We're aware that some users are experiencing technical issues which the team are working to resolve. See the Community Noticeboard for more info. Thank you for your patience.
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!

Buying mobile up front and sim only deals

Options
2»

Comments

  • jimjames
    jimjames Posts: 18,657 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    WSB said:
    Quick one.  Is it worth buying a phone that is 5G?
    If you want to keep it long term then definitely. If you use it abroad even more so. Other countries have much more 5G coverage than the UK but even here there will be 5G you'd miss out on if you only have 4G available.
    Remember the saying: if it looks too good to be true it almost certainly is.
  • WSB
    WSB Posts: 171 Forumite
    Seventh Anniversary 100 Posts
    WSB said:
    Quick one.  Is it worth buying a phone that is 5G?

    Why not? While the UK is only installing 5G at a snail pace and EE (maybe others) appear to be bolting 5G radio kit onto 4G backbone, which gives no latency or speed advantage, technology moves on.

    Regarding which phone and where to buy, John Lewis is generally a good place as they are often cheaper and offer a 2 year guarantee on mobile phones.
    Ok great, thanks for the advice.
    I'm considering buying an Samsung Galaxy A16. In Tesco store this is £174 bought outright but on Amazon (new) I can get it for just over £100.  Just a bit concerned this Amazon deal could be a bit too good to be true?

    Also, as I tend to keep my phone for years, having one that will eventually be able to use 5G would be handy.
    Have seen that some A16s for sale are labelled 5G and some not? Not sure whether this is an omission or not though.
    Essentially, is there only one model of A16 (colours aside) or are there 4G and 5G variants?
    Many thanks in advance.
  • Frozen_up_north
    Frozen_up_north Posts: 2,797 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    If you check John Lewis, the A16 5G version is £169 and the 4G version is £139

    Don't forget these include a 2 year warranty and are free delivery.

    On Amazon they are £169 with a £16.01 discount added at checkout. They appear to include a 3 year warranty, not sure how that works. Note that is from Amazon themselves, not a backstreet dealer selling through Amazon (which is cheaper but buyer beware).
  • flaneurs_lobster
    flaneurs_lobster Posts: 6,516 Forumite
    Sixth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    There is an A16 and an A16 5G variant. Difference? 5G and about £30.

    Just take care when buying from Amazon, not unknown for "grey" imports to be sold there. Often there is no issue with a phone intended for a European country other than UK  but there can be problems with warranties when the seller is not actually Amazon. The listings can be less than clear and occasionally just wrong. Check the product code (SM-....) not just the model number.
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 350.9K Banking & Borrowing
  • 253.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 453.6K Spending & Discounts
  • 244K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 598.8K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 176.9K Life & Family
  • 257.2K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
  • 37.6K Read-Only Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.