The iPhone 4 comes in either black or white and a choice of two sizes: 16GB and 32GB. Both colours cost the same, although white isn't yet available, but storage costs more: you'll have to spend an extra £90-£100 for the 32GB version.
Often 16GB is fine, but if you're going to store a lot of photos or record videos then the 32GB model might be a better bet. Remember, you can't add more storage later - the only way to gain space is to delete things.
On a budget? The iPhone 3GS is still good value for money - on a contract, at least SIM-free from Apple, an 8GB 3GS costs just £80 ($126) less than the 16GB iPhone 4. On a contract, it's often free with a £35 per month tariff. It's fast, runs iOS 4 and while it doesn't have a Retina Display or HD camera, it still has a great screen, an autofocus camera and can record video.
Pay-as-you-go
While US customers have to sign up for a two-year AT&T plan, UK shoppers have a choice to make. We can sign up for a contract, or we can choose to buy our own iPhones and then opt to get a SIM-only plan or use a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) tariff.
The biggest issue for most Britons is likely to be coverage, since our 3G network isn't all it could be, There's not much point in getting a sweet deal if you have to climb a tree to get a signal, so make sure your chosen network offers decent coverage in places you plan to regularly use your iPhone.
Pay-as-you-go appears to be cheapest: once you've got your phone you only buy airtime when you need it. A PAYG iPhone 4 on Orange is £490 including £10 of airtime, and you're not committed to a regular monthly amount, However, you don't get much for your £10 - while you get a year's unlimited Wi-Fi access, the 20p-per-minute call charges will quickly deplete your talk time. If you're a big talker, pay-as-you-go isn't for you.
It's not for heavy data users either. Orange gives you 250MB per month and when we asked our readers to share their use figures, the monthly average was 719,7MB. That's skewed by 1% of people who use more than 1GB per month. Without them, the average is 221MB, but if you think you need more than 250MB, go elsewhere.
Vodafone's £40 plus tariffs include 5MB of dairy European roaming, which makes them worth considering if
you travel abroad on a regular basis.
you travel abroad on a regular basis.
From October, 02's Text & Web bundles will include unlimited Wi-Fi, and the data allowance is more generous at 500MB - although you don't get Visual Voicemail, which is for contract customers. Vodafone will also offer PAYG iPhones but prices and allowances were still to be confirmed at the time of writing. So far, Three seems stingiest its PAYG plans only give you 150MB of data and no Wi-Fi.
Tesco Mobile promises the cheapest iPhones at £479 for 16GB and £569 for 32GB, with Wi-Fi and 1GB of monthly data. That's $692 or $822 in US dollars, if you can get a friend in the UK to buy you one.
SIM-only plans
SIM-only plans offer the affordability of PAYG with the bundled minutes of traditional contracts. For £15 per month, Three gives you 300 minutes, 3,000 texts, 2,000 Three-to-Three minutes and 1GB of data. Its year-long, £25 per month contract gives you a whopping 2,000 minutes, 5,000 texts and 5,000 Three-to-Three minutes.
Despite bad publicity. 02's 500MB monthly data allowance is adequate for 81% of iPhone users.
On the £15 per month plan, an Apple-sourced iPhone 4 is £499 (£599 for 32GB) and your contract is £360 over two years. That's a total of £859 (£959 for 32GB). The closest equivalent fixed-term contract - 500 minutes and 5,000 texts - is £30 per month and £99/£189 for the iPhone, which amounts to £819 or £909.
02's Simplicity for iPhone plans are £15 per month for 12 months, or £20 for 30-day contract terms. You get 300 minutes, unlimited texts/Wi-Fi and 500MB of data. Over two years, a 16GB iPhone 4 plus the £15 tariff will set you back £859. The equivalent fixed-length contract is £30 per month and £179 for the iPhone, giving a two-year cost of £899.
iPhone 4 cases until at least 30 September, and there are plenty of third-party options and screen protectors to choose from. They won't stop you dropping your iPhone in the sea or losing it, though.
Networks charge £12 to £15 per month to insure your iPhone, which works out as £144 to £180 per year. Apple's own Apple Care plan is just £60, so should you get that instead? The short answer is
price as Three and offers Wi-Fi and Visual Voice mail, which Three's plan doesn't. You need to be a heavy data user to break its 500MB limit, and the bundled Wi-Fi is worth having.
Orange has Magic Numbers and Orange Wednesdays to entice you.
There's another reason to consider going SIM-only: when the fifth iPhone is unveiled next year, anyone with an iPhone 4 contract will still have six months or a year of their contract left. On a SIM-only plan, you probably won't, but check the exact length of whatever deal you sign up to.
Contracts
Contracts are easy in the US. There's one provider, AT&T, and three plans that cost $40, $60 or $70 per month, but these don't include data - that's an additional $15, $25 or $45 a month. It's more complicated in the UK. There are eleven price bands ranging from £20 to £75 per month - on a variety of 12-, 18- and 24-month deals. It's important to note that the prices quoted for each network only apply when you don't exceed the number of minutes your plan provides. It's cheaper to buy a more generous plan than to pay out-of-bundle charges, so keep an eye on how many minutes and texts you've been using. If you've got an old iPhone, check your data usage in Settings > General > Usage.
Each network has its own strengths. Tesco offers 12-month contracts, while all 02 plans have unlimited texts/Wi-Fi and Visual Voicemail. All of Vodafone's give you 1GB of Wi-Fi and 1GB mobile data, with 5MB of daily European data roaming on plans over £40. Orange has Magic Numbers -unlimited calls to a few nominated Orange numbers - and Orange Wednesdays cinema deals. Three offers loads of minutes.
If you want the cheapest or shortest possible contract, go to Tesco. Just £20 per month gives you 250 minutes, unlimited texts, 1GB of data and a year's unlimited Wi-Fi. You'll pay £349/£429 for the phone, which works out as £589/£669 over a year.
For longer contracts, the best deals depend on how much you want to pay. For £25 a month, 02 has the most generous package with 100 minutes, unlimited texts/Wi-Fi and 500MB of data; phones are £279/£323, so the two-year cost is £879/£923.
Tesco offers the cheapest and shortest contracts,
but you do miss out on tethering and other small extras.
02 offers 100 minutes, unlimited texts/Wi-Fi and 500MB of data for £30 per month over 18 months: a total of £749/£839 including the iPhone. If you're willing to sign up for two years. Three has an even better deal you can take advantage of: £30 for 500 minutes (and 5,000 Three-to-Three minutes), 5,000 texts and 1GB of data, with the iPhones costing £99/£189. That's £819/£909, compared to £889/£989 (Orange, Vodafone) and £899/£999 (02) - none of which are as generous with how many minutes you get. But unlike other operators. Three doesn't give you Wi-Fi.
The sweet spot is £35 per month. Here, you get decent bundles - 600 minutes and unlimited texts on two-year deals - and cheaper phones. The iPhone 3GS is free at this price point on some networks and the iPhone 4 is £119 (16GB) or £209 to £219 (32GB), but total costs crack £1,000: a 32GB iPhone 4 on 02 has a two-year bill of £1,049. Three is cheaper, charging £99 for a 16GB and £189 for a 32GB iPhone, but you don't get Wi-Fi.
Get cash back
We've left the best news till last: you can get a big stack of cash back by recycling your old iPhone or iPod. Mopay.co.uk is currently offering up to £60 ($95) for an iPod touch. Pop your iPhone model into mobile recyding. techradar.com and you might be pleasantly surprised. At the time of writing, an iPhone 3G is worth around £160 ($250). Even broken iPhones can be worth money: we've just got £120 ($190) for a 3G with a smashed corner. That's enough for a 16GB iPhone on a typical £35 per month contract, •
Apple will be giving away free iPhone 4 cases until at least 30 September, and there are plenty of third-party options and screen protectors to choose from. They won't stop you dropping your iPhone in the sea or losing it, though.
Networks charge £12 to £15 per month to insure your iPhone, which works out as £144 to £180 per year. Apple's own Apple-Care plan is just £60, so should you get that instead? The short answer is no, because it's an extended warranty, not insurance: it doesn't cover you for loss or theft. However, your home insurance may well cover you for loss or damage, and many fee-charging bank accounts also include phone insurance, so it's a good idea to check whether you're already covered before shelling out.
AppleCare is an extended warranty, not insurance: it doesn't cover you for theft or accidental damage.
iPHONE EXTRAS / Understand the jargon
There are some crucial differences between networks. For example, Visual Voicemail enables you to manage voicemail messages via a handy interface, but it's only available to 02's contract customers.
Each operator's definition of "unlimited" is different too. To Orange, "unlimited Wi-Fi" means you get 7S0MB of Wi-Fi data usage per month. To 02, Unlimited Wi-Fi is "within reason". Vodaf one and Three avoid the term on their monthly plans, preferring to tell you exactly how much data you can use each month.
Finally, there's tethering, or using your iPhone as a modem. With Three, this is included in your standard data allowance, but the company recommends you buy a 3GB add-on for £15. On Vodafone, it's £5 for 500MB. Need more? Access Packs offer 1.5GB and 3GB for £10 and £15 per month respectively. Meanwhile, Orange's tethering bundles range from £5 for 500MB to £25 for 10GB and Tesco doesn't offer tethering.
If you want Visual Voicemailyou'll need an
02 Pay Monthly contract, even though
Tesco uses 02's network.
If you want Visual Voicemail, youll need an 02 Pay Monthly contract, even though Tesco uses 02's network.
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