T-Mobile USA to Carry iPhone Beginning April 12th, Using New 'Uncarrier' Payment Plan
T-Mobile, the only major U.S. cellular carrier to not sell the iPhone, will begin carrying the device on April 12th. The carrier will sell the phone under its new 'Uncarrier' policies as T-Mobile attempts to differentiate itself from other cellular networks with new 'customer-friendly' rate plans.
New iPhone customers will be able to purchase the 16GB iPhone 5 for $100 down, plus 24 monthly payments of $20. After the payments are finished, customers will see their monthly bills drop. On traditional subsidized plans from AT&T or Verizon, users pay $199 up front, and then see a subsidy payment invisibly built into their monthly plans. However, if the customer goes longer than two years without purchasing a new phone, the carrier continues to collect subsidy repayments as pure profit.
"This is an important day for people who love their iPhone but can’t stand the pain other carriers put them through to own one," said John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile USA. "We feel their pain. I’ve felt the pain. So we’re rewriting the rules of wireless to provide a radically simple, affordable iPhone 5 experience — on an extremely powerful network."
Notably, T-Mobile says it will be the only U.S. carrier to support the 'Wideband Audio' feature of the iPhone 5, calling it 'HD Voice'.
T-Mobile is also offering the iPhone 4S for $70 down and $20 per month for 24 months, and the iPhone 4 for $15 down and $15 per month for 24 months.
The carrier will charge a base rate of $50 per month for unlimited talk, text and 3G data, plus 500MB of 4G data. Customers can add 2GB of 4G data for $10/month per line, or $20/month for unlimited 4G. Additional lines have a base rate of $30/month for the first, and $10/month for each additional. The company officially rolled out 4G LTE service today in Baltimore; Houston; Kansas City; Las Vegas; Phoenix; San Jose, Calif.; and Washington, D.C.
Customers can pre-order the iPhone 5 beginning April 5.
Popular Stories
The European Parliament today voted overwhelmingly in favor of enforcing USB-C as a common charging port across a wide range of consumer electronic devices, including the iPhone and AirPods, by the end of 2024.
The proposal, known as a directive, forces all consumer electronics manufacturers who sell their products in Europe to ensure that a wide range of devices feature a USB-C port. This...
Rumors suggest that Apple still has several new devices that are coming before the end of the year, including a range of Macs and iPads. It's not looking like we're going to get an October event in 2022, but refreshes are coming soon, probably via press release. If you're planning to buy a Mac or an iPad, make sure to check out our list to know what's safe to pick up now and what's not.
iPad ...
iOS 16 was released to the public three weeks ago with a customizable Lock Screen, the ability to edit iMessages, improvements to Focus modes, and much more. And in the coming months, iPhone and iPad users have even more new features to look forward to.
We've rounded up 10 new features coming to the iPhone and iPad later this year, according to Apple. Many of the features are part of iOS...
Apple today released updated firmware for the MagSafe Charger that is designed to work with the iPhone 12 and later and the AirPods Pro 2. The new firmware is version 10M1821, up from the prior 10M229 firmware. Note that in the Settings app, you'll see a different version number than the firmware number, with the update displayed as version 255.0.0.0 (the prior firmware was 247.0.0.0). The...
Apple on September 23 officially launched the second-generation version of the AirPods Pro, introducing updated Active Noise Cancellation, Adaptive Transparency, improved sound, and more. Right around the same time, Bose introduced new QuietComfort II earbuds with many similar features, so we thought we'd compare the two to see which has the edge.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for ...
One of iOS 16's most praised features comes at the cost of draining battery life, according to recently published Apple support documents.
The feature, known as "keyboard haptics," is optional in iOS 16 and allows users to get physical feedback via slight vibrations upon the touch of each key, confirming that it was pressed much like keyboard sounds. The feature is a useful addition to the...
Apple is no longer expected to host an event this month, despite plans to unveil a host of new devices including new iPad and Mac models, according to recent reports.
In recent months, Apple has been expected to hold an event in October to announce a range of products that did not receive any stage time during the company's iPhone 14 unveiling event last month. In a recent newsletter, Bloombe...
iOS 16.0.2 was released last month with several bug fixes for iPhone 14 issues, excessive copy and paste permission prompts, and more. Now, evidence suggests that Apple is planning to release iOS 16.0.3 with additional bug fixes.
Evidence of an upcoming iOS 16.0.3 software update has shown up in MacRumors analytics logs, which have been a reliable indicator in the past.
There are several...
Apple today seeded the fourth beta of iOS 16.1 to developers for testing purposes, with the beta coming one week after the release of the third iOS 16.1 beta. The iOS 16.1 beta is also joined by the fifth beta of iPadOS 16.1, which is on a slightly different schedule as Apple started testing it prior to the launch of iOS 16.
Registered developers can download the iOS 16 and iPadOS 16...
With the latest iOS 16.1 beta, Apple has tweaked the design of the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max to make it more visible on a dark background. When using a darker wallpaper or with the darker interface of Dark Mode activated, there is a light gray border around the outside of the Dynamic Island when the screen is dimmed or when the Dynamic Island is in active use.
The...
Top Rated Comments
It is, but it is separate from the service. Once the phone is paid for, you don't have that part of the payment anymore. With other companies your bill doesn't go down once the phone subsidy is paid off.
You are comparing cost of Unlimited Data to Limited Data on Verizon at a higher cost and you still want Verizon... :confused::confused::confused::confused:
Awesome
Family plan with 5 phones, just using the base 3G data is $110/mo as long as you already own the phones.
Does this include tethering?
I LOVE the fact that after you've paid the subsidy, YOU JUST PAY FOR SERVICE! I told the AT&T guy that I've been a customer 2 years, my subsidy was paid and that I wanted to see my rate drop. He just laughed.
Here in Central Florida T-Mobile is great. Will visual voicemail and all the other features work now?
And How much for a 32GB iPhone 5?
You're missing a key point. So it's $100 down, then you pay $50 a month for unlimited text, talk, and 3G data, plus 500mb of 4G data. Plus you have to pay $20 a month for the phone itself. So it is only $70 a month. Where are you getting $90 a month?:confused: