iPhone 18 Pro pre-orders opened Saturday. The price you see on Apple’s site moves when you pick a carrier. The $1,200 trade-in number that is being repeated this weekend is not the same kind of price.
The $100 that is on the page
On Apple’s U.S. checkout, a 256GB iPhone 18 Pro is $1,199 if a carrier is selected. The same phone, sold unlocked with no carrier attached, is $1,299. iPhone 18 Pro Max repeats the gap: $1,299 with a carrier, $1,399 unlocked.
Apple does not write “$100 off” as a headline. The difference only appears when the carrier selector is changed. That $100 is part of the product price, not a 36-month bill credit.
The $1,200 that is not on the carrier sites
Apple’s footnotes describe much larger credits. AT&T is listed at $1,200, $930 or $350, depending on the trade-in phone and the plan. Those credits are paid over 36 months. T-Mobile is listed as $150 to $1,200, also depending on the customer. Verizon has no matching footnote on Apple’s page.
As of September 13, AT&T and T-Mobile’s own sites do not show those same $350 / $930 / $1,200 figures for iPhone 18 Pro. Verizon has not published a matching page for this phone. Apple’s own trade-in, $175 to $885 in the U.S., is applied at checkout and is a different program.
eSIM-only checkout
In 12 markets, including the United States, iPhone 18 Pro has no physical SIM tray. Apple still asks you to pick a carrier at checkout in those markets. The selected carrier has to issue an eSIM profile. Apple names the 12 markets (Bahrain, Canada, Guam, Japan, Kuwait, Mexico, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, the United States, U.S. Virgin Islands). It does not publish a carrier-by-carrier eSIM support list for each one.
What this means if you pre-order this weekend
The unlocked vs carrier $100 is real and visible on Apple’s total. The “up to $1,200 off” line is a bill credit over three years, and it depends on staying on the required plan. Leaving early is not explained on the carrier pages that are up today.
If the monthly credit is the only reason to pick a carrier, read the carrier’s own terms before you submit the order. Apple’s footnote is not a contract from AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon.
Photo: Apple
Source: Apple, MacRumors, MacObserver
