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Other XR for $1/month - would you?

ssledoux

ssledoux

macrumors 601
Original poster
Sep 16, 2006
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Down south
Changed my original topic because I posted this question then saw that ATT has the XR for $1 a month. Would you do this for a 9yo? I know it’s overkill, but dang.

original question - What’s the oldest iPhone you’d purchase just for phone, text and camera usage? This is for a 9yo kid, so not pro quality pics, but he does love to take pictures, so I don’t want them to be garbage either.

I asked about the SE2, and a some people recommended I get him a 7 or even a 6, but I don’t want it to be so old it can’t be updated, and I definitely want warranty (although he takes really good care of his iPad).

Suggestions?
 
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The 6s is still a decent phone. I think that or a 7 would be good options. They are both still getting updates and you can probably find them cheaper than other models.


Edit - For a buck a month, I'd go with the XR :)
 
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A 6S would be my choice for a 9yo if you can find one. Otherwise a 7. I'm using a 6 Plus and I'm not a 9yo. The SE isn't good for anyone's eyes and the screen is too small to enjoy the pictures. But if you can get a XR for 1/mo with no strings attached, then that's good. But if you've got to eventually pay it off full, that's bad
 
now i see it said:
A 6S would be my choice for a 9yo if you can find one. Otherwise a 7. I'm using a 6 Plus and I'm not a 9yo. The SE isn't good for anyone's eyes and the screen is too small to enjoy the pictures. But if you can get a XR for 1/mo with no strings attached, then that's good. But if you've got to eventually pay it off full, that's bad
Click to expand...

nope - just have to keep service on it for the length of time it would take to pay it off, but I’d be paying for the service anyway on any device.
 
$1 a month for how long? And what's the cost of the plan for it? Usually carriers catches you on the plan cost, where it can end up adding up your monthly expense quite a bit.
 
A 7 would be ok. An XR for a kid.. I don’t know. It depends on the kid I guess. Mind you my 13 yo step daughters dad got her an 8 and has it locked down pretty good. And a buck a month.. you guys get the best deals.
 
ian87w said:
$1 a month for how long? And what's the cost of the plan for it? Usually carriers catches you on the plan cost, where it can end up adding up your monthly expense quite a bit.
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It looks like it’s just the Monthly cost of adding a line to my current unlimited plan Plus $1. You do have to keep the line active for 30 months, but any phone I get is gonna require adding service.
 
ssledoux said:
It looks like it’s just the Monthly cost of adding a line to my current unlimited plan Plus $1. You do have to keep the line active for 30 months, but any phone I get is gonna require adding service.
Click to expand...
If it's only costing you that $1 a month for 30 months without any additional fees or increase in your original plan cost, then go for it. But I'll double check the fine prints since it's just too good of a deal... 😅
 
AT&T has this deal going - You have to pay the taxes up front based on full MSRP, so you need to factor that in to your overall cost as well. You also have to add a line, so factor that cost in too.

Offer details
iPhone XR 64GB for $1/mo. offer
Get an iPhone XR 64GB for $1/mo. for 30 mos. when you buy it on a qualifying installment agreement with eligible wireless.
Limited Time Offer. Available in select locations.
You’ll need to:
  • Purchase an iPhone XR 64GB on a qualifying installment agreement.
  • Add a line to a new or existing account.
  • Pay taxes on the full retail price up front.
  • Activate postpaid unlimited wireless service (min. $75/mo. for new unlimited customers before discounts. Existing customers can add to eligible existing unlimited plans, which may be less). AT&T may temporarily slow data speeds when the network is busy.
  • Pay a $30 activation fee.
 
ian87w said:
If it's only costing you that $1 a month for 30 months without any additional fees or increase in your original plan cost, then go for it. But I'll double check the fine prints since it's just too good of a deal... 😅
Click to expand...

Well I looked at the fine print, and basically you have to add a new line, which I’d have to do anyway, and you can’t cancel another within 3 months of adding the new one, which makes sense, and you have to have the line for 30 months, which, like I said, I’d have to do no matter what phone I added.

I went through the process with an 8 with no promo, and it definitely would cost more monthly to get an 8 - they are still $17/month.

Shoot they also had the XS for $5 a month, but I just couldn’t make myself go there, even though the size would likely be better. He’ll LOVE the product red!

The hardest part is gonna be activating it and then having to hold onto it for 4 months until his birthday.
 
A phablet for a 9 year old is an accident waiting to happen.

When you say he takes good care of his iPad, you presumably mean he charges it, places it nicely and doesn't scratch the screen with scissors or or allow siblings to stand on it. That's a very different set of skills to carrying it to places without parental supervision or putting it into his relatively small pockets...
 
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VineRider said:
AT&T has this deal going - You have to pay the taxes up front based on full MSRP, so you need to factor that in to your overall cost as well. You also have to add a line, so factor that cost in too.

Offer details
iPhone XR 64GB for $1/mo. offer
Get an iPhone XR 64GB for $1/mo. for 30 mos. when you buy it on a qualifying installment agreement with eligible wireless.
Limited Time Offer. Available in select locations.
You’ll need to:
  • Purchase an iPhone XR 64GB on a qualifying installment agreement.
  • Add a line to a new or existing account.
  • Pay taxes on the full retail price up front.
  • Activate postpaid unlimited wireless service (min. $75/mo. for new unlimited customers before discounts. Existing customers can add to eligible existing unlimited plans, which may be less). AT&T may temporarily slow data speeds when the network is busy.
  • Pay a $30 activation fee.
Click to expand...

Taxes have to be paid on any phone (although you usually CAN add them to your first month’s bill, but you’re still paying them), so that’s not really a factor, and the line would have to be added on any phone as well. Since I already have an active unlimited plan, it doesn’t cost me anywhere near the $75/month to have the added line.
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nicho said:
A phablet for a 9 year old is an accident waiting to happen.

When you say he takes good care of his iPad, you presumably mean he charges it, places it nicely and doesn't scratch the screen with scissors or or allow siblings to stand on it. That's a very different set of skills to carrying it to places without parental supervision or putting it into his relatively small pockets...
Click to expand...

Well, he really doesn’t go many places without parental supervision (or at least family/grandparent - me) at this point, so that shouldn’t be a huge issue. An XR with a case isn’t going to fit into his pockets for sure. When he goes to his dad’s, it’ll be in his backpack, and it’s not like when he’s with his mom or me he needs the phone. She really wants him to have it when he’s at his dad’s for being able to call home or even call someone for help if anything happens.

Sure if he wants to use the camera, he’ll handle it more, but rarely unsupervised.

And I had and XR, and now have an 11. It’s hardly a phablet.
 
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Don't listen to the peanut gallery about whether or not a 9 y/o needs a phone, and what kind they need, that's entirely your decision and none of anyone's business. I've seen you get quite interesting answers when you've asked about this in past threads. Now to answer your question, the $1 deal does seem like a great deal, if that phone does what you need it to do, I'd go for it! My son had they XR last year when he was 9, it's a great phone and yes it came in handy for him several times.
 
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I just recycled a couple of old 6S’s for my kids. Used the Apple battery replacement service (shipping not in-store), which was fine. Still work great.
 
ssledoux said:
And I had and XR, and now have an 11. It’s hardly a phablet.
Click to expand...

Are you the size of a 10 year old boy?

Test out how he handles it first, at least. Get him to take a photograph of you or something. If it looks cumbersome, rethink whether calling home (in an emergency? trust issues with the father I guess that make you think he couldn’t just borrow his phone and do so...) really needs an iOS device that will need to be charged regularly of if something dumber will do.
 
nicho said:
Are you the size of a 10 year old boy?

Test out how he handles it first, at least. Get him to take a photograph of you or something. If it looks cumbersome, rethink whether calling home (in an emergency? trust issues with the father I guess that make you think he couldn’t just borrow his phone and do so...) really needs an iOS device that will need to be charged regularly of if something dumber will do.
Click to expand...

Well I’m not (although I’m small with small hands), but considering he handles my phone almost daily, and it’s the same size as the XR, I do know he can, at a minimum, hold and use the phone.
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bobsamm said:
No way i would buy a 9 year old any phone just imo.
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Hey I get it. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. If the situation were a perfect one, he likely wouldn’t have one either right now, but my daughter wants him to feel he always has a way to contact her, and this makes the most sense. That, coupled with his wanting an iPod, and a camera, seem to make this a bit more of a logical choice. Internet access will be blocked, so that won’t be an option.
 
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ssledoux said:
Hey I get it. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. If the situation were a perfect one, he likely wouldn’t have one either right now, but my daughter wants him to feel he always has a way to contact her, and this makes the most sense. That, coupled with his wanting an iPod, and a camera, seem to make this a bit more of a logical choice. Internet access will be blocked, so that won’t be an option.
Click to expand...

Ok, but why is a 9 year old anywhere without a adult who would have a phone? Seems over the top to me.
 
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Just buy him a 11 pro max 512gb for all the nice pictures of his cat.

don’t be that grandma who doesn’t show him how much she loves him. And apple now needs the money during lock down anyway. With your money invested the 12 will be over the notch
 
If you're adding him to the family line, that XR is probably the cheapest way to get him an iOS device.

Personally, for use as emergency phone only, I'd put him on prepaid service. There are low usage annual plans on ebay for $40-60. Probably a Tracfone-branded iPhone 6s ($140 brand-new) paired with $40-50 ebay plan so less than $5/mo for service (1200 min/1200 txt/3GB total allocation for 365 days). I think taxes and fees alone are already $5-10 per phone on my postpaid service so I wouldn't go postpaid for a device that would only see little cellular network usage.
 
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The OP wrote:
"The hardest part is gonna be activating it and then having to hold onto it for 4 months until his birthday."

A suggestion:
If you are buying it now, I would just go ahead and give it to him now -- four months is a long time and he might as well get the perceived benefits from it straightaway. Also, that way if there are any issues with the phone you can immediately deal with the situation, rather than discovering them four or more months after the purchase.
 
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