Forget the iPhone 17e! T-Mobile is offering a free iPhone 17 right now

iPhone 17 held up in the air against blue sky — (Image credit: Tom's Guide / John Velasco)

The iPhone 17e is one of the devices expected to make a debut next week during Apple's March event. While I'm always a fan of affordable smartphones, you don't have to wait till next week to score a sweet deal on an iPhone.

Right now, you can get the iPhone 17 for free at T-Mobile with trade-in and eligible data plan. It's one of the best cell phone deals I've seen on a phone that we call the best option for most users.

iPhone 17: free w/ trade-in + unlimited @ T-Mobile
The Magenta network is offering the iPhone 17 for free (up to $999 off) when you trade-in an old device in any condition and sign up for a qualifying unlimited data plan. The base iPhone 17 includes a multitude of upgrades like a larger and brighter 6.3-inch OLED display with 120Hz refresh rate. You also get an A19 processor, upgraded 256GB of storage, 48MP main camera, and a new 48MP ultrawide camera. There's also a new Center Stage 18MP front camera. Finally, battery life is improved and there's now 25W Qi 2.2 charging support. In our iPhone 17 review, we said it offers one of the best bang-for-the-buck deals in recent memory.

The Editor's Choice iPhone 17 is a no brainer with this promo. In our iPhone 17 review we said it's the iPhone most users should get. For starters, it received the most upgrades. The base iPhone now comes with a larger, 120Hz display, faster 30W wired charging speeds, brighter screen, double the storage, and a slick selfie camera.

With regards to battery, the iPhone 17 reached 12 hours and 47 minutes, an improvement of 34 minutes over the iPhone 16. Although the Pro models and the new iPhone Air tend to get more attention, the iPhone 17 is no slouch.

Meanwhile, the iPhone 17e may not be the budget smartphone you want. Although hardware has yet to be confirmed, it's expected the phone will see no camera changes. Which means you'll get a 48MP main camera on the reverse of the 17e (featuring optical-quality 2x zoom via pixel cropping) and a 12MP selfie camera on the front, just like its predecessor. By comparison, the iPhone 17 sports a 48MP main camera and a 48MP ultrawide camera. There's also a Center Stage 18MP front camera.

So if you're looking for a powerful smartphone on a tight budget, you can't go wrong with this T-Mobile offer.

As deals editor-in-chief at Tom’s Guide, Louis is constantly looking for ways to avoid paying full price for the latest gadgets, appliances, and apparel. With over 10 years of deals-hunting experience, Louis price checks against multiple retailers and searches high and low for the best deals to bring readers. He's also always on the look out for the best coupon codes to use when shopping. A born-and-bred New Yorker, Louis is also an avid swimmer and marathoner. His work has appeared on Gizmodo, CNET, and Time Out New York.