If you're an iPhone user, there's a good chance you've experienced the pain of smartphone lust. You got the iPhone 5s last year, but now the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are on the scene - and your contract isn't up for another year. Lame!
Sprint is hoping to attract users in this exact predicament. Beginning Nov. 14, you can sign up for a 12-month lease option through Sprint's iPhone for Life program and upgrade your device every single year. That's right, no more waiting two years until you're eligible for an upgrade.
Here's how the new 12-month lease option works. You'll get the phone for no money down, and then pay anywhere from $30 to $45 a month for the phone, depending on which model you choose, plus taxes and your regular service plan charges.
At the end of the 12 months you can choose to either: turn in the device and lease another phone with zero down at signing, purchase the leased handset, continue leasing on a month-to-month basis, or return the device in "good working condition" and terminate service.
"Consumers have told us they want the best value and the ability to upgrade their devices every year," Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure said in a statement. "Sprint delivers with its new 12-month lease offer, allowing customers to upgrade to the latest iPhone every year. The iPhone for Life Plan gives customers the lowest monthly cost in the industry for acquiring an iPhone."
Sprint first revealed iPhone for Life in September, though at the time it allowed customers to get an iPhone and unlimited service for $70 per month with zero down, provided they gave the phone back to Sprint after 24 months. Now you only have to wait a year.
Meanwhile, if you don't really care about having the latest model, you'll be able to lease the iPhone 5s through Sprint beginning Nov. 14. The 16GB model can be yours for just $18 per month for 24 months while the 32GB version is $21 per month and the 64GB version $24 per month.
The new iPhone offer comes after Sprint increased its lowest shared family data tier yesterday to 1GB for $20 a month, and last month upped the data on its high-end Family Share Pack plans in response to a recent AT&T promotion.
Last year, Sprint tried its hand at early upgrade programs with One Up, but that effort shut down in January so that Sprint could focus on its "Framily" plans. When Claure came on board, though, Framily was also out the window in favor of Sprint Family Share Pack. As Sprint told PCMag at the time, Framily Was Too Complicated.