Sprint has announced that its Nexus S 4G smartphone will now be $49.99 after rebate, the highlight of the company's Google Wallet launch.
Customers can visit Sprint.com and order the Nexus S 4G for $49.99 with a new two-year contract or upgrade, Sprint said in a press release, after a $50 American Express gift certificate. However, on the Web site Sprint is currently charging new customers $29.99 for the Nexus 4G, and makes no mention of the gift card.
It can be a bit difficult to tell how often a phone like the Nexus S is offered for free; Best Buy has offered the phone for free after rebate on two occasions, most recently in August. Last December, it launched at $199, or $599 unlocked.
PCMag.com hasn't reviewed the Sprint version of the Nexus S 4G, although it uses the same body as T-Mobile's version (4 stars), which debuted last December. At 4.9 by 2.5 by 0.4 inches and 4.5 ounces, the Nexus S is a black slab phone that's noticeably smaller than the recent round of humongo-phones with 4.3-inch screens. The Nexus looks elegant because it uses more rounded corners and a black bezel, rather than cheaper-looking chromed plastic.
More importantly, the Nexus S 4G is currently the only phone that can tap into the Google Wallet, the Google pay-by-phone technology that officially launched as a public trial on Monday. That's because the Nexus S is the only publicly announced phone to include a near-field-communcations (NFC) antenna built in, that can communicate with either Visa PayWave or Mastercard PayPass wireless terminals. It works, but suffers from a dearth of available payment locations.
"Sprint is thrilled to be the first U.S. carrier to offer Google Wallet," said Fared Adib, vice president of product at Sprint, in a statement. "Nexus S 4G is the first to receive new versions of Android software, and today's upgrade puts the near-field communications, or NFC, chip in the phone to work so customers can have a secure virtual wallet on their phone. NFC capabilities on smartphones open the door to a new level of convenience and security."
There's only one catch to the deal: after six months, American Express will assess a $3.00/month fee against the remaining balance; in other words, you'd better use that gift certificate in six months, or watch that balance slowly disappear.
For more on Google Wallet, visit our hands-on. Otherwise, check out the slideshow for more on the Nexus S.
Editor's Note: This story was updated at 4:19 PM with after a clarification from Sprint.