Radio Shack Hawks Virgin Mobile iPhone for Cheap

Did you ever think the words "iPhone" and "cheap" would appear in the same sentence? Well, they have. That’s because Radio Shack is selling the Virgin Mobile iPhone 4 and 4s for cheap — at least, after you consider postpaid vs. prepaid prices.

You still have to fork out the upfront cost for the Radio Shack deal, which totals $349.99 for the 8GB iPhone 4 and $449.99 for the 16GB iPhone 4s. CNET reported that buying the device directly from Virgin Mobile would run you $549.99 and $649.99, respectively.

So, the Radio Shack option seems the way to go. Then, factor in monthly plan costs. In a postpaid, two-year-contract situation, you’ll pay at least $80 per month for a contract-subsidized iPhone. But Virgin Mobile is starting its plans at $35 per month, which drop to $30 if you authorize automatic payments. On the high end, a contract iPhone will mean you pay about $1,920 over two years; at the $35 Virgin Mobile rate, that drops to $840 in the same time period.