Assuming there are going to be some readers here as "comprehension challenged" as Mr. Parrish, under an early termination fee, if you are 23 months into a 24 month contract, and want to cancel the contract, you are obligated to pay the termination fee, let's say, $200.
Under T-mobile's terms, assuming you have spread out the cost of your phone over 2 years, if you leave T-mobile in month 23, you have to pay the last month of hardware payment, which, depending on your phone, might be $20, or might be $60. Can you see a difference? Mr. Parrish does not.
Also, Mr. Parrish, not every phone payment plan offered by T-mobile runs for 2 years.