Has the carrier's separation of device and service impacted your buying decision?

[davidg4781]

So, years ago, top phones were $200 + 2 year service. You went to AT&T or Sprint, gave them $200, walked out with a new iPhone or Android whatever and kept paying your normal bill.

Back then, I always went for the top of the line. Rarely was it more than $200 and $200 didn't feel like much to me. With all these different prices, it seems like people are really considering what devices they're adding.

$1,000 for the top. $700 for the 8. But why not just get a 7 for $650 with 128 GB?

Any other thoughts? I think part of this is performance. From the 4S to the 5S, I got a lot of benefit on that upgrade. 5S to 6 only screen size and a small performance boost. Right now, iPhone is a bit too big for me (I can't go to an SE though) and is still pretty smooth. No real need to upgrade, other than lust.

 

[rui no onna]

As soon as T-Mobile ushered in uncoupling device costs from plan costs and other carriers followed suit, we switched plans. Our family plan price dropped from $240/mo to $160/mo so that's $960/yr or $1920 every 2 years. That still doesn't include the $300 upfront per device (middle storage tier) or $1200 for 4 lines. All in all, that's a total of $3120 every 2 years that we have more flexibility spending.

Phones we used the longest:
iPhone 5: 4 yrs (bloated battery, replaced with 7)
iPhone 5s: 3 yrs (bloated battery, replaced with SE)
iPhone 6+: 3 yrs (battery starting to go, planning on 8+)

 

[cnotes2019]

As soon as T-Mobile ushered in uncoupling device costs from plan costs and other carriers followed suit, we switched plans. Our family plan price dropped from $240/mo to $160/mo so that's $960/yr or $1920 every 2 years. That still doesn't include the $300 upfront per device (middle storage tier) or $1200 for 4 lines. All in all, that's a total of $3120 every 2 years that we have more flexibility spending.

Phones we used the longest:
iPhone 5: 4 yrs (bloated battery, replaced with 7)
iPhone 5s: 3 yrs (bloated battery, replaced with SE)
iPhone 6+: 3 yrs (battery starting to go, planning on 8+)

Wow. I buy and switch phones so much I'm lucky to go a week using the same phone

 

[Strelok]

It's cheaper for the most part, so not really. ~$40 per month is pretty easy to swallow unless you have no job or something.

 

[Reno Raines]

I like buying my phones at full price. I just like the idea of owning something. Just my two cents.

 

[davidg4781]

I like buying my phones at full price. I just like the idea of owning something. Just my two cents.

Were you doing that 5 years ago when you still had to either sign a 2 year contract or pay the same monthly fee to the phone companies?

 

[Reno Raines]

Were you doing that 5 years ago when you still had to either sign a 2 year contract or pay the same monthly fee to the phone companies?

The last time I did a contract and or carrier financing for a phone was around 2010 when the samsung galaxy 1 came out at t Mobile. After that I just save a little throughout the year or two until I have enough to buy it. I hate financing things or credit cards in general due to me being stupid when I was younger. I have vowed not to re-live my errant youthful days

 

[eyoungren]

The price has not changed my buying decisions.

If I do buy, I get the maximum capacity they make in the model and color I want. We (my wife and I) only upgrade every so many years and we do it with our tax refund. So, this allows us to do this.

There's no way in heck I'd be able to do that and get what I wanted if I upgraded yearly and getting what I want is far more important to me than upgrading yearly.

 

[protoxx]

When the phone cost was bundled into service, if you didn't get a new phone every two years, the provider pocked the ~$25/month of the price that was to pay for the phone. In other words if you didn't get a new phone every 2 years you were a chump giving them more profit for no extra service. In other words after 2 years you were still making payments on a paid for phone.

Now you can just pay for service and if you aren't desperate for new features you can pocket a lot of money. My 5s is going fine. The more often you trade up or buy a new phone the higher your costs.

If it ain't broke, don't spend the money.

 

[gurase]

Back in the days of 2 year contracts, your bill didn't go down when you completed your contract. There was no reason not to upgrade every 2 years since you were paying for it as part of your plan anyway. Now you see a real savings when you keep your phone for longer or opt for a cheaper model.

Also, technology advancement in phones has slowed down across the board. There's not as much of a reason to upgrade every 2 years as there used to be.