Sometimes paying full price for a phone is simply impossible. Many smartphones double as computers for a great number of people. The price of most smartphones out of contract with a carrier reflects that reality. In fact, the standard price of the iPhone 5S can range anywhere from $199.00 to $849.00, depending on the size of the internal storage. Even brand new phones in a term contract with a cell carrier often come in at around $200, often forcing those who wish to have the newest and coolest device to wait till when it just may not be the newest thing anymore.
Unfortunately, there are few, if any, workarounds to this process. However, just because a phone goes on discount after having lived on the shelf for a year or more doesn’t mean the device itself is a bad one. Apple has a standard trend of bottoming the price of their current line of iPhone and iPad anytime a new one is set to release, usually a month or less before that release day. This year is no exception. Today, retailer giant Wal-Mart slashed the price of the iPhone 5S to $79 and, unsurprisingly, followed suit with the iPhone 5C to $.97. These devices are the latest offering from Apple and even though the iPhone 6 is slated for release early next month, remain powerful devices that can more than stand up to anything thrown at them and will be able to for at least another generation of releases from Apple.
These current prices are only obtainable through a two-year contract with major carriers such as AT&T, Verizon, US Cellular, or Sprint. And even though it’s a relatively small cut, as Wal-Mart has been carrying the 5S and 5C for $99 and $29, respectively, for a short time now. Given that major retailers often cut the prices of their stock to clear out for the next generation when new devices such as the iPhone are slated to release soon, this is indicative of the imminent release of the iPhone 6, which is still rumored to be released to the public as early as September 9th.
Apple, however, still sells their current devices at a full price point and will likely do for some time, even after the next generation of iPhones are released.
This is a trend that has been followed for many years and one that we here at mobiletweaks.net appreciate, though there are currently more options for picking up the latest and greatest piece of technology than there has been in the past. Many companies are offering a financing option for their devices, offering to tack on a small portion of the total cost to your monthly bill for a set amount of time. These deals are beneficial in that they allow you to upgrade to a newer phone in a much shorter period of time, though you will have to deal with what can be a much higher monthly cost.
The current deal with Wal-Mart will last for 90 days, but during that time the iPhone 6 will be ready and available to the public.
