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If your desire has long been to have an iPhone on Virgin Mobile, your wait is over. The Tech Fairy has granted your wish.
The iPhone became available on Virgin Mobile’s Beyond Talk Plan, a favorite cell phone plan of The Wonder of Tech, on Friday. The Beyond Talk plan offers unlimited data, unlimited text messages, and 300 minutes of talk time for $35/month without a contract. If you sign up for automatic payment of your bill using your credit card, debit card or PayPal, you can reduce that charge to $30/month with your iPhone plan.
Sounds perfect, right? Maybe. There are some important factors to consider before you rush out and grab an iPhone on Virgin Mobile.
Pros
1. It’s an iPhone.
2. Beyond Talk is a very inexpensive plan.
3. You get unlimited data, which is hard to come by these days. However, as I note below in the Cons section, Virgin Mobile’s unlimited data isn’t purely unlimited.
4. You don’t have to sign a contract. For those of you who are commitment-phobic or have other reasons for not wanting to sign up for a multi-year plan, Virgin Mobile may be a great fit.
5. Virgin Mobile is owned by Sprint and uses the Sprint network. This Sprint coverage map will show you whether that’s actually a Pro or a Con.
6. Virgin Mobile international rates to call foreign countries can be quite low. For example, their rates to call China are 2¢/minute.
7. For $15 extra you can use your iPhone as a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot.
Cons
1. You have to pay full price for the iPhone. No subsidized pricing for the device.
- $549 for 8 GB iPhone 4
- $649 for 16 GB iPhone 4S
[note]If you’re planning on putting apps, music and videos on your iPhone (and that’s why most people get an iPhone), get the 16 GB model. An 8 GB iPhone would fill up very quickly and the storage capacity is not expandable. [/note]
2. No 32 GB or 64 GB iPhones are available (though you can get the iPhone in black or white).
3. Unlimited data isn’t truly unlimited. Your speeds are reduced to 2g/Edge (very slow) after you use 2.5 GB of data in a month, or 3.5 GB of data if you have the mobile Wi-Fi hotspot option. The good news is that you won’t have overage charges if you go above that amount of data.
4. You can’t use Virgin Mobile phones outside the US.
5. Sprint network coverage won’t help you if you’re in Montana, most of Maine, Wyoming, Nevada and many other US states. Virgin Mobile coverage map.
6. Virgin Mobile has a limit of two iPhones per customer.
7. The iPhone has 3G speeds, not 4G.
8. Virgin Mobile is a locked system. Even though you’re paying full price for the phone, your iPhone will be locked to Virgin Mobile. You cannot use the phone on another network nor can you use a non-Virgin Mobile iPhone on the Virgin Mobile network. If you were to pay full price to buy the iPhone from Apple, you would get an unlocked phone that you could use with other networks, though not on Virgin Mobile.
I asked cell phone experts Mickey Papillon and Joey Koppes of The Cell Phone Junkie their opinion about whether paying full price for a locked iPhone from Virgin Mobile was a good deal when you can get it for the same price unlocked from Apple. Their opinion was that the price of the Virgin Mobile plan was such a good deal that it could make up for the fact that the phone is locked to Virgin Mobile.
Pricing
Although you have to pay full price for a Virgin Mobile iPhone, the Beyond Talk plan is so much less expensive than other iPhone plans that you will save money in the long run by getting the iPhone on Virgin Mobile. In fact, you can make up the price difference between the iPhone on Virgin Mobile and on the other networks in under a year.
Here is a price comparison chart between the networks:
The savings are significant over two years, even with paying full price for the iPhone. Note that you can get other plans on Virgin Mobile, including unlimited voice minutes for $50/month or 450 minutes for $45/month, which includes unlimited data and text messages and which would still be less expensive than the Verizon and AT&T plans.
I have used the $30/month automatic payment price for Virgin Mobile’s costs. If you did not use that option, the cost for Virgin Mobile’s plan would be $120 higher over two years.
Android Phone Options
If you have to have an iPhone, well, then you have to have an iPhone. But you should know that Virgin Mobile has expanded their selection of phones to include two top-rated Android models, the HTC V Evo and the HTC One V. I have used both the Virgin Mobile Evo and the sister phone to the One V and they are both excellent phones.
HTC Evo
The HTC Evo is $299 on Virgin Mobile and comes with 4G speeds and a very cool 3D camera. The phone runs the latest Android operating system, Ice Cream Sandwich. The screen is 4.3″ with a 540 x 960 pixel resolution, compared to the iPhone’s 3.5″ screen with Retina display. The phone has 8GB of internal memory which you can expand to 32 GB. The Evo has a dual core 1.2 GHz processor and can function as a Wi-Fi hot spot for an extra $15/month. The hotspot option gives you 1 GB of extra data each month, totaling 3.5 GB of data before your speeds are slowed to 2G/Edge speeds.
HTC One V
The HTC One V is $199 on Virgin Mobile and also runs Android’s Ice Cream Sandwich. The phone has a 3.7″ screen with a 480 x 800 pixel resolution for sharp visuals and has Beats Audio™ for high-quality audio. The phone has a 1.0 GHz dual-core processor and 3G speeds. The One V does not have a front-facing camera nor can it double as a Wi-Fi hot spot.
Bottom Line
If you want an iPhone, Virgin Mobile has inexpensive rates and unlimited data and text plans that will save you a lot of money in the long run. You will have a larger initial cash outlay, but you will make that up in a few months. Be aware that there are some limitations on using the phone and that there are some worthy Android phones available for much less money. But if you want an iPhone on Virgin Mobile, your dream has come true!
Have you been wanting an iPhone on Virgin Mobile? Are you tempted by the Evo or One S Android phones? Let us know in the Comments section below!
* Tech Fairy image by Gita Rau
Wi-Fi hotspot is $15 a month extra, right?
Of course, all of these plans have their list of pros & cons but the cost savings alone would make you have to give this some serious consideration….if you didn’t live in Maine……..:).
How can I do an iPhone GP if you have it all covered up?
Hi Bill, Yes, the hot spot is also a great deal on Virgin Mobile. The cost is $15 with the Beyond Talk plan while the cost for the mobile hot spot option on AT&T is an extra $30, though AT&T’s plan gives you an extra 2 GB of data, up to a total of 5 GB/month.
The Wi-Fi hotspot feature is included in Verizon’s iPhone plan, there is no extra monthly fee.
If you are considering the hotspot feature, add $360 to the cost of the Virgin Mobile plan and $720 to the AT&T plan. The savings of Virgin Mobile over Verizon then become $870 and the savings over AT&T become $1350.
Great to see iPhone coming in Virgin Mobile ! Only $30 per month compared to other companies ! Sounds like a good deal !
Hi Mushfique, You’re right, this is a very good deal! If you can pay the full price for the iPhone up front, you will be saving a lot of money in the long run.
I don’t think I’ll be graduating quite yet Carolyn.. But that was a great review of the phone an the plan I must admit. Man, it would be hard choosing one to go with when I do decide to move in that direction.
~Adrienne
Hi Adrienne, No worries. Not everyone wants a smartphone. But the next time your contract is up, you may want to consider Virgin Mobile’s rates because they are often lower than the rates for other non-smartphone plans.
If you do ever decide to get a smartphone, Adrienne, let me know and I can help you choose! 🙂
Hey Carolyn,
We actually don’t have a contract right now so can switch at any time. I just haven’t been shopping around and we’re pretty satisfied with what we have at the moment. But you had mentioned that Virgin Mobile uses the Sprint Network and they have horrible service from everyone that I know who uses them. Cheap isn’t always better right!
Thanks for chatting with me today Carolyn I really enjoyed it. You have a great time this week and I’ll be thinking about you guys! 🙂
~Adrienne
You’re right, Adrienne. If coverage isn’t good in your area, then you shouldn’t switch, no matter what the price. What good is a cell phone service if you don’t have service? 🙂
Wow that’s cheap. I pay close to $200 for almost the same deal here in Norway 🙂
Well, I have 1500 minutes included, so I guess it’s not that bad.
Hi Jens, Wow, $200 per month? That’s expensive! Virgin Mobile’s plan is $50/month for unlimited calling. But Norway is quite expensive in general, right? I remember you said on your blog once that you paid $5 for your daughter’s soda at a restaurant, right?
That’s right. Norway is a very expensive Country, but I guess it’s because the income level is fairly high.
Or because the country is so beautiful that so many people are willing to pay a premium to live there? 🙂
I think we’re just used to the high prices 🙂
Carolyn, aloha. Only recently did I actually read anything about Virgin Mobile. While I knew, of course, that it existed, I had not heard much about it. After reading the article I decided to see if the service is available over here. Since Sprint is, my next step will be to check with people to find their experience with reception.
As you know, when iPhone 5 becomes available later this year, I am finally making the leap. If Virgin Mobile also carries that, I purchase my iPhone through them.
It looks like the upfront money is more than offset by both savings over time as well as the flexibility of the plans.
Thanks so much for the info. Off to share. Aloha. Janet
Hi Janet, I don’t know yet whether Virgin Mobile will carry the iPhone 5 when it is first launched. They may wait to offer it until later, especially if the iPhone 5 is a true 4G phone.
You’re very wise to check with your friends who have Sprint to see what their coverage is like. Have them bring their phones to your house to see how many bars you get there. Coverage is important and if you don’t have good coverage then the plan isn’t a good deal, no matter what the price! 🙂
We used to live in Kansas City thus I have Sprint (part of the metro is Overland Park and their headquarters) and have been considering a change with all their recent changes. I have been a Samsung fan since I had my first cell phone (it didn’t even have internet capabilities)
I have considered many times about switching to I-Phone but haven’t made the leap yet. Every time I think I am going to Samsung comes out with a new model that I really want. Even now they are getting ready to introduce a new version that just makes it hard for me to leave my Samsung phone.
I just wish i could get it cheaper or not have to wait 20 months to purchase a new one with a new contract (it used to be 12 months but Sprint recently did away with their premier members program) it becomes rather expensive when I have to purchase a phone for myself and my wife….sigh
Hi Dadblunders, Samsung makes excellent phones, I can see why you would want one.
If you’re waiting 20 months until the end of your contract, the smartphones may be cheaper by then. Plus Virgin Mobile will probably have other phones by then. Tech keeps changing and often becomes less expensive! 🙂
“Virgin Mobile has a limit of two iPhones per customer” I think people don’t like this because they are fond of iPhone otherwise its awesome.
Hi Asher, Yes, if you have a big family and want everyone to have iPhones on Virgin Mobile, you could run into conflicts here. But some people may prefer the Evo or the One V so the limit wouldn’t be an issue.
Interesting post, I’ll wait until smart phones are cheaper to run in the UK. I think GiffGaff deals here are good though. I am thinking of getting one of their SIMs for 10 pounds a month for a Chinese student coming here soon. I’m waiting to hear from one student, things are very different in China; she has to arrange next year’s study.
I have interesting pictures for you this week. 🙂
Thanks for this great post. It can really help me a lot in making the decision to go with Virgin Mobile.
Hi Tony, I’m glad this post was helpful to you! Be sure to check the coverage map to be sure you have service where you need it. 🙂
Hi Carolyn,
Glad to know Virgin Mobile has brought up iphone technology in it.And @ $30 per month is not a bad deal at all.But the only cons i see in it is that it is not available outside US. 🙁 Hope virgin mobile brings this plan to India as well.
Hi Aditya, Yes, this a truly great deal. I hope that Virgin Mobile or Sprint does bring this deal to India! :-bd
Hi Carolyn, thank you for sharing this information with us about Virgin Mobile’s rate’s but as you said in one of your comments “not everyone wants a smartphone”, hopefully it will be cheaper with other phone’s too.
Hi Michelle, You’re right, not everyone wants a smartphone. Virgin Mobile’s $35/month rate applies whether you get a smartphone or not. It’s still a great deal for voice and unlimited texts alone, even without the data usage!
Hi Carolyn. I just finished reading your HTC One review, and now this. Would love your opinion for replacing my son’s phone in a few months. I don’t see myself paying that much for a new iPhone, especially for a teenager. At least I still have two months to figure out what to get him.
Hi Carol, I think your teenager would do the Happy Dance if he got the HTC One S or the Evo phone. The large screen is especially good for gaming, watching Netflix, and going on Facebook, not that he would do any of that!
The One S is the exact same price as the 16 GB iPhone on AT&T, Verizon or Sprint, with a two-year contract. The Evo would save you quite a bit of money in the long run over the iPhone or the One S.
Currently i’m a member of Apple’s family but the new devices in HTC are tempting me a lot. I might sell my 4s and buy either HTC one X or the latest HTC HD phone.
Hi Marvin, Yes, the new Android phones make it tempting to switch. The larger screens and faster processors are compelling. If Apple doesn’t upgrade the hardware and design of the iPhone 5, it could fall very far behind the top Android devices.