Advice about O2 UK pre-ordering (iPhone 8/X)

[Joseph C]

Hello people,

I have an iPhone 7 Plus which I am planning on ‘recycling’ with O2 for £410 (current quote) to put towards paying off the Device Plan, which will allow me to upgrade to the iPhone 8/X/whatever.

I’m aware the 8/X will be very constrained but I don’t have any understanding of how the system works from previous years as in the past I’ve waited a few months before getting the new phone. This year I’d like to get it straight away and stand the best chance of being one of the first with the device in my hands.

Could anyone with awareness of the matter advise me on this and the best course of action to take? I have a few questions:

1. Do O2 traditionally only do pre-orders online or can you go in store?

2. How long after the keynote to pre-orders traditionally start?

3. Are you required when placing the pre-order to settle your Device Plan?

Since I’ll probably need to recycle the 7 Plus in order to afford settling the Device Plan + the upfront cost of the 8, I’ll need to know whether I have to trade it in before the pre-orders open so I have the funds to do the upgrade.

I really appreciate any and all advice about this; I know this year it may differ to previous but any insights about the past system, or tips about how best to go about this, would be much appreciated.

 

[ssrij]

1. Both
2. 3 days
3. Yes (afaik)

Best way to get it quickly is to buy straight from Apple (either outright, on instalment or on iUP) and pre order the phone the second the pre orders goes live. If you’re late by even a minute or two shipping dates can slip to October or November.

If you buy it from a carrier, I’m pretty sure you will have to wait long. I ordered my iPhone 7 from Vodafone UK on pre order day on 9th Sep in morning and I got it on 14th October. Apple prioritises its own stock and iUP stock first, then others get it.

 

[Joseph C]

Thank you.

So I presume:

Tues 12th - Event
Fri 15th - Pre-orders
Fri 22nd - Launch Date

Ordering in the first minute or two on the 15th should guarantee 22nd delivery via Apple, but via O2 it might not.

Very tricky situation.

 

[ssrij]

Thank you.

So I presume:

Tues 12th - Event
Fri 15th - Pre-orders
Fri 22nd - Launch Date

Ordering in the first minute or two on the 15th should guarantee 22nd delivery via Apple, but via O2 it might not.

Very tricky situation.

That’s correct. You can try pre ordering from both o2 and Apple the second the pre orders go live, if you’re able to get it from o2 within reasonable time then you can cancel your Apple pre order.

 

[Bentron]

Thank you.

So I presume:

Tues 12th - Event
Fri 15th - Pre-orders
Fri 22nd - Launch Date

Ordering in the first minute or two on the 15th should guarantee 22nd delivery via Apple, but via O2 it might not.

Very tricky situation.

Don’t know about last year, but for my 6s and 5s I ordered through O2 and received on launch day no problems. There’s no guarantee though!

 

[Joseph C]

Don’t know about last year, but for my 6s and 5s I ordered through O2 and received on launch day no problems. There’s no guarantee though!

Thanks for sharing that.

I guess it’ll be harder for the 8/X. But surely being ready on the dot stands a good chance.

Do you get a delivery date before you pay and confirm the order, do you remember?

 

[ssrij]

Thanks for sharing that.

I guess it’ll be harder for the 8/X. But surely being ready on the dot stands a good chance.

Do you get a delivery date before you pay and confirm the order, do you remember?

You can see an estimated delivery date on the product page. You’ll be sent tracking details when yours ships. I believe you can track order online, but obviously won’t get actual tracking details until it ships.

 

[tarsins]

O2 really mucked-up last year's 7 launch. Some people had still not received their 7pluses in December. I'd have a browse on their Apple forum to get a feel of the disaster, then order direct from Apple.

 

[The Game 161]

Thank you.

So I presume:

Tues 12th - Event
Fri 15th - Pre-orders
Fri 22nd - Launch Date

Ordering in the first minute or two on the 15th should guarantee 22nd delivery via Apple, but via O2 it might not.

Very tricky situation.

Honestly i think ordering from apple or from o2 or any carrier time wise won't be that different.

I'm going to start a new contract with EE for the new iPhone as don't really want to be paying over a grand upfront for the phone. The upgrade after 12 months is rather ideal for me as i like to upgrade each year even if it does cost me a lot per month.

 

[Joseph C]

O2 really mucked-up last year's 7 launch. Some people had still not received their 7pluses in December. I'd have a browse on their Apple forum to get a feel of the disaster, then order direct from Apple.

Eeeek yeah I’ve read about last year’s fiasco.

Hopefully O2 will have learned from the mistakes made and not make promises they can’t keep this year? It’s my preferred option over buying the handset outright from Apple especially if it’s like £1100.

 

[The Game 161]

Eeeek yeah I’ve read about last year’s fiasco.

Hopefully O2 will have learned from the mistakes made and not make promises they can’t keep this year? It’s my preferred option over buying the handset outright from Apple especially if it’s like £1100.

In fairness to all the carriers it was a nightmare not just o2

It seems apple didn't give them enough information on stock and didn't people were told different things.

I don't know wether ordering online or on the phone is better if the people in customer services are telling people different things.

 

[Joseph C]

In fairness to all the carriers it was a nightmare not just o2

It seems apple didn't give them enough information on stock and didn't people were told different things.

I don't know wether ordering online or on the phone is better if the people in customer services are telling people different things.

In that case will Apple learn from the mistake?

Or was it a stunt to get headlines and hype with people losing their sh*t about not being able to get their phones?

If the latter is the case I can see it being absolutely ridiculous this year. I’ll give it a shot on pre-order day in the first few seconds but I’m not hopeful of getting a device on launch day.

 

[The Game 161]

In that case will Apple learn from the mistake?

Or was it a stunt to get headlines and hype with people losing their sh*t about not being able to get their phones?

If the latter is the case I can see it being absolutely ridiculous this year. I’ll give it a shot on pre-order day in the first few seconds but I’m not hopeful of getting a device on launch day.

I think it was more of apple underrating demand and not giving enough supply. You would think they would of learnt their lesson but if stock is going to be limited it might be hard to get one on launch day

What model size you hoping to get? I think 256GB might be the hardest to get if there is no 128GB and just 64GB as standard.

 

[576316]

Speaking of which, Apple had better have sorted out iUP for this year. A complete mess last year, nobody knew where they were meant to go to reserve so all stock was gone before the correct web page was found and there was no stock reserved solely for iUP (which there should be). iUP customers should have priority over in-store stock.

 

[Joseph C]

I think it was more of apple underrating demand and not giving enough supply. You would think they would of learnt their lesson but if stock is going to be limited it might be hard to get one on launch day

What model size you hoping to get? I think 256GB might be the hardest to get if there is no 128GB and just 64GB as standard.

If it’s 64/256/512 I’d want the 256.

If the front face is black on all models, I would not rule out the white model. If it’s only black on the black one, I will only get the black. The mid-range black model will obviously be the hard one to get

 

[CasuallyDressed]

I do the same as what you're doing every year. Last year was the only time it all went a bit t!ts up. O2 (or all carriers) left people hanging for weeks without a phone. I was really desperate at the time because I'd already sold on my 6S (to pay off the remaining balance) so was rocking a friend's old iPhone 5 in the mean time.

Last year I wandered down to my local O2 the day of preorder (like I do every year) to preorder in store (like I do every year). No joy. Told to preorder online. Can't preorder in store. This year I will be on O2's website at 9am.

Have you looked at Envirofone? Typically a better price than O2 Recycle and they'll honour the price for 2 weeks. Put your name down now before the price drops.

 

[Joseph C]

I do the same as what you're doing every year. Last year was the only time it all went a bit t!ts up. O2 (or all carriers) left people hanging for weeks without a phone. I was really desperate at the time because I'd already sold on my 6S (to pay off the remaining balance) so was rocking a friend's old iPhone 5 in the mean time.

Last year I wandered down to my local O2 the day of preorder (like I do every year) to preorder in store (like I do every year). No joy. Told to preorder online. Can't preorder in store. This year I will be on O2's website at 9am.

Have you looked at Envirofone? Typically a better price than O2 Recycle and they'll honour the price for 2 weeks. Put your name down now before the price drops.

Envirofone are offering £430 today for iPhone 7 Plus 128GB. O2 offering £410 via Recycle.

2 weeks today is the 12th (Keynote day). I’d be without a phone for quite a while then, since preorders wouldn’t open until the Friday and the delivery date of phone is so unclear at this moment. So may have to wait for preorders and the phone to be delivered (hopefully on launch day) before recycling my phone, though the O2 Recycle value would have likely dropped from £410 then.

It is very hard but like you I will try and do it at 8/9am on the O2 website.

 

[ssrij]

Envirofone are offering £430 today for iPhone 7 Plus 256GB. O2 offering £410 via Recycle.

2 weeks today is the 12th (Keynote day). I’d be without a phone for quite a while then, since preorders wouldn’t open until the Friday and the delivery date of phone is so unclear at this moment. So may have to wait for preorders and the phone to be delivered (hopefully on launch day) before recycling my phone, though the O2 Recycle value would have likely dropped from £410 then.

It is very hard but like you I will try and do it at 8/9am on the O2 website.

Get an used iPhone or some other phone. I sold my iPhone 7 128GB for £350 to my roommate and I got an used 5S 16GB unlocked for £58 off eBay and will use it till I get my iPhone 8/X, and then sell the 5S and get some money back (probably around £50).

 

[Joseph C]

Get a used iPhone or some other phone. I sold my iPhone 7 128GB for £350 to my roommate and I got an used 5S 16GB unlocked for £58 off eBay and will use it till I get my iPhone 8/X, and then sell the 5S and get some money back (probably around £50).

Thinking about it, I have an iPhone 6 in my drawer.
So maybe I should trade the 7 Plus in now?

Thanks so much for all the advice and help, sometimes I wonder how I get myself dressed independently.

 

[ssrij]

Thinking about it, I have an iPhone 6 in my drawer.
So maybe I should trade the 7 Plus in now?

Thanks so much for all the advice and help, sometimes I wonder how I get myself dressed independently.

Yeah just it sell it ASAP, you will lose money 1-2 weeks later. I remember last year, one week before pre orders went live, I was getting £360 for my Galaxy S7 edge, and I sold it after I made the pre order, and only got £310 for it.

Lots of people will be trading in their phones closer to announcement/launch, so the value will decrease, so it's better to get rid of your iPhone 7 quickly and get the most money for it.

 

[Joseph C]

Yeah just it sell it ASAP, you will lose money 1-2 weeks later. I remember last year, one week before pre orders went live, I was getting £360 for my Galaxy S7 edge, and I sold it after I made the pre order, and only got £310 for it.

Lots of people will be trading in their phones closer to announcement/launch, so the value will decrease, so it's better to get rid of your iPhone 7 quickly and get the most money for it.

Okay I will recycle my iPhone 7 Plus tomorrow (RIP) and continue using iPhone 6 until pre-order date.

Then fingers crossed being on the ball will mean delivery on launch day for the 8/X.

Thanks so much for help!

 

[827538]

What day are we thinking will we be receiving our iPhone 8s? I have a 64GB 6S that I want to sell. So would be good to lock in the Envirofone price before 2 weeks before I'd send it in. £265 isn't bad for a 6S.

Also any guessing on cost? I'm hoping it won't be more than a 256GB 7+. I only need 64GB of storage. Hoping for the £800 range, £900 would be starting to get a little obscene considering I can get a new S8 for £550.

 

[Joseph C]

What day are we thinking will we be receiving our iPhone 8s? I have a 64GB 6S that I want to sell. So would be good to lock in the Envirofone price before 2 weeks before I'd send it in. £265 isn't bad for a 6S.

Also any guessing on cost? I'm hoping it won't be more than a 256GB 7+. I only need 64GB of storage. Hoping for the £800 range, £900 would be starting to get a little obscene considering I can get a new S8 for £550.

I think the official release date will be the 22nd.

I have a feeling the UK outright price will be

64GB - £919
256GB - £1019
512GB - £1119

but just a guess.

My next question for the kind O2 gurus is: when do they announce the tariffs? Do we get any time beforehand to look at them or do they get announced on pre-order day?

I imagine we’ll see big increases in monthly payment and/or upfront costs to offset the more expensive phone so it’d be nice to check out the tariffs without humongous time pressure.

 

[ssrij]

What day are we thinking will we be receiving our iPhone 8s? I have a 64GB 6S that I want to sell. So would be good to lock in the Envirofone price before 2 weeks before I'd send it in. £265 isn't bad for a 6S.

Also any guessing on cost? I'm hoping it won't be more than a 256GB 7+. I only need 64GB of storage. Hoping for the £800 range, £900 would be starting to get a little obscene considering I can get a new S8 for £550.

If you pre order yours within the first minute or two then you'll get it on launch day (22nd Sep as per latest leaks), if you're late then you'll probably get it some time in October or even November/December.

Cost should be under £999, probably £949/969 for base model with 64GB of storage.
[doublepost=1504027942][/doublepost]

My next question for the kind O2 gurus is: when do they announce the tariffs? Do we get any time beforehand to look at them or do they get announced on pre-order day?

I imagine we’ll see big increases in monthly payment and/or upfront costs to offset the more expensive phone so it’d be nice to check out the tariffs without humongous time pressure.

It's announced on pre-order day, which would be September 15th (as per latest leaks). Carrier tariffs are always announced on their website on the day of pre-orders.

Increases won't be that much, only a little bit more than the current tariff for iPhone 7+ 256GB, which sells for £919 unlocked.

 

[Joseph C]

It's announced on pre-order day, which would be September 15th (as per latest leaks). Carrier tariffs are always announced on their website on the day of pre-orders.

Increases won't be that much, only a little bit more than the current tariff for iPhone 7+ 256GB, which sells for £919 unlocked.

So it’ll be a case of deciding very fast then on the O2 website.

I’m kind of crazy with this, because it feels like a gamble. If the tariffs are extortionate I might feel better buying the phone from Apple direct but by the time I’ve seen the tariffs I’ll have missed the window to order for launch day delivery. So I have to choose whether I’m going with O2 or Apple before “the moment”.

Pros of O2 are lower upfront cost but Pros of Apple are I keep my existing monthly charge from O2 and see no increase.

Ack it’s difficult! What are you going to do?