Virgin Mobile launches the iPhone 5
on today using its Beyond Talk plans, with unlimited 3G/4G LTE data and messaging. The ad on Virgin Mobile says "Loving it is easy, that's why so many people do." As an added bonus they are offering an.$100 account credit for those who switch to Virgin Mobile before July 7. We we did the math, it is the cheapest we could find for an iPhone 5, as of this publication.
The 16GB iPhone 5 is available in Black and White, online and in store for $549.99 [excluding taxes]. The 32GB and 64GB, also in Black and White, are at Virgin Mobile online only for $649.99 and $749.99, respectively.
Plans start at $35 per month but customers can also receive a $5 per-month plan discount when they register and sign up for automatic monthly payments [“Auto Pay”] with a credit card, debit card or PayPal account, making the iPhone 5 available on Virgin Mobile for as low as $30 per month for 300 voice minutes unlimited text and data. The next plan up is 1200 minutes for $45 and unlimited minutes for $50 a month. The plans can be reduced by paying with Auto Pay.
All Virgin Mobile smartphone plans include 2.5GB/month of high speed data, including 4G speeds in 4G coverage areas for capable devices. Adaptive protocol video limited to 3G speeds
Virgin Mobile also has reduced the price of the iPhone 4S by 15% to $382.49 online, only.
The iPhone 5 has been called the best iPhone, so far by reviewers.
We ran the numbers through our calculator to see if T-Mobile, Straight Talk or Virgin Mobile are the best deals for iPhone 5. If you are going to buy an iPhone 5 from another carrier, we found that Walmart is not the cheapest deal, especially for AT&T.
Straight Talk is owned by Tracfone and they never reveal what carrier they use. Straight Talk claims unlimited data, but there are reports that data is slowed after a lot of data consumption. In various media reports Straight Talk said that it evaluates customers' data intake on a case-by-case basis and throttles the speeds of those users who are using too much data such as constant video streaming and data heavy app. The user is sent a warning of over data use.
Virgin Mobile clearly calls its unlimited data 2.5GB that throttled afterwards. The benefit of the T-Mobile plans are that mobile hotspot is included.
The cheapest overall plan if the price sent in the original news release of $549.99 is correct is with Virgin Mobile. Throw in another $100 for switching (if applicable) and you've got the best iPhone 5 deal, any where for now.
We checked other sources and they also showed the iPhone 5 16GB price from Virgin Mobile to be $549.99 which is $100 cheaper than Straight Talk. If the price is incorrect and you don't need unlimited talk minutes the Virgin Mobile plans are cheapest. Virgin Mobile uses the Sprint Network which has slower speeds and less coverage than the other major carriers.