The best features of Apple’s iPhone 13 are the ridiculous trade-in offers, not the specs

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Tim Cook unveiled the iPhone 13 at Apple’s event on Tuesday.

Apple This story is part of Apple Event, our full coverage of the latest news from Apple.

The new Apple iPhone 13 and 13 Pro phones, now available for pre-order, have many new features that are welcome upgrades over previous iPhone models. Battery life is longer, and there are ingenious camera tricks, better displays, a thinner notch, and even some new color options. While this stealth “S year” update isn’t as significant as last year’s 5G redesign and inclusion, there’s enough here that Apple will likely move many, many millions of iPhones yet.

Especially when you consider the prices of the carriers here in the US.

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All three major wireless providers have introduced new iPhone offerings to get people to upgrade their old devices to these 5G-compatible iPhones. As has been the trend in recent years, these offers are available to both new and existing customers, offering significant discounts on all versions of the new iPhone 13 if you’re willing to upgrade and commit to staying with one carrier for several years.

The offers represent a push by couriers to not only pick up new customers from each other, but to block their current customers with longer offers. The doors to business opened last year when companies were eager to engage people on their 5G networks, and they are continuing with the launch of the iPhone 13. While it’s a good time for those looking for a good deal, consumers they should be aware that the terms can extend up to three years.

Apple went so far as to acknowledge the operator’s discounts during its Tuesday presentation with Kaiann Drance, Apple’s vice president of marketing for iPhone products, noting that there are “some great deals from Apple and our partners” when mentioning the price of the iPhone 13.

AT&T offers up to $ 1,000 off the iPhone 13 Pro or Pro Max and up to $ 700 on the iPhone 13 and Mini, making the iPhone 13 Pro or 13 Mini essentially free. Verizon is offering up to $ 800 off any iPhone 13, covering the base costs for the 13 and the Mini.

Learn more: iPhone 13 vs. 13 Mini vs. 13 Pro vs. 13 Pro Max: all the major differences

Both operators will need to trade a fairly recent phone and have an unlimited plan (in the case of Verizon, one of its current top tier unlimited offers such as Do More, Get More and Play More or the previous plans of Above Unlimited and Beyond Unlimited ) to get full credit. AT&T also requires your device to be in good working order while Verizon accepts any phone, even those with broken screens, as long as the battery is not damaged.

T-Mobile’s most aggressive offering comes straight from Apple. If you’re buying from Apple and trading an iPhone X or newer, the company will give you a credit of at least $ 200 from Apple on the price of the phone and a minimum of $ 200 back from T-Mobile. These numbers can jump quickly if you are trading a new device and have the best carrier plan, called Magenta Max.

If you have Magenta Max and are trading an iPhone 12 Pro Max, you’ll get $ 790 back from Apple, with T-Mobile taking an additional $ 500 via credits for a total savings of $ 1,290.

More directly, T-Mobile is offering up to $ 500 off the price of any iPhone 13 series phone, as long as you finance with an installment plan and exchange an eligible device. This offering does not require a Magenta Max plan and will work with any other offering from the company.

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The problem in all cases is that you have to be willing to stay with whichever carrier you choose, because the discounts come back to you as monthly credits on your bills.

AT & T’s deal requires phone financing for 36 months. Verizon requires funding over the course of 24 or 30 months, while T-Mobile’s Apple deal will offer the carrier’s promotion portion via invoice credits for 24 months (the phone trade-in to Apple can be used as an instant credit). T-Mobile’s $ 500 direct promotion requires the purchase of an iPhone 13 with a 30-month installment plan.

In one of these cases, if you cancel the service or leave early, you risk losing the remaining credits in your bill and debiting the balance due on the phones.

“Now that US carriers are seriously rolling out 5G networks, they are looking to bolster their subscriber base to keep competition at bay,” says Avi Greengart, an industry analyst at Techsponential. “They are all making sure these deals pay off by tying them to their more expensive service plans, requesting trade-ins and extending subsidies to two or even three years.”

Read More: iPhone 13 Price and Pre-Order: How and When to Buy New Apple Phones

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In addition to today’s upgrade offers, some carriers like T-Mobile have added new incentives to keep people connected to their networks for even longer periods of time, well beyond the iPhone 12 or 13.

In a policy called “Forever Upgrade”, starting Friday T-Mobile guarantees a trade-in value of up to $ 800 for those on its network who purchase a new iPhone 12 or 13 and have its higher tier Magenta Max plan ( other older, higher-end T-Mobile or Sprint plans are also eligible).

As with all other offers, there is a problem. Beyond the plan requirements, that $ 800 trade-in value won’t come true unless you wait two years and keep the device in good working order. At that point you can once again trade the iPhone you’re getting now and put that money on a new device, keeping the cycle going.

Carrier offers such as those offered by T-Mobile “are designed to build consumer loyalty” and keep people from leaving, said Anshel Sag, senior analyst at Moor Insights and Strategy. And because many of these offerings require a higher tier unlimited plan, Sag notes that carriers are “happier to keep these customers rather than letting them go to someone else who has more aggressive iPhone offers.”

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