The best Android phones from the UK’s MVNOs
We have covered the four major networks in the UK, but the market is also bustling with smaller retailers running on the larger infrastructure provided by the main networks. These MVNOs offer a range of SIM deals, contract options and are even selling flagship handsets these days.
So, let’s take a look at the best Android phones available from some of the UK’s minor mobile players.
#1 – Samsung Galaxy S6
Flagship smartphones aren’t just reserved for the big carriers these days, Samsung’s cutting edge Galaxy S6 is also available on a number of minor networks in the UK.
The Galaxy S6 features some of the finest mobile hardware around, including a 5.1-inch QHD AMOLED display, an octa-core processor, 3GB of RAM and a 16 megapixel camera. There’s also 4G LTE connectivity to make the most of the UK’s expansive 4G network.
Starting prices are roughly similar across all of the networks that we’re looking at, but Tesco Mobile is probably the best deal, as it offers the most minutes without an upfront cost. GiffGaff’s month-by-month contract is also a compelling option, if you can stump up the lump sum. A comparison of the cheapest offers from each carrier can be seen below, although they all offer more expensive options with additional data and some also allow for tweaking the contract length.
| Carrier | Up front cost | Monthly cost | Contract Months | Mins/Texts/Data | Total Cost | PAYG Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BT | – | – | – | – | – | £609 |
| iD | £99.99 | £35.50 | 24 | 600/5000/1GB | £951.99 | – |
| Tesco | £0 | £36 | 24 | 1000/5000/1GB | £864 | – |
| GiffGaff | £37 | £33.25 | 24 | 500/ ∞/1GB | £835 | £489 |
| Virgin | £0 | £42 | 24 | 250/∞/250MB | £1008 | £888 |
Specs
- 5.1-inch Super AMOLED display with 1440×2560 resolution
- 2.1GHz Samsung Exynos 7420 SoC
- 3GB of RAM
- 32/64/128GB internal storage
- 16MP rear camera, 5MP front camera
- Non-removable 2,550mAh battery
- 143.4 x 70.5 x 6.8 mm, 138g
- Black Sapphire, Gold Platinum or White Pearl colours
- Android 5.1 Lollipop
Read more
Buy now from £0 from Tesco Mobile
#2 – Sony Xperia Z3 Compact
Sony’s Xperia range can be spotted in numerous advertisements up and down the UK and the Z3 Compact is still one of the most unique smartphones on the market.
Despite its compact form factor, the Z3 Compact still features processing power that rivals larger flagships. The handset also comes with a 20.7 megapixel camera for crisp photos, 2GB of RAM for smooth multitasking and IP68 water and dust resistance for extra protection.
The Z3 Compact is also less expensive than many larger flagship smartphones. Virgin Mobile is by far the cheapest deal, although the call and data limits are quite restrictive. Fortunately this can be bumped up to a more competitive 2500 mins, 1GB of data and unlimited texts for £24 per month.
| Carrier | Up front cost | Monthly cost | Contract Months | Mins/Texts/Data | Total Cost | PAYG Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BT | – | – | – | – | – | £361.24 |
| iD | £0 | £29.50 | 24 | 600/5000/1GB | £708 | – |
| Tesco | – | – | – | – | – | £429 |
| GiffGaff | £37 | £24 | 24 | 500/ ∞/1GB | £613 | £299 |
| Virgin | £0 | £19 | 24 | 250/ ∞/250MB | £456 | £336 |
Specs
- 4.6-inch IPS LCD display with 720×1280 resolution
- 2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 SoC
- 2GB of RAM
- 16GB internal storage with 128GB microSD card support
- 20.7MP rear camera, 2.2MP front camera
- Non-removable 2,600mAh battery
- 127.3 x 64.9 x 8.6 mm, 129g
- Black, White or Green
- Android 4.4 KitKat (Android 5.1 Lollipop update)
Read More
Buy now from £0 from Virgin Mobile
#3 – LG G4
If you are in the market for a larger high-end smartphone, then the 5.5-inch LG G4 is the most recently major flagship in its class.
As well as featuring LG’s latest curved QHD LCD display, a high-end Snapdragon 808 processing package and 3GB of RAM, a lot of fuss has been made about the handset’s camera. With a 16 megapixel resolution and f/1.8 aperture, the G4 boasts impressive camera capability in bright and low light conditions.
The G4’s specifications are compelling enough, but the phone is also a fair bit cheaper than its competitors. Over the course of a 24 month contract you can save hundreds of pounds over the Galaxy S6, and its PAYG price tag is also notable cheaper from some networks.
The best deal this time comes from GiffGaff, which offers a decent monthly package, the lowest overall contract cost and also has the smartphone reasonably priced if you can stump up the cash up front.
| Carrier | Up front cost | Monthly cost | Contract Months | Mins/Texts/Data | Total Cost | PAYG Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BT | – | – | – | – | – | £482.41 |
| iD | £9.99 | £37.50 | 24 | 600/5000/2GB | £909.99 | – |
| GiffGaff | £37 | £30 | 24 | 500/ ∞/1GB | £757 | £439 |
| Virgin | £0 | £25 | 24 | 250/ ∞/250MB | £600 | £480 |
Specs
- 5.5-inch LCD display with 1440×2560 resolution
- 1.8GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 SoC
- 3GB of RAM
- 32GB internal storage with support for 128GB microSD card
- 16MP rear camera, 8MP front camera
- Removable 3,000mAh battery
- 149.1 x 75.3 x 8.9 mm, 154g
- Metallic Grey, Red Leather
- Android 5.1 Lollipop
Read more
Buy now from £37 from GiffGaff
#4 – Motorola Moto E
Next in our list of best Android phones is the Moto E, an excellent low cost phone with everything you need for day to day tasks.
The phone comes with a compact 4.5-inch display, 1GB of RAM and a quad-core Snapdragon 410 SoC. There’s also a 5 megapixel camera for some basic photography, 8GB of storage with a microSD card slot and the latest Android 5.0 Lollipop OS on-board. The inclusion of 4G in the latest model also ensures that you can make the most of the faster data speeds now available in the UK.
While the specifications aren’t top of the line, the price point is very hard to beat. Contract costs start at just £10 per month with no up front costs, or you can pick your own SIM-only deal by buying the handset up front for just £100 from Tesco Mobile.
| Carrier | Up front cost | Monthly cost | Contract Months | Mins/Texts/Data | Total Cost | PAYG Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BT | – | – | – | – | – | £149 |
| iD | £0 | £10.50 | 24 | 300/5000/500MB | £252 | – |
| Tesco | £0 | £10 | 24 | 250/5000/500MB | £240 | £99 |
| Virgin | £0 | £10 | 24 | 250/ ∞/250MB | £240 | – |
Specs
- 4.5-inch qHD IPS LCD with 540 x 960 resolution
- 1.2 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 410 CPU
- 1GB of RAM
- 8GB of on-board storage, MicroSD expansion up to 32GB
- 5MP rear cam, VGA front cam
- Non-removable 2390mAh battery
- 129.9 x 66.8 x 12.3 mm, 145g
- Removable colored backs
- Black, White
- Android 5.0 Lollipop
Read more
Buy now for £0 from Tesco Mobile
#5 – Samsung Galaxy A3
There’s a fine balance to be struck between affordable hardware and building a device that still feels and look great. This is where Samsung’s Galaxy A3 comes in, which comes with a well-designed metal-rimmed case but a price tag that won’t break the bank.
The internal hardware is quite similar to the Moto E, but Samsung has thrown in a better rear camera, an additional 512MB of RAM and double the internal memory, which makes up for the increased price.
All of our MVNOs stock the Galaxy A3, which has helped keep the price very competitive. The best deal is awarded to the Carphone Warehouse’s ID network this time, which probably offers the best balance of data, calls and price.
| Carrier | Up front cost | Monthly cost | Contract Months | Mins/Texts/Data | Total Cost | PAYG Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BT | – | – | – | – | – | £269 |
| iD | £0 | £17.50 | 24 | 300/5000/500MB | £420 | – |
| Tesco | £0 | £20 | 24 | 250/5000/500MB | £480 | – |
| GiffGaff | £37 | £19 | 24 | 500/ ∞/1GB | £493 | £199.99 |
| Virgin | £0 | £15 | 24 | 250/ ∞/250MB | £360 | £239.99 |
Specs
- 4.5-inch Super AMLOED display with 540×960 resolution
- 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 SoC
- 1.5GB of RAM
- 16GB of internal storage with up to 64GB via microSD
- 8MP rear camera, 5MP front camera
- Non-removable 1,900mAh battery
- 130.1 x 65.5 x 6.9 mm, 110g
- Black, White or Silver
- Android 4.4.4 KitKat, upgradable to Android 5.0.2
Read More
ICYMI: A haunting 3D heart, dino robot bellhop and more
Today on In Case You Missed It: Japan’s come up with some cool tech in the past, but this week it reached a whole new boss level. A new hotel opened in Nagasaki, manned by talking robots– including a dinosaur robot. GE Healthcare showed off its new full-color 3D ultrasound machine. And Google’s new video series takes us for a walk with the Street View Trekker. Presumably the same kind of gear climbers commandeered to bring Street View to El Capitan.
Today’s bonus gave the video team a case of the awwws: A robot designed to play Peekaboo in the cutest possible way.
If you come across any interesting videos, we’d love to see them! Just tweet us with the #ICYMI hashtag @engadget or @mskerryd.
Filed under: Displays, Misc, GPS, Peripherals, Robots, Transportation, Internet, Google
Samsung Galaxy Note 5, S6 Edge+ pass through the FCC, Verizon and AT&T variants in-tow
Suggested render of what the Galaxy Note 5 may look like.
As the clock ticks down to the rumored August 12th launch of the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+, a premium pair of phablets to be sure, what was once a tiny trickle of leaks is now a full-blown stream. Today’s offerings come directly from the FCC itself, which has apparently certified both devices for release in the United States in AT&T and Verizon variations.
Verizon: The Galaxy Note 5 (SM-N920V) and Galaxy S6 Edge+ (SM-G928V) are compatible with the carrier’s LTE bands: 13, 4, and 2.
AT&T: The Galaxy Note 5 (SM-N920A) and Galaxy S6 Edge+ (SM-G928A) are compatible with LTE bands 17, 4, and 2. The Note 5 also has support for Band 12 which is going to be added to the carrier’s LTE coverage spectrum this September.
We would expect to see other carrier variants pass through the FCC in the next few days, presumably with support for their respective LTE bands. The fact that the FCC has already tested and certified two of the US variants further supports the August launch scenario as devices typically are being prepped for immediate release, with this procedure being one of the last major steps on the path to the customer’s hands and heart.
Suggested render of what the Galaxy S6 Edge+ might look like.
While the Galaxy S6 Edge+ is expected to be, more or less, a larger version of the Galaxy S6 Edge, it will have some minor hardware differences, such as the inclusion of a Snapdragon 808 SoC instead of the Exynos-variant that powered the standard model. (It is currently unclear as to if the device will formally spell-out the word “Plus” or if it will use the symbol “+” perhaps more in line with Samsung’s recent logo redesign strategy.) The Galaxy Note 5, on the other hand, has been the subject of much discussion as of late following reports it will make use of a glass back thereby forgoing a user-replaceable battery, and sans any microSD support.
The pair of devices, expected to be announced simultaneously (possibly with the Samsung Gear A smartwatch), are said to be launching earlier than in previous years due to Samsung’s intent on avoiding a direct confrontation with Apple’s upcoming smartphones, presumably to be called the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, with rumors suggesting an iPhone 6C might also be present.
For a look at everything we currently know about the Galaxy Note 5, please check here. For the Galaxy S6 Edge+, please check here instead.
Misfit Link offers activity tracking and more in a $20 wearable
Misfit’s Flash activity tracker was already useful for handling stuff other than tallying your sleep and exercise stats. The new software is available on iOS now, but it won’t arrive for Android until next month. There’s a new gadget that also carries the Link name too, and the “easy to use activity tracker and smart button” offers an even more affordable option for folks who’ve been eying Misfit’s devices. At $20 (£20) the company touts the Link as the “lowest-priced multifunctional and modular wearable on the market” — $30 less than the Flash. It’s only available directly from Misfit for now, but it’s set to hit retail outlets later this quarter.
Xiaomi has a crazy slim 4K TV with pro-level colors
Xiaomi builds various products that have nothing to do with smartphones, and today it revealed two more: a 9.9mm thick 4K TV and a smart water purifier, of all things. So who cares about a 48-inch TV that will probably only be sold in Asia? Well, for $485 (or $645 with a sound bar), the Mi TV 2S is pretty interesting. Samsung made the panel, but Xiaomi built its own LED backlight module. It claims that lets it display a full, uncompressed YUV 4:4:4 color gamut at 4K and 60fps, a trick that only professional grade displays can normally pull off.
The all-metal, 9.9mm body is one of the thinnest I’ve seen, and Xiaomi even went so far as to redesign the power plug to make it as small as possible, too. Otherwise, it’s like a big old Android phone, with a quad-core CPU, 2GB of RAM and Android 5 Lollipop. That’ll give it the usual array of smart TV features, including access to what the company calls a “$10 billion online TV library.” The Mi TV 2S will go on sale in China on July 28th, but unfortunately, it’s not likely to come to the US or UK.
As for the Mi Water Purifier, Xiaomi says it uses reverse osmosis tech with two activated coconut carbon filters, a cotton filter and an RO membrane. I had no idea that “coconut carbon filtering” was a thing, but Xiaomi claims it’ll reduce the TDS (total dissolved solids) to less than 100 in drinking water, while pumping it out at a rate of a quart per minute. The gadgety part is that you can hook it up to a smart home system and get alerted when it needs a new filter or stops working correctly. The 1,299 Yuan price ($210) sounds like a lot to us, but Xiaomi said it’s much cheaper than other devices with comparable performance. Again, it seems unlikely to join Xiaomi’s very limited edition of gadgets you can purchase in the US.
Filed under: Misc, Home Entertainment
Source: Xiaomi (translated)
Deal: pay what you want for the Web Hacker Bundle and learn to make apps
Many of the biggest tech moguls have firmly expressed the importance of learning how to code. It’s a skill that will not only teach you to create digital content, but will make you think differently. Thankfully, we no longer live in an age where learning to code is a trade you necessarily need to go to school for. The internet is a beautiful thing, and you can now teach yourself how to develop applications without stepping into a school.
There’s plenty of tools out there, but today we have found a deal that should, at the very least, help you get started on your journey to becoming a developer. The AA Deals Store is offering the Web Hacker Bundle at… whatever price you want to pay for it. No need to pinch yourself! This is real.
The Web Hacker Bundle offers 7 apps:
- Learn Docker from Scratch
- Learn Apache Cassandra from Scratch
- Learn Web Programming in Django & Python
- Learn Bootstrap Development by Building 10 Projects
- Projects in JavaScript & JQuery
- Projects in PHP & MySQL
- Learn Ruby on Rails by Building Projects
These web classes range from $99 to $199, adding up to a value of $1043. And you can pay whatever you want for them? You can’t seriously tell me that’s not a steal. Now, there is one catch. You have to beat the average price in order to get all 7 courses. Those who pay less than what the average customer has been forking out will be left only with the two first programs.
Thankfully, the average is still amazingly low at only $4.81, though you may want to act soon, before that number goes up.
See what the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 will look like next to the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus and Galaxy S6
style=”display:block”
data-ad-client=”ca-pub-8150504804865896″
data-ad-slot=”8461248232″
data-ad-format=”auto”>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push();
If you’ve ever wondered what the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 will look like next to the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus and Galaxy S6, this is probably going to be your best look before the devices are actually released. Thanks to the 3D renders that have been trickling out, it looks like someone has been hard at work getting Samsung‘s latest devices in the same frame to compare their sizes and designs. Based on what we know, the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge Plus should be around the same size i.e. phablet size, which is exactly what these renders show us – check them out below:
As you can see, the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus looks exactly like a bigger Galaxy S6 Edge with almost no changes to the design at all. The Galaxy Note 5 on the other hand almost looks like the Edge Plus back to front with dual curves on the back of the device which should no doubt help the feel of the device in your hands. With this in mind, you can probably consider the Galaxy S6 Edge a loose Galaxy Note Edge successor – the only obvious omission is the S-Pen which only the Galaxy Note 5 will be touting this year.
What do you think about how the devices look next to each other? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: NWE via Phone Arena
The post See what the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 will look like next to the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus and Galaxy S6 appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
EU to investigate Qualcomm over “predatory pricing”
The European Commission loves to keep tabs on big foreign companies operating within its remit and its ever watchful eye has been drawn to possible market abuse by dominant mobile SoC developer Qualcomm.
The Commission has just opened up two antitrust investigations into the US semiconductor company. The first is looking at whether Qualcomm offered financial incentives to its customers in order to exclusively use its own baseband chips in their products.
The second investigation aims to figure out whether or not Qualcomm unfairly sold its 3G modem chips at below cost prices, also known as “predatory pricing”. This would in effect push its competitors out of the market, as they would be unable to match Qualcomm’s pricing.
“Many customers use electronic devices such as a mobile phone or a tablet, and we want to ensure that they ultimately get value for money,” – European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager
Qualcomm has been quick to point out that these initial proceedings do not represent a formal accusation against the company. However, the semiconductor giant has previously coughed up $975 million to avoid an investigation into monopolistic practises in China.
If found guilty, Qualcomm could be fined up to 10 percent of its yearly earnings and be forced to alter its business practises within the Single Market.
This is just the latest in an ever growing list of European Commission investigations into large US based technology companies operating within Europe. The body has already looked at Apple’s and Amazon’s tax dealings, and is also investigating Google’s search results and Android operating system.
UK MVNO guide: Everything you need to know
While there are only four major networks in the UK, there a dozen more virtual networks, that offer mobile services running on one of the networks’ infrastructure. While some of the MVNOs are for specific customers and not readily available for all to buy, other MVNOs aim to challenge the existing status quo with unique plans and aggressive competition.
In today’s series, we’re looking at five of the major MVNOs; BT Mobile, iD, Tesco Mobile, GiffGaff and Virgin Mobile.
BT Mobile
SHAUN CURRY/AFP/Getty Images
Key Details:
- Formed: March 2014
- MVNO Network runs on: EE
- Offers 4G: Yes
- Offers Pay Monthly: SIM only, no handsets
- Offers Pay As You Go: very small range of PAYG handsets (six to choose from)
-
Owns spectrum: Yes (acquired through spectrum auction for £187 million):
- 2 x 15MHz of 2600MHz
- 1 x 20 MHz of 2600MHz (unpaired)
- Quad Play services: Yes: BT Mobile, BT Vision, BT Broadband and BT phones.
Summary:
BT had a long history in the UK telecoms industry under its Cellnet and (then) O2 guises until the latter was sold to Telefonica in 2005. Since its exit from the telecoms industry, BT has continued to offer mobile services to some of its business customers and in March 2014, BT Mobile became an MVNO in the UK running on EE’s network.
Related: EE Network Review (2015): Everything you need to know
A few months later (in August 2014), BT announced that they would be offering 4G services to BT Mobile customers while in March 2015, the company announced that BT Mobile was now offering 4G contracts from as little as £5 per month.
BT is at the heart of the UK’s network shake up as the company goes from MVNO to major network thanks to the purchase of EE for £12.5 billion, which is expected to complete next March. Once this completes, EE’s vast network spectrum will combine with the spectrum owned by BT’s subsidiary and it’s likely that EE will be amalgamated into BT’s existing services and BT Mobile will become the second largest network provider in the UK.
Price Plans:
To remain as competitive as possible, BT Mobile launched by offering the UK’s cheapest 4G contracts for just £5 per month (for existing BT Broadband customers). In total, there are only three SIM Only plans available to choose from:
- £5.00/m: 200 minutes, Unlimited Texts, 500MB 4G data
- £12.00/m: 500 minutes, Unlimited Texts, 2GB 4G data
- £20.00/m: Unlimited, Unlimited Texts, 20GB 4G data
If you live in a house with BT Broadband, you’ll get the prices listed above, otherwise if you don’t have BT Broadband, you’ll have to pay an additional £5 per month surcharge.
What is quite interesting is that while EE offers a maximum of 10GB data on SIM Only for £28.99 per month, BT offers double the data for almost half the price. Sounds odd right? Well, there’s a catch. From our personal experience, we can reveal that BT Mobile plans are capped at around 30Mbps on 4G (meaning there’s no access to the superfast LTE-Advanced double-speed 4G network). That being said, BT Mobile is certainly interesting for all customers who don’t need the fastest speeds.
All BT Mobile customers also get the following perks:
- BT Wi-Fi: Free and unlimited access to more than 5 million hotspots
- Spend Caps: Monthly spend caps on all bills, including roaming caps and usage alerts via SMS
- Unlimited 0800 calls and voicemail: unlimited calls to 0800 numbers and voicemail free of charge
- BT Sport Lite: all BT Mobile customers can watch live Barclay’s Premier League football, Aviva Premiership Rugby and Scottish Premier League games for free.
Conclusion:
Overall, BT definitely has one of the most compelling MVNO offerings on the market and its packages could even compete against the established major networks. Its acquisition of EE will see the network become a major player that is capable of beating not only the existing MVNOs but all the major networks as well.
Three’s buyout of O2 could prove to be the biggest challenge that BT Mobile faces in the very near future and Vodafone should certainly not be ruled out as rumours persist that they are interested in buying chief TV rival, Sky. Whatever does happen in the UK telecoms and terrestrial services markets, BT is set to be at the heart of it and BT Mobile will definitely have a part to play.
iD Mobile (Carphone Warehouse)
Key Details:
- Formed: May 2015
- MVNO Network runs on: Three
- Offers 4G: Yes
- Offers Pay Monthly: Handsets and SIM Only
- Offers Pay As You Go: Handsets and SIM Only
- Owns spectrum: No
- Quad Play services: None
Summary:
Formed earlier this year, the iD Mobile is Carphone Warehouse’s entry into MVNO market and the newest MVNO in the UK. The key reason that Carphone launched iD Mobile is the ability to sell contracts on iD Mobile through its own sales channels (alongside plans from other networks) and the network’s price plans are certainly interesting, offering something for everyone.
Related: Three Network Review (2015): Everything you need to know
Price Plans:
iD Mobile’s plans are split across three tiers for handsets and three tiers for SIM Only plans. Its Handset packages are:
- GoTo Plan: this is the entry-level contract, offering calls, texts and data on either 12 month or 24 month contracts. 12-month plans vary between £13.50 per month and £37.50 per month while 24-month plans cost between £13.50 per month and £23.50 per month.
- ShockProof Plan: Similar to the GoTo plan, the ShockProof plan offers calls, texts and data for between £7.50 per month and £12.50 per month on a 24-month contract only. This plan includes a £5 buffer each month and is designed for people who have a limited budget and allows you to cap your monthly spend (to the price plan plus the buffer).
- TakeAway plan: this is by far, iD’s best plan and arguably one of the most compelling packages on the market. Costing between £25.50 per month and £45.50 per month on a 24-month contract only, the plan includes calls, texts and data with the added benefit of being able to use your inclusive minutes, texts and data free of charge in 22 countries around the world.
The network’s handset plans are certainly compelling and its 30-day rolling SIM Only plans are somewhat similar apart from one key difference:
- GoTo Plan: just like the handset plan, this offers calls, texts and data for between £7.50 per month and £20 per month on a rolling contract. The plan ranges from offering 500MB 4G data for £7.50 per month to unlimited data on the £20 SIM only plan, although the latter is currently only a launch offer and is only likely to be offered for a limited period of time.
- ShockProof plan: Just like the handset package, this lets you fix your monthly spend and offers calls, texts and data. The plan comes with a £5 buffer on top of your allowances (which can be increased via its website) and like the GoTo Plan, offers between 500MB data (£7.50 per month) and Unlimited data (£20.00 per month) although the latter is a special launch offer.
- DataOnly plan: this is perfect for anyone who only needs mobile data and offers 4G data for between £5 per month and £20 per month. The £5 per month plan offers 500MB data while the top plan offers 20GB data for £20 per month and is perfect if you find yourself needing data on the go (as it can be used in a mobile WiFi hotspot).
If there’s one thing that’s disappointing about iD Mobile’s plans, it is that you have to be tied into a long 24-month handset contract in order to use your allowances abroad as the TakeAway plan isn’t available on SIM Only. However, the network does say that it is constantly evaluating its offering so this may change at some point in the future.
Rather than offer the traditional perks that other networks offer, iD Mobile aims to market itself as a network built around you. The company claims to offer the ability to choose the perfect package and plan to suit you, the ability to add extras whenever you want and the only network to offer you the maximum control and flexibility over your package.
Conclusion:
Overall, iD Mobile is certainly an interesting proposition and it is the only MVNO to offer a compelling roaming package (that actually offers free roaming in 4 more countries than Three, the network that iD Mobile runs on).
As the UK’s largest retailer, Carphone Warehouse has the added ability to undercut other network plans using its own MVNO but, at least initially, the company’s handsets and price plans are similarly priced to rivals. For example, iD’s Galaxy S6 package is bettered by a deal offered on Vodafone through Carphone Warehouse but its SIM Only packages are certainly some of the best on the market.
There’s no doubting that iD Mobile has all the makings of a successful MVNO and with the added expected push through Carphone Warehouse stores, its likely that it will become established as one of the major MVNOs in the very near future. Whether it stands a chance to challenging the established networks remains to be seen but the Carphone Warehouse connection should certainly not be underestimated.
Tesco Mobile
Key Details:
- Formed: May 2003
- MVNO Network runs on: O2
- Offers 4G: Yes
- Offers Pay Monthly: Handsets and SIM Only
- Offers Pay As You Go: Handsets and SIM Only
- Owns spectrum: No
- Quad Play services: None
Summary:
One of the oldest MVNOs on the market, Tesco Mobile initially launched as a small MVNO but has risen to become one of the biggest in the UK. Sold directly through Tesco Phone Shops (in larger Tesco supermarkets) as well as via the Tesco Phone Shop website, Tesco Mobile has gained customers through an attractive offering and clever marketing to existing Tesco customers.
Tesco Mobile operates in the UK, Ireland, Slovakia, Hungary and Czech Republic and 90% of the company is owned by Tesco (or a subsidiary), with O2 owning the other 10%. Until January 2015, the supermarket offered Tesco Broadband, Homephone and Blinkbox (video-on-demand) but these were sold to TalkTalk as part of a debt reduction scheme and it’s rumoured that Tesco Mobile could also be sold to serve a debt bill that currently sits at £22 billion.
Price Plans:
Tesco Mobile’s price plans are very similar to O2 in that the company splits the cost of your monthly package into payments for your phone and airtime. Like O2 Refresh – which Tesco’s Anytime Upgrade package is built on – you pick a handset to buy at 0% interest and a plan and then make two direct debit payments each month; one for your phone and one for your plan.
Related: O2 Network Review (2015): Everything you need to know
The benefits of the Anytime Upgrade package are that it allows you to upgrade at any time (by paying off the remaining amount of your device plan) or reduce your monthly outgoings by paying off your handset. Like O2 Refresh, when you pay off your device contract, you’re free to upgrade or leave Tesco Mobile as the contract reverts to a SIM only plan.
Tesco Mobile’s pay monthly handset plans start at just £8.50 per month, while SIM only deals start at £10 per month and the MVNO offers both bundles and non-bundle Pay As You Go options. One of the biggest perks to being a Tesco Mobile customer is that – just like major network Three, who is incidentally in the process of buying O2, all Tesco Mobile customers get 4G at no extra charge.
Conclusion:
Overall, it’s unsurprising to see Tesco Mobile offer a Refresh-style Anytime Upgrade pay monthly package like one of its parents O2 but the plans themselves are actually quite competitive. Many people have questioned whether O2 Refresh is actually worth the split payments and personally, I’ve found that its incredibly useful, especially when I want to upgrade early or need to pay off a contract as a phone is broken. Like O2, Tesco Mobile doesn’t offer handsets without the split payment contract so you may need to look elsewhere if you’re not happy with the Anytime Upgrade offering.
GiffGaff
Key Details:
- Formed: November 2009
- MVNO Network runs on: O2
- Offers 4G: Yes
- Offers Pay Monthly: No.
- Offers Pay As You Go: Offers SIM Only. Handsets available either outright or on finance
- Owns spectrum: No
- Quad Play services: None
Summary:
GiffGaff is the only MVNO that’s technically run by a network themselves as it runs on the O2 network and is owned by O2’s owners, Telefónica. The network is definitely the most unique in the UK as it doesn’t employ call centres and instead, is run by an online community who answer questions and solve queries within 24 hours.
Along with its unique structure, GiffGaff is also unique in its package offering as the network offers handsets on finance but doesn’t offer pay monthly contracts. All GiffGaff phones are unlocked as well, meaning complete flexibility in the way you use your phone.
Price Plans:
GiffGaff only offers Pay As You Go deals but if you don’t have the money available to buy a new phone outright, the company can also finance the deal for you (through a partnership with RateSetter).
The way it works is simple: choose your phone, then choose how long you want to pay it back over (6, 12, 18 or 24 months) and choose how much you want to pay up front (£25, £50, £100, £200). Then you choose a goodybag (aka a Pay as You Go bundle) to go with your phone and together, they form the basis for your monthly cost. The unique thing about GiffGaff Phones is that – at least according to the GiffGaff website – you can change your goodybag at any time and there’s only a soft credit check to valid your identity, which doesn’t leave a mark on your credit score.
The cost of the credit isn’t too much either, with the average interest set to between 9 and 10 percent. As an example, the Galaxy S6 costs £489 outright (which is cheaper than the RRP) and a 24-month finance agreement with £25 upfront works out to be £535 in total (again cheaper than the RRP). Increase the upfront cost and the overall monthly cost goes down, as it does if you choose to pay it over a shorter period of time.
Related: Vodafone Network Review (2015): Everything you need to know
GiffGaff have a choice of Goodybags available as well, offering both 3G and 4G services for those who need them. All goodybags come with free calls and texts to other Giffgaff users and cost between £5/m and £20/m for a 3G goody bag and £12/m and £18/m for a 4G goodybag. Here’s the different goodybags available:
| Monthly price: | Network: | Minutes: | Texts: | Data: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £5.00 | 3G | 100 | 300 | 100 MB |
| £7.50 | 3G | 250 | Unlimited | 500 MB |
| £10.00 | 3G | 500 | Unlimited | 1 GB |
| £12.00 | 3G | 500 | Unlimited | 3 GB |
| £12.00 | 4G | 500 | Unlimited | 1 GB |
| £15.00 | 3G | 500 | Unlimited | 5 GB |
| £15.00 | 4G | 500 | Unlimited | 3 GB |
| £18.00 | 4G | 1000 | Unlimited | 5 GB |
| £20.00 | 3G | 2000 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Conclusion:
Overall, GiffGaff is certainly a unique network and it definitely has a unique proposition. By offering contracts (and PAYG handsets) at cheaper than its rivals with less stringent rules, the network can appeal to all users who are disillusioned with their existing network.
The unique finance offering will definitely appeal to customers who have difficulties getting accepted for traditional pay monthly contracts and in some cases at least, the finance option can still work out cheaper than buying the handset outright from the manufacturer.
Despite being a non-traditional MVNO thanks to its community-run structure, GiffGaff continues to grow and has a loyal band of users that shows no signs of abating. As other networks introduce even more complex plans and contracts that can be difficult to understand (and may work out rather expensive), GiffGaff’s unique plans could see an increase in its subscriber base.
Given that O2 is currently in the process of being bought out by Three UK, it’s unclear what the future holds for GiffGaff or whether Telefónica will exclude GiffGaff from the deal. Whatever does happen, at least for now, GiffGaff has a bright future ahead of it.
Virgin Mobile
Key Details:
- Formed: 1999 (2007 as part of Virgin Media)
- Also known as: Virgin Media Mobile
- MVNO Network runs on: EE
- Offers 4G: No
- Offers Pay Monthly: Handsets and SIM Only
- Offers Pay As You Go: Handsets and SIM Only
- Owns spectrum: No
- Quad Play services: Yes (Virgin Media): Broadband, Mobile, TV, Landline
Summary:
The world’s first MVNO, Virgin Mobile was formed in 1999 as a joint venture between Richard Branson’s Virgin Group and One2One. Virgin Mobile enjoyed several years of growth and awards – that were coupled with behind-the-scenes power struggles and courtroom battles between the two parent companies – before merging with NTL:Telewest in April 2006.
Less than a year later, NTL:Telewest rebranded to Virgin Media in February 2007 and became the first quad-play company offering broadband, television, landline and mobile phone to customers. Virgin Mobile remains an important MVNO in the UK, especially as its fixed-line internet arm – Virgin Broadband – is the second largest UK broadband provider with 20% of market share (according to Ofcom data at the end of 2013).
Price Plans:
Virgin Mobile offers the latest handsets and a range of packages in the same format as O2 Refresh and Tesco Mobile (see above). The network’s Freestyle lets you split the cost of your handset from your airtime but what makes it unique is that Virgin Mobile doesn’t run on O2; Freestyle is the first UK tariff that is doesn’t use the O2 network to explore the split tariff concept.
Freestyle is also unique as – unlike other providers – it offers every handset with every one of its packages. This means that you can buy the latest phone with a basic plan and offers the most flexibility on any UK tariff. As an example, the Galaxy S6 is available for £31 per month (£26 per month for the handset, £5 per month for the airtime) which, although it does have low allowances – 250 minutes, Unlimited texts and 250MB data – is one of the cheapest deals on the market.
The key thing that it’s worth remembering is that Virgin Mobile only offers 4G to business customers so its cheap tariff comes with the caveat of vastly slower speeds, especially as EE has arguably the UK’s fastest 4G network. Other perks available to Virgin Mobile customers is Wi-Fi on the London Underground at no extra cost, “exclusive perks” that include V Festival and cinema tickets and unlimited free voicemail that doesn’t come out of your inclusive allowances.
Conclusion:
Virgin Mobile is certainly an important MVNO in the market but it remains the only major MVNO not to offer 4G to its customers. Although it does offer 4G to its business customers, consumers are limited to EE’s somewhat slow and patchy 3G coverage.
Virgin could switch from EE to O2, who are getting bought by another rival, Three who back the iD Mobile network. Confusing right?
EE’s buyout by BT is also likely to pose an interesting question for Virgin Media as it already competes with BT in broadband, landline and television and Virgin Mobile will be in direction competition with BT/EE. One potential solution that’s been suggested is Virgin Mobile switching its MVNO agreement – which was last renewed for an unspecified period of time in October 2013 – to EE’s rival O2, who, in turn, is about to be bought by Three to form the UK’s largest mobile carrier.
The switch to Freestyle contracts is also quite interesting as they were only launched in November 2014 – a few weeks before the BT and EE deal became public knowledge – and could be a precursor to a switch to O2’s network. The future of Virgin Mobile is uncertain but whatever does happen, Virgin Mobile is still likely to have a loyal user base, at least for the foreseeable future.
UK MVNOs: Final Thoughts
The UK’s MVNO market is fiercely competitive and there’s several others that we’ve not mentioned, including Tesco’s rivals Sainsbury’s and Asda (owned by Walmart), who both offer mobile services to customers. Then there’s Virgin and BT’s rival Sky, who recently launched its own network (running on Vodafone) in a pilot trial that’s limited to just 200,000 customers. The list is endless and there’s plenty of others offering both post-paid and pre-paid services to customers, including the renowned Lyca Mobile and Lebara Mobile.
Top Flagship Devices:
.rvs_wrapper
width: 350px;
.rvs_wrapper.align_left
float: left;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right
float: right;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center,
.rvs_wrapper.align_none
width: 100%;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center
text-align: center;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center.cbc-latest-videos ul li
float: none;
display: inline-block;
vertical-align: top;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos:not(.align_none) ul li:nth-child(2n+1)
clear: both;
.rvs_title
font-weight: 600 !important;
margin: 0 !important;
font-size: 24px !important;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right .rvs_title
padding-left: 20px;
.rvs_title a
font-family: ‘Roboto Condensed’;
color: #3a3a3a;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul
padding-top: 10px;
.rvs_wrapper.align_left.cbc-latest-videos ul li,
.rvs_wrapper.align_none.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 15px 0 0;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 0 0 15px;
float: right;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 7px;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li > a
font-weight: 400;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li > a .yt-thumbnail
margin-bottom: 0;
@media only screen and (min-width : 480px)
body #page .rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul
width: 100% !important;
@media only screen and (max-width : 480px)
body #page .rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos
width: 100%;
float: none !important;
overflow-x: auto;
overflow-y: hidden;
body #page .rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul
overflow: auto;
max-height: none;
body .rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li
float: left !important;
clear: none !important;
The biggest shake up of the major UK network market is likely to also lead to plenty of renegotiations in the MVNO market as networks change hands and MVNOs seek to align interests. Although Vodafone is set to become one of the UK’s smallest networks as part of the shake-up, the trial with Sky and agreements with Lebara and Lyca stand it in good stead to take a larger slice of the growing lucrative MVNO market.
Virtual Networks are a growing way for more companies to get into the highly-lucrative mobile market and with the demand for mobile devices and data ever growing, it shows no signs of abating. As the number of MVNOs grow, the MVNO market will become saturated with providers and offerings meaning companies will need to be creative in their approach, which will in turn, lead to an even more competitive market.
Do you use an MVNO or do you use one of the major networks? Let us know your views in the comments below and don’t forget to vote in our poll! For an in-depth look at the major networks, head over to our network reviews section.
// <![CDATA[
(function ()
var opst = document.createElement('script');
var os_host = document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https:" : "http:";
opst.type = 'text/javascript';
opst.async = true;
opst.src = os_host + '//' + 'www.opinionstage.com/polls/2282962/embed.js';
(document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0] ());
// ]]>
Amazon Prime Day hits heights as customers left unhappy
Yesterday’s Amazon Prime Day sale hit several heights for the shopping giant but customers were left disappointed as deals failed to live up to the company’s promises of unbelievable deals. At least that’s the general consensus about Amazon’s first attempt to make its very own shopping day, which the company promised would be “bigger than Black Friday”.
Amazon in video:
.rvs_wrapper
width: 350px;
.rvs_wrapper.align_left
float: left;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right
float: right;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center,
.rvs_wrapper.align_none
width: 100%;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center
text-align: center;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center.cbc-latest-videos ul li
float: none;
display: inline-block;
vertical-align: top;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos:not(.align_none) ul li:nth-child(2n+1)
clear: both;
.rvs_title
font-weight: 600 !important;
margin: 0 !important;
font-size: 24px !important;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right .rvs_title
padding-left: 20px;
.rvs_title a
font-family: ‘Roboto Condensed’;
color: #3a3a3a;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul
padding-top: 10px;
.rvs_wrapper.align_left.cbc-latest-videos ul li,
.rvs_wrapper.align_none.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 15px 0 0;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 0 0 15px;
float: right;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 7px;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li > a
font-weight: 400;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li > a .yt-thumbnail
margin-bottom: 0;
@media only screen and (min-width : 480px)
body #page .rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul
width: 100% !important;
@media only screen and (max-width : 480px)
body #page .rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos
width: 100%;
float: none !important;
overflow-x: auto;
overflow-y: hidden;
body #page .rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul
overflow: auto;
max-height: none;
body .rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li
float: left !important;
clear: none !important;
The shopping giant celebrated its 20th birthday by holding the Prime Day sale, which was expected to offer previously-unseen levels of discounting in a true celebration of the way Amazon has changed our shopping habits. What actually transpired however, was something very different.
A number of Amazon Prime shoppers stayed up later (or got up early) to jump on the Prime Day bandwagon only to find the deals were disappointing. The company offered large discounts on its own products – including the Amazon Fire TV Stick, Kindle Fire HD and Amazon Echo – and while these were available for a long period of the day, the rest of the offers were lightning deals.
Like the name suggests, they were on offer for a limited period of time and unless you had the reflexes of a ninja feline, you probably wouldn’t have got the really good deals. Indeed, while we were updating our US and UK roundups, I found that – at least with the UK – a lightning deal would be 100% claimed in the few minutes it took to update the post.
On social media, the giant faced a bit of a backlash from customers who found the deals didn’t live up to Amazon’s promise.
Well done Amazon, the only deals I was really interested in were sold out before I woke up. #PrimeDay
— Dave Bohnert (@copiedline) July 15, 2015
The best deal I’ve seen so far is 15% off a box of pop tarts. #AmazonPrimeDay
— Sakeef Salman (@ChiefSakeef) July 15, 2015
When a deal was fully claimed, Amazon added people to a waitlist and at least on the items I joined the waitlist for, I found myself behind over 200 people in the queue with Amazon rating my chances of getting the deal as “POOR”.
First reaction to #PrimeDay? If I wanted to be on a waitlist, I’d apply to college again. Walmart site seems easier to navigate than Amazon.
— Paul R. La Monica (@LaMonicaBuzz) July 15, 2015
Some people even claimed that the only deals with large availability were items that no one really wanted.
#AmazonPrimeDay is a horrible sale with misleading promotion. all these deals on candy and insoles. where’s the stuff we want? @amazon
— Jamal (@inf) July 15, 2015
E-commerce sales tracker ChannelAdvisor found that by noon, Amazon’s third party U.S. same-stores sales were about 80 percent up on the same day last year and CEO Scot Wingo confirmed that the number was likely to hit 100% by the end of the day, marking four times the growth experienced so far this year.
Both Amazon and its rival Walmart – who launched its own sale yesterday to compete with Prime Day – saw spikes in traffic that resulted in slow loading times, although the latter had a lot more issues according to Internet performance firm Catchpoint Systems. Even with all the complaints, Morningstar Senior Analyst R.J. Hottovy said the sale bodes well for Amazon:
“You’re going to hear some complaints about it, but people still carry on in this treasure hunt. The limited supply of these deals has some people going and even buying items later at full price.”
In a nutshell, Amazon Prime Day pretty much achieved what Amazon wanted it to; millions of customers flocking to its website in the hope of picking up a bargain but being left to fend for the scraps. For Amazon this meant clearing lots of dead stock and plenty of space for new inventory for the second half of the year. Customers may have been unhappy but Amazon got what it wanted so hopefully Prime Day will become a regular sale and without doubt, the number of new signups for Amazon Prime was definitely a bonus for the shopping giant.
I personally grabbed the Fire TV Stick (which was almost half price at £19.00 versus a normal price of £35.00 in the UK) but missed out on loads of deals as the inventory just didn’t seem to be there. Did you bag a bargain? If so, what did you get? Let us know what you managed to snag in the comments below!
@media only screen and (min-width:1024px)
.single-page .video-container margin-bottom: 10px;
.video-container padding-bottom: 27%;
AIVAnet 
