T-Mobile has possibly the best iPhone deal currently out there...
Mostly out of curiosity, I decided to run some numbers on the USA's current iPhone4 service providers and I'm comparing the lowest possible plans with the minimum cost efficient text-msg and data services that each phone provider offers based on a 2-year projected service timeline, with phone plan prices based on today's rates (Sept. 6th, 2011), and from what I can see cost-wise there is only a marginal difference between
AT&T and
Verizon rates, so choosing one of them really boils down to 1) the type of data plan you want/need and 2) your personal preference with the actual network and customer service you wish to have.
However, if one elects to by an unlocked iPhone4 and use
T-Mobile's $30 monthly plan, you can
save about 33% in overall costs when compared to the previous two service providers! But, on the downside, you *first* must pay a minimum of $700 for the phone itself AND you have minimal, if any, insurance on your handset incase of theft or damage, while *secondly* the reliability of T-Mobile's service itself is somewhat spotty, especially if you live outside of a large metro-area.
What remains to been seen now is what
Sprint (assuming they're going to start selling the iPhone this Autumn) offers for their iPhone service plans, and if they'll be less expensive than what AT&T & Verizon currently offers?
All the details to this conclusion is provided below:
QUICK REFERENCE:
- $200/$300 for contract iPhone4 16GB/32GB + AF†
- Unlocked (GSM) iPhone4 16GB/32GB = $649/$749††
POSSIBLE iPhone4 PLANS:
AT&T 2-year contract:
OVERVIEW: 450 anytime minutes, 200MB data, and Unlimited Text Messages†††
COST DETAILS: $75 per month* ($40 + $15 + $20, respectively) or $1,800 for 24 months*
TOTAL COST for life of contract: $2,036 ($1,800 + subsidized handset + AF†)
Verizon 2-year contract:
OVERVIEW: 450 anytime minutes, 2GB data, and 250 Text Messages†††
COST DETAILS: $75 per month* ($40 + $30 + $5, respectively) or $1,800 for 24 months*
TOTAL COST for life of contract: $2,036 ($1,800 + subsidized handset + AF†)
T-Mobile $50 monthly non-contract plan:
OVERVIEW: Text, Talk, and Web Unlimited§
COST DETAILS: $50 per month* or $1,200 for 24 months*
TOTAL COST for life of a 2-year monthly plan: $1,906 ($1,200 + handset**)
T-Mobile $30 monthly non-contract plan:
OVERVIEW: Text & Talk 1500 minutes or messages§§, Web 30MB a month
COST DETAILS: $30 per month* or $720 for 24 months*
TOTAL COST for life of a 2-year monthly plan: $1,426 ($720 + handset**)
Sprint 2-year contract: ??? (rates TBD)
---- Notes ----
* based on projected minimum costs of phone plan usage.
** unlocked 16GB iPhone with approximate taxes.
† one-time $36 Activation Fee (AF) for new customers.
†† approx. $56/$66 in taxes for 16GB/32GB models.
††† this is the lowest txt-msg plan after the "pay-per-use" option.
§ First 100MB at up to 4G speeds (T-Mobile).
§§ Use any combination of minutes or messages up to 1500.
AT&T and Verizon rates taken from the Apple Online Store.
T-Mobile USA monthly rates taken from their 4G-plans webpage.
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Now, I'm just curious to hear from those who are actually using an iPhone with T-Mobile and what your level of satisfaction is regarding the service plan you're using of theirs???
In the meantime, I hope this breakdown can be of some use for those still undecided with their potential iPhone4 purchase plans.
