Cheapest iPhone discussion

Chamone_2

cliocarl wrote: »

Ive been pricing one up

Was thinking of doing the PAYG 16gb 3GS + SIMPLICITY £19.58/month for 12 months.

So Costing:

Iphone £440.40
Initial topup - £10
SIMPLICITY 12 * £19.58

Total = £685.36 for 12months

But heres what I saw as the benefits:

800mins + 800texts + unlimited internet/data
If want unlimited wifi bolt on add extra cost per month for that one which will allow the use of the cloud and BTopenzone.

only tied for 12months

the PAYG SIM once registered also comes with free data AND wifi - was thinking of using this in a dongle for my laptop? or selling to someone who wants data and wifi.

Obviously nice new iphone 3GS

What you think?

That's what I've just done. Managed to bargain 800 mins and 2000 texts per month (plus unlimited data usage) out of O2 for their 12 month (@ £19.58 per month) simplicity deal - because I'm already with them it was a straightforward tariff switch.

Have just ordered my iPhone via Apple (via Quidco). Should be a happy bunny with a new phone in a few days!

fish83

I just got a white re-conditioned 3gs FREE (normally £90), from o2 on the £45 a month 18 month contract. Reconditioned apparently are exactly as good as new, and if i have any issues i can cancel it within 14 days, and as per usual with apple you have 1 year warranty on all parts.

miss_cupcake_2

fish83 wrote: »

I just got a white re-conditioned 3gs FREE (normally £90), from o2 on the £45 a month 18 month contract. Reconditioned apparently are exactly as good as new, and if i have any issues i can cancel it within 14 days, and as per usual with apple you have 1 year warranty on all parts.

How did you go about getting this deal?

fish83

i called o2, and asked them for their prices as i had an upgrade, they told me they didn't have any iphones and couldn't tell me when they would have some. I said i wanted to leave my account because the only reason i was with o2 still was to get the iphone, they put me through to the disconnection department, who offered me a reconditioned phone which they had in stock and at a much lower price. perfect.

jimbow25

I am interested in getting an iPhone and I'm with O2 currently on a SIM only 30 day notice contract.

I would like to keep my number but I am interested in the £60 cashback from mobiles.co.uk. BUT I can only keep my number and use that site if I'm transferring from another network.

I am thinking of therefore porting my number to Pay as you go on another network (e.g. Asda Mobile / Vodafone) and then porting it back to O2 in a couple of weeks as a new customer. Then I can get £60 cashback. Is there any reason this wouldn't work or isn't a good idea, if I'm keen on getting the £60? The way I see it it will partly pay for the more expensive model. How long would i have to stay with an operator before asking for the PAC number from them?

The only flaw I've noticed is I'm not 100% sure if I have any handsets that aren't locked to O2 which might make the interim week or two a pain.

jamtart6

Can't find an iPhone 16Gb 3GS cheaper than £440 anywhere bar eBay which I don't trust. I have the simplicity SIM already with free web, 800 mins and 1600 texts - just need the phone now - are there any cheaper alternatives for this model?

phycah

I am looking to get the new iphone 3gs and having read through this and other threads it seems to me that the cheapest way of getting the iphone is to pay up front for the PAYG 3gs then get the 12 month simplicity sim for it.

However, I see that the £100 cashback is no longer being offered for the simplicity sim only deal. Does anyone reckon they will run this cashback offer again anytime soon???

space_rider

I have the 8gb 3g with the updated software. There are a few things that the 3gs does that the 3g doesn`t. It`s about £100 cheaper.

jamtart6

space_rider wrote: »

I have the 8gb 3g with the updated software. There are a few things that the 3gs does that the 3g doesn`t. It`s about £100 cheaper.

Have you noticed any bad things about the 3g?

[Deleted User]

jamtart6 wrote: »

Have you noticed any bad things about the 3g?

Well, there are a lot of bad things about the iPhone... Everyone (really, everyone except me) at work has an iPhone, and the list of issues is quite long.

Battery life on the 3G is pretty poor. One guy has had his for 8 months and can barely make it though the day at work without charging it. Apparently Apple will replace the battery if it's that bad within the first year, so he is going to see them at the Apple Store, but after that it's £55 plus £7.50 postage to get it done.

The new 3.0 software update has caused a few issues too, like the tilt sensor being far too sensitive so the screen keeps rotating when you are trying to look at it or type on it.

The new 3GS has been having heat problems too. Some people find their phones get so hot it discolours the case and is too hot to hold. The 3GS does have a fingerprint and scratch resistant screen coating, but also has a poorer picture quality in general. The camera is much better though - the old 3G one absolute rubbish.

To get the most out of the iPhone you really have to jailbreak it. There are a lot of apps and things you can only do with a jailbroken phone.

Also, keep in mind that what they actually mean by "there's an app for that" is "it can do it, but only if you pay us more money". Factor that in to your budget planning.

Oh, and of course you have to install the bloated rubbish that is iTunes to set the phone up and copy data to it. If you jailbreak you can just about get away without iTunes. Here is a slightly outdated guide to undoing some of the damage if you do decide to install iTunes:

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=554



After saying all that, I still want one. I'm aware that once I own it Apple will try to screw as much out of me as they can, but I think as long as you accept that and are prepared to deal with it, it's still a nice phone.