AppleInsider Staff
In a web-only exclusive, U.S. prepaid cell carrier Virgin Mobile has discounted Apple's iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S by 15 percent, bringing prices down to as low as $280.
The discount, which went live earlier on Thursday, applies to both iPhone models Virgin carries: the 16GB iPhone 4S and the 8GB iPhone 4.
According to the company's website, the limited time 15 percent savings offer is applicable to web sales and is available only "while supplies last." The carrier does not specify how long the sale will last.
With the discount, the no-contract 16GB iPhone 4S comes out to $382, while the 8GB iPhone 4 drops to $297.
Virgin first started sales of Apple's iPhone in June of 2012, with initial pricing for the then-current iPhone 4S set at $649, which matched the cost of purchasing a no-contract iPhone through Apple.
The iPhone has extended its marketshare through smaller prepaid carriers like regional telecom Cricket Wireless. Most recently, Boost Mobile was rumored to be getting the Apple handset in the third quarter of 2013, though no official word on the release has been made.
Christine McKee
Andrew Orr
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Wesley Hilliard
10 Comments
As far as I know 4S a "world phone", but is it sold unlocked there? Can I use it in t-mobile or any other GSM network simply by swapping a sim card?
As far as I know 4S a "world phone", but is it sold unlocked there? Can I use it in t-mobile or any other GSM network simply by swapping a sim card?
I forget whose network Virgin piggybacks… If it's AT&T, then it's not unlocked. If it's Verizon's, it is.
Virgin is a wholly owned Sprint subsidiary and they use Sprint's CDMA network. What they call 3G on it is a pathetic EVDO that doesn't even begin to compare with the 3G most GSM carriers use. Sprint originally deployed WiMax for its 4G, but this is a dead standard they're abandoning this year; as a result they're very late to the game deploying LTE. Last I heard Virgin (or any of Sprint's MVNOs) had no access to LTE. Sprint also has the crappiest policies when it comes to unlocking hybrid CDMA/GSM phones: they will do it if you buy the phone subsidized and have an account in good standing for the past 3 months; but if you buy the phone at full price, tough: they will never unlock it. In terms of price, they brag about their unlimited data, but that's a little ridiculous because most of the time you won't even have enough bandwidth to stream audio.
Bottom line, if you're looking for good data service at a reasonable price, stay away from Sprint and its subsidiaries.
Oh. There you go. It's unlocked, then.
Virgin is a wholly owned Sprint subsidiary and they use Sprint's CDMA network. What they call 3G on it is a pathetic EVDO that doesn't even begin to compare with the 3G most GSM carriers use. Sprint originally deployed WiMax for its 4G, but this is a dead standard they're abandoning this year; as a result they're very late to the game deploying LTE. Last I heard Virgin (or any of Sprint's MVNOs) had no access to LTE. Sprint also has the crappiest policies when it comes to unlocking hybrid CDMA/GSM phones: they will do it if you buy the phone subsidized and have an account in good standing for the past 3 months; but if you buy the phone at full price, tough: they will never unlock it. In terms of price, they brag about their unlimited data, but that's a little ridiculous because most of the time you won't even have enough bandwidth to stream audio.
Bottom line, if you're looking for good data service at a reasonable price, stay away from Sprint and its subsidiaries.
Wow someone has an axe to grind with Sprint. I have been with them for 5 years now and before that AT&T. I switched because of so many dropped calls on AT&T that I had to make calls in my yard. I haven't regretted switching to Sprint since. If I experienced what you described I can assure you I would have left long ago. I got great speeds with WiMax which was around long before Verizon ever thought about LTE and I am with them now that they have LTE fully deployed in Atlanta. As far as their 3G EVDO speeds it is true that it won't come close to the 3G of a GSM network but it is certainly fast enough to stream audio. I frequently drive to Hilton Head, Savannah, Florida and other places and can stream Pandora or Spotify on 3G the whole way. I also didn't have any problem unlocking my iPhone but then again I have good credit and pay my bills on time. I don't doubt you might have had a bad experience but if they were as bad as you make it sound I seriously doubt their 50+ million subscribers would stay with them. I stay because I get great coverage and unlimited LTE which no other carrier offers.
By the way Virgin Mobil and Boost which are indeed wholly owned subsidiaries of Sprint already offer LTE.