iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini Cost $30 Extra for T-Mobile, Sprint, or SIM-Free Models [Updated]

[mnsportsgeek]

This is incredibly dumb.

 

[iPlaid]

This SUCKS!

Those wealthy enough to buy a Pro model (no $100 price increase) and use big-buck carriers get the price breaks (and 128GB storage). Those who aren't get screwed!

 

[omarb123]

Also, I have a feeling those "instant discounts" of $30 from ATT or Verizon, are deceiving. Unless they no longer charge for upgrade/activation fees - I won't be surprised if after the billing cycle ends you'll be hit with the usual $30 charge. Therefore, actually save no money, and paying that "discount" right back.

 

[rich1383]

Isn't this T-Mobile and AT&T paying Apple a subsidy to make their phones less expensive?

Also, T-Mobile and Sprint have merged (though maybe not their networks yet); I am confused why they have a price difference.

 

[tripleburst]

There is no escaping the $30.00. You get the phone sim-free it's, 730. You get it with the AT&T "discount" for 699 you'll get charged the $30 activation fee later on anyway.

 

[appleecosys]

Read the fine print
"AT&T Customer Discount
Prices include a $30 AT&T instant discount. Requires activation."

"Verizon Customer Discount
Prices include a $30 Verizon instant discount. Requires activation."

This means you will pay the 30.00 when you "activate". Either way you pay. Tmobile, Sim free and sprint don't have that.

 

[iFan]

This seems like it is made to compensate for the upgrade/activation fee that some people try to avoid with unlocked models. Sneaky.

 

[duaneu]

So essentially they're just covering the activation fee.

 

[KatanaAzul]

Remember when the first iPhone came out at full price? And then the next generation of iPhones were $200 because the carrier discounted/subsidized them with our two year agreements? And then they increased plan prices a few times because of the subsidy? And then gave us the choice of a "lower-cost plan" that didn't have a term commitment and was about the same as our old plans, but we had to pay the full amount of our phones, no more subsidies?

Now we're all used to paying for the phone, and they're adding in a "discount" again depending on our choice (in this case, conditional on which carrier we choose, basically a mini subsidy).

The cycle continues, games within games, to separate us from our hard-earned cash.

 

[Chiguy12]

How about make it $30 less for everyone since you’re not including headphones and USB adapter. Plus you’re saving money.

 

[doboy]

Folks, this is how Apple becomes the next 3 trillion dollar company

 

[wumpalumpa]

Doesn't beat Samsung S20

Samsung Galaxy S20+ vs Apple iPhone 12 Pro - specs comparison - PhoneArena

Compare Samsung Galaxy S20+ vs Apple iPhone 12 Pro with our phone comparison tool and get side-by-side specifications.

www.phonearena.com

 

[Lazy]

The main comparison page says “CDMA EV-DO Rev. A (some models)”, strongly implying there are at least two different physical models. However the tech specs page suggests/says all models have CDMA.

It would be nice to get that clarified.

 

[t76turbo]

How about make it $30 less for everyone since you’re not including headphones and USB adapter. Plus you’re saving money.

Yep..... That is what has me pissed. I am pretty sure I will be buying a Pro Max. But the price increases across the boards while not including accessories has me mad. I own a LOT of Apple stock and dont mind them profiting. But this just seems cruddy.

 

[gkarris]

Usually, buying the sim-free version was the only way to get around the $30 “upgrade/activation fee” carriers would charge.

Apple upping the price by $30 on the sim free version, seems to me is their way of pocketing that money you were going to pay your carrier anyways for that upgrade fee.

Slimy, if so.

Must be this. When I got a new 5c years ago, I got it at a T-Mobile store, and was charged $25 to "activate" the phone onto their network and my account...

My SE died a couple months ago, so I just went to an Apple store and got a SIM-Free SE2, put my SIM card in, restored from Backup on PC, and it all worked...going to a T-Mobile store, they would've charged me $30 to get a new phone, even though I bought it outright...

We've been teleported back to the bad old days of subsidized phones...

I think that they've finally figured out they can start nickle and diming people more and more...

 

[jayducharme]

This really ticked me off and I sent feedback to Apple about it.

 

[ejfontenot]

The issue is I'm on the iPhone Upgrade Program, which Im thinking of coming off of this year.

It appears to be gone anyhow

 

[PortoMavericks]

What in the actual ***.

 

[nwcs]

ATT will charge you to activate anyway. Such a racket.

 

[Zackmd1]

America, I do not understand how your mobile operators operate. This seems crazy.

They operate as unregulated large businesses without significant competition to force them to operate more consumer friendly....

 

[thejadedmonkey]

I tried to do that last year and Apple wouldn't let me. They made me activate the new SIM

When I bought my wife her phone, I just walked into the Apple store and bought an unlocked phone, got home and swapped SIMs. I didn't mention Verizon, and to my knowledge Verizon never charged us.

 

[MiniApple]

SIM free is 725.- Euro / 850 US $ over here.
Yeah, not upgrading at that price, even if it's a fantastic smartphone.

 

[Zackmd1]

Verizon does not have SIM cards.

I have a sim.... Verizon did not have sim cards in the CDMA days but has them for 4g LTE. That is unless you go E-SIM.

 

[gaximus]

It makes ZERO sense for unlocked to cost more money.

Carriers will pay Apple to lock a phone to their service. So it does make since. The phone is slightly subsidized.

 

[durvivor]

And the gap between 12 and 12 Pro drops to $170...

$120 if you compare 128gb to 128gb