The iPhone X has a starting price of $999, which goes up to $1149 if you want the 256GB storage variant. Most gadgets were selling at steep discounts during the holiday shopping season, but there was no good iPhone X deal. Wireless carriers were just not interested in offering iPhone X promotions. The anniversary iPhone still managed to sell in record numbers during the holiday period. Now the first big iPhone X deal is here, all thanks to T-Mobile.
T-Mobile starts new year with massive promotions
T-Mobile CEO John Legere announced in a blog post that the Un-carrier added 5 million customers last year. The magenta carrier has got some “fantastic deals” for its existing customers as well as people “fed-up with the carrier nonsense and ready to join Team Magenta.” The company will launch a new Buy One, Get One free (BOGO) deal on Friday, January 12. If you haven’t purchased the iPhone X yet, T-Mobile’s deal is worth checking out.
T-Mobile is allowing you to get two smartphones for the price of one if you are buying the 64GB iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus or iPhone 8, Galaxy S8, LG V30, V30 Plus or LG G6. You can buy any two of these handsets and T-Mobile will give you a rebate that covers the cost of the lower priced model. If you are interested in the Galaxy S8 Plus, Galaxy S8 Active or Note 8, you will receive a $750 rebate.
So, what’s the iPhone X deal? If you buy the iPhone X, iPhone 7 Plus (128GB or 256GB), iPhone 8 (256GB) or iPhone 8 Plus, you’ll get a $700 rebate on the second device. You can use that $700 to buy the second iPhone 8 or add just $300 to purchase another iPhone X. It’s the best iPhone X deal we have seen since the phone’s launch on November 3. The deal is valid on the purchase of any two iPhone X, iPhone 8 or iPhone 7 handsets.
How the BOGO iPhone X deal works
As is almost always the case, T-Mobile’s Buy One, Get One (BOGO) deal comes with certain terms and conditions. You have to buy both the devices (from the same manufacturer) on the magenta carrier’s 24-month Equipment Installment Plan (EIP). You are also required to port in at least one new voice line. The company also requires customers to trade in an eligible smartphone, which includes the iPhone 5S or later, Galaxy Note 4 or later (excluding the Note 7), Galaxy S6 or later, and LG G5 or later.
After you have done all that, there is a little more work required to claim your $700 rebate. You have to go to T-Mobile online rebate center, fill in the rebate form, enter promo code “18Q1APLBOGO” and submit the form. Your prepaid MasterCard for $700 will arrive in the mail within two months. It means you have to pay for the two handsets upfront and you’ll get $700 back within two months.
The deal is still better than the offers from other carriers that tend to offer rebates in the form of bill credits spread over 18-24 months. You have to stay with that carrier for at least 18-24 months. With T-Mobile’s iPhone X deal, you receive the rebate in the form of a prepaid MasterCard within two months. After that, you are free to cancel the new line, pay off your phones, or change the carrier altogether.
T-Mobile has a special offer for Verizon customers
T-Mobile has also come up with a new #GetOutOfTheRed program to make it easier than ever before for Verizon customers to switch to T-Mobile. If you are looking to switch from Verizon to T-Mobile, the magenta carrier would pay off whatever amount you owe to Verizon (up to $650) via a virtual prepaid MasterCard. You can keep using the same device on T-Mobile network.
The eligible smartphones include the iPhone SE, iPhone 6S, 6S Plus, iPhone 7, 7 Plus, iPhone 8, 8 Plus, iPhone X, Google Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL, Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus. However, you have to sign up for T-Mobile’s ONE Plus or ONE Plus International plan.
Some industry analysts believe that T-Mobile’s BOGO iPhone X deal isn’t as aggressive as they were expecting from wireless firms. Carriers were reluctant to offer iPhone X promotions in the holiday period amid tight supplies. Baird analyst William Power said in a research note that the iPhone X sales were solid in December quarter, but they could suffer in the January-March quarter “due in part to lack of carrier iPhone X promotions.”
Though carriers have offered lucrative deals on the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, there have been few promotional offers on the 10th anniversary iPhone. T-Mobile is the first carrier to offer attractive deals on the iPhone X.
iPhone X, iPhone 8, 8 Plus were top-selling phones in the US
Kantar Worldpanel said in a report that the iPhone X, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus were the top three best-selling phones in the US in November. Samsung’s Galaxy S8 lagged far behind at 6th position. Despite its high price tag, the anniversary iPhone witnessed ‘stellar’ performance in China, Japan, and the UK. In developed countries, most iPhone X buyers were upgrading from older iPhones. But in China, the iPhone X was able to get significant numbers of Android users to switch to Apple.
In the UK, Apple regained the top slot with the iOS market share reaching 49.4%. The iPhone X was the top-selling phone in Great Britain in November, accounting for 14.4% of smartphone sales. The iPhone X was also the top-selling handset in Japan with an 18.2% market share. It was closely followed by the iPhone 8 with 17.2% share.
