Sim Only or All in?

cebrooker

Hello fine people.

I bought an iPhone 4S when they came out and it has got to the stage where the battery is about exhausted...dying at teatime.

My solution is that I am going to upgrade early to a Samsung 4S for a number of reasons:
1, replaceable battery,
2, expandable memory,
3, Apple goods were worth the premium but now they REALLY aren't.
4, having to pay £66.12 for a replacement battery with Apple seems like they are being overly greedy (The S4 batteries are £35 and you can carry a spare with you).

I am going with Three again because they have been brilliant to me and I like their all you can eat data package. Here comes my problem...

I hate having a 2 year contract so I have looked into the options of doing something different. I found this...


SIM ONLY
Contract Length:
12 months
Inclusive UK voice minutes:
600 mins
Inclusive UK text messages:
5000 texts
Internet Allowance:
All-you-can-eat data

for £15.90/Month plus the cost of the S4 (Approx £500)


My other option would be to remain with 'The One Plan', accept the two year contract and lack of freedom. This also costs about £30 more over the 2 years.

Are there any downsides other than having to shell out £500 on the phone with going for my first option?

I would love to hear your opinions.
Thanks,
Charles

malcumms7898

I don't think so. I have not used one of these but as far as I can tell they are far more beneficial as you can cancel out of them at any point after the first month (although you say 12 month contract so not sure if this is a bit different). If you can afford to spend the £500 on the phone then I would say it would be a good idea, it would reduce your monthly expenditure and allow you to change to a new phone whenever you want. And these sorts of contracts provide you with much more in terms of minutes and texts than you would get with a normal contract.

Cycrow

if its a 12 month contract you cant cancel them at any point, you're thinking of the 30day rolling contracts.

12 months are fixed for 12 months but usually offer better value.

with the 24month contracts, alot of the cost of them goes into the phone costs and saves you having to pay a large upfront fee for them.

But if you have the money to buy a phone outright then wont be stuck for 24months.
And if the 12 month sim only and 24month contract are the same tarrif, it wont be any difference in service

grumbler

cebrooker wrote: »

...
I bought an iPhone 4S when they came out and it has got to the stage where the battery is about exhausted...dying at teatime.

My solution is that I am going to upgrade early...

Is this just an excuse for an early upgrading?
AFAIK replacing a battery is a DIY job and kits costs just £5-£10 on ebay.

cebrooker

thanks for the suggestions and comments. I am caught in two minds about going for an early upgrade. The iPhone 5S/6 will probably be a massive letdown so I might as well move to sync with the Samsung product cycles, the only thing is the S4 Active is due to come out so might see the reviews of that!

Are there any of the cheapo battery brands that have a good reputation? Don't want a leaker! I wonder if Apple will start soldering the batteries in like they have done with the RAM in Macbook Pros' so you are forced to have things done through Apple - sharp practice. A company who have always had a reputation for being different have just become as cynical, moneygrabbing and unpleasant as all the others. The Apple is starting to rot.