Reply With QuoteSamsung s23, pixel 8 or iPhone 15 should last you a few years. All very capable
Normally I'd say buy the phone and contact separately but there are some deals for the pixel at least that are cheaper when going contract.
I need a new phone. I've had my current Samsung for 5 years and the battery life is now abysmal. I'm on a monthly contract with Three.
I change phones and contract so rarely that I'm not sure how/where to start my research.
Never had an iphone before but I'd be happy to switch from Android if that's a better way to go.
Any advice appreciated please!
Samsung s23, pixel 8 or iPhone 15 should last you a few years. All very capable
Normally I'd say buy the phone and contact separately but there are some deals for the pixel at least that are cheaper when going contract.
As acg said check the price of the whole contract term vs buying the phone outright and a cheap sim only package. I am on voxi with 45gb data, unlimited calls and text for £10 a month - you can probably get more for less if you shop. For me it worked out cheaper this way than a contract. If you are comfortable with Android then Pixel 8 would be my pick (but saying that I switched from a Pixel 6 Pro to an iPhone 15 Pro Max a few weeks ago and can't complain).
Great, thanks this is really helpful!
I've just read a review of the Google Pixel 8 Pro and it sounds fantastic.
Looking at Money Saving Expert and iD Mobile on the 3 network seems to be top of the list.
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Thanks, do you know where I can find those deals please?Originally Posted by acg
I usually find the best deals going through uSwitch.
Small consideration but if you travel to Europe frequently, O2 are the only big provider that don't charge for European roaming still.
Don’t forget the line provider will slap you with RPI+4% each year in April- that’s probably worth about a couple of hundred pound over a 2 year contract depending on when you take out the contract. I buy the phone on 0% and have a SIM only contract so only the £25 a month is subject to the price hike, otherwise the line provider is increasing the cost of the phone each year.
I’ll be following this thread with interest, particularly the USPs of the SIM providers.
SMARTY - EU roaming?
VOXI - Video, music, social media data use?
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Have a look at Lebara too, they piggyback Vodafone. We use them, my contract is only £4.50/month but I don’t use much data. Obviously bigger data packages available, my wife has 20GB for £9. Just check you get signal at home with maybe a free Vodafone SIM card. I don’t think I’d entertain buying a SIM deal from any of the main networks anymore, just look for a cheaper piggyback network.
Free Europe roaming too and many minutes to call abroad from the UK
https://www.lebara.co.uk/en/home.html
Last edited by oiljam; 5th November 2023 at 11:35.
I'm in Sky mobile (o2) for £7 month, unlimited calls/texts, 3gb data. I like that any unused data goes into a piggy bank which you can draw on.
The trade in value of my old SAMSUNG Galaxy S8 is only £13!
Seems like there a some good deals to be found but the choice is overwhelming.
You should also check the coverage in the area where you pass most of your time
I am looking at Lyca as a service provider for my sim free phone. If anyone gas experience of the service, I would appreciate a heads up.
Argos had the 256gb Samsung A34 with £100 off, so I went for that one. It's a good spec, with a 1080 screen.
The Plusnet sim only £6 per month service will shut down just before Christmas. As a low user, the £4/month Lyca deal is the best one for me at the moment.
The only worry is that the company house register has flagged up an ongoing investigation pending for the UK branch of the company.
Here's the list mobile virtual network providers. So you can easily check which network the cheapy SIMs run on.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List...United_Kingdom
https://www.mobiles.co.uk/google-pix...r_cashback_asc
Sort by total cost. You can get it with contract for a total of 869 instead of 999 plus contract.
I'd assume a contract price rise in April of both years though
If you want a phone that you can replace the battery and upgrade parts then fairphone is worth a look.
Costs more in short term
Absolutely, my work phone changed from Vodafone to EE and coverage at home is so much better, to the point that the wife and kids are in the process of switching to EE too.
Cheers..
Jase
As said the first thing above anything is check coverage!
Recently swapped the missus from O2 6GB/£8 p.m. to a tasty Three unlimited deal for £18 p.m. but turned out the service is absolutely pathetic, as in like 0.5mbps v 300mbps at certain places she needs it. Changed back pronto.
You need to check each provider's own coverage maps as the online "check all" ones are not correct.
Don't forget the cashback websites as often deals via them for same contract but a nice little chunk back inc Lebara Talkback etc etc. even for SIM only deals. Topcashback / QuidCo
it's probably no longer the case but a few years ago I looked at GiffGaff as it was significantly cheaper than my Vodafone contract. However, GiffGaff didn't at that time support 5G or WiFi calling and both were important to me. Just check that these piggy backing providers support ALL the services you need and this can be/was difficult to determine from just looking at the deals on the websites.
Lyca are a fairly dodgy company - their senior leadership team in France has just been convicted for a complex money laundering fraud. I have one in my laptop for data but I would not transfer in any phone numbers I would want to keep.
To add to that, don't forget that the price increase applies to the full (ie undiscounted) monthly amount, ie my SIM only contract is around £45PCM but is discounted to £25 as I have 3 contracts, have been with them for a long time blah blah.
The RPI+4% increase applies to the full £45 PCM, not the £25PCM I am paying. On 3 heavily discounted contracts that soon starts to add up as a % of the bill you are actually paying.
The order I always do things when it comes to new phone time:
1: decide the phone I want
2: how much data do I need? (Almost all deals now include unlimited calls and texts so ignore that)
3: look at buying outright cost + best contract that fulfils what needs I have
4: look at best value equivalent contract for both the phone and plan (+annual usual increase over duration of contract)
5. Determine the cheapest then check the coverage of that network in my home and office (usually by asking colleagues and neighbours on that network for an IRL demo).
6. Go with the cheapest whose coverage works for me.
7. If I go with a contract for phone and plan combined I plan to get a sim only on the day the duration of the original deal expires.
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Thank you everyone for your really helpful replies.
I've ordered a Google Pixel 8 Pro 256GB.
Contract with ID mobile (using the 3 network, which I'm currently on) with unlimited data, minutes and texts.
£959 total cost over 2 years.
Planning to switch to sim-only once the contract is up.
Next question: recommend me a case!
I'm currently looking at either the OEM Google case or an Otterbox case.
Look at Mous, they’re excellent IME
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Always found Spigen cases to be good, normally a bit of choice depending on your needs (slim, armoured etc).
Carphone warehouse online are doing a deal on iPhone 14 with ID mobile for 29 quid a month 24 month deal.
Unlimited data, calls, texts.
Great deal.
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That's the problem, right there...
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
What’s the problem ?
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Personal experience (both personal and as a supplier) says a massive NO.
Then again maybe I am not the only one: https://www.trustpilot.com/review/ww...ewarehouse.com
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
I ordered my two on Friday and both arrived yesterday morning.
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With £40 cashback if go via TopCashBack too.
Don’t ‘buy’ a phone through a contract, you’ll usually pay more than you need.
Buy the phone and plan separately - places like Lebara offer really cheap deals you can cancel at anytime. Use USwitch, Moneysavingexpert etc to compare tariffs.
Samsung S23 or IPhone 14/15 and you can’t go wrong. I usually buy refurbished or second hand as it saves me hundreds, but buy new if you want piece of mind, maybe the prior year model if you want something good but not top whack pricing.
The majority of those reviews are about delivery issues, with people sounding desperate because they didn't receive a phone next day. Weird.
They have been one of the worst companies I have had to deal with. As always, it is not when things work as they should that raises questions, but when they don’t.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Just bought an Oppo X5 Pro for £599 from Laptops Direct via PayPal pay in 3, no interest. Coupled this with a MSE SIM only deal with Lebara for 12 GB at £6.90 on a rolling 30 day contract (plus will get a £40 gift card).
As mentioned, the yearly price hikes for a set % above inflation will otherwise bite you over a 24 month contract (compound increases).
Oppo have been great, have given my daughter my extremely capable Oppo X3 Neo.
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Agree with the general consensus to purchase phone separately and then look for the best contract.
I have a 50GB unlimited texts and minutes with O2 for £8 a month.
Slightly OT (and apologies to the OP) I’ve been thinking of signing up to the Apple Upgrade Programme to source the phone part
https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/iphone...pgrade-program
Seems like a no brainier for someone like me who’s wedded to IPhones. Zero interest and you get Apple Care thrown in. Does anyone else do this?
As usual, I suggest it’s worth a read of MSE:
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/mobiles/
Music Magpie seems to get decent reviews for pre-owned phones.
Just did a tiny bit of maths and if you HAVE to get an upgrade every year isn't it cheaper to buy outright and then trade in in a year's time?
Do the upgrade programme and the cost of the 15 with 256GB before getting the (16?) next year is £47.95 x 12 (you're eligible for an upgrade after 11 payments but assuming you buy on release day you have to wait 12 months for the next phone to be released) = £575.40
If you have a good condition 14 256GB to trade in you get £430 trade in price. Cost of 15 256GB is £899. £899-£430 = £469 over the year. If you want the Apple Care it's an extra £129 which would make it more expensive but assuming you don't need to actually use that every year you'd easily save enough to cover the odd repair cost.
I've had 6 iPhones and had to have two repairs over that time. One was covered by the official warranty. The other was the only time I ever smashed the screen and it was £135 to have an unofficial but high-quality replacement fitted. By not having Apple Care over the years I'm still well up financially.
Nowadays I buy the phone outright and then get a separate SIM contract. Higher entry cost but cheaper over the lifetime of the phone!
Currently using an iPhone 15 Pro with a Sim from Smarty (Three). I pay about £10/mth for unlimited calls and Texts with 60Gb Data. They also give free roaming with up to 20GB data which works for me.
Moved all my families phones as well as they give you discounts on each plan for having a ‘group’
Interesting. Thank you. Didn’t look at it like that. Actually I normally upgrade after 2 years and currently on a 13 and now looking at a 15 Pro but trying to avoid the big outlay. Think I’d be better off chopping in the 13 with Apple and doing the balance interest free over 24 months which I think is £999-£390 = £609/24 = £25.38. I agree the Apple Care is probably not worth it especially as I have phone insurance with my bank.
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