Tell me about good mobile phones (UK)

[Alex D]

Okay, so in the morning I think I might go to town and tread myself to a nice shiny new mobile phone. My old one is for all intents and purposes dead and has been for a year, but O2 refused to do anything about it and still made me pay £30 a month for the 12 months it was out of action. The contract is over now, so I am free and down £360. Now, two questions - What's a good network to go with for a contract? What's a good phone on the market at the moment? (Preferably recent on the shops and not from SonyEricson, never using them again either) This is mainly open to UK people because we're quite ahead of the US in mobile phone technology for some reason or another, apart from the iPhone, we don't have that yet.

[Goldney]

Well, I'm on O2 and I get rubbish tariff rates. I'm talking about 8p to connect a call even if it's just an answer machine. This phone appears to be quite good, and from such an unbiased writer you know it has to be true.

[Ynot]

T-mobile's pretty good it's a pity you're no longer under a contract it puts you in a strong position to negotiate. Try to negotiate anyway, though now, I've never done this without being in a contract, it may work, it may not (I'm sure the providers talk to each other on some level, if only to allow transferring of numbers and fraud detection, so they may catch you out) Phone up a provider (say, orange) and say your contract with 02 is up soon, you're paying £30 / month, can they beat it? Sales are usually allowed to knock 10% off, instantly, no quibbles. don't push too far, just try to get it down to around £25 / month, and agree. They'll send you through the contract to sign. Don't sign it. Walk into a high street store for another provider (say, T-mobile) with the Orange contract, and ask if they can beat it. They will probably say yes (they know you're not lying) You can probably get them down to £20 / month, if you do this. The problem you've got, is not actually having the leverage of an existing contract, but give it a go.

[Adrenaline Junkie]

Alex, take my advice, do NOT get tesco mobile, it is the worst network ever, i sometimes wish i could throw my phone out my window, it can't even make calls outside the country, not for me anyways, don't bother with Tesco mobile, thats a definate!

[Goldney]

Well, to be fair, O2 does have very good signal. I can get a signal near anywhere I go. In fact I can count the number of times I've been without signal on one hand.

[Alex D]

Well, to be fair, O2 does have very good signal. I can get a signal near anywhere I go. In fact I can count the number of times I've been without signal on one hand. On O2 I didn't have any signal when in my own house.