Here’s what’s actually happening, at least in the U.S.: Apple has cut deals with AT&T and Verizon that give existing customers of those carriers $30 off their purchases. The actual prices of the two models are $729 and $829, and that’s what you’ll pay if you’re a U.S. subscriber to Sprint, T-Mobile, any smaller pay-as-you-go carriers, or if you want to buy a SIM-free model with no carrier connection at all.
Lots of tiny cuts.
I should update this post from November 2018 – https://adamchandler.me/blog/2018/11/12/the-cost-of-apple-fanboyism-in-2018/