<i>"What if I buy the phone full-price?" I ask. "Do I pay the same rates, even though I’m not getting a discount for the phone?"</i><p><i>Yes. Same rates, even though I’m no longer amortizing a phone.</i><p>There doesn't seem to be much to gain by owning a phone outright if the monthly rates are identical. At the end of your contract, when your phone is paid off, if you don't get cheaper rates by continuing to use it, why not upgrade?<p>But upgrading your phone and getting another contract just means the same thing will happen 2 years later.<p>The only thing that can break that cycle is a carrier that offers decent rates independent of a hardware purchase. This kind of carrier doesn't seem to exist in the US.