I want to buy a Samsung Galaxy SIII. I have to pay for it outright (on a T-Mobile no-contract plan), so it makes sense to shop around and see prices. But what am I looking for? Am I stuck taking T-Mobile’s $600 price? Can I go with an unlocked phone? If so, how do I transfer my number/data? Basically, before I just plunk down a bunch of cash at a T-Mobile store, can someone point me to the ins and outs of buying a phone from a third party? What to look for, what to look out for, what key terms mean…
Check eBay for a T-Mobile S3 - you never know. It’s been out just long enough that you might find some bargains from resellers or former owners. You definitely want an unlocked, fully-accessible phone that meets T-Mobile’s standards (I don’t know offhand what those are.)
(Fantastic phone, though. I had one as soon as Sprint released them, then had to give up on Sprint because their coverage in our area was dismal. So I got to upgrade to a Note II, which is great because I used the S3 as a tablet anyway. My wife has an S3 now, her first real superphone.)