buying a phone outright verses buying through your carier?
By Troy, 30 May, 2022
Forum
Other Apple Chat
I know some of you buy your IPhones outright through apple directly instead of your carier. I was just curious what are the pros/cons if any of doing this?
Thanks
I go through my carrier because I have always gotten a discount, and plan to stay with the carrier because I am on a plan with several other family members. If I went through Apple or a third party, the phone would not be locked to any particular carrier, and I could switch without having to pay to get the phone unlocked.
I only buy phones when I can pay for the whole thing in one go. Thankfully, Apple doesn't let carriers shove their bloatware onto iOS, so if a carrier gives me a discount, I'll buy it through them and pay the thing off in one go so that it loses the carrier lock. Otherwise, I just go through Apple.
I use the credit plan that Apple has so I can upgrade yearly. the app is also accessible, and if I were to hav any problems with the phone, I'm going to deal directly with Apple anyway. They can insert the Simcard and now they do the E-sim method so no fus when activating the phone.
I bought my first iPhone through Apple. It’s better to do it that way, ‘cause you can get exactly what you want. I have an iPhone SE Second Generation and I asked mom what the best colour is. She told me Red, so Product Red is what I bought. I figured, get more than I need, so I got the 256 GB storage option. It’s a great phone, and meets my needs very well.
I have always purchased from Apple directly for the following reasons:
1. The phone is unlocked and I can switch carriers if needed.
2. The carrier often loads bloatware onto your phone as mentioned prior. If needed, I can configure the phone's software to my liking and include the carrier's software if I want it.
3. Customizable configuration. I can buy a green iPhone 12 with 256 GB of storage.
4. On average, if I'm buying the phone outright, I am going to pay more up front for a phone with better features so I can own it longer. The amortized cost of the phone goes down over time. I am still using my iPhone 7 with 128 GB of storage I bought five years ago. I've paid for one screen replacement and one new battery in that time. Wonder if it's time to upgrade…. 🤔
5. The math: I will always calculate the cost per month times the length of the contract to see whether the value of the phone is reflected in that cost. Yes, some carriers will buy phones in bulk with a standard configuration and pass those savings onto customers, but I always worry this is not the case with many. The phone may be discounted, but the true cost of the phone might be made up by higher service charges. It's always good to read the fine print.
Others have spelled things out pretty well, but I'll summarize anyway. How committed are you to your cell provider? For many years I was a Sprint user and had no plans to change, So it seemed to make sense to buy the pphone that way, especially since I wanted to keep a fairly current phone. But over time I realized 2 things. First, I didn't need to always have the latest phone. I used my 7+ for at least 5 years until the battery started really getting bad and I was enticed by the features on the 13 Pro Max. If you are going to keep a phone that long you will probably save money using a lower cost company that isn't building the cost of the phone into the price you pay for service. If you've always got to have the latest thing, then buying through the provider might work out for you. I left Sprint before it was absorbed and later bought this phone outright from Apple.
I bought my iPhone 7 in 2016 directly from an Apple store because it sold an unlocked phone compatible with all carriers. Back then, different carriers had a slightly different variation of the iPhone. Now apple makes one phone for all carriers in the United States. If you are willing to switch carriers and transfer your number, carriers can offer hundreds of dollars in savings with discounts and rebates along with competitively priced phone plans. This is how I bought my iPhone 13 Mini. When the phone is paid off at the end of 2023, my carrier will unlock the phone and it can be used anywhere.
I get my iPhone via them. 24 a month plus the bill. I will own my phone 12 pro by end of July. I could sell it backor keep it. I am planning to get iPhone 14 and give 12 pro to a wonderful friend. She is using 6.
Comments
What I do
I go through my carrier because I have always gotten a discount, and plan to stay with the carrier because I am on a plan with several other family members. If I went through Apple or a third party, the phone would not be locked to any particular carrier, and I could switch without having to pay to get the phone unlocked.
unlocked
I only buy phones when I can pay for the whole thing in one go. Thankfully, Apple doesn't let carriers shove their bloatware onto iOS, so if a carrier gives me a discount, I'll buy it through them and pay the thing off in one go so that it loses the carrier lock. Otherwise, I just go through Apple.
I buy through Apple
I use the credit plan that Apple has so I can upgrade yearly. the app is also accessible, and if I were to hav any problems with the phone, I'm going to deal directly with Apple anyway. They can insert the Simcard and now they do the E-sim method so no fus when activating the phone.
what I did
I bought my first iPhone through Apple. It’s better to do it that way, ‘cause you can get exactly what you want. I have an iPhone SE Second Generation and I asked mom what the best colour is. She told me Red, so Product Red is what I bought. I figured, get more than I need, so I got the 256 GB storage option. It’s a great phone, and meets my needs very well.
Buying Outright
I have always purchased from Apple directly for the following reasons:
1. The phone is unlocked and I can switch carriers if needed.
2. The carrier often loads bloatware onto your phone as mentioned prior. If needed, I can configure the phone's software to my liking and include the carrier's software if I want it.
3. Customizable configuration. I can buy a green iPhone 12 with 256 GB of storage.
4. On average, if I'm buying the phone outright, I am going to pay more up front for a phone with better features so I can own it longer. The amortized cost of the phone goes down over time. I am still using my iPhone 7 with 128 GB of storage I bought five years ago. I've paid for one screen replacement and one new battery in that time. Wonder if it's time to upgrade…. 🤔
5. The math: I will always calculate the cost per month times the length of the contract to see whether the value of the phone is reflected in that cost. Yes, some carriers will buy phones in bulk with a standard configuration and pass those savings onto customers, but I always worry this is not the case with many. The phone may be discounted, but the true cost of the phone might be made up by higher service charges. It's always good to read the fine print.
Depends on what you want
Others have spelled things out pretty well, but I'll summarize anyway. How committed are you to your cell provider? For many years I was a Sprint user and had no plans to change, So it seemed to make sense to buy the pphone that way, especially since I wanted to keep a fairly current phone. But over time I realized 2 things. First, I didn't need to always have the latest phone. I used my 7+ for at least 5 years until the battery started really getting bad and I was enticed by the features on the 13 Pro Max. If you are going to keep a phone that long you will probably save money using a lower cost company that isn't building the cost of the phone into the price you pay for service. If you've always got to have the latest thing, then buying through the provider might work out for you. I left Sprint before it was absorbed and later bought this phone outright from Apple.
Carrier Discounts
I bought my iPhone 7 in 2016 directly from an Apple store because it sold an unlocked phone compatible with all carriers. Back then, different carriers had a slightly different variation of the iPhone. Now apple makes one phone for all carriers in the United States. If you are willing to switch carriers and transfer your number, carriers can offer hundreds of dollars in savings with discounts and rebates along with competitively priced phone plans. This is how I bought my iPhone 13 Mini. When the phone is paid off at the end of 2023, my carrier will unlock the phone and it can be used anywhere.
Verizon
I get my iPhone via them. 24 a month plus the bill. I will own my phone 12 pro by end of July. I could sell it backor keep it. I am planning to get iPhone 14 and give 12 pro to a wonderful friend. She is using 6.