‘I would read the fine print’: Customer buys brand-new iPhone 16 Pro for $95. Is there a catch?

A shopper with an iPhone 13 that wasn't working was able to get a new phone for what she termed practically free. She pointed out that she spends the nominal price, which worked out to just $95, on coffee each month.

The Australian TikToker boasting of her find, @itjordy, posted her video on Wednesday. It received more than 87,000 views as of Monday.

In it, she remarks, "I just bought a brand new iPhone 16 Pro for $95. Like, I'm not even kidding, I've got receipts for it." It's even more impressive when you consider that $95 in Australian dollars works out to just over $60 in U.S. dollars.

"I traded in my old 13 Pro because it wouldn't charge," she began her tale. "The battery was crap." Thanks to the valuation of her existing phone, per her provider's trade-in offer, the upgrade cost her far less than she expected.

"I've got like, a Titanium Desert, Desert Titanium, whatever the hell," she said, getting the model color right on the second try. "I'm girl-mathing it. I don't even care."

Is the iPhone deal legit?

According to Apple, the new iPhone 16 Pros start at around $1,000. However, the trade-in value on an iPhone 8 or newer can fetch anywhere from $40 to $650. This appears to put the creator at an advantage.

However, a Forbes article from Saturday indicates that if you look around, there are deals to be had.

"You could choose a phone from Walmart, which comes with a $300 gift card," it advises.
"That’s more generous than Apple’s gift card offer, and it applies to purchases of the iPhone 16 series, unlike Apple’s offers, Or, if you have a phone you can trade in, AT&T has a deal which can knock up to $1,000 off the price of the flagship iPhone 16 Pro Max."

It goes on to explain the AT&T deal: "The list price for the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max with 256GB storage is $1,199, while the smaller-screened iPhone 16 Pro with 128GB costs $999. When you buy the iPhone 16 Pro Max using the AT&T installment plan, that works out at $33.34 per month across 36 months.

"However, if you have a phone you can trade in, you can save up to $1,000, which drops the price of the monthly installments to $5.56 instead. Say you have an iPhone 13 Pro Max in good condition—that is, it turns on and off and functions normally, has buttons and cameras which work, is free of dents and scratches and has a touchscreen and back glass without damage—your phone would attract the maximum trade-in of $1,000 at trade-in. Note that you need to have an eligible unlimited plan to qualify."

So, were the creator to try with the phone as she described it, she'd likely fetch a lower trade-in value than she scored with Vodafone, an Australian provider she referenced in her video.

Should she be suspicious?

Still, commenters worried on her behalf.

"Guarantee you paid a lot more than $95 in the end," one assessed. "They saw you coming and now they're laughing all the way to the bank."

"Vodafone not good reception," said one.

"Vodafone coverage is better then Telstra," opined another.

"Lol, you still got ripped," another chimed in. "Vodafone, Telstra and optus charge insane amounts for similar plans with small companies."

One rooted her on, though, telling her to ignore the other commenters.

"You always get a huge incentive to change companies," that person said. "I switch at the end of each contract & keep my number."

@itjordy #appleiphone ♬ original sound - Itjordy

The Daily Dot has reached out to the creator via TikTok direct message and to Vodafone via email.

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