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 great phone.

All these handsets and deals does mean 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 grey on Vodafone through mobilephonesdirect. You'll get 1GB of 4G data (following three months of unlimited data) as well as unlimited minutes and texts every month.

The deal costs £34.50 per month for two years and there's no upfront cost, so all in all it will set you back £828 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 on Vodafone. The contract comes with 100MB of data (following three months of unlimited data), 100 minutes and unlimited texts for just £26.50 per month. You will need to spend £66.99 upfront, however.

The deal is through mobilephonesdirect and although you'll need to pay a little upfront, over two years the deal comes to just £702.99, 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 with Vodafone, through mobilephonesdirect.

It will cost you £38.50 per month and comes with unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and 1GB of data (following three months of unlimited data). There's a tiny £6.99 upfront charge, so the overall cost of this deal is £930.99 over 24 months, which is pricey, but this is Apple's most expensive phone we're talking about.

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 gold 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 £26.50 per month for two years and comes with an upfront cost of £144.99. Over the course of the contract this deal will add up to £780.99, 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 on EE with 1000 minutes, unlimited texts and 2GB of 4G data.

That's through affordablemobiles.co.uk and it's just £28.49 per month with no upfront cost on a 24 month contract, so overall it's £683.76, which is good value for a flagship even if it is getting on a bit. Though bear in mind that the Galaxy S6 will probably be arriving very 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 Vodafone and comes courtesy of mobilephonesdirect. This nets you a gold version of the handset with 100MB of data (following three months of unlimited data), 100 minutes and unlimited texts.

The deal costs £14.50 per month for two years and will set you back £153.99 upfront, for a total of just £501.99, which is pretty great value, but considering the limited allowances the deal above is a better bet if you can afford the extra.

• 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 silver on Three through phones.co.uk, with 600 minutes, unlimited texts and 1GB of 4G data. That costs £26 per month with no upfront cost and comes with £30 cashback, giving it a total price of £594 over 24 months, which really is great value.

Cheapest Samsung Galaxy Alpha deal

Looking for something a little cheaper? We've got you covered, because you can also get a refurbished blue Samsung Galaxy Alpha on O2 from mobiles.co.uk for just £18 per month with £49 upfront, coming to £481 over two years.

That comes with 500 minutes, 500MB of data and unlimited texts, which are better allowances than many of the cheapest deals around, but remember it's a refurbished handset.

• See how it stacks up in our Samsung Galaxy Alpha review

Samsung Galaxy Note 4

Samsung's latest high-end handset 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 gold from mobiles.co.uk on an O2 contract with unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and 2GB of 4G 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 quite a lot of money, but then the Galaxy Note 4 always costs a lot money and at least this way you get some solid allowances with it.

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 £103.99 upfront on a Vodafone contract. In all that will cost you just £643.99.

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).

Considering the Note 4 has a SIM free RRP of £599 that's still reasonable value, but you can get it cheaper if you shop around and you might be better off stretching to the deal above if you can afford to.

• 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 on EE. The deal works out at £31.99 per month with no upfront cost, for unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and 2GB of 4G data.

It's available from mobilephonesdirect and it even comes with £55 cashback, so once you factor that in the overall cost comes out at £712.76 over 24 months. The HTC One (M8) is getting on a bit and is about to be replaced by the HTC One M9, but it's still one of the best phones around, so that's not a bad deal at all.

• 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 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 affordablemobiles.co.uk.

It's a Three contract and comes with 600 minutes, 2GB of 4G data and unlimited texts for just £30 per month with no upfront cost. That comes out at £720 over 24 months, which really is rather tempting.

• Find out how it performs in our Sony Xperia Z3 review

LG G3

The LG G3 was a mid-2014 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 £26.99 per month from mobilephonesdirect. That's on EE and it includes unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and 2GB of 4G data.

That's for the phone in white and not only is there no upfront charge but you also get £10 cashback, so factoring that in it will cost you just £637.76 over 24 months, making for a good value deal if you need loads of minutes.

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 mobiles.co.uk you can get a black LG G3 with 500MB of 4G data, 500 minutes and unlimited texts on EE, all for £16.99 per month plus £59.99 upfront. In all the deal comes to £467.75 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 £26.99 a month with no upfront cost, so in total you'll pay just £647.76 over 24 months. For that you get 2GB of 4G data, unlimited texts and unlimited minutes. Not bad.

Cheapest Nokia Lumia 930 deal

Want to go even cheaper? No problem! This week's lowest price deal will net you an orange Nokia Lumia 930 from mobiles.co.uk for £18.50 per month plus £39.99 upfront, adding up to £483.99 over the 24 months of the contract.

That gets you 100 minutes, unlimited texts and 100MB of data on a Vodafone contract. Those aren't the best allowances but they're not terrible for the money and it even comes with a free Fitbit Flex.

• 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. One of the most popular deals this week comes from mobiles.co.uk. It's for a 16GB handset in gold on EE, with 2GB of 4G data, 1000 minutes and unlimited texts, all for £23.49 a month.

There's also a £39.99 upfront cost, so in total its £603.75 over the course of 24 months. That's a pretty good price, in fact right now it's both one of the most popular deals and the cheapest.

• 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 mobiles.co.uk and gets you a blue handset for £18 per month.

There's a £19.99 upfront charge, giving it an overall cost of £451.99 over 24 months. That's not cheap but it's pretty good value, as you get 500MB of data, 500 minutes and unlimited texts on an O2 contract.

Cheapest iPhone 5C 8GB deal

We've got a cheaper deal for the 8GB version of Apple's colourful handset. Mobiles.co.uk is offering a white iPhone 5C with 100MB of data, 100 minutes and unlimited texts.

It's £14.50 per month on a Vodafone contract and there's a £59 upfront cost. This brings the total overall cost to £407 over two years, which isn't too bad at all for an Apple handset, though the deal above is probably better value if you can afford it.

• 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 mobile by Sainsbury's.

You get 1GB of data, unlimited texts and 500 minutes for just £10 per month. Better yet there's no contract, so you're not tied in to anything, 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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