Nowadays, the smart phone market is as competitive as any other market. There are new devices released every quarter from most major manufacturers. There are budget, mid-range and premium end smartphones that really do all pack-a-punch. The technology from the premium end of the market quickly filters down to the mid range and the budget levels and the phones are getting better and better across the board.
This is an exciting time for consumers looking to do the maximum they can on their phones and with the arrival of 4G mobile broadband to the UK, more high intensive internet activities are becoming within our grasp.
With all this positivity it could be a surprise to some the difficulty people have in choosing a place to buy a mobile phone, but then again there are lots of options.
This article will look through mobile operator websites, deal comparison websites, auction websites and supermarkets to discover the best phone finder sources.
The phone finder sources:
1. Mobile operator websites
Its possible to jump onto any mobile operator website and choose a phone. Some of them also have high street stores such as Vodafone, O2 and Three. Whether you go online or offline you can get some of the best deals available through these sources. In addition, you can often get deals on the minutes, text and data that aren’t available through other comparison sources. You will of course have to pass a credit check to get one of the mobile devices but this isn’t too onerous for most. The main operator websites are Three, Vodafone, O2, Virgin and Everything Everywhere; you may notice the omission of T-mobile and Orange, these networks have combined to form Everything Everywhere.
2. Deal comparison websites
Deal comparison websites can be a great phone finder source. You can compare phones from many different providers all in one place. You can also combine your packages very easily, choosing from just about any phone and any allocation of data, minutes and texts. You may want to jump onto operator websites and do a coverage check as well, but this can be a great source. There are sites that are pure comparison and send you over to the mobile operator websites. And there are others where they actually hold the phones and have the deals with the mobile operators, such as dial-a-phone and so on.
3. Auction websites
Auction websites can be great place to buy pay-as-you-go phones but perhaps not so good for contract phones. If you’re looking for sim free phone where you can buy a sim contract later, then these sites can be awesome. Sites such as eBay and Amazon often have the best pricing on pay-as-you-go and sim free phones. You may even be able to pick up a bargain on a reconditioned phone and have a guarantee to go along with it. This can be an awesome way to pick up a bargain and get the phone that you want to at a price point below that which youll receive in a retail store.
4. Supermarkets and phone finder deals
Supermarkets can be a very good source for finding phones. They offer a good range and you can often try out phones, and they have decent agents. Often the phone sales agents in the supermarkets arent as pushy as the agents in specialists phone shops. This can be a relief for some. They also offer deals when they are trying to get rid of stock and you can pick up some really good offers on all the phones. On top of all this, when you buy a phone from a supermarket you’ll often get Nectar points or club card points, (Tesco and Sainsburys) which can mean money savings in the long run.
Phone finder tips
Make sure you do check the coverage of the networks that you’re looking at. There’s no point having a super fast, super smart, super technology packed phone and not being able to use it where you want to use it. With the coming of 4G mobile broadband, its well worth getting a 4G compatible phone and ensuring that you get a contract where you can upgrade your minutes as they become cheaper.
New technology is always expensive and over the next six months or a year, 4G connections will become much more affordable. Everything Everywhere have already rolled out part of their 4G network. Vodafone, Three and O2 are all in the process as well. Some mobile operators are offering deals on phones that aren’t 4G compatible whereby you can trade in the 3G phone later when 4G becomes available. This could be a great option if you want to get a Samsung Galaxy S3 or iPhone 4 and then trade it out later, in six months, or a year, when the time is right.
Test, try and assess
If you’re buying a premium end smartphone then you’ll be forking out over six hundred pounds in most cases. This may well be spit over the cost of the contract but it’s still a huge amount of money. And if you can buy it with data then the contract in total may be well over twelve hundred pounds.
It’s therefore important that you test the phones that you’re looking at to ensure that you get the best user interface and the best system for you. You don’t want to be disappointed when you see another phone in someone else’s hand and think “I wish Id chosen that one”. Try out phones in stores, read reviews, and if you have friends with the phone that you are looking at, then give them a go.
Buying a smartphone is a huge outlay worth over a thousand pounds in most premium contract terms. So make sure that you get the phone that suits you and the allowances that suit you too. If you don’t get the right allowances, you may end up paying a lot more than the fixed monthly contract price in extra telephone, text and or mobile internet costs.
A phone finder was a handy thing for Sam Jones to use. When he needed to get a new deal his first port of call was comparison sites such as uSwitch and he found what he needed in minutes.
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