Best Buy Cuts iPhone 16E 128GB to $500 From $599

Q: How do extreme carrier deals drop the Apple Intelligence-ready iPhone 16e to just $10, and what is the hidden catch?

The iPhone 16e gets down to “$10” only through aggressive carrier subsidies, usually on prepaid brands, and the catch is that the headline price is not the true all-in cost. Retail, the unlocked 128GB iPhone 16e is about $500 on sale, down from $599. Carrier offers slash that much further by tying the phone to activation requirements. In the deal coverage, Cricket has offered it for as low as $10 with three months of prepaid service, Boost has advertised it for about $150 with an Unlimited Premium plan, Walmart has shown lower pricing with eligible AT&T activation, and other carriers use trade-ins or bill credits to reduce the upfront payment. The hidden catch is that the discount is conditional. You typically must open a new line, port in a number from another carrier, stay on a specific plan for a minimum period, or keep service active long enough to receive the full subsidy. Taxes, activation fees and the required service payments usually make the real cost far higher than $10. If you cancel early, switch plans, fail to port an eligible number, or leave before bill credits finish, you can lose the discount or owe more on the phone. There is also often a lock on the device. Many prepaid and carrier-sold iPhones are not immediately unlocked, meaning you may need to wait through a carrier’s unlock period before moving the phone elsewhere. So the “$10 iPhone 16e” is real as an entry price, but it works more like a subsidized plan promotion than a true $10 purchase.

3 articles · Updated · CNET · Aug 28

$500 gets buyers an unlocked 128GB iPhone 16E at Best Buy, a $99 discount that positions Apple’s entry iPhone 16 model as a lower-cost upgrade.
The pitch centers on flagship-adjacent basics at a cheaper price: Apple’s A18 chip, Apple Intelligence support, an OLED display and a 48-megapixel camera with 2x optical telephoto.
Apple also bundles longer-term value into the device with Ceramic Shield durability, Face ID, satellite messaging, emergency features and expected software updates for years.
The discount lands as talk builds around Apple’s next iPhone event, making an older model a more budget-friendly alternative to waiting for newer releases.