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Nexus 4 now available for pre-order at CPW

by Mark Tyson on 31 October 2012, 14:00

Tags: LG Electronics (066570.KS), Google (NASDAQ:GOOG), PC, Carphone Warehouse

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The source of our Google LG Nexus 4 smartphone leak pictures and details late last week, Carphone Warehouse (CPW), has now re-uploaded the pages of information and offers for the new Nexus handset. The mobile phone retailer has offers starting from £31 per month with a free handset on a 24 month contract. Only Vodafone and O2 are listed as available networks for the contracts. Delivery to the customer is “expected 13th November”.

The Google LG Nexus 4 isn’t listed with a handset only or PAYG option on CPW but only on contract or upgrade offers. The cheapest contract at £31pm for 24 months, with a free handset, 600 minutes, unlimited texts and NO data (O2) seems very expensive. If you’re willing to put down £29.99 for the phone you can get a much more useable contract with 600 minutes + 500 O2 minutes, unlimited texts and 0.5GB of data for £32pm also with O2. For £33pm with a free handset there is a Vodafone option of 600 minutes, unlimited texts, 0.5GB data and 2GB BT Openzone Wi-Fi. All the above deals are with the 16GB version of the Nexus 4.

O2 has also released news today heralding the availability of the Nexus 4 on its network from 13th November; free on contracts starting at £36pm. If you are one of the first 50 people in the queue at the O2 store in London that morning you can get a free 32in LG flat-screen TV too. Unfortunately you will have to take up the offer of the minimum £36pm Nexus 4 contract for that!

Savvy buyers will probably be thinking these contracts are quite steep for a £279 handset on a 24 month contract. Also some people might decide that the 8GB version is enough for them which is priced at £239 SIM free. For example you can get much higher retail priced phones such as the iPhone 4S free for £33pm at CPW.

The answer then, if you are bargain conscious and would like a Google LG Nexus 4, is to buy SIM free and use your current SIM, or get a new SIM only contract to pair with it. Even more sensibile folk would wait a few weeks for the hubbub to quieten down and the Nexus 4 to be available at lots more competitive networks and retailers.



HEXUS Forums :: 14 Comments

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£31 per month for 24 months? So £744 WITHOUT DATA?! For a £280 phone? What the hell?

Judging by massive increase in monthly prices recently I'm going to be going sim-only or GiffGaff and just buying unlocked phones for the foreseeable.

I don't think it's only the 4G early adopters who are paying shocking amounts for the upgraded network, but also us 3G users… even us in the sticks who I expect won't even see 4G for years.
24x£31 = £744, -£279 retail value of phone so £465 of that or £19.38 a month is for your network usage…

SIM Free you can get 600mins, 5k texts and all you can eat data from 3 for £18.90 or £15.90 if you commit for 12 months. T-Mobile are currently doing the full-monty plan for £21 a month on 12 month contract!
Yeah the networks are really taking the piss with this phone. Same contract prices as phones that cost double the amount. Another reason why I brought my phone sim free and stuck to a cheap month by month sim plan.
The main network operators seems to be getting quite greedy. I was looking at the Tesco Mobile 30 Day contract sims, they seem to be quite reasonable.
TCO on what the networks propose here is terrible.

Avoid avoid avoid.

For comparison, Three will give you a SIM-only contract with unlimited data for £12.90 a month. Across 24 months, TCO there is £590, saving you £150.

Note: It is *NOT* always cheapest to buy a SIM-free phone and get a separate SIM-only contract. But in this case, it's a no-brainer.