iPhone 3G's True Price Compared

Ever since Apple announced that they're cutting $200 from the iPhone's price and lowering the iPhone 3G down to $199, people have been rumbling about how the increased AT&T data plan price negates any savings you get up front on the phone. Screams of "IT'S NOT ACTUALLY CHEAPER, APPLE IS FOOLING US" have us wondering about how much more you're really paying over two years compared with the old iPhone or similarly featured 3G smartphones on AT&T and other providers. Here's what we found.

Over two years, the iPhone 3G will cost $160 more than the original iPhone. This includes the unlimited data plan plus the additional $5 SMS plan you need to get to match the original's 200 included messages. What the chart doesn't indicate, in pure dollars, is how much 3G is worth.

Compared with a similar 3G phone on AT&T, the iPhone 3G costs exactly the same over two years as AT&T's HTC Tilt (minus $100 for the increased initial phone price). Compared to Sprint, you're coming out slightly behind by $20 because of Sprint's included unlimited SMS/MMS, but unlimited 3G data still costs the same $30. Verizon's data and texting plan is also on par with AT&T's, and you get an extra 50 text messages.

So what can we conclude? Yes, the iPhone 3G will cost you $160 more than the original iPhone over two years. If you don't need 3G at all (or GPS), you might not need to upgrade if you've got an old one. Otherwise, $160 is a small price to pay—for us at least—over the course of two years to drastically increase your email and browsing speeds.

Source

This is gonna make a bunch of people cry and disapointed...

This post has been edited by denzel88: Jul 3 2008, 11:20 PM

this is a great read for noobs. btw it's a bit irrelevant coz:

1) we don't use at&t, sprint and verizon here
2) most likely people from here will rather go for the prepaid / unsubsidised version, coz u can't grab the contract unit without signing any contract anymore

so the comparison doesn't applicable at all for us malaysian iPhone users. and almost every people here already knew the price for unsubsidised units will be higher. it's common sense.

and yeah u can refer at the pinned thread and also threads on AT&T and Optus prepaid iPhone offerings.

have a nice day.

By the way...the comparison is made to show us that the Original iPhone (first day selling) is cheaper then the 3G iPhone (first day selling). The 3G iPhone is actually much more expensive then the Original version the day it came out.

It's only been one year and people forget....

The original iPhone was selling for $499 (4GB) and $599 (8GB) when it first came out. And it still required a contract. Apple only dropped the price to $399 after 2.5 months.

Haiz...when will people learn...

http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/679508/+1320#entry18364205

Been discussed over and over...

again, this post is to show the comparison between the new and old iPhone

Nowaday a lot of people start to create new thread to tell the real iPhone 3g price.....

wow, this news to me

trouble maker found, sorry guys, thread close

but to those that are subscribed to contract which is so common esp. in UK, the iphone 3g is going to be worthy and cheaper.

previously,

£35 monthly for 18 month for 600 min and 600 text every month + unlimited wifi data transfer + £368 for iphone 8gb.

and now £35 bla bla bla for 18 month, but only £99 for the iphone 3g.

many people have miss this point, and obviously in uk, people who goes for iphone is definitely is tied to some contract. people using prepay/pay-as-you-go doesnt bother to get a expensive phone.