If you have a semi-recent iPhone you could save hundreds on an iPhone X.
The new iPhone X has given Apple fans plenty of reasons to be excited.
It’s the first drastically redesigned iPhone in ten years, with a full edge-to-edge OLED display, facial recognition and improved cameras that are ready for augmented reality. It also is the first with a nearly $1,000 starting price tag.
While the price may be off-putting, with pre-orders set to begin this Friday, carrier offers have begun to appear and carry some good news.
Assuming you have a semi-recent iPhone (iPhone 6 or later) or one of a variety of Android devices that aren’t cracked, broken or water-damaged, you should be able to save several hundred dollars off the cost of the X, in many cases getting you more credit for your old phone than you would by trading it in to an online “reCommerce” site like Gazelle or uSell.
Here’s a breakdown of who will pay what.
As to be expected, there is a catch with all of these deals. Each carrier is offering the iPhone X trade-in, assuming you finance the phone on one of their respective monthly payment plans.
These plans are the equivalent of the old two-year contracts, allowing you to get the phone at a discount while presumably keeping you locked into a carrier for the next 12-24 months.
The one (current) bright side is that thanks to increased competition, all the major carriers have various promotions where they are willing to buy you out of your current payment plan so long as you agree to switch to their network.
Sprint has one of the better trade-in deals available, offering $350 off the cost of an iPhone X if you trade in an iPhone 6 or later or if you trade in one of a variety of recent Android phones (including the Samsung Galaxy S7, S7 Edge, S8 and S8 Plus).
As with other discounts, the credits will be applied to your monthly bill within two billing cycles, allowing you to get the 64GB iPhone X for $22.22 per month for 18 months on the company’s Sprint Flex payment plan.
The “limited time” offer is available to both new and existing subscribers and also includes the company’s “iPhone Forever” program which will allow you to upgrade to next year’s presumed newest iPhone.
T-Mobile will give you $300 off an iPhone X with the trade-in of a “qualifying device”, a list that includes the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, 6S and 6S Plus, 7 and 7 Plus and the 8 and 8 Plus. The discount will be doled out as monthly bill credits over 24 months.
Like Sprint, T-Mobile’s program will allow you to trade in your iPhone X for a new device once 50% of the device has been paid off.
T-Mobile’s payment plans for the iPhone X range from $279.99 down and $30 per month for the 64GB model to $429.99 down and $30 a month for the 256GB version, after which you own the phone.
Those who would prefer to lease the phone, and gain the flexibility to upgrade to a different device once every 30 days, can get the 64GB iPhone X for $0 upfront and monthly payments of $41.56 over 18 months as part of the company’s “Jump on Demand” program. The 256GB iPhone X is $429.99 upfront and then $24 per month under this program.
Have an iPhone 6S, 6S Plus, 7 or 7 Plus? Verizon will give you $300 off a new iPhone X. IPhone 6,6 Plus or SE? You can save $200.
Trade-in of a Samsung Galaxy S7, S7 Edge, S8 and S8 Plus will also receive $300 off, as will the trade in of an LG G6, last year’s Google Pixel or the Motorola Z2 Force. Older devices such as the Galaxy S6, S6 Edge or Note 5 will be eligible for $200 off.
The savings will be distributed as credits on your monthly bill, applied over 24 months. Though be warned, Verizon requires you to have (or switch to) one of the company’s unlimited plans.
AT&T’s offer is seemingly the weakest of the four major carriers. The company’s website revealed early Friday morning that it will be offering up to $300 in monthly bill credits for those upgrading in trading in their iPhone 7 Plus or up to $200 in credits for other devices. As of this writing it is unclear what the breakdown will be per device.
For those not interested in being locked into a carrier and would prefer the discount upfront, Apple will allow you to trade in your old iPhones as part of its “trade up” program. Values vary depending on the device, with the iPhone 6 netting you $145 off and last year’s iPhone 7 Plus saving you $375.
Apple delivers the payments in the form of Apple gift cards or instant store credit if you are purchasing a new device.
While Apple’s program isn’t as generous for older devices, you can at least trade-in your old iPhone 5 for $40, getting you something for your five-year-old phone.
Follow Eli Blumenthal on Twitter @eliblumenthal
