The nation's cheapest iPhone 4S with unlimited talk time comes from Cricket Wireless. Along with Virgin Mobile, Cricket is bringing down the price of an iPhone as measured over two years, with its service plan. The iPhone 4S is an excellent device. But just like with the Virgin Mobile model, Cricket's iPhone, at $499.99, is so much more expensive than other off-contract smartphones that it's difficult to recommend wholeheartedly.

The iPhone 4S  on Cricket is the same model, with the same software, network, and features as you'll find on Sprint. Read our Sprint iPhone 4S  review for all the details. (Also, the Sprint iPhone is pictured in the slideshow below.) But note that the Sprint model earned 4.5 stars and our Editors' Choice endorsement at the time, and this version of the phone is only getting 4 stars. We can explain.

A Really Cheap iPhone

First, the good news. The $499.99 16GB iPhone 4S on Cricket works with the carrier's $55 per month plan, which offers unlimited talk time and 2.5GB of 3G data. Cricket has no contracts, so you can switch out your phone any time you want.

Measured over two years, Cricket's iPhone is much more affordable than competing devices from Sprint, Verizon, or AT&T, and it's cheaper than a Virgin Mobile iPhone on an unlimited talk time plan. Virgin offers a less-expensive $35/month, 300-minute plan, though, and Cricket doesn't.

Here's how the cheapest iPhones shake out: a Virgin Mobile iPhone 4S on the 300-minute plan costs $1,489.99 over two years. Cricket's, with the unlimited talk time plan, costs $1,819.99. Virgin's, with unlimited talk time, costs $1,969. Sprint's model is cheaper up front at $199.99 but requires an $80 per month plan with a two-year contract, so it's $2,119.99. AT&T's and Verizon's service plans are even more expensive.

Not Quite Networked

Cricket is a hybrid carrier. In many cities it runs its own 3G CDMA network. In others, it uses Sprint's. 

Because the iPhone doesn't have the 1700MHz band Cricket uses in many cities, Cricket's iPhone isn't available in Chicago, Philadelphia, Baltimore, New Orleans, Seattle, Washington, DC, or several other major markets. 

If you buy a Cricket iPhone elsewhere, it will still work if you travel to those cities, because it will piggyback on Sprint's network. But you can only buy Cricket's iPhone if you live in one of the 59 cities listed here. That's frustrating.

And remember, you get the same nationwide performance as Sprint. That has its up sides and its down sides. The up side is a relatively consistent network. The down side is the slowest 3G network in the nation, as measured by our 30-city network speed tests. 

Cricket phones don't support 4G yet, so I'm not going to ding this phone for it's lack of 4G.

A Really Costly Cricket Phone

The iPhone is a brilliant cultural touchstone with an unmatched library of high-quality apps. But you'll be paying a massive premium over other phones from similar carriers to enjoy it.

The Editors' Choice Huawei Mercury (4.5 stars) is $199.99 with the same service plan. Admittedly, it doesn't quite match up to the iPhone on specs with a lower-resolution screen, and a single-core, rather than a dual-core processor. But it's a handsome, well-built phone, it's available in all Cricket markets, and it's much, much less expensive.

The decision here isn't as clear as it is on Virgin Mobile, where a better competing phone is available in the HTC EVO V 4G (4 stars, $299.99). It's safe to say the iPhone 4S is a better device than the Mercury. But it isn't $300 better. That's the issue, and that's why the Huawei Mercury  keeps our Editors' Choice designation.

Conclusions

The Cricket Wireless iPhone is the least expensive iPhone 4S model available with an unlimited calling plan, if you factor in the cost of the service plan over two years. But while it's a good phone, it's too expensive compared with other models on the market. 

We're just a few months away from a new iPhone launch this fall. More importantly, Cricket, Virgin, and MetroPCS all offer high-quality Android phones with no contract for much less money. Along with Cricket's Huawei Mercury and Virgin's HTC EVO V, there's MetroPCS's LG Connect 4G ($249, 4 stars), which has a dual-core processor and 4G LTE speed. The iPhone 4S is an excellent phone, and in many ways it's the best of this bunch. But its price needs to come down to compete.

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