The iPhone 7’s arrival at Best Buy for Verizon customers marked a major shift in how people bought smartphones, moving away from two-year contracts toward the installment billing and trade-in deals we see today. The Launch Context
The most famous "story" involving the iPhone 7 at Best Buy was the massive trade-in promotion. Verizon and Best Buy partnered to offer the iPhone 7 for "free" (via bill credits) if you traded in an iPhone 6 or 6s in good condition. iphone 7 verizon best buy
: The Verizon/Sprint version used a Qualcomm modem, which many technical reviews from PCMag and MacRumors noted was faster and more reliable than the Intel modems found in the AT&T and T-Mobile versions. The iPhone 7’s arrival at Best Buy for
: This made the Best Buy Verizon model the "holy grail" of iPhone 7s. Once paid off, it was fully unlocked and could work on any carrier in the world, including GSM carriers like AT&T. The Buying Experience at Best Buy : The Verizon/Sprint version used a Qualcomm modem,
: Unlike buying directly from a carrier, Best Buy often layered their own incentives on top, such as a $250 Best Buy Gift Card for activating a new line on Verizon.