AT&T Contracts?

Probably not, but it's too soon to tell.

 

No way AT&T will go back to the contracts and discount your new phone. The carriers are happy to be rid of it.

You need to start saving now.

 

Start saving or just pay it off over a few years like you do now. If they went back to contracts they'd raise the monthly price of plans to cover the increase.

 

No, but that's why carriers and Apple offer device financing, so you don't have to fork that money out at once.

 

There is not a chance any carrier brings back a 2-year contract. They are making more money with this structure.

 

Not going to happen.
T-Mobile might come out with a similar deal like last year where you upgrade by handing in your old iPhone and get bill credits towards the eip plan for 2 years.

 

You bet they are. I'm still paying AT&T the same price (now $10 more, really) for my grandfathered unlimited data plan that I've had since 2009, even now that I'm newly off-contract (from my last one with 2015's iPhone 6s Plus) and nothing being subsidized at all (nor ever again, it appears).

AT&T is effectively making $20 extra from me a month now for nothing, compared to the normal $20 access fee it charges others without the grandfathered unlimited. In fact, if I got on to one of AT&T's standard plans, it would cost me the same $80/month for a 6Gb mobile share plan (with $20 access fee for one device) as it is with my current setup ($35 voice + $5 text + 40 unlimited data / access fee). And I'm not even using over 4Gb per month. Ridiculous.

I'm NEVER buying a phone directly through AT&T again. I'll only be purchasing a SIM-Free (or Verizon-capable) iPhone from Apple, and reminding AT&T that I'm a free agent and may leave them if I even simply roll out of the wrong side of bed one day.