How much for a UK PAYG iPhone 3G?

Davey Winder
Thursday, 26 June 2008 19:34

Your IT - Mobility

What this means is that prospective purchasers can start to work out the tricky financial balancing act that is the lifetime cost of running an iPhone 3G. We know that the cheapest 8GB iPhone 3G on a £30 (AUD $60) tariff 18 month contract will cost £639 (AUD $1280) over its lifetime.

We also know that the most expensive 16GB handset, on a £75 (AUD $150) tariff will cost £1350 (AUD $2700) over that 18 month contractual lifetime.

I say lifetime quite deliberately, because early adopters investing this kind of cash in an iPhone 3G are pretty darn likely to be wanting whatever has arrived to upgrade or replace it in that kind of time frame.

A PAYG iPhone 3G can be yours, it would seem, for as little as £420 (AUD $840) which looks like being excellent value for money as far as I am concerned. £300 (AUD $600) for the 8GB handset, unlimited browsing and WiFi free for six months, and then 12 months at £10 (AUD $20) per month.

I know which option I am likely to be taking. And it does not involve me getting up at some ungodly hour to queue in the rain outside an O2 store with my breakfast in one hand and my wallet in the other.

I suspect there will be no shortage of PAYG handsets available in both O2 and Apple stores, and online of course, unless Apple go all next-gen games console marketing on us and introduce a false shortage to boost demand and media coverage at the same time.

CONTINUED