Other Is $447 on Amazon a good price for a brand-new Simple Mobile(Tracfone) locked iPhone XS Max?

[BlueMoose]

Is $447 on Amazon a good price for a brand-new Simple Mobile(Tracfone) locked iPhone XS Max?

I ordered one this morning when it was $447.(brand-new, silver color only) It's sold and shipped directly from Amazon.com, not one of those 3rd party sellers. Amazon increased it to $475 this afternoon. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HCZYW8W/

I have been using Simple Mobile for the last several month on a cheap old iPhone 6S Plus.(which I bought for less than $150 last year)

It was more or less an impulse buy because of the price. It has already been shipped and delivery is tomorrow.... as usual, now I'm having second thoughts....

Can anyone give me the pros and cons of buying a locked iPhone Xs Max right now? (considering that it's only $447 for a brand new one, even if locked)

Thanks!

 

[now i see it]

You already pulled the trigger, it's too late for regrets. Use the phone for a while. I bet you'll like it

 

[trevpimp]

That is such an awesome price you should be totally stunned haha

That phone could be found retailing for around $649-$700 you would be lucky to find it for less

The phone is barely last released model you will be fine just enjoy it....

Cheers
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[BlueMoose]

You already pulled the trigger, it's too late for regrets. Use the phone for a while. I bet you'll like it

well... I supposed I can return it to Amazon.com with 30 days.

That is such an awesome price you should be totally stunned haha

That phone could be found retailing for around $800-$899 you would be lucky to find it for less

The phone is barely last released model you will be fine just enjoy it....

Cheers
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at first, I was a little worried because the way I use Simple Mobile, I'll probably not use them for 12 consecutive months in order to qualify for unlocking...

then I realized that at $447, I'm saving more than $400. If I do need to bring a phone while traveling overseas, I can just use the $400 that I saved and buy an unlocked new iPhone SE(2020)....

 

[mj_]

That is an amazing deal!

 

[1rottenapple]

Is $447 on Amazon a good price for a brand-new Simple Mobile(Tracfone) locked iPhone XS Max?

I ordered one this morning when it was $447.(brand-new, silver color only) It's sold and shipped directly from Amazon.com, not one of those 3rd party sellers. Amazon increased it to $475 this afternoon. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HCZYW8W/

I have been using Simple Mobile for the last several month on a cheap old iPhone 6S Plus.(which I bought for less than $150 last year)

It was more or less an impulse buy because of the price. It has already been shipped and delivery is tomorrow.... as usual, now I'm having second thoughts....

Can anyone give me the pros and cons of buying a locked iPhone Xs Max right now? (considering that it's only $447 for a brand new one, even if locked)

Thanks!

Yes that’s a great deal

 

[mj_]

Shoot... it went up another $40 over night and is now priced at $504. Still a bargain but I wish I would've gotten two yesterday instead of just one for my wife. Considering that a used iPhone X goes for around $400 I can sell mine, use the XS for a year until it's eligible to get unlocked, and then sell it again and quite possibly still make a profit!

This is basically a free upgrade. Minor, admittedly, but still.

 

[ftaok]

Great deal. Even if you don't use SimpleMobile, $450 for essentially an "ultra" ipod touch would be a steal.

I guess if you can figure out the cleanest, cheapest way to qualify for an unlock, you'll still be ahead of the game.

 

[BlueMoose]

......

 

[mj_]

@BlueMoose did you already get yours? My wife's was delivered a few minutes ago but it looks more like a refurbished one rather than a new one. The box looked like it had already been opened and there were smudges and specks of dirt along the iPhone's edges. It is also missing the SIM card that was supposed to be included according to Amazon, and the battery is completely drained so I had to plug it in and have not yet been able to boot it up.

 

[BlueMoose]

@BlueMoose did you already get yours? My wife's was delivered a few minutes ago but it looks more like a refurbished one rather than a new one. The box looked like it had already been opened and there were smudges and specks of dirt along the iPhone's edges. It is also missing the SIM card that was supposed to be included according to Amazon, and the battery is completely drained so I had to plug it in and have not yet been able to boot it up.

the tracking info show the driver is currently 5 stops away.....

if mine arrives in the same condition as the one you received, I'm returning it immediately.

did you order the brand new one? on the same page, there were two open-box ones sold by Amazon Warehouse for a little over $400.

 

[mj_]

Yes, the brand-new one for $466 plus tax. I was able to fire it up and can confirm that it is indeed brand-new. The battery shows 0 cycles and it is still running iOS 12.1.3. Must've been stored somewhere in a warehouse since it was first produced. Not sure where the smudges on the protective film and the specs of dirt came from. Maybe somebody took it out of the box to inspect it at some point in the last almost two years and make sure it's undamaged? Either way, battery capacity is 100% with 0 cycles so I'm not complaining.

I am however unable to activate it since it requires a Simple Mobile SIM card that was supposed to be included but wasn't. The second one we ordered this morning is supposed to arrive later today, we'll see what condition that will arrive in and whether or not it will include the SIM card (probably not). Looks like I'll have to go to Target later today.

 

[BlueMoose]

Yes, the brand-new one for $466 plus tax. I was able to fire it up and can confirm that it is indeed brand-new. The battery shows 0 cycles and it is still running iOS 12.1.3. Must've been stored somewhere in a warehouse since it was first produced. Not sure where the smudges on the protective film and the specs of dirt came from. Maybe somebody took it out of the box to inspect it at some point in the last almost two years and make sure it's undamaged? Either way, battery capacity is 100% with 0 cycles so I'm not complaining.

I am however unable to activate it since it requires a Simple Mobile SIM card that was supposed to be included but wasn't. The second one we ordered this morning is supposed to arrive later today, we'll see what condition that will arrive in and whether or not it will include the SIM card (probably not). Looks like I'll have to go to Target later today.

how do you see how many cycles the batteries have gone through?

aren't new iPhone boxes sealed in shrink wrap clear plastic? even Simple Mobile's iPhone SE(original) that I bought was completely sealed in clear plastic, with the Simple Mobile SIM card/pouch taped on top of it.

how are you able to order a 2nd one? Amazon won't let me do it because it says one per customer... or did you use another account?

thanks!

 

[mj_]

You can use Coconut Battery to get a reading of the battery cycles of any iOS device using a Mac.

The phone was wrapped in plastic but not the usual shrink wrap that you have to cut open. For some reason it was a perfectly fitted plastic cover with a latch at the top and a sticker on the side (serial number, IMEI, and a "Locked to Simple Mobile" warning). But there was no SIM card anywhere to be found. I did in the meantime confirm that it is indeed SIM locked as I am unable to activate it using my AT&T SIM. I've contacted Amazon and they offered me two solutions: replacement or contact Apple, who allegedly is seller. I then proceeded to contact Apple to see what they had to say and they had NO idea what the heck I was talking about 😄

And yes, we used my wife's account to order the 2nd XS Max this morning as I was unable to order a 2nd one using my account as well.

 

[BlueMoose]

You can use Coconut Battery to get a reading of the battery cycles of any iOS device using a Mac.

The phone was wrapped in plastic but not the usual shrink wrap that you have to cut open. For some reason it was a perfectly fitted plastic cover with a latch at the top and a sticker on the side (serial number, IMEI, and a "Locked to Simple Mobile" warning). But there was no SIM card anywhere to be found. I did in the meantime confirm that it is indeed SIM locked as I am unable to activate it using my AT&T SIM. I've contacted Amazon and they offered me two solutions: replacement or contact Apple, who allegedly is seller. I then proceeded to contact Apple to see what they had to say and they had NO idea what the heck I was talking about 😄

And yes, we used my wife's account to order the 2nd XS Max this morning as I was unable to order a 2nd one using my account as well.

Just found the phone on my front porch. Amazon website said "signature required" for mobile phones, but I guess the delivery driver thought my neighborhood was safe enough? He/she didn't ring the door bell and just left it on the doormat. If I wasn't letting the dogs out, I wouldn't even have noticed the package.

I took it out of the box. The phone's box was perfectly sealed. Extremely clean. My OCD kicked in, so I took my UV flashlight and discovered 11 fingerprints on the clear plastic.(5 of which were thumb fingerprints) The Simple Mobile SIM card was taped on the back, just like the other Simple Mobile iPhones I previously bought)

Below is a quick photo. Apple's website showed that the serial number has not been activated yet. Using the serial number, I found out that the phone was manufactured in the 12th week of 2019. Edit: just opened it and the phone is in pristine condition. Has less than 1/4 battery life, so I'm letting it charge to 100% before I start messing with it.

 

[mj_]

That is very interesting, thanks. Looks like they have different batches in their respective warehouses. The Austin one seems to be stocked somewhat differently than yours.

Either way, still waiting for the second phone to show up. According to Amazon it's supposed to arrive today by 9 pm (aka in 45 minutes) but I highly doubt that given that according to tracking it hasn't even shipped yet. I'll update this thread tomorrow as soon as I receive the second phone. The first is working like a charm. Got a SIM card for $1 at Target, activated it, transferred her current number from AT&T PREPAID (took about 5 minutes) and she's good to go.

 

[BlueMoose]

That is very interesting, thanks. Looks like they have different batches in their respective warehouses. The Austin one seems to be stocked somewhat differently than yours.

Either way, still waiting for the second phone to show up. According to Amazon it's supposed to arrive today by 9 pm (aka in 45 minutes) but I highly doubt that given that according to tracking it hasn't even shipped yet. I'll update this thread tomorrow as soon as I receive the second phone. The first is working like a charm. Got a SIM card for $1 at Target, activated it, transferred her current number from AT&T PREPAID (took about 5 minutes) and she's good to go.

I assume that you meant Austin, Texas? mine originated from the Amazon warehouse in Ruskin, Florida.

I powered it on tonight. Somehow it refused to let me proceed to the home screen until I allowed it update to iOS 14. Took several minutes. (plus another 10 to 15 minutes for it to restore my iPhone backup from my spare iPhnoe SE)

I went to Target last night and picked up a Speck clear grip case which was on clearance for $22. still shows $38 on website, but they have yellow clearance tag inside Target: https://www.target.com/p/speck-case...residio-perfect-clear-grip-clear/-/A-79523986

 

[mj_]

The second one arrived yesterday afternoon and its condition was identical to the first one. Some specks of dirt on the frame and two fingerprint smugdes on the protective film but zero cycles on the battery, which was completely drained when I first took it out of the box. At least this one had the SIM card taped to to backside.

 

[BlueMoose]

The second one arrived yesterday afternoon and its condition was identical to the first one. Some specks of dirt on the frame and two fingerprint smugdes on the protective film but zero cycles on the battery, which was completely drained when I first took it out of the box. At least this one had the SIM card taped to to backside.

I wonder what happened.... Simple Mobile has no reason to open the phone box.

I'm currently using a Tracfone Verizon SIM in this new phone. Works great! (not that I'm surprised, since Simple Mobile is Tracfone)

 

[mj_]

Yeah, no idea what happened. At least they're brand-new and unused and the price was a steal, so I'm not complaining

Good to know about the Tracfone Verizon SIM, thanks for the info. That gives us extra options should T-Mobile turn out to be a lemon. Right now it seems to be working great, haven't noticed any differences to AT&T yet. We'll see what the coming weeks and months will bring.

 

[BlueMoose]

Yeah, no idea what happened. At least they're brand-new and unused and the price was a steal, so I'm not complaining

Good to know about the Tracfone Verizon SIM, thanks for the info. That gives us extra options should T-Mobile turn out to be a lemon. Right now it seems to be working great, haven't noticed any differences to AT&T yet. We'll see what the coming weeks and months will bring.

Tracfone has at least 3 different flavors of SIM cards: T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T. I have used all three. Ended up using the Verizon one, since Verizon still has the best coverage and fastest data speed in my area. Interestingly enough, Verizon just bought Tracfone recently.

 

[BlueMoose]

Yeah, no idea what happened. At least they're brand-new and unused and the price was a steal, so I'm not complaining

Good to know about the Tracfone Verizon SIM, thanks for the info. That gives us extra options should T-Mobile turn out to be a lemon. Right now it seems to be working great, haven't noticed any differences to AT&T yet. We'll see what the coming weeks and months will bring.

do you think it's worth it to get AppleCare+ for this iPhone XS Max? (which we got for under $500)

I use my phones hard and have been know to drop or drown my phone in the past. However, I'm wondering if it's cheaper to just buy a 2nd one as a spare.(when it goes from the current $760 back down to the lower $400 range) AppleCare+ is $199. Replacement deductible is $99. That's already $300 right there. If I just pony up another $150, I can have a second one as a spare, no?

 

[Spudlicious]

Just to answer the question in the thread title, $447 for that phone was brilliant, the sort of bargain that I never see! Locked is a bummer, but even so you did well to grab it.

 

[mj_]

do you think it's worth it to get AppleCare+ for this iPhone XS Max? (which we got for under $500)

I am not a big fan of warranty extensions or optional insurance packages (both of which AppleCare+ kind of is). In my personal opinion these are only worth it if a) you can write it off as a business expense, and b) your livelihood depends on the device. Which is why I have AppleCare+ on my primary work computer, my iMac, but none of my other devices. If that thing breaks I need it fixed or replaced ASAP because every single day without it can end up costing me north of $500.

But that's just my personal opinion. I take great care of my devices so YMMV.