iPhone 12 pre-orders are live — here are the best deals

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Best iPhone 12 pre-order deals available so far

(Image credit: Apple)

Pre-orders are live now for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro, while iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max buyers will need to wait until November 6. 

The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini along with the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max were all finally revealed at Apple's October event and as befits a group of smartphones released on Prime Day, there are already deals to be found.

AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile have all weighed in with fairly similar offers on the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro, but some smaller carriers and MVNOs are offering enticing iPhone 12 deals as well.

Here are the best iPhone 12 pre-order deals available so far.

iPhone 12 pre-order deals

iPhone 12: Free iPhone 12 with Unlimited Plan and trade-in @ AT&T

iPhone 12: Free iPhone 12 with Unlimited Plan and trade-in @ AT&T
AT&T seems to have the best offer among the big three with new and existing subscribers able to get a free iPhone 12 with an AT&T unlimited plan and the trade-in of an iPhone 8 (or newer iPhone). Given the $799 price point of the iPhone 12 and the value of a used iPhone 8, that's a solid deal. 

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iPhone 12: Free iPhone 12 with Unlimited Plan and trade-in @ Verizon

iPhone 12: Free iPhone 12 with Unlimited Plan and trade-in @ Verizon
Only new Verizon customers will get treated to a free iPhone 12 when they sign up for select unlimited plans and trading in select smartphones. Qualifying smartphones include the iPhone 8 and above. Verizon will send you a $250 Verizon e-gift card and apply a $550 promo credit over 24 months. 

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iPhone 12: $15 a month for iPhone 12 with Unlimited Plan and trade-in @ Verizon

iPhone 12: $15 a month for iPhone 12 with Unlimited Plan and trade-in @ Verizon
Existing customers do qualify for something at least, with the cost of an iPhone 12 brought down to $15 a month (for 24 months) for those on select unlimited plans that trade in an iPhone 8 or above. 

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iPhone 12: Free iPhone 12 with Unlimited Plan and trade-in @ T-Mobile

iPhone 12: Free iPhone 12 with Unlimited Plan and trade-in @ T-Mobile
T-Mobile comes in with the weakest deal of the three big carriers on the iPhone 12. While you can get it for free with an unlimited plan and a qualifying trade-in, the deal is limited to new customers and the qualifying devices are the iPhone XS and above (excluding the standard iPhone 11). 

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iPhone 12: Free with Unlimited Plan and trade-in @ U.S. Cellular

iPhone 12: Free with Unlimited Plan and trade-in @ U.S. Cellular
U.S. Cellular may not have the network size of the big three, but it has the biggest deal on the iPhone 12 by far. New customers are eligible for a free iPhone 12 when signing up for an unlimited data plan. No trade-in required, the cost of the phone is spread out over a 30-month period.

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iPhone 12 Pro pre-order deals

iPhone 12 Pro: Save $800 off iPhone 12 with Unlimited Plan and trade-in @ AT&T

iPhone 12 Pro: Save $800 off iPhone 12 with Unlimited Plan and trade-in @ AT&T
AT&T again has the best offer among the big three with new and existing subscribers able to get $800 off an iPhone 12 Pro with an AT&T unlimited plan and the trade-in of an iPhone 8 (or newer iPhone). 

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iPhone 12 Pro: New customers Save $800 off iPhone 12 Pro with Unlimited Plan and trade-in @ Verizon

iPhone 12 Pro: New customers Save $800 off iPhone 12 Pro with Unlimited Plan and trade-in @ Verizon
While you can't score a free iPhone 12 Pro, you can get that same $800 discount that iPhone 12 buyers are getting when signing up for select unlimited plans and trading in select smartphones. Qualifying smartphones include the iPhone 8 and above. Verizon will send you a $250 Verizon e-gift card and apply a $550 promo credit over 24 months. 

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iPhone 12: $850 off iPhone 12 Pro with Unlimited Plan and trade-in @ T-Mobile

iPhone 12: $850 off iPhone 12 Pro with Unlimited Plan and trade-in @ T-Mobile
T-Mobile gets a slight edge on its iPhone 12 Pro deal as while it is still limited to new customers selecting an unlimited plan, you can get $850 off with the trade-in of an iPhone XS or above (excluding the standard iPhone 11). Anyone below that tier with their trade-in will be better served by AT&T or Verizon with the trade-in value dropping to $680 off.

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iPhone 12 Pro: Was $999 now $169.80 with Unlimited Plan @ U.S. Cellular

iPhone 12 Pro: Was $999 now $169.80 with Unlimited Plan @ U.S. Cellular
U.S. Cellular may not have the network size of the big three, but it has the biggest deal on the iPhone 12 Pro by far. New customers signing up for an unlimited data plan will pay just $5.66 a month for 30 months for a base iPhone 12 Pro. No trade-in required.

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It's not surprising that we are seeing carriers jump to promote the iPhone 12 as early as they can. Verizon had a massive presence on stage at the iPhone 12 launch event today and clearly, the carriers are viewing this as their chance to bring new customers on board for 5G. 

Beyond full support for both mmWave and sub-6Ghz 5G, the iPhone 12 offers an impressive array of features, including the new A14 Bionic processor, a squared-off aluminum design, a MagSafe magnetic Qi charging system and improved cameras.

The iPhone 12 may lack the telephoto lens of the Pro models, but it offers an incredibly fast f/1.6 primary lens that should deliver much better low-light performance than previous models. Apple claims that new hardware will be bolstered further by the computational photography powers of the A14 Bionic.

The iPhone 12 matches the display size of the iPhone 11 at 6.1-inches, but in a slightly smaller frame and critically the display has moved to the much more vibrant and power-efficient OLED, a feature that was limited to the Pro models last year.

We'll continue to keep this page updated with new deals as we spot them or you can sign up below to get pre-order information and deals sent directly to you.

Sean Riley
Sean Riley

Sean Riley has been covering tech professionally for over a decade now. Most of that time was as a freelancer covering varied topics including phones, wearables, tablets, smart home devices, laptops, AR, VR, mobile payments, fintech, and more.  Sean is the resident mobile expert at Laptop Mag, specializing in phones and wearables, you'll find plenty of news, reviews, how-to, and opinion pieces on these subjects from him here. But Laptop Mag has also proven a perfect fit for that broad range of interests with reviews and news on the latest laptops, VR games, and computer accessories along with coverage on everything from NFTs to cybersecurity and more.