Apple iPhone Buyers Can Get Discounts at Target and Best Buy

With the sixth-generation Apple iPhone reported to debut in less than a month, two more retailers are offering discounts on select iPhone models, including the current iPhone 4S and its predecessor, the iPhone 4, in anticipation of the upcoming release.

Target has slashed $50 from the iPhone 4S price tag, with the retailer now selling the 16GB iteration of the device for $150. The discount is good for two-year contracts from AT&T, Sprint and Verizon.

Meanwhile, Best Buy has lowered the price of the 8GB iPhone 4 by half, to just $50 with two-year contracts from all carriers. Despite this discount, the latest edition of the Apple smartphone still cost $200 at Best Buy.

Sprint was the first carrier to mark down the iPhone 4S, by taking $50 off the 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models, selling the devices for $150, $250 and $350, respectively. Apple is also matching the discounted iPhone prices, though the company is keeping the deal hush-hush. The offer is not available online, as customers must ask for the price match in-stores only, quoting where they have seen the offer in order to get the discount.

This is rather unusual for the Cupertino-based company, which traditionally discounts models only after a successor has been announced. Perhaps Apple's discount match program is a quiet confirmation that reports of a Sept. 12 unveiling of the iPhone 5 are true. Apple is likely to discontinue the iPhone 3, while marking down the iPhone 4S to $100 and making the iPhone 4 free with a new two-year contract after announcing its next-generation smartphone.

While the iPhone 5 is speculated to feature a bigger screen, a smaller dock connector and possibly 4G LTE, these discounts on the current models are rather tempting. For those on the market for a new smartphone, be sure to check out Brighthand's coverage of the most recently leaked features of the next-gen iPhone to see if this device is worth the wait.