Sprint Softens Apple iPhone X Sticker Shock With $350 Trade-in Discount

iphonex face recognition beach
Apple will open pre-orders for its upcoming flagship iPhone X smartphone at 3AM EST on Friday, and Apple is hoping that it has a winner on its hands with consumers. The recently released iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus haven't exactly been strong sellers with the Apple faithful according to recent reports, so Apple needs a big win with iPhone X sales.

However, there is one thing standing in the way of the iPhone X and sales glory: its price tag. The smartphone starts at $999 with just 64GB of storage onboard and climbs to $1149 if you opt for 256GB of storage. Sprint, America's fourth-place wireless carrier, is the first through the gate with its discount offer on the iPhone X.

Sprint will allow you to obtain an iPhone X by signing up for the Sprint Flex leasing program for $22.22/month. You will first, of course, have to trade in a recent smartphone to take advantage of this special pricing. Over the course of the 18-month lease -- and after paying around $400 -- you will have the option to trade the device in to Sprint and start a new lease or keep paying for the device. If you decide to stick with the iPhone X, your payments will increase to the standard rate of $41.67/month for the remaining six months.

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Once your full two years are up, you will have paid $650 for the iPhone X, which represents a $350 savings over the retail price. That's a pretty hefty discount for such an expensive device, but that is spread out over the course of two years, so it may not be for everyone.

Sprint says that the following smartphones are eligible for trade-in to take advantage of the offer:

  • iPhone 8/8 Plus, 7/7 Plus, 6/6 Plus, 6s/6s Plus
  • Samsung Note 8, GS8, GS8+, GS7, GS7 Edge, Note 5
  • LG G5, G6, V20
  • Google Pixel, Pixel XL
  • Moto Z Droid, Z Play, Z2 Force, Z Force Droid, Z2 Play
  • BlackBerry KEYone
  • HTC U11

Verizon has also chimed in with its own iPhone X offer, which will see customers receiving up to $300 back when they sign-up for a Verizon Unlimited plan and trade-in an eligible smartphone.