Buying guide: Best phone deals of the week

Best phone deals of the week

Come on, we're all looking for the best way to get a decent phone deal. You could just walk into your local phone emporium, but how do you know you're getting the best value for money? There are loads of places to buy, but it takes ages to sort through the deals.

Luckily for you, we've teamed up with Uswitch to get you the best prices on the brand new iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, Samsung Galaxy Alpha and Sony Xperia Z3. Not to mention the slightly older Samsung Galaxy S5, HTC One (M8), LG G3, and Nokia Lumia 930.

While we were at it we also cherry picked the best iPhone 5S, iPhone 5C and SIM-only deals for your delectation and we've got early deals for the brand new Samsung Galaxy Note 4 too.

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 lowest 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 might not come with much data, but for a lot of people the thought of owning a Nokia Lumia 930 and a contract for two years for just over £500 is a rather lovely one.

Apple iPhone 6

We'd wager that the iPhone 6 is likely to be one of the most popular smartphones for a while, so we'll kick things off with that. Right now you can get a 16GB version in grey with unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and 4GB of 4G data, following three months of unlimited data.

That's for the handset on Vodafone through mobilephonesdirect and it costs £39.50 per month. Normally there would be a £9.99 upfront cost as well but if you enter 'USW9003' at checkout you can avoid it. Over 24 months it adds up to £948. That's pretty pricey, but the allowances are quite generous too.

Cheapest Apple iPhone 6 deal

Let's face facts, you're not going to get Apple's just-launched flagship particularly cheaply, but nor do you have to pay over the odds.

Right now you can get a 16GB version in grey on EE with 500 minutes, unlimited texts and 500MB of 4G data for £14.99 per month plus £422.99 upfront.

That's through mobilephonesdirect and it's a lot to pay in one go but it comes out at £782.75 over 24 months, which isn't bad at all for one of the best, and most popular, smartphones on the planet.

• Read all about it in our Apple iPhone 6 review

Apple iPhone 6 Plus

We never thought we'd see the day, but Apple has released an iPhablet and it's really rather good. It's also really rather expensive. One of the most popular deals right now is for a 16GB version of the phone in grey on EE from mobilephonesdirect.

It will cost you £38.99 per month and normally there's a £219 upfront cost, but you can get that down to £149 if you enter 'USW9007' at checkout, so it's £1084.76 overall and for that you get unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and 4GB of 4G data on one of the most premium smartphones available.

Cheapest Apple iPhone 6 Plus deal

Even the cheapest iPhone 6 Plus deals aren't exactly impulse purchase territory, but considering how new and expensive this phone is there are a few pretty good ones. One of the best at the moment is for a 16GB iPhone 6 Plus in gold on EE through mobilephonesdirect.

It comes with 500MB of 4G data, 500 minutes and unlimited texts and will cost you just £14.99 per month, but you do have to pay £499.99 upfront. Over the life of the contract that comes out at £859.75, which considering the phone is £619 SIM-free isn't too shabby.

• See what we made of Apple's first phablet in our Apple iPhone 6 Plus review

Samsung Galaxy S5

This week you lucky people can get a Samsung Galaxy S5 in white on Three, which comes with 600 minutes, unlimited texts and 1GB of 4G data.

This can all be yours for just £28 per month and there's no upfront cost, so over 24 months it comes out at £672, which is really rather cheap.

Cheapest Samsung Galaxy S5 deal

The above deal is certainly popular but there are even cheaper ways to get the Samsung Galaxy S5. The cheapest deal right now is for it in black, blue or white on giffgaff for just £7.50 per month.

It comes with 200 minutes, unlimited texts and 250MB of data. So the allowances aren't amazing and there's a pretty steep £440 upfront charge, but you can cancel your monthly tariff at any time, so essentially it's just £447.50, but even if you keep it for 24 months it's still only £620.

Given that this phone retails for £550 on Samsung's site (although is cheaper SIM free elsewhere) that's a pretty ace price.

• Read our in-depth Samsung Galaxy S5 review

Samsung Galaxy Alpha

While the Galaxy S5 is still Samsung's main flagship the company has now released a metal-clad marvel that seems aimed at the iPhone crowd. It's more affordable than the iPhone 6 too, with one of this week's most popular deals coming out at just £23 per month with no upfront charge, equating to £552 over 24 months.

That's for the Galaxy Alpha in silver on O2 through Mobiles.co.uk and it comes with 500 minutes, 500MB of data and unlimited texts. That's a great deal, in fact it's so good that it's both the cheapest and one of the most popular.

• See how it stacks up in our Samsung Galaxy Alpha review

Samsung Galaxy Note 4

Samsung's latest is a phone of monstrous proportions and the price tag is pretty hefty too, but it's probably worth the money as our glowing review attests and if you shop around it needn't be extortionate.

For example one of the more popular ways to get it right now is in white, from Mobiles.co.uk on an O2 contract with unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and 1GB of data. That will set you back £33 per month plus £19 upfront, for a total of £811 over 24 months.

Cheapest Samsung Galaxy Note 4 deal

The above deal is a fairly good price already, but you can get the Note 4 even cheaper. Right now it's available for just £26.50 per month plus £73.99 upfront on a Vodafone contract. In all that will cost you just £709.99.

That's through mobilephonesdirect and the allowances are a little lacking, as it comes with just 100 minutes, unlimited texts and 100MB of data (following three months of unlimited data), but considering the Note 4 has a SIM free RRP of £629 that's still pretty good.

• See how it sizes up in our Samsung Galaxy Note 4 review

HTC One (M8)

The most popular HTC One M8 deal of the week is for the handset in silver and comes out at £30.99 per month. It comes with unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and 2GB of 4G data.

That's available through mobilephonesdirect and it's for a 24 month EE contract. There's no upfront cost, so overall it adds up to £743.76, making it excellent value for money considering the allowances.

Cheapest HTC One M8 deal

The above deal is already great value, but right now you can get the HTC One M8 cheaper. The cheapest overall deal this week is just £18.50 per month with a steep charge of £161.99 upfront.

For that you'll get 100 minutes, unlimited texts and 100MB of data, though for the first three months it gives you unlimited data.

That's for a 24 month Vodafone contract and it's available through mobilephonesdirect. In total it will cost you just £605.99. It's for the phone in grey and while the allowances aren't the best it's still great value if you can afford to pay a large chunk upfront.

• The one for you? Find out in our HTC One M8 review

Xperia Z3, LG G3, Lumia 930 and more

Sony Xperia Z3

Sony has just replaced its less-than-a-year-old Xperia Z2 with the Xperia Z3, but despite the rapid release it's a worthy upgrade.

This week you can get it in copper on T-Mobile from Mobiles.co.uk with 250 minutes, unlimited 3G data and unlimited texts for £29.99 per month. There's no upfront cost so it's £719.76 overall. That's not bad at all for such a new phone, but remember you don't get many minutes.

Cheapest Sony Xperia Z3 deal

Right now the cheapest Xperia Z3 deal involves paying quite a lot of money upfront, £173.99 to be precise. But then you only have to shell out £18.50 each month, for a total cost of just £617.99, which is surprisingly cheap for a brand new flagship.

That's for the Z3 in copper on Vodafone through mobilephonesdirect, with 100 minutes, just 100MB of data (following three months of unlimited data) and unlimited texts.

So while it's certainly cheap it comes with very little data, so consider how much data you're going to need before opting for it - you'll probably need to top that up unless you live in perma-Wi-Fi.

• Find out how it performs in our Sony Xperia Z3 review

LG G3

The LG G3 is still one of the newer flagship smartphones on the block, and as such you'd expect it to be quite expensive, but you can still get a lot for your money. Take this week's most popular deal for example:

It's through Carphone Warehouse and includes 600 minutes, unlimited texts and 1GB of 4G data for £26.50 per month.

That's for the phone in white on Vodafone and there's just £9.99 to pay upfront, so you're looking at £645.99 in total, which isn't bad and it even comes with a free Quick Circle Case.

Cheapest LG G3 deal

While this week's most popular LG G3 deal is already fairly affordable it's possible to get the phone a lot cheaper. It's available in gold through mobilephonesdirect and comes with 100 minutes, 100MB of data (after three months of unlimited data) and unlimited texts on a Vodafone contract for just £14.50 per month.

If that sounds too good to be true, wait a mo: there's a £169.99 upfront cost, but it still only adds up to £517.99 over 24 months, again brilliant considering this is a high end and newer phone.

• See how it stacks up in our LG G3 review

Nokia Lumia 930

Don't think we've forgotten about Windows Phone handsets. The latest Lumia flagship is a top tier device and we've dug up some top tier deals for it. The most popular one currently is for the phone in black, green or orange on O2 through Carphone Warehouse.

It will cost you £28 per month with no upfront cost, so in total it's £672 over 24 months. For that you get unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and 1GB of 4G data, which makes it reasonable value for money.

Cheapest Nokia Lumia 930 deal

It's even possible to get the Lumia 930 for quite a bit cheaper than the deal above. It's available in black, green or orange from Carphone Warehouse for £14.99 per month plus £149.99 upfront, adding up to £509.75 over the 24 months of the contract.

That gets you 500 minutes, unlimited texts and 500MB of 4G data on an EE contract, so as you'd expect for that price the allowances aren't amazing, but it sure is cheap.

• See what we thought of it in our Nokia Lumia 930 review

Apple iPhone 5S

Apple's 2013 flagship might be getting on a bit, in fact it's been replaced by the iPhone 6, but it's still good enough to go toe-to-toe with some Android phones.

It also carries a similarly high price tag, with one of the most popular deals this week coming courtesy of Mobiles.co.uk, which is offering a 16GB handset in grey on a 24 month Vodafone contract with 500MB of data, 600 minutes and unlimited texts for £26.50 per month.

There's no upfront cost, so all in all it will set you back £636, which isn't bad value, especially considering it's hard to avoid paying a premium for Apple devices.

Cheapest iPhone 5S deal

You can get the Apple iPhone 5S a little cheaper over the course of the contract, but only if you're prepared to pay a lot upfront.

Carphone Warehouse is offering a 16GB version in grey, gold or silver on a 24 month EE contract with 500MB of 4G data, 500 minutes and unlimited texts for £14.99 per month with £239.99 upfront. That comes out at £599.75 over 24 months, which isn't too shabby at all by iPhone standards.

• Find out more in our iPhone 5S review

Apple iPhone 5C 16GB

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 Carphone Warehouse, which sells a 16GB version of the phone in green, pink, yellow or blue on T-Mobile with unlimited 3G data, unlimited texts and 500 minutes for £29.99 per month.

There's also a £29.99 upfront cost, so over 24 months it's £749.75, which isn't great for Apple's most affordable handset, although unlimited data is nice, even if it is 3G.

Cheapest iPhone 5C 16GB deal

The Apple iPhone 5C can have a lower monthly cost if bought from Carphone Warehouse. The site offers a 16GB model in blue, green, yellow or pink on EE with 500MB of 4G data, 500 minutes and unlimited texts for £14.99 per month, alongside an upfront fee of £179.99, coming out at £539.75 over the life of the contract.

So this has worse allowances than the deal above, but it's substantially more affordable.

• Check it out in our iPhone 5C review

Apple iPhone 5C 8GB

We've also got some tasty deals for the 8GB version of Apple's colourful handset. A popular one right now is for it in blue, green, pink, yellow or white on giffgaff. It comes with 200 minutes, 250MB of data and unlimited texts and costs £12.77 per month.

That's with a steep £207.50 upfront cost, so over 24 months it adds up to £513.98, making it a little more affordable than the 16GB version.

Cheapest iPhone 5C 8GB deal

One of the cheapest iPhone 5C 8GB deals this week is for the phone in blue on Vodafone through mobilephonesdirect. That's just £14.50 per month plus £123.99 upfront, adding up to £471.99 overall and it comes with 100 minutes, unlimited texts and 100MB of data (following three months of unlimited data). So it's cheap but you risk running out of data and minutes in, well, a matter of minutes.

• See what we thought in our iPhone 5C review

SIM only

If you want to keep your old phone, or just buy a new one outright, then you can currently get a great SIM-only deal from Three, which has a SIM card loaded with 1GB of 4G data, 600 minutes and unlimited texts for just £10 per month on a 12 month contract, coming out at a mere £120 overall... although don't forget you still need to provide the phone.

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

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