U.S. carrier Virgin Mobile has announced that it will finally begin retailing the iPhone 5 from Friday, June 28. The 16GB variant of the iPhone 5 will be available for purchase for $549.99 sans a contract on the carrier.
Users will now be able to buy the iPhone 5 on Virgin Mobile with any prepaid plan. What's more, the iPhone 5 will be also compatible with Virgin Mobile's "Beyond Talk" plans, whereby the carrier offers unlimited 3G and 4G LTE data (as well as unlimited texts) for $35 per month. Customers will, however, receive a $5 discount if they register and sign-up for automatic payments or "Auto Pay" via a credit card, debit card or PayPal account.
Come June 28, Virgin Mobile will offer the 16GB model of the iPhone 5 in both black and white color options. The Apple smartphone will be available for purchase online, at Virgin Mobile dealers, and RadioShack.
On the other hand, the 32GB and 64GB versions of the iPhone 5 will only be available online at Virgin Mobile's website from next week. The 32GB and 64GB variants of the iPhone 5 will cost $649.99 and $749.99, respectively, and will be available in black and white hues as well.
The iPhone 5 is already available on major U.S. carriers like AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile. Now Virgin Mobile, which is a subsidiary of Sprint, will also join their ranks, but nearly eight months after the iPhone 5 made its debut.
With pre-paid plans becoming increasingly popular, it will be interesting to see if consumers are swayed by Virgin Mobile's offers or choose to wait for the iPhone 5S, which is rumored to release this fall.
