Just a few weeks ago, Sprint unveiled a pretty tempting (and short-lived) offer on the iPhone 8: $8 per month when you sign up for a Sprint Flex plan.
Today, the carrier has a similar deal lined up for Apple's best phone (for now): The iPhone X for $5 per month. Once again, that's with an 18-month Sprint Flex plan — but there's a second requirement as well: an eligible trade-in.
What phones are eligible? In a rather frustrating move, Sprint doesn't provide a list — you just have to work your way through the phone- and plan-selection pages, then enter details about your phone to see if it qualifies.
Thankfully, I've got the list right here: Apple iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6S, 6S Plus, 7, 7 Plus, 8, 8 Plus, SE and X; Asus Zenfone AR; Essential Phone; Google Pixel, XL, 2 and 2XL; HTC 10 and U11; LG G5, G6, Stylo 3, 3 Plus, 4, V20, V30 and V30 Plus; Motorola Moto E Plus 5, E5 Play, G6, X4, Z, Z Droid, Force Droid, Z Play, Z2 Force, Z2 Play and Z3 Play; Samsung Galaxy A8 Plus, J7, J7 Perx, J7 Prime, J7 Refine, Note 5, Note 8, S5, S5 Active, S6 Edge, S6 Edge Plus, S7, S7 Active, S7 Edge, S8, S8 Active, S8 Plus, S9 and S9 Plus; Sonim XP58 and XP8.
Don't have a phone to trade in? Sprint lets you lease the iPhone X for $20 per month, which still beats the other Big Four carriers by a lot: AT&T charges $33.34 per month for 30 months; T-Mobile, $30 for 30 months; and Verizon, $41.63 for 24 months.
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Of course, there's more to the equation than the price of the phone itself. Don't forget the required service plan that goes with it. In Sprint's case, your options start at $40 per month (with autopay), a price that includes just 2GB of high-speed data. The unlimited plan costs $60, or $70 if you want it to include Hulu, Tidal, HD video streaming and other perks.
But if you're able to get the iPhone X for just $5 on top of that, there's no other Big Four deal that comes anywhere close.
Keep in mind that at the end of 18 months, you'll have to pay off the balance (having paid just $90 of the $1,000 total price) or return the phone. You can also upgrade to a different phone after 12 months, but of course it'll probably cost you more than $5.
The other thing to consider: Apple will very unlikely unveil some new iPhones next month, and the Big Four carriers often trot out compelling deals to go with them. But I'd be surprised to see anything quite like this. Assuming you're going to pay around $60 per month for an unlimited plan anyway, getting an iPhone X for just an extra $5 is mighty tempting.
Your thoughts?
Why do kids get to have all the cool watches?
VTech
Bonus deal: Kids these days get all the cool Star Wars gadgets. And Cheapskate readers get all the cool deals on them. (The gadgets, not the kids. That would be weird.)
To wit: For a limited time, and while supplies last, Daily Steals has the VTech Star Wars First Order Stormtrooper Smartwatch for $25.99 shipped with promo code CHPSKTROOPER. That's an exclusive, folks! Civilians pay $35 (and Amazon charges $30).
I hadn't heard of this thing until yesterday, but it sounds mighty cool. It has a color touchscreen, a choice of 30 faces, a voice recorder (with voice-changing effects!), a motion sensor that can trigger Star Wars sounds (vwoom! vwoom!) and even a calculator.
Forget kids — I want one of these for myself! To clarify, it's not a smartwatch in the traditional sense in that it doesn't pair with a phone, but it certainly does sound like a smart buy, especially considering that it was originally $60.
CNET hasn't reviewed this, but over at Amazon, nearly 1,600 buyers rated it 4.3 stars on average.
CNET's Cheapskate scours the web for great deals on PCs, phones, gadgets and much more. Note that CNET may get a share of revenue from the sale of the products featured on this page. Questions about the Cheapskate blog? Find the answers on our FAQ page. Find more great buys on the CNET Deals page and follow the Cheapskate on Facebook and Twitter!
