The new iPhones are here and that means that a whole lot of you are already reaching under the couch for that stashed Benjamin to go towards your new shiny. As you would expect, both the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c will be widely available, across the major carriers – AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint are already offering the 'budget' iPhone. Yes, you read that right – those of you looking to grab Apple's flagship, the iPhone 5s, will have to wait until September 20 before you can place a pre-order. And despite the general uniformity of smartphone contracts, we are nevertheless going to lay it all out for you as a sort of a reference point for those of you who are considering the new iPhones.
So, carriers. Though you'll have to hold on a little longer for the Big Four's official iPhone 5s page to light up, as we mentioned, starting today, said carriers have begun accepting pre-orders for the iPhone 5c. Apart from the five colors the 5c comes in (white, blue, pink/red, green and yellow), you also get a choice on the size of the internal memory of the phone – either 16GB or 32GB, a choice that, in some cases, will cost you a massive $100 on top. To make this simpler to digest we've split carriers' offers under the two iPhones.
iPhone 5s
Those of you on AT&T and wanting the new Apple flagship will have to dole out $199/$299/$399 for the 16GB/32GB/64GB version of the iPhone 5s, respectively. That's according to the Apple Store, and including a 2-year contract. Since the iPhone 5s is yet to be made available for order, AT&T is yet to indicate the pricing on its Next program, though if you're looking to pay retail, the iPhone 5s will cost you $649.99/$749.99/$849.99 for the 16GB/32GB/64GB version, respectively.
Surfing on Verizon's network and craving the iPhone 5s? Then, like AT&T customers, prepare $199/$299/$399 for the 16GB/32GB/64GB version of the iPhone 5s, respectively. That's, once again, on a 2-year contract. Those of you on Verizon Edge – there's still no word on the exact pricing you should expect to churn towards the 5s monthly. If you're looking to avoid a 2-year contract, then expect to pay $649.99/$749.99/$849.99 for the 16GB/32GB/64GB version, respectively.
Sprint is no different than the rest, when it comes to the iPhone 5s. Pricing start at $199/$299/$399 for the 16GB/32GB/64GB version respectively, on a 2-year contract. Just as similarly, Sprint's contract-free price on the iPhone 5s goes like this: $649.99/$749.99/$849.99 for the 16GB/32GB/64GB version, respectively.
Much alike its iPhone 5c offer, T-Mobile's iPhone 5s deal looks identical in its structure, though it's slightly different than that of its rivals. Namely, $99/$199/$299 will get you the 16GB/32GB/64GB version of the iPhone 5s, though you'll have to account for the 24 monthly installments in the size of $22.91 you'll have to pay, regardless of which version you pick up. Once again, that's with T-Mobile's Simple Choice, contract-free Plan, so keep in mind that you'll have to pay up even if you abandon the carrier's services. T-Mobile's full retail price on the 5s will follow the rest: $649.99/$749.99/$849.99 for the 16GB/32GB/64GB version, respectively.
Pre-orders for the iPhone 5s start on September 20, and it'll probably be a week or so until you get Apple's best delivered to your doorstep. It will be made available in grey, champagne-gold and white.
iPhone 5c
Those of you on AT&T and eying the iPhone 5c will have three options in front of them: a 2-year contract, going for AT&T's Next program, or simply paying the full retail price. So, let's go through them in that order – a 2-year contract will set you back $99/$199 for the 16GB/32GB versions, respectively. If you are on AT&T's Next device trade-in program, and you're nearing your 12th payment, you'll be eligible to grab the iphone 5c without any down-payment, though you'll have to pay $27 a month for the next twenty months. If you're looking to avoid a commitment with either of the two, the iPhone 5c will cost you $549,99 for the 16GB variant, and $649.99 for the 32GB one.
If the iPhone 5c is on your mind, and you're running on Verizon, you have the same three, near identical options as AT&T subscribers do: a 2-year contract, going for Verizon's Edge program, or paying full retail. The most popular choice – a 2-year contract – will have you dole out $99/$199 for the 16GB/32GB versions, respectively. If you're lucky enough to have your 12th payment approaching under Verizon's Edge device trade-in program, then you can pick the iPhone 5c for no initial cost, but you'll have to pay $22.91 a month, for the next twenty months. The free spirits among you can pick the device contract-free off Verizon for $5499/$649.99 for the 16GB/32GB version, respectively.
Sprint provides a less complicated (though less diverse, as well) range of options. You can snap the 16GB version of the iPhone 5c for free, while the 32GB version will cost you $99. If you do, however, you sign up for the next 24 months, and the cheapest data plan starts from $70.
T-Mobile's iPhone 5c offer is a bit more special. It also offers the 16GB/32GB versions for an initial $0/$99, respectively, but with its Simple Choice Plan – a contract-free solution, that doesn't chain you to T-Mobile, but will have you pay $22/m for the 16GB version and $22.91/m for the 32GB version for the next two years. The most basic Simple Choice Plan costs $50, and it includes unlimited talk, text and 500MB of high-speed data. Another 2GB of data can be yours for an extra $10.
All four carriers offer free shipping and should have your iPhone 5c delivered on September 20.
sources: Apple Store; iPhone 5s: AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile; iPhone 5c: AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile
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