Cheapest way to upgrade to iPhone 4?
June 27, 2010 10:21 AM   Subscribe

I broke my 3GS. Not AT&T eligible for discounted price on upgrades until March 2011. What are my options for getting an iPhone 4? How much will it cost me?

I shattered the screen on my current 3GS. Need to replace it reasonably quickly and I'd like to replace it with an iPhone 4. Is there anything I can do to pay less than the $500/$400 (32GB/16GB) quoted on apple.com? I'm willing to extend my contract if that will help.

Separately, if the price is going to be the same regardless of where/how I buy it, what is my best bet for getting one relatively quickly?
posted by Perplexity to Computers & Internet (7 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
Glass or screen? 3gcrackedglass.com will repair your glass or sell you a kit.
posted by fixedgear at 10:26 AM on June 27, 2010


a friend just dealt with apple about a cracked screen on a 3.. she managed to get a replacement for $99 ...downside is that it was another 3... Took a bit of wrangling with the guys at the apple store, I believe a tear or so, and a little smile..... are you up to it?
posted by HuronBob at 10:36 AM on June 27, 2010


Well, you're talking about a consumer device that 600k pre-ordered to the point they had to shutdown preorders, so there seems to be no shortage of people wanting to purchase it, which means no discounts and very limited stock. I don't think there's a cheap or quick way to get one. You might be able to find an AT&T rep that could pull some contract extending magic, but I don't think that's likely either. Maybe fixedgear's link will help you hold out until the re-up date? Good luck.
posted by sharkfu at 10:39 AM on June 27, 2010


People can't even get the new 4 if they're eligible for a new contract, I doubt anyone from Apple or AT&T is going to give you a break.

Your cheapest option is to sell the 3GS (they are still worth quite a bit of money broken, or you can fix it, or you can get a $200 out of warranty replacement) and use that money to buy a iPhone 4 when they are available without a new contract discount.

If you want it quickly, you can pay over $1000 for one on eBay, or start spending your mornings in line at the Apple store.
posted by meowzilla at 10:49 AM on June 27, 2010


Best answer: If you live in a major city you probably won't even have to send it away to get the screen replaced. In Manhattan someone met me at work and I had a new screen half an hour and $70 later.
posted by Salamandrous at 11:31 AM on June 27, 2010


Response by poster: I didn't realize screen replacement was such a cheap/easy option. That's great, probably what I should do. Thanks!

Any recommendations for a place around Boston that does replacements in person?

Also helpful to know that the 3GS has substantial resale value, even broken.
posted by Perplexity at 11:40 AM on June 27, 2010


you can get replacement screens at dealextreme.com too (no guarantee on quality).
posted by defcom1 at 6:09 PM on June 27, 2010


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