Nexus 6 Release Date, Price at Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile

Dec 05, 2014 01:57 PM EST

Verizon Wireless has been strangely quiet about its own release of the Nexus 6 smartphone, but a new rumor floating around Reddit pinpoints the largest wireless carrier to release the Google device on December 13.

Reddit user mcgovern23 posted a note on Wednesday about an experience at a Verizon store where an employee let it slip that the Nexus 6 will drop on December 13 for Verizon customers. "I was just in my local Verizon store, as I am looking to switch carriers. I'm waiting for the Nexus 6 to finalize my switch, but its obviously not on sale yet. I was speaking with a few of the employees, and they looked into their system and told me the Nexus 6 is expected to be released December 13th."

While the Nexus 6 has already been confirmed to launch for Verizon, this is the first unsubstantiated rumor about an actual launch date. But there are some things about this rumor to keep in mind. First off, December 13 is a Saturday, and Verizon usually launches new products on Thursdays. Second, this post could easily involve false information from either the poster or the Verizon employee.

Google's Nexus 6 is the company's high-end flagship smartphone that was first announced back in October. It features a 2.7 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 805 processor, 3 GB of RAM, and either 32 or 64 GB of storage space. The 5.96-inch screen has 2560 x 1440 resolution and it includes a 13-megapixel camera in the rear. It's the first smartphone to ship with Android 5.0 Lollipop standard, along with Motorola's high-end Moto line.

The Nexus 6 is available for purchase through the Google Play Store, Motorola Mobility, Best Buy, T-Mobile, AT&T, and Sprint already, but Verizon and U.S. Cellular's availability date has remained a mystery. If this rumor proves to be true, it means millions of Verizon customers will have access to the regarded phone.

AT&T is currently offering the 32 GB Nexus 6 for $682.99 off-contract, while T-Mobile's price is $649.92 and Sprint is right at $648. Of course, if you sign up for a two-year service agreement, you're looking at a cool $249.99 on each carrier. But if you're looking for a version of the phone that can be unlocked for any participating carrier, your best bet is to grab it for $649 at the Google Play store... once it's back in stock, that is.

While this rumor is interesting, several other Redditers are debunking the myth in the comments. "I've even contacted Verizon executive relations and they won't even confirm Verizon is going to carry the N6," user dgCradams commented. "That's the most frustrating part to me. Just give me a release date and i'll wait impatiently. I've already called and priced AT&T. If this 13th rumor is not true then i'm jumping ship. Sad cause I've really liked VZW service for the past 7 years."

One piece of Verizon news that's not a rumor, though, is the fact that the carrier is slowly phasing out its 3G coverage in the United States. The company plans to further expand its 4G coverage, but the 3G towers have to go first.

"Verizon has been spotted repurposing slices of the 1900MHz block (known as PCS) for LTE in test markets around New York," according to Geek.com. "That means phones in these areas will only have 3G over the 850MHz band, which should be okay for calls, but data will be even less usable. That's not a big problem, though. Almost all Verizon customers have an LTE-capable phone by now."