Comparing apples to apples: two year smartphone cost examined
Over the past few month, we’ve seen several sites run cost comparisons on the latest and greatest smartphones from each of the top four carriers in the US. Good — presenting readers with cost analysis is always a good idea. We’re finding that just about all of these comparisons do so on the high end of the spectrum however, comparing the cost of owning each of these great smartphones along with the most expensive plans available from their respective carrier. Fair enough, we suppose. The simple fact of the matter is that not everyone is interested in an expensive unlimited plan though. For these people, comparing the maximum possible cost of several smartphones definitely makes for an exciting read, but we don’t know how useful it really is.
Unlimited plans continue to gain popularity as cost is driven down but the fact of the matter is that they’re just not for everyone. As such, rather than compare the highest possible cost of four popular smartphones maybe it makes a bit more sense to compare their relative entry-level costs — the base price, where most comparisons happen. Yeah, let’s give that a shot…
T-Mobile G1
Handset: $149.99
Monthly cost [UPDATED]: $29.99 voice plan (300 minutes, unlimited weekends), $24.99 T-Mobile G1 Unlimited Web (unlimited Web/email/data)
$54.98/month — $1,319.52 over 2 years + $149.99 for the phone
Total: $1,469.51 (excludes SMS/MMS, starting at $5/month)
Sprint, Palm Pre
Handset: $199.99 (after $100 rebate)
Activation fee: $36
Monthly cost [UPDATED]: $69.99 Everything Data Plan (450 minutes, unlimited nights/weekends, unlimited mobile to mobile, unlimited Web/email/data, unlimited SMS/MMS, unlimited GPS navigation)
$69.99/month — $1,679.76 over 2 years + $235.99 for the phone plus activation (after $100 mail-in rebate)
Total: $1,915.75 (after $100 mail-in rebate)
Verizon Wireless, BlackBerry Storm
Handset: $149.99
Activation fee: $35
Monthly cost: $39.99 voice plan (450 minutes, unlimited nights/weekends, unlimited mobile to mobile), $29.99 Email and Web for BlackBerry (BIS, Web)
$69.98/month — $1,679.52 over 2 years (excluding SMS/MMS) + $184.99 for the phone plus activation
Total: $1,864.51 (excludes SMS/MMS, starting at $5/month)
AT&T, Apple iPhone 3GS 16GB
Handset : $199
Activation fee: $36
Monthly cost: $39.99 Nation 450 w/Rollover (450 minutes, 5000 night/weekend minutes, unlimited mobile to mobile), $30 Data Plan for iPhone (unlimited Web/email/data)
$69.99/month — $1,679.76 over 2 years + $235 for the phone plus activation
Total: $1,914.76 (excludes SMS/MMS, starting at $5/month)
———————–
So what have we learned here? Look at your potential purchases from your own unique perspective. Wireless plans are complicated and should not be handled on an even playing field; each carrier has similarly priced plan options that feature both high and low points. For example, the bare-bones entry plan for the G1 reduces the two-year cost of the handset dramatically compared to the three other handseys but it only affords the user 300 minutes each month and doesn’t include free nights as other plans do. It’s all about give and take. Most importantly perhaps, don’t go to an AT&T/Sprint/T-Mobile/Verizon Wireless shop and expect to get help that is in your best interest. Don’t take media or a blogger’s word for it wither. Determine what matters most to you — whether it’s more minutes, unlimited messaging, etc — and do your own research with those things in mind. An educated consumer is a happy consumer.
How is this apples to apples when one plan has 150 minutes less than the other three and VZW and At&t are missing unlimited text? Does BGR hate Sprint so much that they post this BS? Great deal guys if you plan on never sending text or MMS.
Also Zach needs to check him math…
$69.99/month — $1,679.76 over 2 years + $235 for the phone plus activation
Total: $1,914.76
$69.99/month — $1,679.76 over 2 years + $235.99 for the phone plus activation (after $100 mail-in rebate)
Total: $1,933.75
Where is the extra $18 coming from…you list an activation fee so there is no $18 upgrade fee. Funny how the math error works out in At&t’s favor. I will stick to Engadget Mobile for my mobile since they they post stupid shit like this try to say they are comparing apples to apple.
Please remove Steve Jobs scrotum from your jaws! It is blocking your judgement and math skills.
I have two pairs of shoes which cost just about the same price. One pair fits perfectly and are superbly made. The other pair make my feet ache and people laugh at them. Which pair is the iPhone equivalent?
This site is riddled with idiots. When someone has something valid to say in the comments section, it gets buried immediately thanks to all the morons who can’t read. Please, for the love of god, implement a real commenting system on this site so we can gray these morons out. Please.
To the morons, this is how EVERYTHING is compared. At the base. You think consumer reports will stop comparing cars at their base price because some come with a sunroof and others don’t? No. You compare the cost of competing products AT THEIR BASE PRICE and then examine the cost of adding the additional features you need.
Please do us all a favor and leave. Go away. Go comment on Engadget or Gizmodo where idiocy is appreciated.
Maxwell Smart talked into his shoe!
Why do make this type of comparisons?
When I buy a car I don’t start adding how much money it’s going to cost me with insurance, car washes, fuzzy dice, oil changes etc, etc. It just does not make sense. Just my .02
Tmo does not have a $24.99 data plan for the G1 with messages included. Data plans changed june 3rd. There is a web ONLY feature for $24.99. 300 SMS now costs $4.99. There is also the unl data and messaging plan for $34.99. Flawed comparison
@fakey
Let me see, someone who got a 3gs the first week who doesn’t know what it is (okay, some phans don’t know that it’s overrated and overhyped) and selling it for $175.
You’re simply a liar, or you’re going to find something interesting in that box when it arrives. And iphones aren’t interesting, so your options for the box contents are falling fast!
@jakey
I’m not calling your claim BS, but you sound confident and if its true you got an amazing deal, I don’t care much about iphone, but a friend just bought one on ebay, after days of search and paid much more than you did. Just post the auction number, this way you can prove people that you are not full of it. It sounds too good to be true
This article was a complete FAIL. The heading grabbed my interest and then BG goes on to compare plans that aren’t even close in similarity. Messaging service for this phone, but not for that…Nice try :-\
How did you possibly find an iphone on ebay for less than 200?
Am I reading this wrong? Many comments are complaining that G1 shouldn’t be so expensive, but the numbers I’m reading show it to be the best value, BY FAR. What am I missing?
@~Phel- call bs all you want, its the truth. i’m glad everyone thinks i’m full of it, because then I can continue to score great deals while you surf gay porn
@scrotlika- i’m purchased dozens of iPhones, 1st and 2nd gen, and never once got something that wasn’t an iPhone.
@gokmengs- there are tons of item numbers, but all have expired on ebay(as I haven’t bought one legit on there in some time). also, most of the ones I buy, the seller cancels the auction(which ebay frowns upon, but who cares), so in that instance, I can’t give you an item number either. plus, I don’t want douchebags hounding me through ebay from this website. like i said before, if you don’t believe me, fine.
and just to help some of you out who don’t believe me to understand how the hell i buy iPhones for under $200: there are tons of people who brick their phones, crack the glass, ect. these are easy and quick fixes if you know how to repair and where to buy parts. i’ve got the knowhow and the places to buy parts for pennies on the dollar. i was repairing phones like crazy and selling them as refurbs(which is what they are) and never putting more than $200 total into them. most of my sales were in europe because the euro is far stronger than the us dollar. so there you have it kids…the secret is out. go buy yourself an iphone and fix it. its not rocket science…
@graham…they revised the numbers a few hours after putting it out
@fakey—you seem incapable of keeping your lies straight…just bought a 3gs and waiting on delivery, or item # expired? Or they’re all broken?
So you paid 175 for a broken 3gs, the first week after release, but the itm # is expired…total unmitigated bullshit.
best buy mobile. yep.
nah bud – you can have 365 different phones, running a GSM frequency and 1 at&t sim card and they would never know the difference. wouldn’t, if your comment made sense, at&t not allow you to just throw your sim in any unlocked or locked at&t phone and have it work? the sim card is your number and identification. true, your account is linked to your iccd, but when it comes to the imei, it makes no difference whatsoever.
^thats cool man. take it however you want. i’ll be rocking my 3GS for under $200.
One huge feature that was conveniently left out for Sprint – includes GPS, so might was well add $240 for 2 years to ATT and T-Mo. And Telenav too – the BEST GPS for mobiles.
Research it baby.
good read
Gotta include the cost of SMS with ATT iPhone plan, that costs another 15 dollars a month or so, times 24.
You suck BG. Stop trying to make AT&T look good. Does apple pay you to write all these ridiculous articles? Sprint is much cheaper than AT&T. Anyone with brains no this.
A little late BGR, if anyone takes a look out there you can find quite a few 2yr price comparisons…. that actually compare equal plans, but I suppose the AT&T and the iPhone need all the help they can get nowadays what with all the options out there on superior carriers.
Congrats BGR, solidifying your fanboyism in grand fashion.
This is why I love Sprint! I switched from an iPhone’s to the Pre’s, and cost/service wise couldn’t be happier.
In my position, with the 25% discount and two Pre’s, it saves me almost $100 per month when compared to AT&T and two iPhones.
AT&T 3000 minutes with two iPhones and unlimited TXT 240 Per Month. – 7% = 223.30!
Sprint 3000 Minutes with two Pre’s and unlimited TXT/Data 169 Per Month – 25% = 126.75!!!
So thats 223.30 – 126.75 = 96.55 savings per month!
Granted, I was only eligible for 7% off my AT&T bill. Still, without discounts, AT&T is $70 Frickin’ dollars per month more!
How bout them ankles / iPhone lovin’ BRG?!!!
Funny comparison. Some of the stuff on hear i read because it gives me the information first, and stuff like this i usually ignore since the bias is too clear to the intelligent reader.
I was a Palm user from the beginning, LOVED all the programs and simplicity of their phones and OS, but they finally could not keep up with technology…and I was mostly with Verizon as their service used to be the best without a doubt (now Sprint gets to use them when Sprint towers aren’t around, so better for Sprint).
I tried the Windows Mobile OS (or whatever they call it this year), and it just has far too many taps to do anything and most programs could not simply do what those similar programs could do on the Palm OS…way too many folders, levels, and to find something was just a pain in the butt. Thus frustration.
A cousin-in-law works for Apple and could have got me a deal on an iphone, but i tried his out for a while and absolutely hated the keyboard. Did not feel right in the hands (like the Storm does) and too easy to hit the wrong letter. Plus, AT&T…at my house their map shows perfect reception but in reality the phone constantly cut in and out with people saying they couldn’t hear me, etc…that was a quick end to AT&T. In areas where their coverage is good it might work well, but the iphone keyboard was a definite no for me though much of the other stuff on the phone i liked…but need to use the keyboard too often.
So went back to Verizon with the Storm. Actually one of those that loved their keyboard (some users don’t realize the keyboard is also made so the touch favors left hand on left side and right hand on right side, thus reaching across the keyboard with one hand is harder to get the key right on the other side, but way easier for two handed typing as it is meant). However, Blackberry was too simplistic with more pretty stuff as apps and not enough stuff that really did something productive…and for the Storm wayyy to slow to develop programs. Then they, Verizon and Blackberry, essentially stopped supporting the phone within the first year and decided to instead work on a new version, after i spent all that money on the phone and the service…pissed to say the least. And the Storm had far too little memory, as it locked up due to full memory all the time with few programs compared to other phones i’ve used and not that many pictures…a mess of a phone though the concept and keyboard were great in my opinion (that keyboard with the Palm Pre, hmm, that would be amazing).
After all this i had stayed away from Sprint because all the bad stuff i have READ on here and other sites. My wife’s company has used Sprint for years in northern California and elsewhere, with no problems for the most part except for one or two places in the hills for coverage which occurs with most carriers, and the customer service was always good to them. So with the release of the Palm Pre i decided to give them a try as i loved everything i was reading about this new OS.
I LOVE THE PALM PRE. Wow, what a great new OS and what a cool phone. Nothing on the market even close. And Sprint, the reception has been great and the customer service has been fine too. The only time i’ve seen someone have trouble is usually when they want something for free or have been an ahole to the rep, and i’d make sure they didn’t get what they wanted then too. I’ve found with most companies in this business, if you are nice, explain your situation well and calmly, most are willing to work with you especially if you plan to stay with them. Did I mention I LOVE THE PALM PRE!
You can all go to the carrier you want and get the phone you want, but i have a big smile on my face and feel the best i have in years about the phone i use now. The cool thing is there are already lots of good apps on it, and now the third party developers are getting the code to develop more programs which will start coming about throughout the summer and fall. And with 8 gigs of memory, since i don’t load 1000 songs at once (though have about 4 gigs of music so maybe i do), there is still sooo much room for programs that won’t lock up my system resources due to lack of memory like most phones. Did i mention I LOVE THE PALM PRE yet? Seriously though, i’ve been waiting for something like this for a long time, and if it had been Microsoft or Apple or whoever that developed this OS and phone i’d love it just as much. I don’t care who the maker, just give me something simple, fast, lots of memory (and i mean lots), programs from third party developers, beautiful, and that just works well. Try it you’ll like it, hey Mikey…!
Enjoy, I am!!!
Kevin
and yes, as i mention the “intelligent reader” i too noticed my use of hear over here in the first line of my post above, but you can’t just edit your post like i assumed i could to proofread after posting…oh well, i’m still smiling as i think of the arguments i’ve been reading about people pissed over their phone or coverage…the Palm Pre on Sprint, a great combo, and for my first time since the early Treos on Verizon!
listen its true that both AT&T and Verizon have higher monthly service charges and T-Mobile and sprint are cheaper but you need to factor in the network coverage as well. So in that case T-Mobile doesn’t work anywhere but a major city and in the case of sprint there network coverage is much better than T-Mobile but not as good as VZ and AT&T plus their customer service is horrible there is a reason their rated last in customer service throughout all companies not just wireless providers. So its true you will be saving money with the other two companies but what good is paying less than $100 a month if you have no service and if you have a problem with your bill or want to change something on your account the automatically renew your contract or give you a hard time. You Decide