Wireless customers who don't like lengthy and expensive contracts will likely rejoice at their chance to take Samsung's Galaxy S3 for a spin, as Friday prepaid carrier MetroPCS announced the phone will join its offerings.
The contract-free wireless provider revealed that it will soon begin selling the Galaxy S3, one of the most popular Android phones, sans contract.
Naturally, the Galaxy SIII will cost a little more since it's not subsidized through a contractual carrier agreement - it will go for $499 on MetroPCS, with monthly rates reportedly ranging from $30 to $70.
When the S3 debuted over the summer, it went for anywhere from $149 (on AT&T) to $229 (on T-Mobile) with a two-year agreement.
Prepaid still the way to go
Mobile carriers in general are losing contracts, but gaining prepaid customers, a report claimed earlier this year.
With the Samsung Galaxy S3 headed to MetroPCS, that trend seems likely to continue.
The May report claimed that the seven largest U.S. carriers lost 52,000 contract subscribers during the same period that they gained two million prepaid customers.
One reason for this shift is that, simply put, contracts are expensive - the same report claimed that AT&T customers pay on average $64.46 per month when under contract, but only $11.52 when not on contracts.
Time to upgrade
The powerful and sleek 4.8-inch Samsung Galaxy S3 couldn't even be toppled from TechRadar's top spot by Apple's iPhone 5.
With the S3 now available with or without a contract, it's the perfect time to upgrade - especially if the T-Mobile-MetroPCS merger goes through (despite the best efforts of MetroPCS's shareholders).
With T-Mobile parent company Deutsche Telekom in charge, who knows how things might change at MetroPCS?
Via CNET
