The iPhone price without plan in UK is definitely useful to know, in case you are thinking of getting the fruity iPhone at the best possible price, and without being tied down upfront to any specific plans of any major carrier. So this basically means that you are looking for the best deal possible for buying an unlocked iPhone in the UK. Let us first cover some basics of why you would want to buy an unlocked iPhone at a price without any plan.
The unlocked iPhone, hence its name, is not ‘locked’ or tied to any plans or contracts of the major carriers in the UK. This means that the iPhone comes completely SIM-free, so you are free to get any prepaid or postpaid micro-SIM card from any GSM carrier worldwide that supports it. This arrangement is ideal if you are travelling in and out of country frequently, which makes it wasteful to be tied to a fixed carrier’s contract. Also, if you plan to give the lovely iPhone as a gift (particularly over this holiday season), then it’s usually better to allow the receiver to choose their own plan or contract, unless you already know their preferences upfront.
So now that you know why you would want to buy the iPhone at a price without plan in UK, we have found that the best place to purchase these unlocked iPhones is actually directly online on the Apple Store itself, or in the Apple Retail Stores. If you’re on a tight budget, the cheapest option is the unlocked iPhone 3GS 8GB Black at £319. Being the oldest model that’s still going strong for over 2 years now and compatible with Apple’s latest iOS 5, this is the best budget option available. Step it up a little to £429, and you can afford the unlocked iPhone 4 8GB, available in both black and white color options. But if you are able to spend a little more, then the latest unlocked iPhone 4S can be yours at £499 for the 16GB model, £599 for the 32GB, and finally £699 for the largest 64GB capacity.
Now that we have covered the iPhone price without plan in UK, we shall now cover the alternatives available under the major carriers of UK for comparison, to give you a more complete picture of the various prices, options, and packages available before making your buying decision. To cover a little background on the carriers in UK, O2 was the first one to exclusively market the iPhone back in 2007. Only 2 years later, Orange joined the fray in 2009, followed by Vodafone in 2010. Today, we now have the full range of 6 carriers in total, adding on T-Mobile, 3 Mobile and MVNO Tesco Mobile.
Generally speaking, the iPhone is available at a cheaper price or even at no additional cost upfront if you are buying it under a carrier’s plan. This is because the carrier typically charges you a monthly fee that ties you down for 12 or 24 months. Let us now compare the iPhone 4S plans under the various carriers.
Under 3 Mobile, you can get the iPhone 4S 16GB at the cheapest plan of £30/month for 24 months, with a £129 upfront cost. This provides you with 500MB of data. If you’re a heavy data user, the best choice would be The One Plan at £35/month, which comes with a £99 upfront cost and unlimited data. If you need maximum storage, go for the 64GB model then at £309 upfront for the £30/month plan, or at £279 upfront under the £35/month The One Plan.
Under Orange, you can get the iPhone 4S 16GB at £46/month for 24 months with 750MB data, with no additional upfront costs for the iPhone itself. For more data, the 1GB plan costs £51/month, while the 2GB goes at £61/month. If you need the 64GB model instead, just top up an additional upfront cost of £159.99 for the £46/month 750MB plan, £79.99 for the £51/month 1GB plan, and £29.99 for the £61/month 2GB plan.
T-Mobile offers the iPhone 4S 16GB for free by subscribing to a 24-month plan costing £45.96/month, while the 32GB model can be obtained for free under a £61.27/month plan, while the 64GB model requires an additional upfront cost of £29.99 under the same £61.27 monthly plan. There are options to select a lower monthly cost with a higher upfront phone cost as well. Under the cheapest £25.54/month plan, the iPhone 4S 16GB would cost you an additional £239.99, the 32GB at £359.99, and finally the 64GB at £449.99.
Moving on to Vodafone, there is a wide range of plans to choose from with the 24-month plans featuring lower monthly and upfront costs than the 18-month and 12-month plans. The cheapest 24-month plan goes at £26/month for a £259 cost of the iPhone 4S 16GB, £379 for the 32GB, and £469 for the 64GB. Under the most expensive £62/month plan, the 16GB model comes free, while the 32GB requires an additional £29, and £49 extra for the 64GB.
Finally under O2, the iPhone 4S 16GB can now be obtained with no upfront cost under their latest 12-month lease plan for £55/month featuring 500MB of data, while the 32GB model goes at £65/month. Previously, under their regular 12-month contract, you would have to pay £49.99 upfront and £62/month.
All in, the iPhone price without plan in UK has a more hefty upfront cost, with the iPhone 4S ranging from £499-£699. Compare this with the free upfront costs under many of the plans covered above, of which Vodafone costs £1488 (£62 x 24), T-Mobile at £1103.04 (£45.96 x 24), Orange at £1104 (£46 x 24), while 3 Mobile sports the lowest overall cost of £849 [(£30 x 24) + £129], though with an £129 upfront cost. Of course, these comparisons are based mainly on costs alone, as the ultimate choice all depends on your needs, based on your data usage patterns; to help you determine the best deal you can get whether you are purchasing an unlocked iPhone or under regular carrier plans.
