As somebody who’s been purchasing my phones directly from the OEM at full price since 2016, I see this as being crazy. It’s made me realize for certain that I don’t need the absolute newest thing, and so I always go with mid-range devices. I feel like people who buy their devices outright don’t buy mini iPhones LOL. If they do, they hold on to them longer, treat them better, or buy them used. So some other fool takes the hit of depreciation.

Seems odd because you can get fully functioning smartphones for like $200.

If the phone costs $500, they simply increase your monthly bill by $500 / 24 months = $20 a month.

It’s a bit more complicated than this, and they’ll likely have some interest built in as well, but functionally, it’s no different than being given a loan to buy the phone and then paying the loan off over the two years. That’s why carriers often require a credit check before doing this.

No, it’s you. Its your demeanor.