iPhone 4 and pay as you go tariffs

September 23, 2010

Design

The iPhone 4 is slimmer than previous iPhone models; it has metal buttons and band around the edges, this not only looks good, strengthening its appearance, but it is also the phone’s antenna. The top of the phone has a noise-cancelling microphone to ensure improved sound quality and there is a 3.5mm jack for connecting your headphones if required. The SIM card is now on the right side of the phone and is much smaller (a micro-SIM as used in the Apple iPad). Although this is space saving it has the disadvantage of making it more difficult if and when you change your network. Display

The iPhone 4 still has a 3.5 touchscreen but the quality has been vastly improved. Apple suggests it is ‘the sharpest, most vibrant display ever’. It has four times the number of pixels of the earlier iPhone models allowing sharp displays. Apple suggests that the glass is 30 times stronger than plastic and far more scratch resistant. Battery The iPhone 4 is powered by the same chip as in the iPad – an A4 chip making the phone quick and responsive. The new chip extends the battery life and enables improved power management. This should allow 7 hours of phone talk and web browsing for 6 hours.

Camera

The camera has dramatically improved from previous models a 5MB rather than 3.2MB; plus LED flash, a backlit sensor and an integrated 5X zoom.  It can shoot videos in HD at 720p at 30 frames per second.

Multitasking

The latest operating system OS 4 allows you to run several apps at once – great news. To multi-task double-tap on the home button, this shows you which apps are running and allows you to switch between apps.

Which PAYG network?

The iPhone 4 is now available from major UK networks as well as Carphone Warehouse and Phones4U. You have 3 iPhone tariff options:

  1. pay monthly
  2. micro Sim
  3. PAYG

This post only informs you about options 2 & 3. However, Tesco do offer a 12-month contract costing around £20 a month – check it out below as it has some advantages to consider. If you sign up for a monthly deal with a network provider you will receive a discounted price on your handset. The iPhone 4 uses a smaller than standard Sim card so make sure the network you select offers micro-sim plans.

O2 offers the Iphone 4  SIM free 16GB  from £495 and 32 GB from £595. IPhone PAYG is on O2’s Text and Web tariff, the more you top up the more texts you get. From the 1st October Text and Web will include unlimited wifi.  For a Sim only monthly deal choose the O2’s Simplicity deal available on 30-day or 12-month contract.

Tesco is offering the iPhone 4 on PAYG at an initial handset price of £479 for 16GB and £569 for the 32GB. All iPhone tariffs from Tesco come with 12 months unlimited wifi and 1GB of mobile internet. The cheapest 12-month contract costs £20 a month and an initial 16GB iPhone 4 will cost you £349.

Vodafone PAYG deals include 12 months mobile internet and wifi; 250MB a month of mobile internet and webmail in the UK and 1GB a month of wifi with BT Openzone hotspots. You will pay a one off cost for the handset.

Three (3) PAYG offers a SIM only tariff but this means purchasing the handset separately. Their one month rolling contract costs £15 and offers you 300 network minutes; 3,000 texts and 1GB internet.

Orange PAYG is offered on its Animal plans. Orange offers Sim-only rolling monthly plans costing £25 per month. This offers you 600 minutes and unlimited texts; unlimited wifi and unlimited UK mobile internet browsing (subject to fair usage policy of 750MB a month).

This page leads onto our news item entitled ‘Compare mobile broadband networks’ on Homepage.

For further pricing information and updates use the following links:

visit the o2 website

go to tesco website

visit Vodafone website

the three website

or see the Orange website

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