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iPhones don't need to be expensive, you can get new iPhones quite cheap. I paid about $100 for a brand new iPhone SE2 through a budget prepaid carrier with a p
by _yb2s 2y ago
iPhones don't need to be expensive, you can get new iPhones quite cheap.
I paid about $100 for a brand new iPhone SE2 through a budget prepaid carrier with a projected support life of 8 years from when I bought it 2 years ago- a fairly common discount offer you can still find for new SE3s now. I don't think you can buy any usable Android phone for the $12 or so I'd have every 8 months instead of buying a base model iPhone. And Apple uses their top end CPUs and hardware in their cheap base model phones.
- stavros 2y agoI don't understand how the down-payment on the loan you bought your phone on is relevant in this discussion.
- _yb2s 2y agoWhat loan? That was a cash price for the phone connected to the month-to-month prepaid carrier I already used anyways because they had a very low monthly price with no contracts... and after just 60 days it is unlocked and can be used on any network. Indeed, after a few months I did switch to another prepaid carrier that had free data. If you take Tracfone for example, they have plans that are as cheap as about $8-15 a month depending on the term, so I don't think being locked in for 2 months on whatever carrier you already want to use is a "loan." Presumably you're using some carrier or wouldn't have a phone. Worst case scenario add $30 to the total price to use it as an unlocked phone. This is also generally the cheapest way to buy an Android phone. However, the cheap carrier versions of flagship Android phones are often banned from getting security updates for some reason.
- stavros 2y agoWhat price can I buy an unlocked iPhone as a one-off, without any recurring payments or carriers? That's the price that's relevant when comparing that phone's price to other phones.
- _yb2s 2y agoI already answered that- your best deal to get an unlocked phone is to buy a locked one and pay out the 2 months service to unlock it. So add about $20-30 to the price, which still gets you a new iPhone free and clear for about $200. The thing that makes getting an iPhone like this so much cheaper than even a base model 3rd world country targeted Android is the really long support life. However, I can't imagine anyone actually doing that, because if you're budget conscious enough to be doing this, you'll already be using one of those low priced prepaid carriers, so the 2 month lock-in is not an extra expense.
- stavros 2y agoSo I get an iPhone for $200 and then I can cancel the contract and pay nothing else? That sounds like a pretty good deal.
- _yb2s 2y agoYes- right now on the Tracfone website I see an iPhone SE3 for $189, and single month prepaid rates of $15/mo so that would be $219 total. I'd imagine you have to really wait out the 2 months of service also before the unlock triggers. These are prepaid "burner plans," so there is no contract, you just buy months/minutes up front, and can buy the minutes as a gift card along with the phone. However, in the past I never paid those full website rates because you can often get the pre-boxed store shelf versions of these phones new on eBay, or in person at stores for even cheaper... and the monthly service itself is also a lot less than $15/mo if you prepay for a longer period. In real life $100 total is possible for a brand new iPhone if done right, and is about what I paid for mine.
- QuarterReptile 2y agoJust don't touch anything through Walmart, but yeah, these deals are pretty much real. Play Walmart games, win Walmart prizes.