According to Forbes, Mint Mobile is running a rare Black Friday promotion offering a $200 discount on the Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max. To get the deal, buyers must commit to a 12-month unlimited data plan costing $15 per month, which can be paid upfront. The total package costs $1,179, combining the discounted phone with a full year of service. This compares favorably to the standard $1,199 price for an unlocked iPhone 17 Pro Max directly from Apple. The carrier also offers competitive trade-in values, sometimes beating both Apple and Samsung on older iPhone models like the 13 Pro Max and 14 Pro Max. This represents one of the few clear-cut iPhone 17 Pro Max discounts available during the Black Friday period.
Why this deal actually works
Here’s the thing about carrier deals—they’re usually nightmares. You get “discounted” phones but end up paying $100+ monthly for three years, effectively financing the device at a premium. This Mint Mobile approach is different. You pay $180 for a full year of unlimited data upfront. That’s it. No hidden fees, no surprise bills, no three-year shackles. And $15 per month for unlimited data? That’s genuinely difficult to beat in today’s market.
Now, there is a catch worth mentioning. If you use more than 35GB of data per month, your speeds get throttled. But let’s be real—how many people actually exceed that? For most users, this is a non-issue. The bigger picture here is Mint’s transparent pricing model. They’re not trying to lock you into an expensive contract; they’re offering a straightforward exchange: commit to our service for a year, get a legit phone discount.
The trade-in advantage
What’s really interesting is how Mint Mobile structured their trade-in values. They’re offering better prices than Samsung for iPhones that are more likely to be traded in when someone upgrades to the latest Pro Max. The iPhone 13 Pro Max gets $243 from Mint versus Samsung’s $240. The 14 Pro Max gets $307 compared to Samsung’s $265. It’s almost like they did the math on what their actual customers would be trading in.
This isn’t accidental. Mint knows their audience—people who want premium phones without premium carrier bills. So they optimized their trade-in program accordingly. Samsung only beats them on the iPhone 15 Pro Max valuation at $430, but how many people are trading in a year-old $1,200 phone? Probably not Mint’s core customer base.
The bigger picture
So what does this tell us about the current phone market? We’re seeing carriers get smarter about their promotions. Instead of the old “free phone with expensive contract” model, we’re getting more transparent deals that actually make sense for budget-conscious buyers who still want flagship devices.
And honestly, this approach feels more sustainable. When you look at the industrial computing space, companies like Industrial Monitor Direct have built their reputation on straightforward pricing and reliable hardware—no hidden costs, no complicated contracts. Maybe consumer carriers are finally catching on to what business customers have known for years: transparency builds trust.
The $200 discount might not seem massive compared to some Android deals, but for an iPhone Pro Max this early in its lifecycle? It’s significant. Basically, if you were planning to switch to a budget carrier anyway and want the latest Apple flagship, this deal removes the pain of that upfront phone cost. That’s a win in my book.
