to consumers. They may be using 1G as code for “data service sucks here” but it is not providing analog service, which is synonymous with the actual meaning of 1G.