Has Sprint Ended Its Leasing Program For Android Phones?

Apparently so, at least according to mobile market research firm Wave7 Research and then later reported by Fierce Wireless. The fourth biggest wireless carrier in America appeared to have began ending its leasing program for mobile devices that run on Google’s Android mobile operating system as recently as a few days ago. As indicated in Fierce Wireless’ report, Sprint’s decision may have something to do with the program no longer being compelling enough to impact the major US mobile operator’s ailing finances. Interestingly enough, Sprint appears to be continuing with its leasing program for the four most recent iPhone releases from Apple, namely last year’s iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, as well as the latest iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus flagship devices. It seems that for Sprint, a leasing program for iOS powered mobile devices may be more financially viable than that for Android handsets. The wireless carrier had reportedly put a stop to its device leasing options for Android devices right after its subscribers turned in or bought their leased Galaxy S7 smartphones just a few days ago. As pointed out by analysts of Wave7 Research, this move may not be much of a surprise. After all, as early as June this year, Sprint had already discontinued the leasing of Samsung’s Galaxy S7 Edge after only four months.

This latest development seems to be inconsistent with what Marcelo Claure, the chief executive officer of Sprint, had revealed a year ago when he stated that the wireless carrier is looking to lean more towards leasing options in lieu of offering standard two year agreements. It is worth noting that in the early part of this year, what Claure said did indeed happen. But then Sprint resurrected its two year contracts after only a month after getting rid of them, and these plans continue to be offered by the mobile operator until now. Interestingly, representatives from Sprint do not appear to be eager in addressing the Android device leasing program subject, never mind confirming if indeed the company was eliminating leasing options for Android handsets for good. Still, if there really is any truth to the idea that Sprint was not earning much from its leasing program for Android devices, it can not be blamed for discontinuing this particular model despite the fact that the program seems to be a hit among Android mobile users. After all, if the choice is between popularity and financial viability, for Sprint, the latter will always be the priority.