iPhone 12 Starts at $799 With T-Mobile and Sprint Activation After All, SIM-Free Model Still Starts at $829 - MacRumors
Skip to Content

iPhone 12 Starts at $799 With T-Mobile and Sprint Activation After All, SIM-Free Model Still Starts at $829

by

Earlier this week, Apple's online store indicated that T-Mobile, Sprint, and SIM-free models of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini would start at $829 and $729 respectively in the United States, which was $30 extra compared to AT&T and Verizon models.

iphone 12 colors trio
However, coinciding with the start of pre-orders for the iPhone 12 today, it turns out that T-Mobile and Sprint are now offering customers the same "instant discount" of $30 with activation. This means the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini now start at Apple's advertised $799 and $699 prices respectively with activation on AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, or Sprint.

SIM-free models of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini continue to start at $829 and $729 respectively for use with any carrier.

It is unclear why the "instant discount" for T-Mobile and Sprint models showed up three days after AT&T and Verizon models, but it has certainly created a confusing situation for customers. Pre-orders of the 6.1-inch iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro are available now, while iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max pre-orders will begin Friday, November 6.

There is no price discrepancy with iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max models, which start at $999 and $1,099 respectively regardless of the model selected.

Tags: Sprint, T-Mobile
Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

T Mobile Generic Feature Pink 1

T-Mobile Automatically Moving Legacy Plan Customers to New Plans

Monday June 29, 2026 4:46 pm PDT by
Some T-Mobile customers with legacy phone plans are being upgraded to newer T-Mobile plans automatically, reports CNET. The company has been sending out notifications to customers with older plans, letting them know that they're going to be transferred to a current plan. Customers being pushed to a new plan could get an automatic bill increase. The carrier plans to move customers to...
Read Full Article • 253 comments
iphone 17 cyber

Apple Closes Unlocked iPhone Loophole for T-Mobile and Verizon Financing

Wednesday July 15, 2026 3:20 pm PDT by
Carrier-financed iPhones purchased from Apple will soon be locked to the carrier, ending a workaround customers used to purchase an unlocked iPhone on a payment plan. Until the rule change, buying an iPhone from Apple and opting for financing through Verizon or T-Mobile meant you would get an iPhone not locked to either carrier's network. That's no longer the case, and now iPhones financed...
Read Full Article • 147 comments
iPhone 18 Pro Deep Red Feature

iPhone 18 Pro Launching in Two Months With These 12 New Features

Friday July 17, 2026 10:39 am PDT by
It is now mid-July, and that means the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are now just two months away. The devices are expected to look similar to the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, but there will still be many year-over-year changes, with rumored features including a smaller Dynamic Island, 5G via satellite, and more. Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, ...
Read Full Article • 54 comments

Top Rated Comments

J
Jman13
75 months ago
Still garbage that they advertise the price at $799 when it's actually $829. Because the carriers will charge you an upgrade fee, you're going to pay that $30 regardless, and it's so bogus, given that when you buy a phone outright the carrier needs to do NOTHING. You just put your existing SIM in and you're good.
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
M
moabal
75 months ago
I do not really care what Apple decides to charge for the iPhone. However, going on stage and saying something starts at $699 when it really starts at $729 (iPhone 12 Mini) is just straight disingenuous.

They are more than welcome to partner with the carriers to subsidize part of the phone. However, just say the proper price of the phone! I cannot believe Apple would go this low.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
S
Sasparilla
75 months ago
Guess the mobile providers are eating that $30 - getting contract lockin as a return I suppose. Anyone who wants one direct from Apple pays a $30 tax (on top of the ~25% price increase over the 11 and removal of the charger and removal of the ear buds). Gotta say that sucks - Apple should make them the same.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
D
deathcab
75 months ago
I think this is Apple’s way of trying to (indirectly) share in part of the carrier’s activation fees.

Pretty bad look from Apple to tie even more closely to the carriers and disappointing when there’s so much potential for Apple to instead move further away from them (they’re basically just commodity / utility providers at this point so why pander to them?). I always held out hope Apple would eventually become its own MVNO but that seems unlikely at this point.


There is a price bump compared to iPhone 11 last year, right?
Yes. Price for the unlocked 6.1” iPhone 12 is $130 higher than the unlocked 6.1” iPhone 11 at launch (not factoring in the the “value” of the accessories omitted from the 12 that were free in the box with the 11).
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
C
ChipperVW
75 months ago
So no USB-C charger, no headphones, and a $30 price increase?
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
UltimateSyn Avatar
UltimateSyn
75 months ago

Yeah, if you buy the unlocked version its a ~28% price increase over the base 11 last year.
Am I missing something? $829 / $699 = 1.186
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments