There aren’t any strings attached, really. If you’re a current customer on T-Mobile’s 6GB, 10GB or Unlimited Simple Choice plan, you can reserve a T-Mobile Tuesday smartphone by going online, visiting any of the carrier’s brick and mortar locations, or by calling T-Mobile’s customer service hotline. You’ll need an active line to place calls and use data, of course, and you’ll have to maintain service for 24 months and pay any applicable taxes. Otherwise, though, the smartphone is yours to keep at no additional charge.
The selection is a bit constricted. Subscribers on Simple Choice 6GB can get the Samsung Galaxy On5, while customers on the pricier 10GB and Unlimited tiers have the choice between the On5 and J7. And the handsets, both of which were released last year, fit squarely in the midrange “budget” category. The On5 packs a 5-inch HD (1,280 x 270 pixels) display, an Exynos 1.3GHz quad-core processor, and 1.5GB of RAM, plus a 8MP rear-facing camera, 5MP front-facing shooter, 8GB of storage, and a 2,600 mAh battery.
The J7, meanwhile, sports a a 5.5-inch AMOLED HD (1,280 x 720 pixels) display with a Snapdragon 615 processor, an identical amount of RAM, a 13MP rear-facing camera and 5MP front-facing sensor, 16GB of storage, and a 3,000mAh battery. The former normally retails off contract for $140 (or $5.84 per month on a 24-month installment plan), while the later is available for $240 ($10 per month).
T-Mobile’s positioning the promotion as a back-to-school offer. “[The] third quarter is huge for our industry and for families traveling and getting ready for back to school,” said T-Mobile’s Chief Operating Officer Mike Sievert told USA Today. “After Verizon’s massive price hike, we knew it was the perfect time to step in and give families some relief like only the Un-carrier can or would with free Galaxy smartphones for everyone.”
The free phones follow a series of promotions T-Mobile launched in June as part of its “Un-carrier 11” benefit. It has given customers shares of the company’s stock, given away Frosties from Wendy’s, provided coupons for movie rentals on Vudu, offered free in-flight Wi-Fi on domestic airlines, and boosted data speeds for customers roaming internationally. And the the carrier said there’s more to come. “T-Mobile Tuesdays is a major investment we’re making in customers,” Legere said “About $31.49 worth of free stuff just [in the first] week … multiply that with millions of customers — that’s a lot of gratitude, but you’re worth it.”
