In both cases, you can soften the month-to-month blow by trading in your old device or making a down payment. And of course, this only applies to installment customers unwilling to spend extra. You can still buy a phone outright or pay things off if you want to upgrade on your own terms.

The slimmed-down options could be crucial for AT&T. Most of its rivals already have simpler plans. T-Mobile, for instance, splits you between a regular 24-month plan or the 12-month Jump On Demand plan (with 18 months of payments). Just be aware of the lock-in for the standard Next plan -- those 30 months of payments could feel like an eternity.