Electronics superstore Best Buy announced this week it would be the exclusive North American retailer offering the new Nexus S smartphone.
The phone, developed jointly by Samsung and Google, will be available in all Best Buy stores after Dec. 16. Consumers will also be able to find the phone at BestBuy.com and at Best Buy Mobile stores.
The Nexus S is available unlocked and without a contract for $529. A phone built to work with T-Mobile is available for $199, but a two-year contract and certain voice and data plans are required.
“We have invested a lot of time and resources to ensure people get the smartphone and support that’s right for them, and we expect to see significant consumer excitement focused on Nexus S,” said Mike Vitelli, president of the Americas for Best Buy. “This is a groundbreaking mobile device that you have to see to believe, and that’s exactly what people can do at every Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile location.”
The phone will be available in Best Buy shops and Carphone Warehouse outlets in the United Kingdom later this month.
Samsung already makes some of the top-rated Android phones. A recent ranking by PCWorld put the Samsung Epic 4G at the top of the list. Samsung also took spots seven, eight and nine.
Google’s independent venture into Android phones, Nexus One, failed to take off earlier this year. On Monday, Andy Rubin, who heads’ Google’s mobile software division, said the company’s plans for the phone were too ambitious.