Sprint to Roll Out 'One Up' Frequent Device Upgrade Program on September 20
Following the introduction of early upgrade programs from AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile earlier this year, a leaked document from Sprint (via CNET) shows that the mobile carrier is planning to roll out “Sprint One Up”, a program that allows its customers to upgrade their handsets and tablets at regular intervals. The program is reportedly set to launch on September 20, which is also the first day of availability for Apple’s new iPhone 5s and lower-cost iPhone 5c.
All of the carrier programs principally work the same, with a few nuanced differences. Sprint's One Up lets customers pick up a phone with no money down and pay for the device in 24 monthly installments. A phone that costs $649.99, for instance, will cost $27 a month (with the difference tacked on to the 24th payment). If a customer leaves the service early, that person is on the hook for the balance of the device cost, due the following month.
The program also states that customers can upgrade to a new phone by trading in the device after a year of service, with Sprint’s Unlimited, My Way or All-In plan eligible for the program. One Up also provides a $15 discount on the service plan, which allows for an unlimited talk, text, and data plan that costs $65 a month at minimum.
Current customers who have been on contract for at least a year are also eligible for the program, and also must trade in their existing phones unless they are already eligible for a discounted upgrade. The program does not apply to Sprint prepaid customers and does not discontinue Sprint’s other upgrade program, “Upgrade Now”, which allows customers to upgrade for a set fee.
Popular Stories
Phishing attacks taking advantage of Apple's password reset feature have become increasingly common, according to a report from KrebsOnSecurity. Multiple Apple users have been targeted in an attack that bombards them with an endless stream of notifications or multi-factor authentication (MFA) messages in an attempt to cause panic so they'll respond favorably to social engineering. An...
At least some Apple software engineers continue to believe that iOS 18 will be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Below, we recap rumored features and changes for the iPhone. "The iOS 18 update is expected to be the most ambitious overhaul of the iPhone's software in its history, according to people working on the upgrade," wrote Gurman, in a r...
Apple today announced that its 35th annual Worldwide Developers Conference is set to take place from Monday, June 10 to Friday, June 14. As with WWDC events since 2020, WWDC 2024 will be an online event that is open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. WWDC 2024 will include online sessions and labs so that developers can learn about new...
Apple may be planning to add support for "custom routes" in Apple Maps in iOS 18, according to code reviewed by MacRumors. Apple Maps does not currently offer a way to input self-selected routes, with Maps users limited to Apple's pre-selected options, but that may change in iOS 18. Apple has pushed an iOS 18 file to its maps backend labeled "CustomRouteCreation." While not much is revealed...
Apple on late Tuesday released revised versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 with an updated build number of 21E237, according to MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. The updates previously had a build number of 21E236. The revised updates are available for all iPhone and iPad models that are compatible with iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, but they can only be installed via the Finder app on macOS...
Apple will introduce new iPad Pro and iPad Air models in early May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman previously suggested the new iPads would come out in March, and then April, but the timeline has been pushed back once again. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Apple is working on updates to both the iPad Pro and iPad Air models. The iPad Pro models will...
With the App Store and app ecosystem undergoing major changes in the European Union, The Wall Street Journal today shared a profile on App Store chief Phil Schiller, who is responsible for the App Store. Though Schiller transitioned from marketing chief to "Apple Fellow" in 2020 to take a step back from Apple and spend more time on personal projects and friends, he is reportedly working...
Top Rated Comments
1) Their data coverage is weak. It is near useless in many places, and even where you have LTE the signal is often inconsistent. They've totally botched their LTE deployment.
2) Your phone is forever, irrevocably locked to Sprint. Sprint will not unlock an iPhone for any reason, ever; they are much like AT&T used to be until they finally saw the light. Verizon iPhones come unlocked. AT&T will unlock iPhones when your contract is over, and you can purchase unlocks from several vendors on the web. T-Mobile will unlock phones once they're paid for. Sprint? Never.
Avoid Sprint. Any money you might save is not worth the hassle. And to think I used to be a fan of them back in 2004-2010, but they've definitely changed for the worse.
It's one of the reasons I don't understand buying an unlocked phone. Most carries include the stupid device cost in their plans so it's like you're paying twice.
Pay full price every year for a new phone but spread it out over 20 payments or so. If you upgrade at 12 months you owe the balance early but get a credit for your trade in. Nonetheless you are paying $649 for a new phone every year rather than $199 every other year.
I called AT&T. Since I upgraded to a 5 last Sept I am not eligible for a 5S at subsidized price. I get that, that's how it has been. Under their Next program I would get a new 5S for $649 spread out over 20 months of payments. However, I don't qualify for their Next program until next Sept. At which point I would be able to buy a subsidized phone as usual for $199. Why would I agree to pay $649 spread out at that point.
What a joke.
The main problem with this is it's Sprint. Just about everyone I know that's had Sprint has been very dissatisfied with their service. Every company has their detractors but I'm very leery of Sprint. And so far, we're happy with T-Mobile.