• New Phone Advice

Posted: **Sat Apr 18, 2020 7:36 am**

Mornimg clarets,

Im currently trying to eek out the last of my Samsung S8, contract ended in November and i went sim only, however it is starting to slow down rapidly. A part of me does think that modern phones have an in-built senility chip to force you to buy the latest model!

My budget is £28-£32 and i usually go for the model down from the top of the range one just becuase i dont believe you get what you pay for.

Ive never had an iPhone either. Im not against them at all i just find they are always that bit overpriced v the android alternatives so i cant justify the extra cost.

I mainly use it for texting, but lately have been using it for work too so battey life and processing speed are important. A good camera is a nice to have, but not essential.

My choices therefore appear to be:

Samsung S10 128gb which is about £32
iPhone 11 £38 - way over budget..!
Huawei P30 Pro 128gb which is cheaper at £26

In my opinion phones are only worth reviewing after 12 months or so, if anyone has the above and would recommend or not recommend please let me know, that would be helpful!

If you also know which sites are best to use (i usually use mobile phones direct who are a bit cheaper) thatd help. Fyi i am cirrently on thr network 3 but will move for a better deal of course!

UTC

Posted: **Sat Apr 18, 2020 7:37 am**

The amount of typos above shows how sh!te this phone is...! What is autocorrect even there for if it doesnt fix some of the above!

Posted: **Sat Apr 18, 2020 7:52 am**

Claretmatt4 wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 18, 2020 7:37 am
The amount of typos above shows how sh!te this phone is...! What is autocorrect even there for if it doesnt fix some of the above!

iPhone XS Good phone, can get decent deals on O2.

Posted: **Sat Apr 18, 2020 8:05 am**

S10 for only £32? I still have the S7 but for that price I may as well upgrade.

Posted: **Sat Apr 18, 2020 8:45 am**

FactualFrank wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 18, 2020 8:05 am
S10 for only £32? I still have the S7 but for that price I may as well upgrade.

I found it for even less on sone sites. See this link https://www.mobilephonesdirect.co.uk/co ... alaxy-s10

Issue there is its actually £42 a month but you get near £400 cashback which makes it £25.50. Depends if you can be arsed with that.

Posted: **Sat Apr 18, 2020 8:46 am**

I’m on the look out too.

Frank, I’m paying £36 for iPhone 6

Posted: **Sat Apr 18, 2020 8:47 am**

Dyched wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 18, 2020 8:46 am
I’m on the look out too.

Frank, I’m paying £36 for iPhone 6

Are you still on contract?? Surely due an upgrade by now?

Posted: **Sat Apr 18, 2020 8:51 am**

Claretmatt4 wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 18, 2020 8:47 am
Are you still on contract?? Surely due an upgrade by now?

Yeah, had it 2 years next month. I’ve been looking much the iPhone 11 is cheaper on other networks. Currently on EE.

Posted: **Sat Apr 18, 2020 8:58 am**

Claretmatt4 wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 18, 2020 8:45 am
I found it for even less on sone sites. See this link https://www.mobilephonesdirect.co.uk/co ... alaxy-s10

Issue there is its actually £42 a month but you get near £400 cashback which makes it £25.50. Depends if you can be arsed with that.

Ah sorry I misread.

I thought it was £32 for the phone without a contract.

Posted: **Sat Apr 18, 2020 9:05 am**

Rule 1

Never pay for a contracted phone. Buy it outright

Posted: **Sat Apr 18, 2020 9:11 am**

Enty1974 wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 18, 2020 9:05 am
Rule 1

Never pay for a contracted phone. Buy it outright

Not in a position to buy it outright im afraid!

Posted: **Sat Apr 18, 2020 9:11 am**

Enty1974 wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 18, 2020 9:05 am
Never pay for a contracted phone. Buy it outright

When I was younger, I'd sometimes do the hatrick on a night out... lose my keys, phone, debit card.

But I've had this Galaxy S7 for about 4 years now and just pay Three for a sim only. It works fine, but I feel it would be sensible to have a backup phone just in case.

Posted: **Sat Apr 18, 2020 9:19 am**

FactualFrank wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 18, 2020 9:11 am
When I was younger, I'd sometimes do the hatrick on a night out... lose my keys, phone, debit card.

But I've had this Galaxy S7 for about 4 years now and just pay Three for a sim only. It works fine, but I feel it would be sensible to have a backup phone just in case.

4 years? Must be getting old now mate

Posted: **Sat Apr 18, 2020 9:28 am**

NewClaret wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 18, 2020 9:19 am
4 years? Must be getting old now mate

Either that or more sensible.

Actually, yeah you're right..

Posted: **Sat Apr 18, 2020 9:30 am**

I got the Samsung S10e about 6 months ago through Sky mobile on a 2 year contract. I pay 27 quid a month including my network package.

I also get free streaming of sports channels (obviously no sport at the moment) through the Sky Sports app on my phone.

I've found the camera to be very good too.

Posted: **Sat Apr 18, 2020 9:31 am**

Claretmatt4 wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 18, 2020 7:36 am
Mornimg clarets,

Im currently trying to eek out the last of my Samsung S8, contract ended in November and i went sim only, however it is starting to slow down rapidly. A part of me does think that modern phones have an in-built senility chip to force you to buy the latest model!

My budget is £28-£32 and i usually go for the model down from the top of the range one just becuase i dont believe you get what you pay for.

Ive never had an iPhone either. Im not against them at all i just find they are always that bit overpriced v the android alternatives so i cant justify the extra cost.

I mainly use it for texting, but lately have been using it for work too so battey life and processing speed are important. A good camera is a nice to have, but not essential.

My choices therefore appear to be:

Samsung S10 128gb which is about £32
iPhone 11 £38 - way over budget..!
Huawei P30 Pro 128gb which is cheaper at £26

In my opinion phones are only worth reviewing after 12 months or so, if anyone has the above and would recommend or not recommend please let me know, that would be helpful!

If you also know which sites are best to use (i usually use mobile phones direct who are a bit cheaper) thatd help. Fyi i am cirrently on thr network 3 but will move for a better deal of course!

UTC

Would go for an iPhone if you can find one in budget mate.

I’ve had iPhones since they came out, upgrading every 2-3 years. Think the Samsung’s are ahead of them in hardware terms now, so can see your point about value for money, but don’t think you can beat iOS as an operating system and that’s what you actually experience. You won’t look back. I occasionally got given Samsung’s for work and they’re so difficult to use (comparatively) I just get frustrated and use my personal phone for work.

Should be plenty of deals around for older models than the 11 if you don’t mind that, and wouldn’t go for loads of storage. I pay 79p a month for 200gb of iCloud storage, so you can get a cheaper phone & pay a few pence a month to back it up to the cloud.

Posted: **Sat Apr 18, 2020 9:34 am**

Claretmatt4 wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 18, 2020 9:11 am
Not in a position to buy it outright im afraid!

Shame pal

Posted: **Sat Apr 18, 2020 9:38 am**

NewClaret wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 18, 2020 9:31 am
Would go for an iPhone if you can find one in budget mate.

I’ve had iPhones since they came out, upgrading every 2-3 years. Think the Samsung’s are ahead of them in hardware terms now, so can see your point about value for money, but don’t think you can beat iOS as an operating system and that’s what you actually experience. You won’t look back. I occasionally got given Samsung’s for work and they’re so difficult to use (comparatively) I just get frustrated and use my personal phone for work.

Should be plenty of deals around for older models than the 11 if you don’t mind that, and wouldn’t go for loads of storage. I pay 79p a month for 200gb of iCloud storage, so you can get a cheaper phone & pay a few pence a month to back it up to the cloud.

Thanks for the tips, im struggling to find an iphone 10 anywhere on contract, they only seem to want to sell the latest 2 models. By the ios do you mean interface? Im so used to android id probably find it difficult to use to be honest!

Posted: **Sat Apr 18, 2020 10:19 am**

Claretmatt4 wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 18, 2020 9:11 am
Not in a position to buy it outright im afraid!

It’s possible to get a perfectly fine refurb iPhone 7 for a good price Apple iPhone 7 128GB Black (Renewed) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06Y5T6LDV/ ... MEb0TRHKWA

In the long run you’ll get better deals on your contract, I’ve been with EE for 6 years now, and managed to bag about £18 monthly loyalty bonus which means my monthly cost for unlimited calls and 20Gb data is about £4/month. I then just buy a “new” phone every couple of years for about £250 and get about £80 trade in/sale on the old one.

Posted: **Sat Apr 18, 2020 10:46 am**

Claretmatt4 wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 18, 2020 9:11 am
Not in a position to buy it outright im afraid!

Take advantage of the bank not charging interest on any overdraft for 3 months (obvs check yours.
Buy a Samsung A20e from Carphone warehouse for 150 quid outright then set up a sim only deal.

Try Smarty for a month as they give you 30mb of data for around 10 pound. Both my lads have it on monthly contracts so easy to change.

I have O2 8gig and 500 minutes for 10 a month for a years contract.

Posted: **Sat Apr 18, 2020 10:50 am**

I guess it depends what you use it for. With Whatsapp, I rarely actually send text messages and as I'm in contact with people via social media and Whatsapp, the number of calls I make is limited. So things such as unlimited texts don't really come into play with me, so I just pay something like £14 a month to Three.

Posted: **Sat Apr 18, 2020 11:31 am**

Claretmatt4 wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 18, 2020 9:11 am
Not in a position to buy it outright im afraid!

Rule number 2 if you cant afford it you cant have it.

Posted: **Sat Apr 18, 2020 11:47 am**

I always buy a handset outright then just get a monthly chip, you can buy refurbished handsets, ex demos, customers returns, nothing wrong with them if you don't mind a odd accessory missing or a non genuine box scuffed, 12 months guaranteed, I'm holding off until more 5G phones become available & the prices drop.

Posted: **Sat Apr 18, 2020 11:52 am**

Claretmatt4 wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 18, 2020 9:38 am
Thanks for the tips, im struggling to find an iphone 10 anywhere on contract, they only seem to want to sell the latest 2 models. By the ios do you mean interface? Im so used to android id probably find it difficult to use to be honest!

Yeah, iOS is the name of the software they install on the phone. I honestly think you will pick the Apple interface in minutes and never go back. My Mum has always been absolutely useless with technology and she picked it up in minutes. It’s so simple, which is basically why Apple products are so popular/command such loyalty, even though Samsung are now ahead on the hardware. I doubt you’ll go back if you take the plunge but agree when looking at the price difference that’s a hard thing to do!

Good luck, whatever you decide.

Posted: **Sat Apr 18, 2020 12:05 pm**

NewClaret wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 18, 2020 11:52 am
Yeah, iOS is the name of the software they install on the phone. I honestly think you will pick the Apple interface in minutes and never go back. My Mum has always been absolutely useless with technology and she picked it up in minutes. It’s so simple, which is basically why Apple products are so popular/command such loyalty, even though Samsung are now ahead on the hardware. I doubt you’ll go back if you take the plunge but agree when looking at the price difference that’s a hard thing to do!

Good luck, whatever you decide.

Is the loyalty not just that you get trapped with Apple products?

iTunes for example? You can't transfer them to an Android can you? After paying lots of money.

Posted: **Sat Apr 18, 2020 12:23 pm**

If it's not apple or Samsung some people won't even entertain the xiaomis or motos (lenovo) ect would mention HTCs there seem to be lagging behind, I'd prefer a xiaomi mi 9 in the camera department over anything apple & most Samsungs & in other departments.

Posted: **Sat Apr 18, 2020 12:25 pm**

Quickenthetempo wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 18, 2020 12:05 pm
Is the loyalty not just that you get trapped with Apple products?

iTunes for example? You can't transfer them to an Android can you? After paying lots of money.

Yeah, quite possibly that as well. Ditto convergence across devices (ie being able to get your messages, music, etc on your iPad and watch), but I think in the main reason people stay loyal is the interface - once you’ve had an Apple device you just can’t downgrade to the Android experience.

Posted: **Sat Apr 18, 2020 12:26 pm**

Anyone had or has the huawei pro 40? Seems to be sone kind of barrier with getting apps from the google atore on it from reading online

Posted: **Sat Apr 18, 2020 12:31 pm**

tim_noone wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 18, 2020 11:31 am
Rule number 2 if you cant afford it you cant have it.

Tell that to the 80% of people who lease cars.

Posted: **Sat Apr 18, 2020 2:43 pm**

Claretmatt4 wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 18, 2020 12:26 pm
Anyone had or has the huawei pro 40? Seems to be sone kind of barrier with getting apps from the google atore on it from reading online

If you wait till June you might be better off with the updated Pro & more time for huawei to resolve it’s issues with the US government, Google’s a deal breaker for some people so reluctance as an ideal choice now for some people.

Posted: **Sat Apr 18, 2020 3:23 pm**

Claretmatt4 wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 18, 2020 7:36 am
Mornimg clarets,

Im currently trying to eek out the last of my Samsung S8, contract ended in November and i went sim only, however it is starting to slow down rapidly. A part of me does think that modern phones have an in-built senility chip to force you to buy the latest model!

My budget is £28-£32 and i usually go for the model down from the top of the range one just becuase i dont believe you get what you pay for.

Ive never had an iPhone either. Im not against them at all i just find they are always that bit overpriced v the android alternatives so i cant justify the extra cost.

I mainly use it for texting, but lately have been using it for work too so battey life and processing speed are important. A good camera is a nice to have, but not essential.

My choices therefore appear to be:

Samsung S10 128gb which is about £32
iPhone 11 £38 - way over budget..!
Huawei P30 Pro 128gb which is cheaper at £26

In my opinion phones are only worth reviewing after 12 months or so, if anyone has the above and would recommend or not recommend please let me know, that would be helpful!

If you also know which sites are best to use (i usually use mobile phones direct who are a bit cheaper) thatd help. Fyi i am cirrently on thr network 3 but will move for a better deal of course!

UTC

Alright mate, I've also got an S8 (3 years old). They do get slower as the apps update and require more RAM etc.

If you can't afford to buy a refurb outright (£450 for an S10 on Ebay), I'd look at getting a credit card on a two year interest free period, if you have the credit rating. Stick the phone on it, set your direct debit to cost of the phone ÷ 24 and then cut up the card.

Posted: **Sat Apr 18, 2020 3:48 pm**

Have a good shop around different websites, there’s always an offer on something. I got an iPhone XR last year for £38 a month which included 2 years of Apple Music subscription and 12 months BT sports and amazon video

Posted: **Sat Apr 18, 2020 4:04 pm**

I would not begin to offer phone advice.

However, I went from an S8 to a Note 9 as the screen was bigger for the football and it still fitted in my pocket!

I got mine from Affordable Mobiles, who gave me the best price by far, at the time. I pay £33 per month. No up front payment.

Battery in Note 9 much, much better than S8 phone.

Good luck.

Posted: **Sat Apr 18, 2020 5:24 pm**

IanMcL wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 18, 2020 4:04 pm
I would not begin to offer phone advice.

However, I went from an S8 to a Note 9 as the screen was bigger for the football and it still fitted in my pocket!

I got mine from Affordable Mobiles, who gave me the best price by far, at the time. I pay £33 per month. No up front payment.

Battery in Note 9 much, much better than S8 phone.

Good luck.

How much data do you get for £33, IanMcL? I like the Notes.

Posted: **Sat Apr 18, 2020 5:27 pm**

Fretters wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 18, 2020 5:24 pm
How much data do you get for £33, IanMcL? I like the Notes.

30gb using O2.

It registered as 10gb with O2 and 20gb bonus from Affordable Mobiles.
I had 30gb on 3 with the S8 previously.

Posted: **Sat Apr 18, 2020 7:24 pm**

All good advice thanks. I think the outright option might be a goer!

Posted: **Sat Apr 18, 2020 8:21 pm**

IanMcL wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 18, 2020 5:27 pm
30gb using O2.

It registered as 10gb with O2 and 20gb bonus from Affordable Mobiles.
I had 30gb on 3 with the S8 previously.

That's not bad at all.

Posted: **Sat Apr 18, 2020 8:41 pm**

That was the best at the time.

Posted: **Sat Apr 18, 2020 8:41 pm**

FactualFrank wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 18, 2020 9:11 am
When I was younger, I'd sometimes do the hatrick on a night out... lose my keys, phone, debit card.

But I've had this Galaxy S7 for about 4 years now and just pay Three for a sim only. It works fine, but I feel it would be sensible to have a backup phone just in case.

A friend of mine back in the day used to have a bizzare daft habit of putting his phone in post boxes when he was on big night out.
He did it so many times

He had no idea why he did it.
He also put his keys through his own front door slot more than a couple of times.
He's teetotal these days

Posted: **Sat Apr 18, 2020 9:18 pm**

Claretmatt4 wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 18, 2020 7:24 pm
All good advice thanks. I think the outright option might be a goer!

I'd start off on a refurb cell at a fraction of the original RRP using a ghost chip if changing the number probably only applies briefly if the said mobile is locked till unlocking which you can do online via IMEI with a code.

Posted: **Sat Apr 18, 2020 10:00 pm**

https://www.fonehouse.co.uk/mobile-phon ... iphone-se-

That looks like a good deal. Been on iphones for a few years now and love them. On the XR at the moment and the wife has an 8.

Got both through Fonehouse. Thought I’d see if I could get the same/better deal by going into the Vodafone store (it was on a Vodafone contract) they just laughed at me and said there was no way they match the deal and didn’t know how Fonehouse could.

Would certainly recommend looking at them and others similar.
Don’t just assume you’ll get the best deal going direct to the big networks.

Posted: **Sat Apr 18, 2020 10:04 pm**

Just noticed that ee deal has 3 months bt sport, 6 months apple music and 6 months Britbox.

Also remember to you something like TopCashBack when buying a mobile contract or broadband etc. Can earn quite a bit back.

Posted: **Sun Apr 19, 2020 1:35 am**

£400 a year for a phone?

Alcatel onetouch. Capital cost £10, pay as you go, texts cost 14p per 160 characters with Vodafone. You can go on holiday with the change. If you need it for work, tell work to buy you one.

Posted: **Sun Apr 26, 2020 11:34 am**

Morning all - i'm sure you are dying to hear about my dilemma and what i went for.

I ended up choosing the S10 because it was the best value for money - an iPhone of a similar size and generation was always a few quid more. I'm used to the Samsung and my dad and brother have an S10 and they rate it after a years (give or take) use.

I was offered £35 /m on Three, up from £10 on my sim only plan - but i actually found a better deal online that they couldn't match which was frustrating! £30/m with 100GB data and a £29 upfront cost. This was pretty appealing to be honest and a decent chunk cheaper than i could find anywhere else. Some sites offered it for £25.50 a month but that was with £400 cashback, so the line rental was actually £42... Probably best value to be had there but i couldn't justify paying £42 for a phone and then faffing about with the cashback.

In the end i plumped for a refurbished S10 from 'i need a mobile' - this cost me £405 including the charger and i'll get a case online for about £20 too. I've stuck this on my credit card and will pay it off before Xmas. Doing this means i'll be paying about £120 less than the best pay monthly plan and i'll have more freedom to leave as i wont be tied into a 24 month contract.

Cheers for the advice guys, probably wouldn't have opted for a refurb without the suggestions on here!

UTC

Posted: **Sun Apr 26, 2020 11:56 am**

Claretmatt4 wrote: ↑
Sun Apr 26, 2020 11:34 am
Morning all - i'm sure you are dying to hear about my dilemma and what i went for.

I ended up choosing the S10 because it was the best value for money - an iPhone of a similar size and generation was always a few quid more. I'm used to the Samsung and my dad and brother have an S10 and they rate it after a years (give or take) use.

I was offered £35 /m on Three, up from £10 on my sim only plan - but i actually found a better deal online that they couldn't match which was frustrating! £30/m with 100GB data and a £29 upfront cost. This was pretty appealing to be honest and a decent chunk cheaper than i could find anywhere else. Some sites offered it for £25.50 a month but that was with £400 cashback, so the line rental was actually £42... Probably best value to be had there but i couldn't justify paying £42 for a phone and then faffing about with the cashback.

In the end i plumped for a refurbished S10 from 'i need a mobile' - this cost me £405 including the charger and i'll get a case online for about £20 too. I've stuck this on my credit card and will pay it off before Xmas. Doing this means i'll be paying about £120 less than the best pay monthly plan and i'll have more freedom to leave as i wont be tied into a 24 month contract.

Cheers for the advice guys, probably wouldn't have opted for a refurb without the suggestions on here!

UTC

Pleased for you mate - hope you like it (and save a few quid doing it that way).

Enjoy.

Posted: **Sun Apr 26, 2020 12:27 pm**

Enty1974 wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 18, 2020 9:05 am
Rule 1

Never pay for a contracted phone. Buy it outright

My iPhone 11 was £150 upfront and £29/month for two years. That’s £846 over the contract. Given that the price to buy is £729 I don’t think that £117 for 24gb/month and unlimited texts/minutes is bad for 2 years. It works out at £4.88/month for the airtime/internet etc.

Edit to say that it’s on EE

Posted: **Sun Apr 26, 2020 12:30 pm**

Dyched wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 18, 2020 8:46 am
I’m on the look out too.

Frank, I’m paying £36 for iPhone 6

I got my other half an iPhone XS with 100 gig of data for £37 on three.

I went onto a switching site and then rang three, they matched the site offer.

Posted: **Sun Apr 26, 2020 12:55 pm**

Got the link to that site Lowbank?

I can’t decide wether to just grab a sim only deal and stick with the phone (works bob on) or get a new one. I enjoy getting a shinny new one but saving £25 a month for 12 months is sounding nice too.

Posted: **Sun Apr 26, 2020 1:03 pm**

iPhone 11 on Apple site - £729. Take the interest free option to pay monthly.
Then go to someone like Tesco for their SIM only deal which can start as low as £7 per month.

Posted: **Sun Apr 26, 2020 1:47 pm**

TVC15 wrote: ↑
Sun Apr 26, 2020 1:03 pm
iPhone 11 on Apple site - £729. Take the interest free option to pay monthly.
Then go to someone like Tesco for their SIM only deal which can start as low as £7 per month.

I might have a look, Cheers!!

£729 seems expensive wrote as one sum rather than £36 (what I’ve paid for 23 months for the 6s) which is more already!

I’ll have to have a really good look around. That’s actually insane what I’ve paid.

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