Over at Yahoo Tech, Rob Pegoraro has taken up the unenviable task of comparing iPhone 6 wireless plans from major carriers AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon.
This was all a somewhat simpler endeavor back when a phone cost $200, you picked a minutes/data/text messages plan, and signed a two-year contract. But newly-added pricing plans have saddled up alongside traditional pricing plans, resulting in a far murkier melange of minutes and megabytes.
The assumption with this exercise is that you’ll be buying a base-model iPhone 6 and will need two gigabytes of monthly data. All of these plans include unlimited minutes and text messages and, aside from network quality, your biggest decision is whether or not you want to be able to use tethering. Tethering lets you share your phone’s data connection with another device such as a tablet or laptop. It’s good for road trips and other instances where you’d get a cellular signal but wouldn’t have access to an open Wi-Fi network.
If you don’t care about tethering:
- Verizon can be had for $1,640 over two years
- Sprint can be had for $1,680 over two years
- T-Mobile can be had for $1,730 over two years
- AT&T can be had for $2,120 over two years
If you want to tether:
- T-Mobile can be had for $1,730 over two years
- Sprint can be had for $1,920 over two years
- AT&T can be had for $2,120 over two years
- Verizon can be had for $2,360 over two years
These figures don’t take into account network quality in your area, family plans, equipment trade-in bonuses, taxes or other stuff like that. Each carrier offers a trial period, though, so make sure to exercise your right to return your phone if you’re not happy with it.
Check out Pegoraro’s post for more info on the various plans and pricing schemes.