Ahead of the iPhone X’s launch, it’s safe to say that one of the contentious issues many had regarding the phone was its hefty price tag of $999 for the base 64GB model. However US carriers have since attempted to soften the blow by introducing various discounts and promotions.We’ve seen these promotions offered by the likes of Sprint, Verizon, and T-Mobile, but conspicuously absent from that list is AT&T. What gives? As it turns out, AT&T believes that the iPhone X does not need any form of “aggressive promotion” as the carrier believes that they’ll still be able to be competitive regardless.
In a transcript of the carrier’s quarterly earnings call, obtained by Seeking Alpha (via Fierce Wireless), AT&T’s CFO John Stephens was quoted as saying, “With regard to the competitive environment, so far we’ve seen some rational activity through the iPhone 8 launch and most recently the activities that are going on, so we’re optimistic. We’re certainly ready. And as you can see, our margins are very solid and the performance has been great. But we believe we can compete and win based on our product offerings and that promotional activity of an extensive nature is not necessary.”
Whether or not that will happen remains to be seen, but we suppose at the end of the day it’s also about what kind of features and plans and other reasons that factor in when choosing a carrier, and not just about phone discounts.