That's what he's missing, you only "own" the phone at the end of 2 years, but you're going to upgrade before that because they know that's what people do. And once they have you on the cycle you better believe the price of their service will go up next year, and the year after.
Do people think these companies are in the business of losing money? They want you to do this for a damn reason.
Ok your thinking too narrow let me break it down for you how I do it .
T-Mobile does the unsubstidize phone shyt correctly .
Low plans and u pay for your phones.
So I got a 6+ it's 850 I think .
I actually got a loyal customer discount for $100.
I put another $200 down so my monthly payment would be low .
Now I'm gonna end up paying this phone off pretty soon .
I'll unlock it and sell for as much as I can get .
iPhones retain value pretty damm great I think we can all agree .
When I sell this phone I can use that to put money down again for another phone .
I pay $80 a month for true unlimited everything and 5 gb hotspot .
How many people you know getting that ?
When I'm ready to sell my phone I'm going to get about half my money back .
That's not too shabby breh .