Best phone contract deals 2023: Compare STUNNING savings on the latest smartphones
Got your eye on the latest iPhone or a shiny new Android handset? We've rounded up all of the best phone contract deals in the UK
The best phone contract deals get you a shiny new smartphone, buckets of data and often an attention-grabbing freebie for an affordable monthly cost. But, with all of the major mobile providers competing for your custom, finding the best phone contract deal for you can be daunting. That’s where we come in.
We’ve scoured the web to bring you the best offers on the market to suit any budget. And, after our list of the most eye-catching offers, you’ll find a short buyer’s guide that outlines the key considerations such as contract length, upfront costs, 5G coverage and so on.
We’ve concentrated on the devices that we think are most worthy of your hard-earned dosh and will be regularly updating the list to reflect new releases or discounts. To make things simpler, we’ve also separated the Apple and Android savings.
READ NEXT: The best SIM only deals this month
Best phone contract deals: At a glance
- Best Android deal: Google Pixel 7
- Best Apple deal: iPhone 14
The best phone contract deals this June
1. Google Pixel 7: The best Android phone contract deal
This incredible Google Pixel 7 deal comes courtesy of Three via Buymobiles: the 128GB version of the five-star handset with 100GB of 5G data for £24/mth on a two-year plan, with £89 to pay upfront. Considering that we gave Three four stars out of five in our most recent review for both its coverage and speeds, this offer represents superb value for money. Just get in there quickly while it lasts!
Key details | |
| Network | Three |
| Contract length | 24 months |
| Monthly price | £24 |
| Upfront cost | £89 |
| Unlimited minutes and texts | Yes |
| Data | 100GB |
| Price per gigabyte | 24p |
2. iPhone 14: The best Apple phone contract deal
This stonking iPhone 14 deal comes courtesy of iD Mobile via E2save: the 128GB version of the four-star phone with 50GB of 5G data for £33/mth on a two-year plan, with a reasonable £79 upfront. Seeing as we gave iD Mobile four stars out of five in our most recent review, this offer represents excellent value for money.
Key details | |
| Network | iD Mobile |
| Contract length | 24 months |
| Monthly price | £33 |
| Upfront cost | £79 |
| Unlimited minutes and texts | Yes |
| Data | 50GB |
| Price per gigabyte | 66p |
3. Google Pixel 6a: The best Android phone contract deal on a budget
This Google Pixel 6a deal is perfect for those who want an excellent smartphone on the cheap. You can make the 128GB model with a huge 100GB of 5G data for only £16/mth on a two-year plan. As noted above, Three is a solid network to choose in terms of value for money too!
Key details | |
| Network | Three |
| Contract length | 24 months |
| Monthly price | £16 |
| Upfront cost | £39 |
| Unlimited minutes and texts | Yes |
| Data | 100GB |
| Price per gigabyte | 16p |
How to find the best phone contract deal for you
There’s a lot to bear in mind before you sign up for a new phone contract deal and the flood of information can be bewildering. To help, we’ve sorted the most important factors into bite-size chunks below.
How long should the contract be?
Phone contracts usually last 24 months, but 12 and 36-month contracts are also available. The benefit of a longer plan is that you’ll pay less per month, but you’re tied in for a longer time. Similarly, a year-long contract will be more expensive, but you’ll be free to switch sooner.
As you’ll have seen from the tool above, the very best phone contract deals tend to last for 24 months and this is the contract length we’d recommend for most users.
How much data do you need?
Nowadays, you can get a plan from 2GB all the way up to unlimited data, with lots of increments between. If you love to stream, browse or game on your phone, we’d suggest looking at a 100GB, 200GB or unlimited deal for peace of mind.
If, on the other hand, you only really use your handset for occasional videos, Google Maps and scrolling through social media, you might be able to get by with, say, a 10GB or 25GB contract. Anything less than this and you’ll likely incur extra fees.
Do you live in a 5G area?
5G delivers screamingly-fast speeds across large sections of the UK, especially if you sign up for a Three or EE deal. To check if you’ll be able to take advantage of 5G, head to the mobile network’s dedicated coverage checker, where you’ll be able to enter your postcode.
How much should you pay upfront?
Certain phone contract deals look incredible – until you see how much you’ll have to pay upfront. This one-off fee largely depends on the age of the handset and who you’re buying from.
As a rule of thumb, the newer the smartphone, the higher the upfront cost. This isn’t always the case, though, and mobile networks will often waive the cost as part of a limited-time deal. Meanwhile, third-party retailers such as those in the widget above are a lot likelier to forgo an upfront fee.
Should you buy from a third-party retailer?
Speaking of which, some of the best phone contract deals come courtesy of third-party retailers such as Mobiles.co.uk. These sites let you pick the phone, amount of storage, length of contract and, importantly, the mobile network, giving you greater flexibility.
So how do we find the best phone contract deals for you? At Expert Reviews, we put a lot of thought into the offers we recommend and always want to get the most for your money. We've outlined our full deal-hunting strategy in a dedicated article, which you can read by clicking on this link.
