Looking to pick up a new AT&T handset soon, but hate signing two years of your mobile life away for a subsidized price? ATT has confirmed that it's increasing the cost of buying a device with a one-year contract or sans any commitment at all. All smartphones (except the iPhone) will see a $150 price increase when purchased with a one-year contract, quick messaging phones or feature phones will go up by $10. If you'd prefer the contract-free route, smartphones will be going up $50, with QMPs and feature phones jumping up $20. Finally, the early upgrade pricing for all iPhones has gone up $50, meaning the 16GB iPhone 4 will cost $449, with the 32GB model earning a $549 early upgrade price.
Although most mainstream consumers probably won't be affected by AT&T's price bump, it's kind of a bummer for those of us that like having the option of upgrading to the new hotness on a fairly regular basis. It's good that the option is still around, but I suspect that there will be even fewer people shunning the two-year contract on ATT, especially with the one-year pricing going up a full $150. Does this news affect any of your future upgrade plans, AT&T users?
Via Android Central, BGR