iPhone 5S Upgrade Options

[Anonymous]

It now seems very likely that the iPhone 5S will be announced on 10/09 and released shortly afterwards (possibly 20/09)

I currently have an iPhone 5 64GB and as a self confessed Apple Fan Boy I always try to upgrade either on the day or very shortly afterwards.

Previously I've always done the mid-term upgrade which has worked well and I've just paid the one-off fee premium for the handset and signed a new 24 month contract.

As this is no longer available, I'm trying to understand what my options are and currently I think it's either:

Fast Track Upgrade - where I would basically have to settle my existing contract balance -20% which equates to around £350-£400

4G Upgrade Promise - not sure but this seems similar to the Fast Track but gives a 25% discount

With both of these options I would then still need to pay the handset premium fee. I would of course sell my existing phone

The other option of course is to just buy a new handset direct from Apple and keep my current contract - possibly £699 or more?

I'm used to paying a couple of hundred pounds for the privilege of having the latest version but suddenly it seems to have got a whole lot more expensive. I’m on a business tariff by the way.

Does anyone know of any other alternatives or loopholes? 

[adamtemp64 · Accepted solution]

Until o2 confirm it it is all pie in the sky but business options are different to consumers.

http://www.o2.co.uk/termsandconditions/rewards/fast-track-upgrade-terms-and-conditions that is business as confirmed here http://www.o2.co.uk/business/why-o2

[Anonymous]

Another option is to sell your current iPhone to help raise funds to pay for your planned upgrade.

I honestly would add another 2-3 weeks on getting one Ref availability.

As Adam says its not 100% clear yet.

Also no one knows what the iPhone 5s/6 is going to look like. What's under it's hood. It should be 4g compliant but that's not confirmed either.

It took me two weeks to reserve my iPhone 5 !

Theirs going to be so many set up on their computers to try and get one on release day, like all the other releases web pages will just do the usual and crash.

I also find it better to wait a bit so I can follow early adopter reviews and any subsequent issues.

[Anonymous]

In the past it wasn't possible to buy the new iPhone upfront from O2 on the release day (or AFIK even pre-order one for the release day).  I've got an O2 Simplicity sim always bought direct from Apple - for the 4 I stood in line at the Apple Store but for the 4S and the 5 I ordered from Apple online and both times it was delivered on the morning of release day.

The unknown this time around is, will the Apple Unlocked iPhone 5S be compatible with O2's flavour of 4G? 

[Anonymous]

---

@Anonymous wrote:The unknown this time around is, will the Apple Unlocked iPhone 5S be compatible with O2's flavour of 4G? 

---

The keynote on the 10th of September will confirm.

[Anonymous]

I strongly suspect they are trying to encourage people to take out contracts - presumably people who buy phones up front (or second hand) and use sim-only are less profitable than tying people into a two-year hire-purchase scheme.  

The main thing in the future is data usage - the fact that no company offers unlimited data is quite telling (back in the day schemes with unlimited texts then unlimited minutes would at one time have been unimaginably generous but the opposite is happening with data).  I'm clinging on to my unlimited-data 3G sim for now but I won't get the choice with 4G.

The pernicious (and IMHO dishonest) feature of data usage when there is a limit is that there are so many sneaky ways that the consumer can be unwittingly manipulated into using up more than they need to then "ker-ching!" the provider cashes in with a huge bill-shock and hides behind their yada yada obfuscating small-print.

Just my 2c as an experienced cynic

[Anonymous]

Giff gaffs £12 goody bag provides unlimited data.

3 have All you can Eat Data plans.

[Anonymous]

"Another option is to sell your current iPhone to help raise funds to pay for your planned upgrade."  

The O2 recycle scheme gives a derisory amount, £300 for 64GB iPhone 5 only a few £ more than for a 32GB... not quite sure why this is TBH; eBay prices also seem to follow the same trend but not quite so dramatically (probably nearer £450+ for 64GB and £400 for 32GB)

[Anonymous]

on 4G ?

[Anonymous]

No 3G.