No-contract customers with iPhone envy will have to pony up at least $450 for the iPhone 4, $550 for the iPhone 4S, and $650 for the iPhone 5.
There's also the second-hand market option, with places like eBay and craigslist offering pre-owned iPhones for half that price. Early adopters are selling their phones at an increasing rate, especially with iPhone 5S on the horizon.
HTC First
Available as an online-only special, the HTC First is one of AT&T's newest GoPhone options. Whether or not it made the pre-paid jump because the carrier is having a hard time trying to sell the Facebook Home-equipped phone doesn't matter.
What's important here is that this smartphone features Facebook front and center, perfect for someone who uses the social network all of the time.
It's also ideal for someone who has beautiful friends, as the 4.3-inch Home screen has photo-filled status updates from friends staring back at them during the day in locked mode.
The nifty HTC First has an adequate 5-megapixel camera, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, and can rock stock Android if you want to turn off Facebook Home. It also has a $450 price upfront.
AT&T Fusion 2
The Fusion 2 is one of the most affordable Android smartphones for $80 upfront. It takes a few steps back with the Android Gingerbread as its operating system and a 3.2-megapixel camera.
However, this world phone has a lot of the bells and whistles that an entry-level smartphone owners would want.
GPS, pre-loading social media apps, and access to a Google Play store full of additional Android apps make this a fitting smartphone for first-time Android owners.
Best of the rest
AT&T is pushing 10 4G-capable phones and the LTE-equipped Samsung Galaxy Express along with its new high-speed GoPhone plans.
Additionally, like with the aforementioned iPhone, the carrier is giving customers a chance to use existing 4G and LTE devices with its no-contract plan offerings.
It may be more money upfront for GoPhone smartphones in some cases, but lower-priced bills and no-strings-attached monthly commitments give customers the ability to walk away at any time.
