San Francisco  - The world's largest retailer is to sell the world's most popular cell phone.

Wal-Mart Stores said Friday that it would start offering the Apple iPhone at almost 2,500 US stores from Monday.

But those hoping that the cut-price chain would offer significant savings over regular prices were in for a disappointment. The cost of the 8-gigabyte iPhone 3G was 197 dollars, just two dollars less than the official price, while the 16-gigabyte model was selling for a similarly small discount at 297 dollars.

The move makes Wal-Mart only the second major chain after consumer electronics retailer Best Buy to sell the iPhone. The popular phone is also available in the US through Apple stores and via AT&T, the phone's exclusive carrier in the US. (dpa)