Buying guide: Best phone deals of the week

Best phone deals of the week

There's never been a better time to be on the hunt for a new phone. There are loads of amazing handsets out there, filled to the brim with the latest tech. Even better, there's plenty of fantastic deals that ensure you don't have to break the bank to get a fantastic phone.

All these handsets and deals does mean that it can be a bit of a chore searching shops in the hunt for the best offers. The good news is that we've teamed up with uSwitch to bring you the best prices for top of the range smartphones like the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, Sony Xperia Z3 and the Samsung Galaxy Note 4.

We don't just have deals for the latest and greatest handsets, with slightly older devices like the HTC One M8, LG G3, Samsung Galaxy Alpha and the iPhone 5S also getting a look in.

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.

Apple iPhone 6

The Apple iPhone 6 has been out for a little while but it continues to be one of the most sought after phones on the market.

One of the most popular iPhone 6 deals this week gets you a 16GB version in gold on Vodafone. You'll get 1GB of 4G data (following three months of unlimited data), as well as 600 minutes and unlimited texts every month.

The deal is with mobilephonesdirect and costs £34.50 per month for two years. There's a £19.99 upfront charge, so it will set you back £847.99 over the course of the two year contract, which for almost any other phone would be fairly expensive but it's not a bad price at all for an iPhone 6.

Cheapest Apple iPhone 6 deal

The iPhone 6 is still relatively new, not to mention the fact that it's, well, an iPhone, so we're not expecting any impressively cheap deals just yet but that doesn't mean there aren't savings to be had.

Right now for example you can get a 16GB gold iPhone 6 with Vodafone. The contract comes with 100MB of data (following three months of unlimited data), 100 minutes and unlimited texts for just £18.50 per month. You will need to spend £265.99 upfront, however.

The deal is through mobilephonesdirect and although you'll need to pay a lot upfront, over two years the deal comes to just £709.99, which isn't bad.

• Read all about it in our Apple iPhone 6 review

Apple iPhone 6 Plus

Apple's first 'phablet' is big, bold and really rather good. It's also got quite a high price tag to boot. One of the most popular deals right now is for a 16GB version of the handset in gold, grey, or silver courtesy of giffgaff.

It will cost you £37.43 per month and comes with 500 minutes, unlimited texts and 1GB of data. There's a £10 upfront charge, so the overall cost of this deal is £908.32 over 24 months, which isn't too bad for Apple's biggest phone.

Cheapest Apple iPhone 6 Plus deal

The cheapest iPhone 6 Plus deal is still pricey, but considering what you get for your money it's pretty good value. At the moment the lowest cost deal you can get for Apple's phablet is for a silver 16GB handset on Vodafone through mobilephonesdirect.

This deal comes with 100MB of data (following unlimited data for three months), 100 minutes and unlimited texts. It'll cost £22.50 per month for two years and comes with an upfront cost of £244.99. Over the course of the contract this deal will add up to £784.99, so it's fairly expensive given the allowances, but it sets you up with one of the biggest and best phones around.

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

Samsung Galaxy S5

One of the most popular deals this week for the Samsung Galaxy S5 gets you the phone in black, white, blue or gold on EE with 1000 minutes, unlimited texts and 2GB of 4G data.

That's through Carphone Warehouse and it's just £27.99 per month with no upfront cost on a 24 month contract, so overall it's £671.76, which is good value for a flagship even if it is getting on a bit. Though bear in mind that the Galaxy S6 might be arriving soon.

Cheapest Samsung Galaxy S5 deal

While the deal above is good you can get the Galaxy S5 even cheaper. This week's lowest cost deal is for it on Orange and comes courtesy of mobilephonesdirect. This nets you a blue refurbished version of the handset with 250MB of 3G data, 500 minutes and unlimited texts.

The deal costs £13.99 per month for two years and will set you back £228.99 upfront, for a total of just £564.75, which isn't bad at all even considering it's a refurbished handset.

• Read our in-depth Samsung Galaxy S5 review

Samsung Galaxy Alpha

While the Galaxy S5 will remain Samsung's flagship until the Galaxy S6 arrives, the company has since released a metal-clad marvel that's clearly aimed at the iPhone crowd.

A particularly popular deal at the moment is for it in black on Vodafone through mobiles.co.uk, with 600 minutes, unlimited texts and 1GB of data. That costs £26.50 per month with no upfront cost, for a total of £636 over 24 months.

Cheapest Samsung Galaxy Alpha deal

This week's cheapest Samsung Galaxy Alpha deal is a mere £14.50 per month with a £188.99 upfront charge.

That's for the Samsung Galaxy Alpha in silver on Vodafone through mobilephonesdirect and it comes with 100 minutes, 100MB of data (after three months of unlimited data) and unlimited texts. Overall it comes out at just £536.99, which is a pretty good price, though the allowances could be better.

• 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.

One of the more popular ways to get it right now is in black 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 with no upfront cost.

So in total it will cost £792 over 24 months, which is pretty good for the phone plus reasonable allowances.

Cheapest Samsung Galaxy Note 4 deal

If the above deal is too pricey the Note 4 can be had for a little bit cheaper. Right now the most affordable deal gets you a white Galaxy Note 4 for just £22.50 per month plus £185.99 upfront on a Vodafone contract. In all that will cost you just £725.99.

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). Considering the Note 4 has a SIM free RRP of £629 that's still reasonable value, but you might be better off stretching to the deal above.

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

HTC One M8

One of the most popular HTC One M8 deals of the week is for the handset in grey. The deal works out at £29.36 per month with £12 upfront for 500 minutes, unlimited texts and 3GB of data.

It's available on giffgaff and the overall cost comes in at £716.64 over 24 months. The HTC One M8 is getting on a bit but it's still one of the best phones around, so that's not a bad deal at all.

Cheapest HTC One M8 deal

The above deal is already good value, but right now you can get the HTC One M8 cheaper.

The cheapest overall deal this week is just £14.50 per month with an upfront charge of £197.99.

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

That's with a 24 month Vodafone contract and is available through mobilephonesdirect. In total it will cost you £545.99. So the allowances aren't the best but it's still great value if you can afford to pay a sizeable 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

The Sony Xperia Z3 only hit the shelves quite recently, but you can still grab a good deal. One of the most popular ways to get it this week is in white through mobilephonesdirect.

It's an EE contract and comes with unlimited minutes, 2GB of 4G data and unlimited texts for just £30.99 per month with no upfront cost. That comes out at £743.76 over 24 months, which really is rather tempting.

Cheapest Sony Xperia Z3 deal

This week if you want the cheapest deal for the Xperia Z3 then you'll need to be prepared to spend a bit of money upfront, £175.99 to be precise. After that you'll only need to pay £14.50 each month, with a total cost overall of just £523.99, which isn't bad for one of the most powerful flagship phones on the market today, though it is a refurbished version.

This deal gets you the Xperia Z3 in black on Vodafone through mobilephonesdirect with 100MB of data (following three months of unlimited data), 100 minutes and unlimited texts.

So while it's certainly cheap it's not a new handset and it comes with a potentially problematically small amount of data, so consider how much data you're actually 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 was a mid-year marvel and though newer flagships have come since from the likes of Apple and Sony it still impresses. This week you can get it for £27.98 per month with giffgaff and it includes 500 minutes, unlimited texts and 3GB of data.

That's for the phone in black and there's a £12 upfront charge, so overall it will cost you just £683.52 over 24 months.

Cheapest LG G3 deal

The LG G3 is getting on a little bit now (although we're only talking months, not years) and as such you can often get it for a good price if you hunt around, as this week's cheapest deal proves.

If you go through mobilephonesdirect you can get a gold LG G3 with 100MB of data (following three months of unlimited data), 100 minutes and unlimited texts on Vodafone, all for £14.50 per month plus £112.99 upfront. In all the deal costs £460.99 over 24 months, which is a steal for such a powerful handset.

• See how it stacks up in our LG G3 review

Nokia Lumia 930

If you fancy a new Windows Phone handset then the Nokia Lumia 930 could be the phone for you.

The latest Lumia flagship is getting on a teeny bit but it's still a top tier device and we've dug up some top tier deals for it. One of the most popular deals currently is for the phone in black on EE through buymobiles.net.

This deal costs £24.99 a month with no upfront cost, so in total you'll pay just £599.76 over 24 months. For that you get 1GB of 4G data, unlimited texts, and 1000 minutes.

Cheapest Nokia Lumia 930 deal

Want to go even cheaper? No problem! This week's lowest price deal will net you a green, black or orange Nokia Lumia 930 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. Those aren't the best allowances but they're pretty ace for the money - and certainly workable compared to the other cheapest deals around.

• 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.

Like most of Apple's products the iPhone 5S hasn't gone down in price much, even though it's over a year old. The most popular deal this week comes from giffgaff. It's for a 16GB handset in gold, grey or silver with 1GB of data, 500 minutes and unlimited texts, all for £29.65 a month.

There's a £10 upfront cost, so in total its £721.60 over the course of 24 months.

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.

Mobilephonesdirect is offering a 16GB version in silver on a 24 month Vodafone contract with 100MB of data (after an initial three months of unlimited data), 100 minutes and unlimited texts for £14.50 per month with £244.99 upfront. That comes out at £592.99 over 24 months, which would be pricey for an older handset if this was anything other than an iPhone.

• Find out more in our iPhone 5S review

Apple iPhone 5C 8GB

The iPhone 5C might be affordable by iPhone standards but that doesn't mean it's cheap. This week one of the most popular deals is from mobilephonesdirect and gets you the phone in white for £23.99 per month with no upfront cost, for an overall cost of £575.76.

That's not amazing value, but you do get 1GB of 3G data, 100 minutes and unlimited texts on a 24 month T-Mobile contract, so as long as you're not a big talker the allowances aren't too terrible.

Cheapest iPhone 5C 8GB deal

We've got a cheaper deal for the 8GB version of Apple's colourful handset. Mobilephonesdirect is offering a blue iPhone 5C 8GB with 100MB of data (following three months of unlimited), 100 minutes and unlimited texts.

It's £14.50 per month on a Vodafone contract and there's a £105.99 upfront cost. This brings the total overall cost to £453.99 over two years, which isn't too bad at all for an Apple handset.

• Check it out in our iPhone 5C review

SIM only

If you want to keep your old phone, or just buy a new one outright, then you'll want to check out this great SIM-only deal from Tesco Mobile.

You get 500MB of 3G data, 5000 texts and 250 minutes for just £7.50 per month. It's a 12 month contract so in total it's a mere £90, though don't forget you'll still need to source a phone to use it.

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

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