China Unicom Brings a Cheaper 8GB iPhone 4, For “Free” At a Huge Cost

This might well be a stunt to capture non-romantically involved smartphone fans (since November 11 is also “Singles Day” here in China), but according to reports on the Beijing Qianlong news website, China Unicom (HKG:0762; NYSE:CHU) will be rolling out the 8GB iPhone 4 on that very day. Prices will drop to 3,999RMB (US$630). For people who’ll be online a lot, there’ll also be the option to get the phone for free.

But there’s a catch — you need to commit to actually spending big on 3G with these people to get the iPhone at the low price of zero. You need to store credit worth 4,999RMB and choose a 3G data plan for a certain number of years to go away with a “free” iPhone. The cheapest option: the 186RMB per month package for three years. (If you’re feeling “expensive”, you can also opt for the 586RMB monthly plan for just one year). Those prices are way above the cheapest 66RMB per month deal that people on unlocked phones can enjoy. Most Chinese dislike such contracted deals, as it ties you to a carrier, and a phone, for years to come. Most people here prefer to pay-as-you-go (with a cheaper 2G or 3G package) on unlocked phone.

For those of you who still are not sure if Unicom’s the right one for you, yours truly relies on the service as an (absolute) essential. During my recent three-month teaching assignment in the northeastern-most reaches of China, 3G was one of the few ways I could still remain “alive” on the Interwebs. China Unicom signal quality is good in cities but a little iffy out in the countryside (or in tall buildings away from the city center).

For eagle eyes, you might also want to note that Apple’s online store has “taken away” the 16 GB and 32 GB versions from us, leaving everyone with “just” an 8 GB model. That’s probably a sign that the iPhone 4S is headed our way soon. But just yesterday we reported concerns that the iPhone 4S model has not yet even gotten regulatory approval, and so could still be many weeks away.

Finally, as a bit of a coincidence on Nov 11: Hong Kong and South Korea (and 13 more countries and regions) will get their iPhone 4S that same day.

I’m wondering if those singles down in HK might feel a little better with a brand-new iPhone 4S on Singles Day. For the unattached, you might want to toy around a little with Siri (in English!) for “company” (if you’re so geekishly inclined)!

[Source: Beijing Qianlong news – article in Chinese]