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Poll results: Do you prefer to pay for your phone on installments, or buy it full price?

By Daniel Petrov

Updated: Feb 01, 2016, 6:50 AM

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Poll results: Do you prefer to pay for your phone on installments, or buy it full price?

In light of the new carrier plans that no longer require a two-year contract for the service, we asked you last week whether you prefer to pay for your phone full price now, or do it gradually over time. Both approaches have their virtues, as when you just buy your phone outright, you wouldn't hassle with each carrier's early upgrade requirements, for instance. On the other hand, if you pay on installments now, you no longer have to give $199 or more upfront for a high-end device, but can just get it for a set amount of even payments - essentially an interest-free loan.

It turned out, however, that the majority of our 1898 respondents prefer to pay for the phone full price, instead of being bogged down in a sort of a long-term contract again, albeit for the installment plan, requiring good credit, and sometimes coming with early upgrade restrictions. About 30% prefer to pay the handset over time, instead of parting with a few hundreds outright. To each their own, though we suspect that with the abolition of two-year contracts and carrier subsidies, buyers may become more price-sensitive, hence could be looking more and more toward good deals on unlocked handsets, which might present an opportunity for phones like the $200 Honor 5X and the booming value-for-money segment overall.

Do you prefer to pay for your phone on installments, or buy it outright at full retail price?

I prefer paying it on installments

29.84%

I'd rather buy it full price

70.16%

1900 Votes

$90

$210

$120 off (57%)

Mint Mobile is now allowing you to get whichever plan you like for either three, six, or 12 months for just $15/mo. If you go for the six-month unlimited service, for instance, you'll now have to pay just $90 upfront instead of $210.

Buy at Mint Mobile

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena from 2010 to 2025, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.