The most common thing when looking for a new mobile is to go to a store or your operator and buy it. This modality is the classic method of acquisition, but now the rental or leasing of mobile phones has become very popular, a system that, although not new, has gained notoriety. Now okay: Is it worth renting a phone if you plan to use it for a long time?
You need a new car and, given the heavy investment that a new vehicle entails, you have surely thought of renting or renting more than once. These two systems are not exactly the same, since with the second you can keep the car at the end of the contract. And something similar extends to the purchase of smartphones: you can rent them for as long as you need, even with a final purchase option. Now you have to weigh the pros and cons.
Mobile leasing targets the high end
The mechanics of mobile rental is simple: as with cars, You can contract the use of a phone to use it until you no longer need it. This is called renting; even if in the world of smartphones there is also leasing, the rental mode with the possibility of keeping the mobile at the end of the contract.
In the rental modality, you can obtain a smartphone of the highest range at a price that It generally oscillates between 60 and 70 dollars if you make the contract for a period of two years. This monthly subscription cost increases as you reduce the term of the contract. That you only need the mobile for a month? In the highest range, rental prices are generally around 120 dollars.
Renting a car makes sense because making such an expense represents an enormous effort for any family, even if the investment is repaid in several instalments (with the consequent increase in the price due to interest). On the contrary, acquiring a mobile, even a high-end one, does not involve such a big effort: 5% of your cost taking as average prices 1,000 dollars for a premium mobile and 20,000 dollars for a normal category vehicle. Of course, at the end of the contract, the destination is the same for both: with leasing, you end up without what you contracted (not to be confused with leasing, which gives you the option to buy).
As the cost of the product decreases, the financial effort required to acquire it also decreases. This means that renting its use loses its objective interest: it ends up costing the same price and forces you to return the product.
Maybe buying a top of the range isn’t justifiable because the mid range already offers everything you need at a much lower cost, but, as should be obvious, if you want to have something thing and you can afford it, so go for it. For him, the rental of the mobile is not an insurmountable advantage for the purchase: you will spend the same and you will end up with nothing.
Good for a short time, not so much long term
In Europe, you have the option of renting your mobile for periods of up to two or three years, which can always be extended. This contract can be reduced in time with durations of up to one month; with an increasing monthly payment because the duration of the contract is shorter
Payment in installments without interest, present in most online and physical stores, offers monthly payments close to those of a rental without having the main disadvantage of renting: missing a telephone. In addition, you have the possibility to withdraw online purchases: you can use the purchased mobile phone for fourteen days knowing that you will be able to return it free of charge (provided it is in perfect condition, of course).
Considering the advantages and disadvantages of the two methods of acquisition, leasing and buying, it is clear that betting on the first is generally not the best option. Even so, this does not mean that renting has only disadvantageswhich also offers advantages.
- It lets you enjoy the phone for as long as you need.
- The rental service usually takes care of phone breakdowns, even if the problems are not originally covered by the mobile’s warranty: usually include insurance (or force their acquisition).
- There are rental services that renew the phone as updated versions come out. It’s a way to always have the latest model.