T-Mobile Makes a Prepaid "Uncarrier" Move; REVVL 7 is Noteworthy, Too
Prepaid "Uncarrier" moves? T-Mobile’s Metro brand just addressed a big pain point with prepaid customers by allowing long-time customers to upgrade their phones with the same deals that new subscribers get. Phone upgrades are commonplace in the U.S. for postpaid, but in prepaid you usually start out with a low-end free or discounted phone and then get stuck with it even if you stay with the carrier and pay your bill regularly for years. Consumer who don't want a credit check, don't want a phone contract, or just don't need all the bells and whistles of carrier postpaid plans should take a look at the new Metro Flex plans. Even the base $50/month Metro Flex plan lets you upgrade after 1, 2, or 3 years (the longer you stay/wait, the better the phone you can upgrade to).
The step-up Metro Flex plans add more hotspot data and unlimited international text for another $10/month. Go up another $10/month and get even more hotspot data and a full Amazon Prime subscription. This is a $5/month discount on a service that should really appeal to prepaid subscribers who might be cash constrained or moving frequently and don't want to pay for Prime up front. There are certainly less expensive prepaid plans out there, but all Metro Flex plans include at least 8GB of hotspot data, 100GB of Google One storage, and T-Mobile Scam Sheild, in addition to the hardware upgrade benefit. This is a good deal.
One of the free phones that you can get with a Metro Flex line is the new REVVL 7 5G. This phone is not limited to prepaid, T-Mobile is adding two new REVVL phones to the lineup for both Metro and T-Mobile subscribers. I have written about why T-Mobile keeps investing in REVVL; the new models are not just cheap carrier-branded devices to hit a price point. The REVVL 7 5G and REVVL 7 Pro 5G use Qualcomm’s mid-range Snapdragon 6 platform, both have 50 MP main cameras, and both models have FHD+ resolution – with the REVVL 7 Pro upgrading to AMOLED. There is plenty of RAM (128GB on the REVVL 7, 256GB on the REVVL 7 Pro), plus removable storage, and a headphone jack. The 5,000 mAh battery will probably only need to be recharged every second day with that processor/display/battery size. If T-Mobile is true to form, there will be no pre-loaded bloatware, either; I look forward to getting review units in shortly.
If you don’t get it for free with one of T-Mobile or Metro’s plans, the REVVL 7 5G lists for $199, and the REVVL 7 Pro 5G costs $249. There are three other interesting quirks of the REVVL 7 line that device manufacturers and rival carriers should note (or, better yet, copy):
While other phones require activation fees, REVVL 7 are free, a savings of $35.
T-Mobile offers a limited lifetime warranty on these phones. Consumer damage isn’t included - this isn’t an insurance policy - but it should provide buyers with peace of mind that T-Mobile stands behind its branded devices.
There is no charger in the box — but you can ask for one for free. This is, without question, the most consumer-friendly way to be true to environmental e-waste reduction goals. Many people have plenty of chargers lying around and don’t need another one. But, particularly in prepaid, many people do. Or this may be the first USB-C device they have.
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