It’s been a quick two days since Apple unveiled the latest iPhones in its lineup: the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus. That’s right! We’re skipping the standard “S” release and heading straight to prime time with the 8, and there are plenty of new features to look forward to— including wireless charging, a glass back, and a new TrueTone LCD display.
Now that you’ve had time to drink in all the details, it’s time to preorder. Preorders start on Friday, September 15 at 12:01 a.m. Pacific (that’s 3:01 a.m. Eastern—sorry for the bad news). That’s right after midnight, so don’t go to bed without setting your alarm. The phones officially come out next Friday, September 22.
Apple’s online store may seem like the most obvious choice, but you can also get it from the Apple Store app for iOS, which tends to work very smoothly based on our past pre-ordering experiences. It often is even more reliable than the Apple online store, which is why Apple recommends going this route. It should at least be your Plan B if Apple.com crashes.
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Besides Apple, the four major cell carriers are also eager to help their customers upgrade or switch to a brand-new iPhone—especially if it means renewing a contract, extending an installment plan, or signing up new customers.
Speaking of installment plans, the process will be a little different for those of you participating in Apple’s iPhone Upgrade Plan, while we’ll cover below.
Read on for more iPhone 8 pre-order info. Looking for info on the iPhone X? That one doesn’t ship until November 3, unfortunately, so preorders won’t begin until October 27.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus: How much does it cost?
iPhone 8 preorder: Apple online store
iPhone 8 preorder: iPhone Upgrade Plan
iPhone 8 preorder: AT&T
iPhone 8 preorder: Verizon
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iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus: How much does it cost?
The iPhone 8 comes in two models and starts at $699.
64GB: $699
256GB: $849
The iPhone 8 Plus also comes in two models, but starts at $799.
64GB: $799
256GB: $949
If you want AppleCare+, that will set you back an additional $129 for the iPhone 8 and $149 for the iPhone 8 Plus—which is a price increase for the larger models. Both the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus come in silver, gold, or space gray.
iPhone 8 preorder: Apple online store
Preorders for the new iPhone start on Friday, September 15 at 12:01a.m. Pacific/3:01 a.m. Eastern, and Apple’s online shopping portal is already set up. You can’t complete your checkout just yet, obviously, but you can prepare by pre-entering your carrier information or selecting the unlocked option.
If your carrier is AT&T, Sprint, or Verizon, you can check your upgrade eligibility directly on Apple’s website. You can also enroll in the iPhone Upgrade Program online. If you’re a T-Mobile customer, you’ll have to pay in full to place your preorder from Apple; if you want to participate in the iPhone Upgrade Program, T-Mobile customers will have to go to an Apple retail store (or Apple Town Square) in person.
iPhone 8 preorder: iPhone Upgrade Plan
Apple is continuing its iPhone Upgrade Program for the 8 and 8 Plus. This program allows you to upgrade to a new iPhone every year by paying monthly installments directly to Apple via a third-party loan. Here’s the cost breakdown:
iPhone 8:
64GB: $34.50 per month
256GB: $40.75 per month
iPhone 8 Plus:
64GB: $39.50 per month
256GB: $45.75 per month
The cost of the iPhone Upgrade Program includes AppleCare+, which would be an additional charge of $129 for the iPhone 8 and $149 for the iPhone 8 Plus if you were to pay for the phone in full up front.
Whether you’re new to the iPhone Upgrade Program or an existing user, Apple suggests that you get pre-approved for your loan ahead of time, so act fast—the pre-approval window closes at 4:00p.m. Pacific on Thursday.
Curiously, the only way to get pre-approved is to use the Apple Store app on your iPhone. Launch the app, and look for the “Get a head start on your upgrade” banner at the top of the Discover page. From there, the app will walk you through the pre-approval process, which involves selecting your preferred iPhone, confirming your carrier, and getting your loan pre-approved. You don’t have to return your current iPhone until after your new iPhone 8 arrives.
For more info, see our iPhone Upgrade Program FAQ.
iPhone 8 preorder: AT&T
If you’re an AT&T customer (or would like to become one), you can also preorder your new iPhone 8 on AT&T’s website. Preorders begin at the same time—12:01 a.m. Pacific on Friday. From there, you can check your upgrade eligibility and select one of their Next plans.
AT&T Next lets you get a new iPhone 8 for $0 down as long as you make monthly payments, starting at $23.34 for the iPhone 8 and $26.67 for the iPhone 8 Plus, spread out over 30 months (with a 24-month option available). You can upgrade to a new iPhone once 80 percent of the iPhone’s sales price is paid off (or sooner with a down payment). The AT&T Next Every Year plan has larger monthly payments but you can upgrade after a year—or once you’ve paid off half of the price of your device—hence the name.
iPhone 8 preorder: Verizon
Verizon will also begin taking preorders just after midnight. This year, if you sign up for an unlimited plan and trade in your iPhone 6s/6s Plus or iPhone 7/7 Plus, you can save $300 off of your iPhone 8. Your trade-in device must be in good working and cosmetic condition, of course. Verizon is also giving you the option to pay for the phone in full or through a 24-month installment plan.
iPhone 8 preorder: Sprint
Sprint is taking preorders at the same time, with the focus on offering low monthly prices for new Sprint customers. If you switch to Sprint, you can slash your monthly payments in half if you bring in an eligible device to trade in with Sprint Flex. For iPhone users, that means an iPhone 6/6 Plus, iPhone 6s/6s Plus, or iPhone 7/7 Plus. This brings the iPhone 8 down to $14.58 per month ($29.17 with no device trade in) and the iPhone 8 Plus down to $18.75 per month ($33.34 with no device trade in). Sprint requires a down payment of $150 for the 256GB models, but there’s no down payment for the 64GB devices.
Existing customers can log in to their Sprint accounts to view personalized offers. (We’ll follow up once we have access to exact pricing for current Sprint customers—that info wasn’t available as of this writing.)
All monthly payment-based iPhone plans come with Sprint’s iPhone Forever program, which lets you trade in your phone every 12 months. Sprint’s iPhone Forever program is technically a 22-month lease.
iPhone 8 preorder: T-Mobile
T-Mobile isn’t being left out of this preorder party—the carrier will begin taking preorders at (you guessed it!) 12:01 a.m. Pacific this Friday. If you have an iPhone 6 or newer to trade in, T-Mobile will knock $300 off the price of the iPhone 8 or 8 Plus via 24 monthly bill credits. For current T-Mobile customers on the Equipment Installment Plan (EIP), you have to pay off the remaining balance on your existing device before adding the iPhone 8 to your line.
Source: https://www.macworld.com/article/3224396/apple-phone/iphone-8-and-iphone-8-plus-where-when-and-how-to-preorder-apples-latest-smartphone.html
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