Phone Contracts

[Morpheus]

Why?

[The_Rev]

Because nobody is buying them anymore. Will developers make apps for a system with hardly any users?

[Morpheus]

Ok thanks for that Rev.

 

Do you know much about the iPhone 5 and in your opinion is it a reasonable deal to go with the iPhone 5 on contract at £33 a month?

 

I use my phone for all the usual stuff texts, emails, videos, games and so on. I'd also want a good camera phone with excellent audio quality as i go to a lot of concerts.

 

Thanks again for the advice. 

[Nath182]

I've just upgraded to the iPhone 5, having had a 3GS before. I personally really like using iPhones but alot of people are now switching to Android phones, so if I were you I'd be looking at the iPhone 5 or the Samsung Galaxy S3/S4. My new contract is £27.90 p/m but that includes a loyalty discount I managed to get by staying with Orange. Looking online you can probably get a better deal than the one you've found. The one below is the one I was considering if Orange didn't offer me anything good:

 

Hot UK Deals

[Stevo985]

Vodafone are usually one of the more expensive contract providers, in my experience. BUt £33 for an iphone 5 sounds reasonable.

 

That being said, you'd get a better contract (cheaper) and a better phone if you went for something like a Nexus 4 or a Samsung Galaxy S3 or 4

 

Depends if you're set on an iPhone. 

 

Best advice is go on Uswitch. You can enter everything you want and it'll tell you where to get the best contracts.

[Morpheus]

Many thanks nath and stevo for your advice. I've also seen people selling the iPhone 5 on Gumtree for £420.00 but factoring in what you get on contract is it better to go on contract?

[Stevo985]

Depends.

 

If you're not worried about being tied down to the same contract for 24 months then a contract will probably work outbetter financially on an iPhone.

 

If you value the flexibility that a non contract phone would give you, then buying one for that price and getting a giff gaff sim may be your best shout.

That way would work out cheaper for some phones but, without doing the maths, I don't think it would with an iPhone because they're more expensive outright.

[CVByrne]

You should only be considering 3 phones.

Galaxy S4, HTC One or iPhone 5

All 4 would be plenty good for 2 years if you want to go with a Vodafone contract.

You will find most on here are not fans of these contracts. My suggestion would be to get an S4 or One with Three as they will not charge extra when they turn on their 4G network later this year and both those phones are 4G ready so you can benefit straight away when the upgrade happens.

Both phones are brand new and came out this month. You can't go wrong with either.

I wouldn't even consider a BlackBerry, and the iPhone 5 is not a good choice either given the 4G network situation.

Go have a look at the HTC One its of the highest quality build. Every inch as premium design as an iPhone 5.

The final option and the one I and others here prefer is to buy the phone outright and then walk into a phone store and shop around for a monthly contract. Three do an exceptional one for £13 a month. Separate the phone cost from the monthly bill.

[CVByrne]

Given you are coming from an Android phone, your HTC I'd suggest not getting an iPhone. It is not worth the bother of going back to a bad os and having all the migration troubles.

I think you should go in and look at the HTC One in a store and you will be smitten. From what you've said and given you owned a HTC this is the best phone for you.

Decide yourself if you want to buy phone outright and get cheaper monthly bill or go the 24 month contract route.

I'd advise giving 3 serious consideration given the 4G network free upgrade at no extra charge.

[CVByrne]

Also £33 per month works out at £480 over the 2 years for the phone as opposed to paying up front and getting a £13 monthly contract.

My advice, buy the phone outright and get monthly rolling contract and you will always be flexible. No lock in.

[Stevo985]

Also £33 per month works out at £480 over the 2 years for the phone as opposed to paying up front and getting a £13 monthly contract.

My advice, buy the phone outright and get monthly rolling contract and you will always be flexible. No lock in.

Again, depends on the phone.

 

£13 a month for the same period is £312 already. So unless his phone is under £200 (which is possible, but if we're talking iPhone 5 or GS4 it won't be) it won't work out cheaper.

 

It's the flexibility that is valuable in Giff Gaff. It rarely works out MUCH cheaper.

[Genie]

THIS is a cracking thread for anyone considering a sim only deal. The Op updates it every few days with the best deals across the entire market. He also factors in cashback from sites like Quidco too.

If you don't mind Three Network This is a good deal on an Iphone 5. 500 min 5000 texts unlimited data @carphone warehouse £99 upfront £25 monthly 24 months = £699.00

Saw a cracking deal on the S3 the other day for just £20 per month for Free Phone, 300mins / 5000txt / UNLIMITED DATA on 3 Network but not sure if still available. - EDIT: Looks like it is (if you hit the GET DEAL button)

Edited May 1, 2013 by Tamuff_Villa

[CVByrne]

Stevo

£33 for 24 months is £792

£13 for 24 months is £312

The difference is £480 which is the guts of a phone. HTC One is £500 and you get no lock in.

This is why not getting locked into a contract is preferable.

[Stevo985]

Stevo

£33 for 24 months is £792

£13 for 24 months is £312

The difference is £480 which is the guts of a phone. HTC One is £500 and you get no lock in.

This is why not getting locked into a contract is preferable.

I'm not sure what i was calculating above! haha, my maths was random.

 

But anyway, my point stands.

 

The preference is not getting locked in.

We've had this debate before (not you and I, but me with someone else, in this thread I think)

 

I'm not denying the giff gaff direction is cheaper. it is.

 

But people on here often say it's significantly cheaper. Which it often isn't, depending on the phone.

Especially when you consider you have to spread the cost of the phone out over 24 months to make it cheaper, in which case a contract isn't all that different.

 

When I got my S3, for example, it was actually more expensive to go with Giff Gaff

Edited May 1, 2013 by Stevo985

[Genie]

With the 3rd deal I posted above, 24 x £20 = £480. 24 x £12 (giff gaff) = £288, so you're getting an S3 for just £192 and getting the conveience of speading the cost.

[limpid]

All of the calculations above are based on 24 months. Now work out how much you save if you only keep your phone for 12 months.

[Ghost]

Does anyone have any experience with the Sony Xperia Z?

[zak]

Because nobody is buying them anymore. Will developers make apps for a system with hardly any users?

 

 

I get people are buying them less but i would say the majority of "work phones" are still blackberry. I cant see my company changing over any time soon

[Stevo985]

All of the calculations above are based on 24 months. Now work out how much you save if you only keep your phone for 12 months.

But as I said, a lot of people will still have to spread the cost of the phone out over however long you have it. Not everyone can afford to buy a £400+ phone outright.

So over 12 months your monthly cost becomes more if you do that.

 

My point was that to keep the monthly cost down to below what a contract would be, a lot of people would have to spread the cost of that phone out over 2 years anyway

[Stevo985]

 

Because nobody is buying them anymore. Will developers make apps for a system with hardly any users?

 

 

I get people are buying them less but i would say the majority of "work phones" are still blackberry. I cant see my company changing over any time soon

 

They really should.

 

What benefit are companies getting by having Blackberrys these days? Apart from them potentially being cheaper due to existing contracts with the company?