A special thanks to commenter “tamade” for pointing out the obvious. Since AT&T’s unlocked iPhone 3Gs will cost you $599 (8GB) or $699 (16GB), you are better off signing a contract and canceling it than buying an unlocked iPhone. In fact, it’s even cheaper to buy a 16GB iPhone using this method than to buy and unlock an 8GB version. But math isn’t our strong suit so go ahead and double-check our calculations. We won’t be offended:
https://gizmodo.com/at-ts-official-iphone-faq-pricing-upgrading-help-vid-5021047
$299 – 16GB iPhone w/contract
$36 – Activation
$175 – Early Termination Fee
$70 – One month of service
Total Price Using The Shady Method: $580
So…
8GB iPhone Canceled: $480
16GB iPhone Canceled: $580
8GB iPhone Unlocked from AT&T: $599
16GB iPhone Unlocked from AT&T: $699
Are we missing something?
[Photo: Robert Baxt]
