Phone cost over cycle

rick_chasey

Quick question. I need a new phone. Don't need any advice on what to buy, but off the top of anyone's head:

Are phones you buy outright and then purchase a sim-only contract usually cheaper over the entire 24 month cycle or are the contracts usually cheaper overall?

surrey_commuter

A bit of depends on the phone and deals available but as a rule sim only is cheaper especially if you go longer than 24 months

rick_chasey

The bastards are making me work it out for each contract and i cba.

pblakeney

What SC said. I keep phones for about 5 years since 2016 as there's not really much difference these days.

oxoman

We used to get our new phones on contract but stopped a couple of years ago. Most contracts are now over 3yrs and not 2. Unless you want the very latest Iphone or Samsung 5G phone its easier to shop around and buy outright. I currently pay a tenner for 10GB data with free minutes and unlimited txts, cheaper available if you look around. I tend to go for the previous generation model to the one coming in or even below that as there the cheapest and just as good.

rafletcher

If it weren't more profitable contract phones woudn't be so heavily promoted against sim only deals. Olus there's the "bait and switch" annual upgrade.

Buy a decent 5G phone, get a sim only deal.

surrey_commuter

rick_chasey said:

The bastards are making me work it out for each contract and i cba.

Go on Vodafone it makes life very simple

The sim only content will be the same as all in contracts and you can see the price of the phone

If you are finding it too complicated you are doing something wrong

daniel_b

I've always found sim only deals significantly cheaper - even when a headline figure jumps out, I add up the cost, and on a 24 month contract, it's more expensive than just buying the handset in half the time.

I tend to keep my phones for 3-4 years.

rick_chasey

OK helpful - and anyone have a view on the weird networks like ID, etc?

Ben6899

rick_chasey said:

The bastards are making me work it out for each contract and i cba.

Excel.

surrey_commuter

The likes of Carphone Warehouse are seeing their business model collapse as the crushed avocado brigade have figured out that being defined by your mobile phone is more fascile than wearing glasses with no lenses

ddraver

rick_chasey said:

OK helpful - and anyone have a view on the weird networks like ID, etc?

giff gaff is super cheap for data and I've had no more issues with questionable cornish coverage than Vodaphone or o2.

Check out the 'budget' phones around 3 or 400 squids too (Pixel 4a my fave) as they're more than enough for speaking, texting or twitter browsing sort of use.

wilberforce

ddraver said:

giff gaff is super cheap for data and I've had no more issues with questionable cornish coverage than Vodaphone or o2.

giff gaff is owned by and uses same network as O2

I think Tesco also still uses the O2 network (or at least it used to)

oxoman

The obscur networks tend to piggyback off the mainstream providers. A quick search on Google will tell you who. Around my area its O2 or EE as Vodafone is pants. Check your area coverage.

elbowloh

ddraver said:

rick_chasey said:

OK helpful - and anyone have a view on the weird networks like ID, etc?

giff gaff is super cheap for data and I've had no more issues with questionable cornish coverage than Vodaphone or o2.

Check out the 'budget' phones around 3 or 400 squids too (Pixel 4a my fave) as they're more than enough for speaking, texting or twitter browsing sort of use.

That's because Giff Gaff uses the o2 network, it doesn't have its own.

rick_chasey

elbowloh said:

ddraver said:

rick_chasey said:

OK helpful - and anyone have a view on the weird networks like ID, etc?

giff gaff is super cheap for data and I've had no more issues with questionable cornish coverage than Vodaphone or o2.

Check out the 'budget' phones around 3 or 400 squids too (Pixel 4a my fave) as they're more than enough for speaking, texting or twitter browsing sort of use.

That's because Giff Gaff uses the o2 network, it doesn't have its own.

Yeah I don't understand the model - why pay the premium for o2 when it's the same antennae?

wilberforce

Giff Gaff is just the low cost option - all service and communication is on line, push is for sim-only so no need for handset logistics and repair, no shop presence etc.
Great option if all you want is the connectivity.

thistle_

rick_chasey said:

OK helpful - and anyone have a view on the weird networks like ID, etc?

I'm with ID, but I'd already bought the phone and got a PAYG sim card off them.
Calls etc. have cost me £165 over the last 4 years (half of that was in 2019 for some reason) but I'm a light user.

I think ID piggyback on the 3 network and coverage has been fine around here. Much better than O2 was.
No idea how good support etc. is because I've never needed to use them.

orraloon

I did use giffgaff. 'Kin useless when started getting fraudulent 'premium rate' texts at £4.50 per, even though account settings forbade such. Company unable to stop fraudsters filching money. Customer service level = zero unless one counts online chatter.

Xxxxed off to a PAYG deal with O2, ironically. Currently using a Galaxy S7 from my daughter's pile of cast offs post upgrades. Works fine for me, think I've spent a mahoosive £15 this past year 😎

darkhairedlord

Family are with smarty. £7 gets unlimited everything plusx2GB of data. If you don't use all the data you get money back prorata at £1 per GB. If you run outcits £1 per GB on top. No contract. We also get a family discount on top. For a new phone the xiaomi mi 10 lite is 5G with acceptable bells and whistles for about £180. Look as good as phone costing a grand.

elbowloh

darkhairedlord said:

Family are with smarty. £7 gets unlimited everything plusx2GB of data. If you don't use all the data you get money back prorata at £1 per GB. If you run outcits £1 per GB on top. No contract. We also get a family discount on top. For a new phone the xiaomi mi 10 lite is 5G with acceptable bells and whistles for about £180. Look as good as phone costing a grand.

Plus you get some sweet treats

Pross

It's going to depend massively on the phone choice surely? The iPhone 12 64mb is £800 and I just looked at contracts which started at £56 per month (unlimited calls, texts and data) with £30 up front. So you're paying £1374 over 24 months. Therefore if you can get all your needs from Giff Gaff or similar for £23 you're winning.

N0bodyOfTheGoat

When you can get a Three unlimited calls/text/data SIM for ~£16pcm and get ~£55+ Topcashback, making it effectively under £12pcm, buying the mobile SIM free has to be the cheapest option...

If Three reception/speeds are acceptable in your normal area.

super_davo

Never going back to a pay monthly phone deal, it will always be sim only plus phone for me from now on.

I'm on on ID, 2gb data, unlimited minutes and text at £5 a month. Whilst that is fairly low data in the scheme of things, it is fine for my needs. However I could spend a tenner and get 30gb (as long as you have Wifi at home, that would effectively be unlimited). On any sort of phone bundled deal, to go from basic "I can manage" to "I couldn't possibly use it" ramps costs up way more than £5. So my ID contract would save you over £230 in the iPhone example above - and there may be others that fit your needs better. Think of the phone contract as an outrageously high APR finance deal and you wouldn't be far from the truth.

As long as you can afford the phone outright - and there really is no excuse not to be able to with Xiaomi, Samsung A series, Oppo, Realme etc. all doing "all the phone you really need" for under £250 - it will always make sense to go SIM only.

piker2

rick_chasey said:

OK helpful - and anyone have a view on the weird networks like ID, etc?

I am on ID. No problems with coverage at all. Unlimited calls and texts 10mb data for £6 a month. I have been on it for about 2 years now.

If you need anew phone and have some Tesco clubcard vouchers Tesco is the place to go. Vouchers are worth 3x face value there.

First.Aspect

Well we could all "cope" with a Nokia 6310, if this thread is a "who has the most frugal phone package" competition.

Mobile providers make most money from out of contract phones, where people stay on the same deal.

Unless risk a hypothetical signal from Three, there is not a lot in it with the likes of EE or Vodafone during the contract. Providing, that is, you go sim only for the 30 days or so between your conract ending and finding mysterious upgrade inducing battery drain on you handset.

rick_chasey

Ok thanks guys.

Bought a 'perfect' condition refurbed phone. Worked out around £150 cheaper over 24 months for the cheaper contracts (weird networks) and around £250 over the long term contracts, plus the flexibity to chop and change whatever data contract I am on so I can save more in theory.

daniel_b

I had been with Voda for years, partly as I used to work for them.

Finally made the change last week - transferred my mobile across to three on Friday, went nice and smoothly, and my partners mobile is due to transfer today.

£30 cashback for each 24 month through TCB, and only £8 a month for 12GB - they did offer me 30GB for £11 a month, but we simply don't use the data, especially currently.

With regards to unfashionable but decent handsets, I've had success with Huaweaeiieieie - both with their Honor 7, and more recently the Honor 10.
IIRC the 7 was £200, and the 10 was £280 (From Argos of all places!)

With the Honor 7 the battery ended up draining really quickly, at 3 years of age.
I subscribed to a new charging method with this one, re an article I read.

It said never to use it whilst on charge, and never to leave it charging overnight, and also never to let it drop down to 0%.
It suggested charging as soon as it dropped to 40%, and only charging up to around 90%.

So far so good, battery life seems just as good as when it was new, and with the fast charger you can pop 50% in to it in less than an hour.
The phone is 27 months old, so will be interested to see if it lasts beyond 3 years.
That's my only complaint with the modern phones, the bloomin soldered & bonded in battery\sealed case. I know you can change them if you're really keen & have a heat gun.

My old Samsung galaxy S2 I was simply able to buy a new battery for not very much to double it's life span.

Pross

I suppose the other thing to possibly consider again now is roaming costs if you are likely to travel quite a bit (present circumstances excepted).

rick_chasey

Pross said:

I suppose the other thing to possibly consider again now is roaming costs if you are likely to travel quite a bit (present circumstances excepted).

Have seen some sim only offers that won't charge EU roaming, and worst case I will just use my work phone...

kingstongraham

I know giffgaff don't charge EU roaming, and I've just gone across to Virgin, they don't charge for EU roaming either, for data, calls or texts. Might change though.

Calls to the EU from giffgaff are ridiculously cheap - 2p a minute to Netherlands land lines, 5p for Netherlands mobiles. Virgin charge 19p a minute for the same thing.

Calling to the USA from giffgaff is 2p a minute, Virgin charge £1.20 a minute.