If you're going to buy the iPhone X, be prepared for a little sticker shock
For months, people were saying the iPhone X is a "$1,000 smartphone."
But once you factor in tax and other typical additions like Apple Care+, it's actually more than that - either by a little bit or a lot, depending on which model you purchased and how you bought the phone.
For example: I'm on Apple's iPhone Upgrade Program, and this morning, I placed my pre-order for an iPhone X with 256GB of storage. If you're on that program, living in the US, and paying for that phone model, here's the actual price of the phone:
Yes, $1,433 for a smartphone seems like a lot of money. But keep in mind, you're paying for the cost of the phone ($1,150 for 256GB), plus AppleCare+ ($200), plus tax.
How does the iPhone X price break down if you get less storage?
Andrew T. Gray on Twitter bought a 64GB iPhone X on the iPhone Upgrade Program. He paid $1,266.89 in total. Again, that's the cost of the phone ($1,000), plus AppleCare+ ($200), plus tax.
But what about if you don't use the iPhone Upgrade Program?
My colleague Kif Leswing also purchased an iPhone X this morning - 64GB of storage, but not via the iPhone Upgrade Program. He paid $1,087.66 in total - the cost of the phone ($1,000), plus tax.
In case you're wondering why my colleague paid less for his iPhone X than someone on the iPhone Upgrade Program, that's because he's not getting AppleCare+. The iPhone Upgrade Program is a slightly better deal than buying an iPhone outright if you intend to buy Apple's phone insurance, which you should absolutely do, but the trade-off is you don't get to keep your old phone when it's time to get a new one.
Anyway, here's the bottom line: If you're buying the iPhone X, just know that "$1,000" is the starting price. Between taxes, AppleCare+ or any other insurance you choose, and any cases or accessories you choose to buy, prepare to spend much more than $1,000 for the iPhone X experience. Whether or not that's worth it is totally up to you.