How much could the iPhone rental subscription cost

For several weeks now, rumors have been circulating about the possibility of “renting” iPhones directly from Apple, on a monthly subscription basis. This will allow you to pay a smaller monthly amount to use it without officially owning the device. Apple already offers a one-year upgrade subscription, through which you can choose to pay “installments” and keep your phone in possession, but the new subscription would not allow this. However, it seems that the prices will not be very different from the current ones.

Apple may collect more money from iPhone users based on the rental subscription

According to Mark Gurman of Bloomberg, an Apple reporter, the iPhone 13 rental subscription (or equivalent at launch) could start at $ 35 and continue with the $ 45 iPhone 13 Pro subscription. up to $ 50 for the most expensive model in the range, the iPhone 13 Pro Max.

Subscribers will have to pay this amount monthly, which covers the cost of renting the phone and the extended Apple Care + warranty, but may also include the company’s digital services, such as those in the Apple One package. What will not allow, unlike the upgrade program is the advance payment of “installments”. Thus, from an iPhone 13, which starts at $ 800 and which users normally change every 2 or 3 years, the company can collect more money from the same customer by renting three phones, one per year, for three years ($ 36 x 35).

Of course, the subscription also involves upgrading the phone during the contract period, to the latest model. The advantage over the “upgrade” program where you basically pay monthly installments is that you don’t have to offer an advance on your rental subscription. And “old” phones, which Apple receives back from users every year, can then be sold as refurbished devices.

The new Apple subscription should be launched either this year or in 2023, but will probably only be available in countries where the company sells products directly to customers. In Romania, where Apple sells through authorized distributors and premium retail partners, we probably won’t have access to this service.

via Phone Arena