Apple’s iPhone 6 was released on September 19th last year, which means people have been waiting for the next-generation iPhone 6s to launch ever since September 20th, 2014. Well, Apple fans, the wait is finally over. It’s 8:00 a.m. on the East Coast, which means the brand new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus are officially available for purchase in the United States.
If you preordered a new iPhone and had it shipped, deliveries have already begun and you should get your shiny new iPhone at some point today… unless you live in one of these 17 zip codes. If you preordered a phone for pickup at the Apple Store, make sure you arrive ahead of your reservation time.
And if you haven’t yet bought a new iPhone and you’re looking to pick one up today, here’s everything you need to know.
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First things first: Apple’s new iPhones go on sale at 8:00 a.m. local time, so only people in the Eastern time zone can purchase one in stores at the moment. If you’re lined up outside an Apple Store in San Francisco right now, you still have three hours to wait before that line starts moving.
As is always the case each year, Apple Stores are your best bet if you’re looking to purchase a new iPhone today. They get the most inventory by far, but you’ll have to go early if you want to beat the crowds and ensure that you get one before stock runs out.
You’ll also have many different options when it comes to paying for your new iPhone. You can always do an on-contract upgrade with your carrier and buy a new iPhone 6s starting at $199 or an iPhone 6s Plus starting at $299, or you can choose a leasing or financing plan with your carrier of choice.
Click here for our guide on everything you need to know about buying an iPhone 6s on a carrier plan.
Apple is also offering a leasing plan of its own this year. The company’s new iPhone Upgrade Program lumps the cost of a phone and AppleCare+ into one monthly payment starting at $32.41 per month for a 16GB iPhone 6s. Then, a year from now, you can hand in your functioning iPhone 6s and upgrade to the same model iPhone 7 without any up-front payments — you’ll just keep making the same payment each month.
Apple’s upgrade program is more expensive than anything you’ll find with a carrier, but you’re getting AppleCare+ as well.
We know that Verizon Wireless, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint will all have iPhone 6s inventory for release day, though stock is expected to be very limited. Head out early if you’re hoping to buy a new iPhone today at a carrier store, and you might want to call first to see if your local stores have any inventory left.
Beyond the four major wireless carriers, Apple has only said that the new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus will be available today from “additional carriers and select Apple Authorized Resellers.” We know many Best Buy locations will have at least some launch-day inventory, but other resellers have been eerily quiet.
Finally, people looking for rose gold iPhones can expect to have a difficult time finding one, and we’re also hearing that launch-day supply of the iPhone 6s Plus is very limited in many color and size combinations.
