With the new iPhone 6 from Apple now official, Sprint wants to allow interested customers to lease an iPhone rather than buying it.
The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will surely hit all major carriers in the U.S., but Sprint believes it can stand out from the competition with its new plans, including an "iPhone for Life" option, which will allow customers to rent the device for $20 per month.
As expected, the $20 per month lease is applicable to the base model of the iPhone 6, but the iPhone 6 Plus, as well as other models with more storage on board, will imply an added charge.
Under the new "iPhone for Life" plan, interested customers will be able to trade in their device for a new iPhone every 24 months. As opposed to actually buying an iPhone, renting it means that customers will not have to pay sales tax on the full subsidized cost of the device.
"I think a product like that deserves different treatment," Sprint's new CEO, Marcelo Claure, told Re/Code.
While the cost of leasing an iPhone starts at $20, that's not all. Service plans will include a new option specifically designed for the iPhone and the iPhone alone, bringing unlimited talk, text and data for $50 per month. In other words, the option to "lease" a new iPhone 6 from Sprint actually starts at $70 per month.
The iPhone 6 has been one of the most highly-anticipated devices of this year and is expected to be in high demand once it hits commercial availability. Sprint is not the only carrier offering the new-generation iPhones, and other operators will most likely come up with their own attractive deals and incentives for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. T-Mobile, for instance, is set to make its latest "UNcarrier" announcements on Wednesday, Sept. 10, detailing its latest offerings. AT&T and Verizon are also expected to make some interesting offers.
For Sprint, however, it's more important to attract more customers because it has been bleeding subscribers for a good while now. In addition to its new plans, T-Mobile also highlights that Apple's new iPhones support Sprint Spark, the fastest version of its LTE service.
Customers who don't find the new "lease" option that attractive, meanwhile, can also choose the old-fashioned way. Financing the device will imply a $30 per month fee, while getting the new iPhone on a standard two-year contract will amount to the standard $199 contract price. On the other hand, the latter option will lead to a higher cost both upfront and per month. For more details, check out Sprint's new options at this link.
