Skip to footer

iPhone 5C drops to $0. Should you buy it?

With the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus release this week, older iPhone 5s and 5c models have dropped to $99 and $0, respectively. If all you want is an iPhone for cheap, then that $0 price tag on the 5c probably seems appealing. But whatever you do, do not fall for it.

|
Adrees Latif/Reuters/File
Apple iPhone 5C phones are pictured at the Apple retail store on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, New York.

Apple announced the long-rumored iPhone 6 this week, but eagle-eyed observers might have noted that in the process, we have a new fleet of iPhone price points. While the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus occupy the top tiers at $199 and $299, respectively, the iPhone 5s and 5c have dropped to $99 and $0. (All prices are after signing a 2-year service contract.)

If all you want is an iPhone for cheap, then that $0 price tag on the 5c probably seems appealing. But whatever you do, do not fall for it.

Better iPhones Will Get Much Cheaper in the Coming Weeks

As many have established before, the 5s is a far better phone than the 5c, but even if you can't muster the strength to throw down an extra $99 just to get it, you can still opt for the better model — with a little patience.

Our deal archives consistently show that retailers are no longer afraid of discounting Apple products — and they're more than willing to do so for a bit of publicity. In fact, the 5s has already been cheaper than its new lower "retail" price; last month, Walmart knocked it to $79 while Costco slashed it further to $58. We wouldn't be surprised to see retailers close the gap even more in an effort to get customers excited and in their stores.

And let's not ignore the fact that the brand-new iPhone 6 will also see some discounts, making the difference between the old-and-busted 5c and the new hotness very slight. Earlier today, Verizon was offering the iPhone 6 for free if you traded in an old iPhone. (The deal is now expired.) Moreover, if you have an older phone in good condition, you can likely net a healthy sum at a trade-in site that will cover most, if not all, of that $199 subsidized cost.

If you're unwilling to wait around for a deal, then the free iPhone 5c might be a good option for you. But if you don't mind keeping an eye out for Apple deals in the next few weeks, then set up an email alert now. Or, check out our guide to sites that offer optimal trade-in values for old iPhones, so you can fund your new purchase.

Lindsay Sakraida is a features editor for Dealnews.com, where this article first appeared: http://dealnews.com/features/The-iPhone-5-c-is-Now-0-But-You-Definitely-Shouldnt-Buy-It-/1145881.html

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.
editor@csmonitor.com
Subscribe
Mark Sappenfield
Editor

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

Subscribe to insightful journalism

QR Code to iPhone 5C drops to $0. Should you buy it?
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/Business/Saving-Money/2014/0911/iPhone-5C-drops-to-0.-Should-you-buy-it
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe