Deals on iPhone upgrade?

fade · Dec 15, 2014

Does anyone know of any good deals on an iPhone upgrade? I'm due for an upgrade, but as I'm sure you're all aware, the carriers have all but eliminated subsidies and upgrade deals. I'm with AT&T, and I am eligible for a traditional upgrade. But if I use it, I'll lose a $15/line "discount" per month. That means that the cost is very close to the cost of their Next program, where you pay for the phone outright. Essentially, the subsidy is a non-subsidy, because the cost of that 15/month over 2 years, plus the cost $40 "activation" fee, plus the $199 outlay makes a price difference that is roughly the cost of a new iPhone outright.

Any good deals that anyone has heard of? Has anyone successfully negotiated a deal via phone? At this point, I'm considering just keeping my 5 for now. I've tried looking at Android phones, but despite all the anti-Mac chest pounding, any Android phone that is roughly feature-equivalent to the iPhone costs just as much, and I'd lose my app investment.

PatrThom · Dec 15, 2014

Unfortunately, since iPhones right now are considered by many to be in the "ultimate" category, getting a discount on one is very difficult unless you can buddy up with someone who can get an unlocked one on some sort of biz/employee/commercial account.

--Patrick

fade · Dec 17, 2014

Follow up on this. The reason I was asking was because we'd decided to get my son a phone for Christmas. I ended up snagging a 64 GB iPhone 5 off of eBay for fairly cheap. I have a 32 and my wife has a 16, so we're going to so a swapout, since I'm the one who uses the most memory. Basically it's a bit-shift. I get the 64, my wife gets mine, and my son gets my wife's.

drawn_inward · Dec 17, 2014

Or you could get an Android device that is capable of way more than a iOS device. That's a true upgrade.

fade · Dec 17, 2014

It really depends on what you consider capable. I have yet to see an android that does anything I need that the iPhone doesn't. And the prices seem roughly equivalent for the same features.

drawn_inward · Dec 17, 2014

I was just jerkin' yer chain. iPhones are plenty groovy.

Dei · Dec 17, 2014

I swapped to an android this week because iPhone battery life sucks (for me) unless you get a 6 plus, which is a ridiculous size for my tiny hands. So now I still have a phone that is a ridiculous size just less so. [emoji14]

fade · Dec 17, 2014

drawn_inward said:
I was just jerkin' yer chain. iPhones are plenty groovy.

NO YOU'RE WRONG AND I MUST DESTROY YOU. FEEL THE WRATH OF THE HOLY JOBS!!! DEAR LORD, WHY DID YOU TAKE SAINT STEVE FROM US SO SOON. YOU TERK ER JERBS!!!!

PatrThom · Dec 17, 2014

fade said:
Basically it's a bit-shift.

Good thing it's a shift right and not a shift left.
Also, yay for Nerd analogies.

--Patrick

drawn_inward · Dec 17, 2014

stienman said:
So tell me. What version of Android OS is on your phone right now?

ALL THE OSs. Muahahahha.

The real answer. IDK. As stated above, I was giving Fade a hard time about the Apple-love.

PatrThom · Jan 11, 2015

stienman said:
What version of Android OS is on your phone right now?

As of Jan 9th:

--Patrick

figmentPez · Jan 19, 2015

I wonder what percentage of phone hardware could support Lollipop, if phone makers would actually allow updates.