The iPhone 5 is so far meeting expectations of the numbers of units sold, but who's best to buy it from? AT&T, Sprint, or Verizon Wireless?
Apple announced on Monday that they have sold five million of the newest smartphones in three days.
"Demand for iPhone 5 has been incredible and we are working hard to get an iPhone 5 into the hands of every customer who wants one as quickly as possible," said Apple's CEO Tim Cook. "While we have sold out of our initial supply, stores continue to receive iPhone 5 shipments regularly and customers can continue to order online and receive an estimated delivery date. We appreciate everyone's patience and are working hard to build enough iPhone 5s for everyone."
But of the three carriers selling the device, who do critics believe have the better offer?
CNET has helped classify the similarities and differences of the three major mobile carriers in the US.
4G Coverage:
As Latinos Post reported before, Verizon offers a larger 4G network coverage compared to both AT&T and Sprint. AT&T's 4G exists in 60 markets and plans are to offer in 47 additional markets by the end of the year while Sprint is only in 19 cities. Verizon dominates the coverage with 371 markets and 29 expected by the end of the year.
Winner: Verizon
Unlimited Data Plans:
AT&T: No.
Sprint: Yes, for $109.99 per month.
Verizon: No.
Winner: Sprint
Data Plan Price Range (from talk, text):
AT&T: $59 to $139 per month
Sprint: $79.99 to $109.99 per month
Verizon: $80 to $190 per month
Winner: AT&T (In this economy, and after spending big bucks for the iPhone 5 device, you should be saving money).
FaceTime:
Apple's video calling app has received an upgrade with HD but not all carriers will offer the same price for it.
AT&T will offer FaceTime for customers under the Mobile Share plan, otherwise, you'll have to use FaceTime when under a Wi-Fi network.
Sprint has no restrictions to the video-calling app.
Verizon also has no restrictions and offers it under any data plan and at no extra cost.
Winner: Sprint and Verizon.
Simultaneous Voice and Data:
According to CNET, AT&T customers are free and able to talk and surf the web at the same time, just like it did with the iPhone 4S.
Sprint has a different story. Sprint confirmed customers "will not be able to access voice and data capabilities simultaneously." The reason is due to not having a third antenna.
Verizon also lacks the third antennae, and the carrier told CNET that customers need to be on Wi-Fi to surf the web and call someone at the same time. Some 4G LTE phones under Verizon do offer web and calling simultaneously.
Winner: AT&T
There seems to be a tie among the three carriers, but perhaps the tiebreaker comes in with a Latinos Post report yesterday that gives Verizon customers an advantage over the other two carriers.
Verizon spokeswoman Brenda Raney confirmed the report that their iPhone devices are being sold "unlocked," under its GSM networks, and can work on AT&T's network.
Sprint's iPhone 5 devices are sold "locked" and AT&T does unlock but once the contract expires. Verizon has added that their devices will not "relock."
Perhaps the wildcard is T-Mobile, the fourth largest mobile carrier in the US. It doesn't sell the iPhone 5 but has a network compatible with Verizon's iPhone 5 device.
The latest Apple smartphone is being sold at the same price as the iPhone 4S when it was released last year starting at $199 for 16GB, $299 for 32GB, $399 for 64GB.
Latinos Post has helped breakdown and define the features of the iPhone 5, click here to view.
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