Sprint’s New Unlimited Plan Covers The Phone, But Sticks You With 3G Streaming

In an attempt to show customers exactly what they’re paying for with their phone plans, Sprint is throwing its hat into the phone-leasing ring with a new “All-In” plan. The $80 monthly price includes a $20 leasing fee for the customer’s chosen device, as well as unlimited text, talk and data.

New customers or current customers eligible for an upgrade can choose between three different phones for the 24-month lease: a 16GB iPhone 6, a 32GB Galaxy S6 or the HTC One M9. There’s also $36 activation when you sign up, as well as taxes and Sprint surcharges on top of that $80 price.

One thing to note for those who like streaming video when they’re away from WiFi — Sprint is limiting streaming video to 3G speeds of 600Kbps. Netflix recommends speeds of about 1500Kbps for streaming video, so you’d have a hard time watching Orange Is the New Black without WiFi access on the All-In plan.

As PC World notes, this might be less preferable than Sprint’s previous method of throttling unlimited data users, as it only slowed users down when the network was congested. This will mean slow video speeds on the Sprint network, all the time.

The All-In plan is notably $10 more expensive than Sprint’s current iPhone plan, which runs for $50 per month plus a $20 device fee. If you don’t need unlimited data, of course, you can choose a plan that costs less.

Sprint Chief Marketing Officer Kevin Crull tells CNET that the $70 “iPhone for Life” plan was a promotion that will be phased out with this new All-In option, although those currently on the cheaper plan will be grandfathered in.

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist