For example: setting your budget at $600 will eliminate the option of purchasing the pricey iPhone 7 Plus at retail price from your options. If you intend to buy a phone on using Apple’s payment plan, you’ll want to set a monthly spending budget instead of a total spending budget. To do this, add $129 (the cost of Apple Care) to your phone’s full price and divide the total by 24 (the number of months in a two-year plan). [1] X Research source
An unlocked phone has no affiliation with a carrier, meaning you can change carriers as you go. This is beneficial if you move frequently, travel internationally, or simply like knowing that your phone is 100 percent yours, but it can be more expensive than a no-contract phone. [3] X Research source A no-contract phone is locked to a specific carrier (e. g. , AT&T), but–as suggested by the name–there is no contract for use. This means that you pay only for the data that you use on a monthly basis. Depending on the carrier you choose for a no-contract phone, your pay-as-you-go rate and terms will vary. You can unlock a carrier-locked phone if you meet your carrier’s unlocking criteria. Usually, you have to have paid off a certain amount of your phone’s contract, and you’ll probably have to pay a fee on top of that.
Consider the popular coverage in your area. If you live in an AT&T hotspot, you might want to opt for an AT&T phone. If you travel a lot, you may want to use a Verizon phone due to optimal coverage. [4] X Research source
Whether or not you travel internationally. GSM offers better international coverage than CDMA. GSM phones also permit you to switch out your device’s physical SIM card, meaning you can switch carriers as quickly as you can swap SIM cards if your phone is unlocked. [6] X Research source Your preferred carrier. If you have a carrier preference to which you’re sticking, you’ll have to settle for that carrier’s cellular frequency. Whether or not you use other networks. You can buy unlocked versions of carrier-licensed phones (e. g. , a Verizon phone), but you’ll only be able to use that phone with another phone using the same cellular frequency (in Verizon’s case–CDMA–the only additional network you could use is Sprint). Also note that GSM is more widely-used throughout the world than is CDMA. [7] X Research source
iPhone stock rotates whenever a new iPhone comes out, so your preferred model of iPhone might not be available.
iPhone SE iPhone 6S iPhone 6S Plus iPhone 7 iPhone 7 Plus If you choose the iPhone 7 or 7 Plus, you’ll need to click Buy in the top right corner of the page to proceed to the customization menu.
Since the iPhone SE only has one screen size, it won’t have this option.
If you’re buying an unlocked phone, select SIM-free on the right side of the screen.
The case color (varies per phone model) The internal storage amount (varies per phone model)
Through your carrier - Monthly payments made out to the carrier of your choice. This option mandates using a contract. Through Apple - Make a one-time payment.
You can also review your phone’s aspects (model, color, memory) here.
