More UK iPhone 4 Details: Vodafone Pricing Leaked, Virgin Looking to Come On Board?

[woodo]

1G a month of data is a joke. With all the new iphone 4 720p videos that are going to be uploaded to youtube I can't see it covering more than a week or two.

i don' get any people from the u.k who are moaning about the loss of "unlimited" data plans, they have NEVER existed! even when they said "unlimited" they still operated under a fair usage policy which was still usually around the 1gb area anyway. at least now they're telling you up front to warn you about going over that limit.
it's the same with "unlimited texts and "unlimited calls". they all have fair usage policies attatched to them to ensure that they are not abused and hog the service. i still think that the cap should have been raised from a measly 500mb on 02, which vodafone appears to have done, but progression is needed, not for them to remain static. But people should not moan that the 1gb cap is anything new, because most of us have had that cap even if we weren't aware of it.
Plus, compared to the U.S we should feel lucky, competition can only be a good thing for the consumers like us, can't wait to see the price battles to unfod and to get my hands on this phone, but hey , that's just me.

 

[Cue]

Ok, Im just going to think out loud.

Vodafone's SimOnly for 12 months which offers about the same as the 24 months contract at 35 pounds costs 20.

That leaves a 15 pounds extra per month towards the iPhone price.

That's 15 * 24 (months) = 360 + 89 (iPhone cost) = 449.
So I would guess that's the price for the iPhone PAYG.

Now, it really depends on 2 things if you want to go down that route.
Either you buy an iPhone every 2 years and are happy to stay with Vodafone.
Or you just buy the iPhone at PAYG (if available at that price) and have the luxury of buying the iPhone 5 next summer.

By the way, in Greece you can buy something with your credit card at 12 months installments interest free. Is it not possible here?

 

[tyr2]

I have been on the iPhone 3G with O2 £35 plan for 2 years. Looking at the Vodaphone plans I may go for £30 plan as 300 mins is enough. Would start saving money by year 2.
The tariffs on O2 were 18 months when I got my 3G on the day of release. Looks like the O2 plans have had a lot of subtle price hikes.

I am in the same position as you. I'm surprised that the £35/18 Month tariff has not only lost the 'unlimited data' but has dropped from 600 to 300 inclusive minutes. For the same 600 minutes it's now a 24 month contract. I'm waiting to see who offers what but these vodafone offers are tempting with the additional inclusive data. It would be a shame to lose visual voicemail though.

 

[grapemac]

About O2's unlimited data promotion:

Is that unlimited data until October 1st, or is that unlimited data for the life of your contract if you buy before October 1st?

 

[0098386]

*Crosses Vodafone off the potential network list*

 

[aegisdesign]

seems cheaper than AT&T...

AT&T $199 for phone
Vodaphone $131 for phone


AT&T $62 for 2GB and 450mins + unlimited texts (more data less minutes)
Vodaphone $52 for 1GB and 600mins + unlimites texts (more minutes less data

The Vodafone prices also include VAT (sales tax) at 17.5% so you'd need to add sales tax to the AT&T prices for a fair comparison.

 

[chrisblore]

About O2's unlimited data promotion:

Is that unlimited data until October 1st, or is that unlimited data for the life of your contract if you buy before October 1st?

It's the former. You get unlimited data until October 1st, but after that point it reverts to the limits specified by the contract.

 

[z4n3]

Here in Spain we have had data caps from day one, I pay 46 euros for 3Gb data plan, which in theory when you reach 3Gb they lower the speed from 3G to EDGE but never actually do it.

The good thing with Movistar (O2) it that they have just given all iPhone customers a FREE micro SIM and shared quota for use on the iPad for one year and also a extra 2Gb.. so I get 5Gb data for my iPhone and iPad for 46 euros just when I though Movistar was the worst telco in the world! suddenly they are looking pretty good in comparison

The only down thing is that they still charge 15cents just to connect a call and no free SMS or Call minutes

To all those who say 1Gb is fine, I do not use my phone much and have in 11 months used 36Gb

 

[grapemac]

It's the former. You get unlimited data until October 1st, but after that point it reverts to the limits specified by the contract.

Thanks chris. I just figured it out when I looked at O2's tariffs and noticed the bolt-ons launching in October.

I think I'm pretty content with what O2 offers when the data bolt-ons are figured in, if required. Just to find out the handset prices now...

 

[scottparker999]

I've still 10 months to go on my contract, I'm thinking of buying a Pay & Go one and keep my unlimited data and 600 mins for £35, and worry about the cap next year. Should get a few hundred for my 32GB 3GS on ebay which will help.

I was thinking the same. Will need to order a micro-sim first tho.

... On another note, nobody has mentioned tethering. I wouldn't be supprised to see 3mobile offer a competativly priced tethering option when they get iPhone 4

 

[runeapple]

I don't think tethering is an additional cost anyone (which is why I think the data has been limited to prevent people from abusing that)

 

[runeapple]

I hope we can preorder our bumpers tomorrow as well, I wonder the cost of them?

 

[aperantos]

i don' get any people from the u.k who are moaning about the loss of "unlimited" data plans, they have NEVER existed! even when they said "unlimited" they still operated under a fair usage policy which was still usually around the 1gb area anyway. at least now they're telling you up front to warn you about going over that limit.

That is certainly not true of O2. I know someone on who had an iPhone with them and now an Android phone, but tethers at home and so uses several GB per week but has never been stopped by any fair usage policy.

Michael.

 

[xSPRINTERx]

I see that Vodafone have made some sort of joke about giving an amazing 5MB for data roaming in Europe if you pay over £40 per month. Surely someone at Vodafone was smoking crack when they wrote that one.

And to be fair when your charging those prices you can buy the best

 

[inkfid]

I hope we can preorder our bumpers tomorrow as well, I wonder the cost of them?

It says on apples website that the bumpers are $29.

I hope that apple will just go ahead and sell unlocked sim-free iPhones from tomorrow now that all carriers in the uk have them.

 

[downset]

will they be sold unlocked anywhere in the uk or does each carrier lock them?

i am in london on the 24th and would like to try to buy one in the apple store
if a buy a paytogo phone will it be locked?

 

[ajnicho]

How can they be charging £90 more for the black version???

 

[Tunster]

I think everyone is overlooking Vodafone and O2. Both with inferior networks and obviously going out to hold or increase their prices for less.

Anyone mentioned Orange and T-Mobile? I can put a bet on they'll both have the space price... why? Because they're under the same company now . Hoping they'll be able to compete and undercut the rest (maybe apart from Three who have always managed to come out with good deals). With merge, expect better reception, so I know where you should go if you're currently with Vodafone or O2.

 

[runeapple]

It says on apples website that the bumpers are $29.

I hope that apple will just go ahead and sell unlocked sim-free iPhones from tomorrow now that all carriers in the uk have them.

Where did you see that?

At least I can cover the seams

 

[can7ona]

I think everyone is overlooking Vodafone and O2. Both with inferior networks and obviously going out to hold or increase their prices for less.

Anyone mentioned Orange and T-Mobile? I can put a bet on they'll both have the space price... why? Because they're under the same company now . Hoping they'll be able to compete and undercut the rest (maybe apart from Three who have always managed to come out with good deals). With merge, expect better reception, so I know where you should go if you're currently with Vodafone or O2.

That's a very good point but speculating from a pure data usage side and based on their SIM only deals available now, T-Mobile's FUP starts at 1Gb per month (then £1 per day max) while Orange only seems to offer 500MB per month (then 60p per day max)* - personally I think it is going to be very easy to go over these limits, so the current O2 Simplicity deals seem the best as they don't actually say what their FUP limit is and based on their previous nature they don't do anything for excessive use.

I know these SIM only deals work out more expensive in the short term but I think over the long term (depending on the tariff you're looking at) they can work out cheaper and certainly offer more flexibility for upgrades.

*Going forward the new Everything Everywhere company promises to have better capacity than anyone else but I can't see why they would get into a pricing war on data when the others have set a standard that will help them maximise revenue, if not profit.

 

[Saladinos]

I really want to go with O2 as I have been impressed with the service

Tesco is just a MVNO running on O2's network, so they should give you the same coverage.

All of the tariffs have taken a beating. For £35/month, I used to get 600 mins, 500 texts, and "unlimited" 3G and WiFi. This time around, the minutes have been slashed in half (weird, aren't the carriers all moaning about the data load?). I used about 1Gb a month (which seems about the average from people I know and opinions I've read online). O2, the carrier I was with, now offers 500MB a month. They're cutting my data in half in real terms.

Half the minutes. Half the data. Same price.

Orange offers 750MB/month, which they say is enough to download 15 movie trailers. 15 movie trailers per month is all Orange think a person could reasonably want. Their numbers are absurd.

I have no qualms with them stopping the "unlimited" moniker. The problem is that:
- Despite now offering much less than before (when these guys cut, they cut), prices have not decreased
- There is no reasonable package for people who use a moderate amount of data

 

[cg0def]

holy carp, and people say AT&T is evil and the US is like the third world of cell carrier networks

First of all minutes in the UK (and EU) means minutes when you have initiate the call. This basically means that your talk time is double what it says. Plus if you were to get a comparable plan from AT&T with internet+unlimited text messages it would cost you considerably more. So yes the US caries are still bending you over every all the time. Oh and AT&T no longer has unlimited data plans …

 

[cg0def]

will they be sold unlocked anywhere in the uk or does each carrier lock them?

i am in london on the 24th and would like to try to buy one in the apple store
if a buy a paytogo phone will it be locked?

All iPhones sold in the UK are unlocked since the end of last year. However, you should know that the phone does need to be activated by Apple which basically means that it is still locked to the list of providers that Apple works with. It's always been like this and it will stay like this. You need to activate your phone every time you update the OS. So if you plan on using it with an unsupported carrier you better keep the pay as you go sim. They do work everywhere where you have a GSM network.

 

[david594]

seems cheaper than AT&T...

AT&T $199 for phone
Vodaphone $131 for phone


AT&T $62 for 2GB and 450mins + unlimited texts (more data less minutes)
Vodaphone $52 for 1GB and 600mins + unlimites texts (more minutes less data

I'm lost on where you came up with those prices for At&t?

On the website I'm seeing $40 for 450 minutes, $25 for 2GB data, and $20 for unlimited texts. = $85 per month?

 

[DragonJade]

Only 1GB? Oh dear.