Buying guide: Best phone deals of the week

Best phone deals of the week

It's an exciting week for phones as you can now buy or pre-order three of the biggest and best Android handsets of the year- the Samsung Galaxy S5, the HTC One (M8) and the Sony Xperia Z2, and better yet our reviews for all of them are in, so you can make an informed decision.

Our deals have two elements for each phone we're featuring: the first is one of the most popular of the week, with the most interest from consumers all over the UK.

The second is the total cost of ownership, where we work out how much the combined total of handset plus monthly cost will hit the wallet over the duration of the deal.

It may not be the best-endowed in terms of minutes or data, but for a lot of people the thought of owning an iPhone 5S and a contract for two years without spending more than £600 is a rather lovely one.

Samsung Galaxy S5

So, let's begin with the phone that's got the most tongues wagging, and this week people are jumping at a 16GB version of the Galaxy S5 on O2, which if bought through Mobiles.co.uk comes with unlimited minutes and texts and 5GB of 4G data.

This can all be yours for £33 per month with a one-off charge of £49. That's a 24 month contract which comes out at £841 in total.

While that's certainly a good deal, you can get the Galaxy S5 cheaper if you're prepared to pay more upfront.

Cheapest Samsung Galaxy S5 deal

The cheapest overall cost of ownership right now is available from Mobile Phones Direct, which gives you the handset on Orange with 250MB of data, 500 minutes and unlimited texts for just £11.99 per month on a 24 month contract.

The catch is that you've got to pay £399.99 upfront for the handset, but it still works out remarkably cheap at just £687.75 over the 24 months. Of course you'll also have to live with a lot less data and minutes than the previous deal.

HTC One (M8)

The most popular HTC One (M8) deal of the week is identical to the Galaxy S5 one. It's available on O2 with 5GB of 4G data, unlimited minutes and unlimited texts for a reasonable £33 per month, though that includes paying £49 upfront for the handset. As with the Galaxy S5 that totals £841 over 24 months.

Cheapest HTC One M8 deal

The cheapest overall deal for it this week is from Mobile Phones Direct, where you can get the handset on Orange with 250MB of data, 500 minutes and unlimited texts for a paltry £11.99 per month.

There's a steep upfront charge of £389.99, but that still only means a total cost of £677.75 over 24 months, which is £10 cheaper than the best Galaxy S5 deal at the moment.

Sony Xperia Z2

The most popular Sony Xperia Z2 deal this week involves buying it on O2 from Carphone Warehouse. It comes with unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and 5GB of 4G data for £33 per month.

So far so similar to the HTC One (M8) and Galaxy S5 deals, but there's a slight difference in that you have to pay £149 upfront for it.

But it's not actually any more expensive as you then get £100 cashback within 30 days of the contract starting, so once you factor that in it still only costs £841 over 24 months.

Cheapest Sony Xperia Z2 deal

The cheapest way to get the Sony Xperia Z2 right now is through Mobile Phones Direct, which offers the handset on Orange with 250MB of data, 500 minutes and unlimited texts, for £11.99 per month with a £364.99 upfront charge.

That comes out at £652.75 over 24 months, making it cheaper to own right now than the Galaxy S5 or HTC One (M8).

Apple iPhone 5S

Apple's flagship might be getting on a bit but it's still good enough to go toe-to-toe with the Android heavyweights.

It also carries a similarly high price tag, with the most popular deal this week coming courtesy of Mobiles.co.uk, which offers the phone for £33 per month with a £49 upfront cost, coming out at £841 in total.

For that you'll get the 16GB version of it on O2 with 5GB of 4G data, unlimited texts and unlimited minutes, the same deal in other words as the Galaxy S5 and HTC One (M8) are on.

Cheapest iPhone 5S deal

You can get the Apple iPhone 5S very cheap over the course of the contract, but only if you're prepared to buy a pre-owned handset.

Mobiles.co.uk is offering a refurbished 16GB version on a 24 month EE contract with 500MB of data, 500 minutes and unlimited texts for £13.99 per month, alongside a one-off charge of £244.99. In all it will set you back £580.75.

Apple iPhone 5C

The iPhone 5S's cheaper sibling is still a pretty slick handset in its own right and this week the most popular way to get it is through Tesco Phone Shop, which sells a 16GB version of the handset on T-Mobile with unlimited data, unlimited texts and 500 minutes for £27.99 per month.

That's with no upfront cost, so over 24 months it will cost you £671.76.

Cheapest iPhone 5C deal

The Apple iPhone 5C can be even cheaper if bought direct from EE. The network offers it in 8GB with 500MB of data, 500 minutes and unlimited texts for £13.99 per month, alongside an upfront fee of £229.99, coming out at £565.75 over the life of the contract.

Be warned that the 8GB version doesn't give a huge amount of room for apps and media, but if you're not going to be permanently downloading movies, taking a few pictures and playing larger games then you should find this to be OK.

SIM only

If you want to keep your old phone, or just buy a new one outright, then you can currently get a decent SIM-only deal from Three, which has an 'Ultimate Internet SIM 200' deal with unlimited 4G data, 200 minutes and 5000 texts for £12.90 on a 1 month rolling contract, so you're not even tied into anything.

• In the market for a cheap tablet too? Check out our list of the best budget options.

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