Connect with us

Mobile

Motorola Triumph Goes on Sale Early at Best Buy

Published

on

We know that there are many of you waiting to get your hands on Virgin Mobile’s Motorola Triumph and if that is the case, you’ll be happy to know that some Best Buy stores are apparently selling the device earlier than its scheduled release date which is either tomorrow or July 20th.

Motorola Triumph

It seems that a few Reddit users were able to stroll right into Best Buy and snag this thing for $300 ahead of schedule so if you’ve been waiting for it, you probably want to make the trip down to your local store to see if you can coerce politely ask the employees there if you can get your hand on some new Motorola hardware.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Motorola Triumph, it’s an extremely exciting phone because it boasts some pretty awesome specifications – vanilla Android, 4.1-inch display, extremely thin design – for an off-contract smartphone.

So, if you’re not into the monkey business that comes with mobile carriers and their contracts, this is probably a phone that you should be looking at, even if the contract is probably a little steeper than you’d like it to be.

For those who come home empty handed today, you luckily have a very short wait ahead of you before the phone undergoes a full-fledged release.

Have any of you been able to snag one of these early?

Via: Phandroid

65 Comments

65 Comments

  1. Richard

    07/18/2011 at 6:35 pm

    i want this phone sooo bad!  i just dont have the funding right now x.x  curse you money D:<

    • Joseph Larson

      07/19/2011 at 7:18 pm

      get the 6 month no interest card from bestbuy (pay it off in a few months)

      • What is wrong with you?

        07/20/2011 at 6:38 am

        This is terrible advice. If he doesn’t have the money, he shouldn’t be buying things. He’s already made the right choice.

  2. alehx

    07/18/2011 at 6:55 pm

    failed in peoria il

  3. byebye AT&T

    07/18/2011 at 7:04 pm

    walked into bestbuy and there were at least 20 available so i grabbed one :)

  4. Summerdaze1129

    07/18/2011 at 7:25 pm

    I bought one yesterday (July 17) at Best Buy.

  5. Brittany Bogle

    07/18/2011 at 8:54 pm

    I got one on July 14 at best buy in Evanston, IL

  6. james rend

    07/18/2011 at 9:03 pm

    I just got back from BestBuy and snagged me one. For those of you interested, they have them locked up behind the counter and NOT on the display floor. You have to ask for it but don’t wait, 2 of the stores I check had already sold out! The 3rd store had 3 left here in L.A. I also found a 10% off coupon online which gave me a nice savings, allowing me to buy the shield protector.

    • Dubbaukb

      07/19/2011 at 4:21 pm

      Where online was the coupon? I’m @ best buy and they are unaware of it.

  7. Anonymous

    07/18/2011 at 10:43 pm

    just bought this at bestbuy and activated it.  Very happy with the purchase.  It is very responsive and you cannot beat virgin mobiles beyond talk 25$ plan.

    • T_noto

      07/19/2011 at 9:51 pm

      how did you activae it? I have been haggling with vm for the last 2 days. I too scored at BB with a 10% coupon  drom Coupon Mountain. VM told me the phone cannot be activated until Wed the 20th. I had contacted them about my Samsung intercept that no longer works , my accont is good, I have custonized the phone but I cannot call or text. There is a notification that tells me I have to activated it. Spoke to them again today 2/19 and they said it can ‘t be avtivated until tomorrow, tried on the phone, then online then I called (2 days ago) teh girl talked to her super and was told it would take a few hours to activate. When i could not activate today , I though tit was the release date since it was the delivery date from BB still not working.
      BTW I love this phone , sujper fast and bright, great pics and video. Loaded all my apps and don;t mind the size. Its not the iphone but its great for me, especially the $25 plan. Gotta get swype keyboard

    • Anonymous

      07/21/2011 at 7:40 am

      Isn’t the $25 plan for 300 minutes?  That’s shaving it too close for me.  I made sure to snag the $40 1200 minute plan, which is plenty for me.

  8. Blinky

    07/18/2011 at 11:30 pm

    Still only 3g

    • Dhb

      07/19/2011 at 3:08 am

      me too

    • Anonymous

      07/21/2011 at 7:38 am

      I was with T-Mobile for 8 years and have been using its 3G (rebranded as 4G) for a couple years.  Since they have done away with truly unlimited data I don’t care if a phone is 3G or 4G.  The faster connection is just gonna burn through 2GB or 4GB all the faster.

      Besides, I make it a point to use WiFi at all times.  I use the data signal only to check e-mails or look up something on the Net.  Even then, when on the move I look for free WiFi, such as at Starbucks, cafes, and here in San Francisco any one of the hotels who all have free WiFi.

  9. Sam

    07/18/2011 at 11:31 pm

    I’ve had my Triumph activated since Friday. Happened to call BB Friday and was stunned when they said they had Triumph’s in stock. Immediately canceled my on-line preorder. Called VM and had them switch me from T-Mobile. T-Mobile quit on my old phone in about 30 minutes but no VM phone. Called VM back and they asked if I had a Triumph, I said yes, they said I had to wait until the 20th. I told them fine but get my T-Mobile back. Had VM working within an hour.

    • fku

      07/19/2011 at 3:08 am

      LIAR!!!!

  10. Wockman

    07/19/2011 at 12:11 am

    Tried to buy one in Radio Shack today.  They would not sell it without activation, and would not port my number.  I told the dipshat to pound sand. I’ll take my money elsewhere.

    • Reggie9700

      07/20/2011 at 4:37 am

      Never buy any cellphones from RadioShack!!! They force you to activate just to deter you from a possible return.

    • Anonymous

      07/21/2011 at 7:34 am

      Radio Shack is the worst.  They tried doing that to me, activate a phone (two years ago when I was getting my mom her first cell phone.) They do this to get you into their sales and catalog database and to deter returns.

      I told the guy I was in law enforcement and was not about to give him any of my personal information.  He said “sorry sir” and immediately rung up the sale.

  11. Suberizedwrx

    07/19/2011 at 12:42 am

    You can buy it now but you can’t use the phone for calls or data services until the 20th.  Just bought one at Best Buy in San Bernardino (last one available to public outside of the preorders).  Tried to activate it by calling Virgin after getting an on screen message to call them after trying to activate it solo.  Basically the rep told me that the phone won’t be usable for phone calls or data until the 20th. 

    • Suberizedwrx

      07/19/2011 at 12:48 am

      I should note…you can use your wifi for data…just not the 3G.  Can’t get over the youtube video SIZE! Definitely worth the upgrade from the OV.  The phone is just as fast and responsive as the OV thus far!  

    • james rend

      07/19/2011 at 2:45 am

      Dude, you should call VM back and speak to a different sales rep. After failing to transfer to this phone from my BB, I called and the dude (oddly enough named Gaby) said I was lucky to find this phone and gladly activated for me. He even held on the line while he walked me through a few test calls. Initially only Voice worked, but now Data is cranking. Seriously dude, call back, this phone rocks.

    • flailbot

      07/20/2011 at 2:42 am

       i had to do a work around to activate mine. I went to the website and swapped my # from my optimus v to the triumph, then once that was confirmed I was able to use the “activate” app on the phone and it has had 3g service since yesterday(7/18).

    • Reggie9700

      07/20/2011 at 4:38 am

      Mine has been activated since the 17th. I called VM and ported from Verizon. Port was completed in 4 hours

  12. Seth Faulkner

    07/19/2011 at 2:30 am

    Got mine at BB yesterday and used the ##847446# route to activate. Had to manually input the numbers to swap from my old vm phone i have calling, texting, and 3G.

  13. Guest

    07/19/2011 at 3:31 am

    Best Buy Duluth, GA still has at least 4.  I’m pretty happy with it so far.  Nice and snappy:)

  14. Bob

    07/19/2011 at 4:48 am

    Maybe they don’t want people to get this phone and be grandfathered in on the $25/month plan that increases on the 20th.

    • Dirkaburk

      07/19/2011 at 5:29 am

      That’s very likely the case. I picked up two yesterday. Pretty happy with it so far – but wish the battery and call quality were a little better.

      • Reggie9700

        07/20/2011 at 4:42 am

        In my area, the call quality is great, data is pretty fast, but I agree with you, battery is baaaaaaaad!!!!!!!!! I’ll have to purchase an extra battery once available.

      • Anonymous

        07/21/2011 at 7:30 am

        I’m in San Francisco and the call quality is great.  Really depends on where one lives and works, eh.

        I’ve been on T-Mobile since 2003 and where I live I have to put the phone in a 5″ x 5″ area on my desk to get 3G, and now 4G.  (Or I have to sit by the large picture window).

        But this new phone gets 3G anywhere in the house.  I knew that would be the case because I had Sprint before T-Mobile, way back then, and Sprint always gave me a great signal in the house.

        So I am really pleased to be getting a good signal in the house, again.  It’s been 8 years of the above nonsense.

  15. Anonymous

    07/19/2011 at 1:06 pm

    I picked one up on the 17th, after first rep told me it’ll take 24-72 hours, i called back, was told i couldn’t use it til the 20th, which is when rates increased.. so I just went and bought an optimus v to lock myself into the $25 dollar plan…… safe.

    I’m going to try the manual entry and forwarding later tonight. I’m excited for it.

  16. Anonymous

    07/19/2011 at 1:06 pm

    I picked one up on the 17th, after first rep told me it’ll take 24-72 hours, i called back, was told i couldn’t use it til the 20th, which is when rates increased.. so I just went and bought an optimus v to lock myself into the $25 dollar plan…… safe.

    I’m going to try the manual entry and forwarding later tonight. I’m excited for it.

  17. Jeff

    07/19/2011 at 1:24 pm

    bought yesterday at Best Buy.  Because of this article I went down and sure enough, he looked it up and handed me one.  LOL.  Going back though cause no Hot Spot.  They removed all the HotSpot stuff.  Going back to my optimus  Phones seems really nice thoigh.

    • Nickalas

      07/19/2011 at 3:33 pm

      What do you mean “they removed all the hotspot stuff”?  What were you using for hotspot functionality?  I use “Quick Settings” which is an app from the Android Market.  Will this no longer work on the Triumph?

      • Alex Karcher

        07/19/2011 at 11:29 pm

        yes, you get an error when you try to activate it through the quick settings workaround. But i’m going to root it in a few days and i can get the hotspot back then.

  18. Abraham Vivas

    07/19/2011 at 1:32 pm

    Can’t wait to get my hand on one of these…..

  19. Anonymous

    07/19/2011 at 2:18 pm

    Got mine yesterday 07/18/2011. I called BestBuy to check first and the guy went to check and put one on hold for me. Then when I went to pick it up the guy at the Cellphone dept. didn’t want to sell it to me cause he was saying its only for people with pre-orders since the phone isn’t supposed to be out yet. The guy I spoke to on the phone told him that I called first and already had VM service so then the Cellphone guy said “Ok i’ll make an exception this time.” I’m glad he was able to sell it to me and I’m loving this phone! I also had to use the ##847446# and transferred my Optimus info to activate. :-D

    • Jcjasso

      07/19/2011 at 4:40 pm

      Got mine yesterday and activated online, however got a new ph#, then called VM to port my ATT # and they couldn’t do it cause their system is not set up yet, I need to call back after the 20th to switch but she said they will keep my $25 plan. Can I port the # myself?

      • Anonymous

        07/19/2011 at 8:11 pm

        You probably can’t do it if you’re a new customer. You need your  cell# and another # that VM will give you to activate it yourself. I only knew it cause it was already in my Optimus V.

  20. DaynatheGreat

    07/19/2011 at 3:23 pm

    Got mine about an hour ago in Annapolis, MD.  They didn’t even know that they had it there….hanging up.  Upgrading from my Samsung Intercept.  I can’t wait.

  21. Dubbaukb

    07/19/2011 at 5:42 pm

    I picked two up at best buy in Nashville, TN just now. I need a new number so activation may have to wait. Has anyone gotten a new service activation on a Triumph?

    • Ladylyuv3316

      07/19/2011 at 5:55 pm

      went to bestbuy in brooklyn there r plenty triumphs but they cannot activate til the 20th

    • Alex Karcher

      07/19/2011 at 11:27 pm

      i was already on virgin w/ my optimus so i just upgraded from the website. I entered in the serial number and they gave me the number and network id to use. Then i put those into my triumph with the ##847446# workaround and everything is working great! it didn’t even cancel the current month of service that i’m in the middle of! 

  22. Mari

    07/19/2011 at 6:33 pm

    Yes picked mine up yesterday. Their locked up behind the counter. Ask for it. I went to two bbstores and finally got one. Ontario, ca. With bbs 10%off! Activated via wifi, have 3g connection. Good luck guys.

  23. Summerdaze1129

    07/19/2011 at 6:50 pm

    You can’t activate till tomorrow 7/20 but VM said they will honor the $25 plan.

  24. Suberizedwrx

    07/19/2011 at 7:19 pm

    Called Virgin today after buying the phone yesterday (18th) and being told that I couldn’t use it till the 20th.  James Rend was right.  You CAN use it BEFORE the 20th.  I called back this morning (19th) and told the rep the situation.  She tried to activate it and it worked!  This phone is fantastic!  Totally smooth…and plenty of real estate!  Buy one!    

  25. Greg

    07/19/2011 at 8:14 pm

    Bought the Motorola Triumph today at Best Buy in St. Louis. Theyare locked up behind the counter in mobile department, so you have to ask a rep for one.  I went online and swapped my existingi LG Optimus V phone to the new one.  Turned on the Triumph and it works even with 3G internet and phone calls.  Oh and I returned my Optimus V last week, since I saw this one was coming out.  Lastly, I installed Adobe AIR from Market Place (it’s free) and my Flash Apps work on the device.  Nice! Good luck ya’ll! 

  26. Bismonte

    07/19/2011 at 9:12 pm

    I’m a new customer coming over from ATT.  Bought the Triumph today at a Radio Shack and they ported my number and activated the phone for me….$25/mo plan. I was prepared to activate a different phone to lock in the “old” plan pricing and then switch to the Triumph.  Glad I didn’t have to.

  27. Spiny G.

    07/19/2011 at 9:24 pm

    I bought 2 w/ a friend @ the Sunnyvale, CA Best Buy,following the success of Lelodaddy (i.e.https://ww w.phonearena.com/news/Best-Buys-web-site-reveals-299-price-for-the-Motorola-TRIUMPH_id19852#post_140127#post_140159#post_140344) I asked the customer service girl to look up the SKU# written on a piece of paper & she said they had 10 in stock. 

    She approached the mobile dept while they were busy (i.e. approx. 5pm) & they handed her the keys to the cabinet. No questions asked! She checked us out at the customer service desk. It was nerve wracking b/c the boxes wouldn’t scan & when she entered them manually the register froze up. So, she moved 2 another register & presto! (i.e. people were walking around & I had to keep my composure b/c I was sure someone would point out her mistake).

    I recommend swapping phones through the internet b/c the VM live advisor was less than happy w/ me..He said that only 200 phones have been entered into the CDMA network & my internet may not work! And. he suspected Best Buy. He agreed to program the phone anyway & within 15 minutes all was in working order! Lastly, I was able to sell my Intercept today 2 someone who wanted to lock in the $25 rate w/o suspending my account therefore losing my own rate.I AM SO STOKED EVERYTHING WORKED OUT!!! My deepest gratitude to these forum developers and the people who frequent them..

    • Anonymous

      07/21/2011 at 7:15 am

      Get this.  I too was aware that the plan prices were going up.  The plan I wanted was going from $40 to $45. (2.5GB web, unlimited text, 1200 talk minutes).  So I asked the eBay seller if he could get the phone to me in time so I could activate it in time to lock in the plan.  He said he could activate it for me.

      But Monday he said he tried and the phone would not activate. So I was SOL if the phone did not arrive in time.

      So I called Virgin and explained the situation and asked if I should buy the cheapest smartphone so I could secure the plan price.

      He said no problem, he would set up an account for me, with a “dummy phone” and when the Motorola Triumph arrived I could just swap em.  Huh?  I guess they have phone ESNs that they can use to do this.  Whatever, it was cool.

      When the Motorola Triumph came in today I called custo service and the CSR activated the phone and swapped it out with the Optimus V (that was the dummy phone).

      And get this.  She said because I was swapping phones and was a good customer I was being awarded 60 free minutes that “never expire!”  Not sure what that means, but I was not asking questions. (Especially since I only signed up yesterday. LOL.)

  28. Realm1

    07/19/2011 at 11:26 pm

    I was able to activate my phone this morning at 10am est. When it wouldnt let me do it on sunday very good phone n good plan.. 25$ a month cant be beaten.

  29. Eric Hennison

    07/20/2011 at 1:39 am

    Got mine today at the Eastgate Best Buy. I called ahead and drove 45 minutes to get it. Had 5 in stock… one other guy popped in and nabbed one as well.

  30. Soccermom

    07/20/2011 at 1:45 am

    Are Otterbox cases available for these phones?

  31. Soccermom

    07/20/2011 at 10:20 am

    Is the $40.00 2 year protection plan from Best Buy a good idea?

    • Anonymous

      07/22/2011 at 1:24 am

      $40? It should only be $30. And yes it’s a good idea. They repair/replace it for drops, water damage and defective parts. A no lemon guarantee is also included. Not bad for $30.

  32. Maryann1804

    07/21/2011 at 5:03 am

    I got one at my local BB on the 19th but could not activate til later that evening

    • Anonymous

      07/21/2011 at 7:05 am

      Same here.  I had to call a CSR as I could not activate it on the phone nor online.  But when I called customer service she activated the phone in about two minutes (after I input the MSID number, etc.)

      I think the phone was not in the system so that’s why we could not activate it.

  33. Anonymous

    07/21/2011 at 7:02 am

    I have the phone sitting on my desk top as I type.  Have to say this is a fantastic phone (I bought it on eBay, last Saturday, July 16, for $300 and $10 shipping). 

    For many reasons I quit T-Mobile after having two lines with them since 2003.  One reason I never went the prepaid route was because the phones were horrible, as you know, all of them being faux smartphones.  This phone has changed all that. (We are also trying out Metro PCS, to see which carrier we prefer.  For that line we got the Samsung Galaxy Indulge, another nice phone.  It’s somewhat like the Sprint Epic, sans beautiful SAMOLED display.)

    I put the phone through its paces tonight and it performed fantastic.  Mainly I wanted to see how it played flash format video files.  So I downloaded Adobe Flash 10.3 from Android Market, went to Conan O’Brien’s website and it played the sites episodes flawlessly (the files are Flash streams as most sites do).

    I also played some DVD movies I converted into MP4 format.  Again, the Triumph did not disappoint.

    Bottom line: the Motorola Triumph is a great phone. (This is an opinion from someone who has owned the Touch Pro2, HD2, BlackBerry 9700, Samsung Galaxy S Vibrant, Samsung Galaxy S 4G and HTC Sensation.

    No the display can’t compete with the SGS SAMOLED screen nor the Sensation’s display.  But those phones cost about $2,400 compared to this phone costing me $1200. (To calculate the actual cost of a phone you must include what the service is costing you over 24 months.  Trivia:  Did you know that in 2007 people were obligating themselves to pay anywhere from $3,000 to $4,200 to own the iPhone for 24 months!)

    Oh, Virgin is changing its plan pricing, starting July 20 or so.  The unlimited 3G data and text, with 1200 talk minutes is going up from $40 to $45.  The unlimited talk, text and web is going down to $55, from $60. (Unlimited is actually 2.5 GB, which if you exceed gets throttled.)

    I was able to snag the $40 plan before the change.  At T-Mobile I was paying $70 for each line, so $30 savings each month is significant to me.  It’s not worth $360 a year to have a slightly nicer phone. And of course, there’s no contract with prepaid, which is a significant benefit of prepaid.

    Sidenote:  I could not activate my phone via the phone nor online.  It said to call.  So I did and the CSR got me up and running within minutes. 

  34. Anonymous

    07/21/2011 at 9:14 am

    Snagged one from BB in Sanford, FL before the plans went from $25 to $35.  Switching from Boostmobile Blackberry plan of $60.

  35. Anonymous

    07/21/2011 at 4:58 pm

    Checked the site today (Virgin).  Prices have in fact changed.  So congrats to everyone who snagged the old prices.

    Old $25, $40, $60

    New: $35, $45, $55

    If one could do with 300 talk minutes, that $25 plan had to be the best deal on the planet.

    • Anonymous

      07/22/2011 at 1:27 am

      Unless you have a business that relies on a phone I have a hard time imagining anyone on a cell phone for more than 300 minutes a month. Aren’t these people ever at home instead of running their mouths on a phone while they are driving…poorly??!

  36. Libertad

    07/22/2011 at 3:51 am

    I was able to pick up the phone on Sunday at Best Buy and they activated it for me at the store to lock in the $25 a month account.  I still have  minutes left on my Tmobile pay-as-you-go phone, so I haven’t ported the number over yet, though they told me at Virgin Mobile to give them a call when I am ready to port the number to that existing account.  Thanks to this forum, I was able to print out the Best Buy coupon today and went back to the store to apply the discount, as the coupon was good the day of purchase and still good today.  So that paid for the screen protector and car charger bundle.  This is my first android phone and I love it.

  37. Brandi Brown-Rosancrans

    07/26/2011 at 1:32 am

    I bought this phone yesterday at best buy selingsrove, PA and it was on the display floor (not behind the counter) and there was many left. I bought mine for a total for 317.00 plus a 45$ phone card which gives me 1200 mins! So far i absolutely LOVE this phone! It has front and back camera! Everything is perfect. It basically feels like I own a DROID! Any who, They need to come out with phone covers for this phone and my life will be complete!

  38. lol Hack

    08/17/2014 at 4:53 pm

    You really make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this matter to be really something which I think I would never understand.
    It seems too complex and very broad for me. I’m looking forward for your next post, I’ll try to get the hang of it!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.