14 DAY TRIAL // Android enthusiasts in Australia will be happy to know major carrier Telstra has just confirmed it will bring the Nexus 5 in the country on November 26.
The bad news is the smartphone will cost quite a lot for those who do not wish to commit to a long-term contract. As AusDroid points out, Telstra announced it would sell the Nexus 5 16GB model for no less than $700 (€485) off contract.
What's even worse is the fact that the updates for the device do not seem to be supplied by Google directly and will have to go through Telstra's testing process, which means customers may have to wait up to 90 days to receive a new update for Nexus 5.
However, Telstra's officials are quite happy with it and think the Nexus 5 will be a hit among the carrier's Android fans.
“Customers have been waiting eagerly for this phone, which is the first Nexus phone to come with 4G functionality, and it couldn’t arrive at a better time. Last week we switched on our 3000th 4G-compatible base station, bringing our 4G coverage to four times that of any competitor network.
“That means customers using the Nexus 5 with Telstra will have access to superfast 4G speeds in more places than ever before,” said Andrew Volard, Telstra director of Device Management.
For those who are wondering why Telstra is selling the Nexus 5 for such a high retail price, LG made some comments in a statement for Delimiter where it explains some of the reasons behind the carrier's decision:
“Nexus 5 handsets sold through the Play store are done so by Google and are subject to pricing decisions made by Google.
“Offline and retail sales through local Australian retail outlets and sales channels are the subject of a completely separate pricing structure that provides for a different support and service model for consumers.
“To this end, this provides for a range of different cost elements, including transport and logistics, local service and support costs associated with retail sales staff, physical stores, live sample devices for demonstration, and many other services functions that consumers can access when a device is purchased at a physical store location.”
Customers who cannot afford to pay the high price may want to take into consideration signing up for a 24-month contract for $69 (€48) per month.