VerizonIphone

With the iPhone 5, Verizon Wireless is expected to gain a long-awaited level playing field in its battle with AT&T over iPhone sales. But the carrier is apt to aim for a solid hit rather than a home run with Apple's iPhone 5, analysts say. And for investors, that's a good thing.

Verizon is allowing some AT&T customers to trade in their iPhones for credit when they buy a new Verizon iPhone 4 and sign up for a two-year contract, although the trade-in value isn't as much as they'd get by selling their old phones on the secondary market. A quick glance at Gazelle.com,...