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Cheap iPhone deals
Find the best value iPhone 13, 13 mini, 13 Pro & Pro Max, SE, 12, 12 mini, 11 & XR deals
A new iPhone is never MoneySaving, but if you're determined to get Apple's latest iPhone 13, 13 mini, Pro or Pro Max ‒ or its older models including the iPhone 12, 11 and SE ‒ this guide will take you through the cheapest ways to get one.
The MSE Cheap Mobile Finder
Our Cheap Mobile Finder tool compares more than 50 different retailers and resellers, covering all major networks to find your top deal. We've the pick of the deals in this guide, but use the tool for loads more options.
The top iPhone need-to-knows
Should you get an iPhone on a contract? Why should you never just go direct to the network? What other ways are there to get one? Our iPhone need-to-knows should help you bag a cheap deal and learn what to watch out for.
Apple's iPhone 13 Mini is a smaller version of its iPhone 13, released in September 2021 – see iPhone 13 Mini specs. With its smaller screen, it's slightly cheaper, but as a flagship phone, it's still not cheap. There are 1,000s of different combos, so to help, we've rounded up our pick of the best deals. For more options, see our Cheap Mobile Finder.
iPhone 13 Mini – what we'd go for
Early adopters of new phones always pay more. They're never MoneySaving, but if you're desperate for the latest model, the cheapest way to get the iPhone 13 Mini 128GB on contract and with enough data for most (3GB+) is this iD Mobile (uses Three's network) deal, which comes with 20GB/mth of data. It's £835 over the 24-month contract.
If you need more storage, there's this iD Mobile deal for the 256GB model. It's £953 over the 24-month contract and you also get 20GB/mth of data.
MODEL |
DATA & NETWORK (1) | TOTAL COST (2YRS) | UPFRONT COST | MONTHLY COST |
| via iD Mobile |
20GB/mth iD Mobile (Three) |
£834.76 | £19 (with code IDM10OFF) | £33.99 |
| via Affordable Mobiles |
100GB/mth Three |
£850 | £178 | £28 |
| via iD Mobile |
20GB/mth iD Mobile (Three) |
£952.76 | £89 (with code IDM10OFF) | £35.99 |
| Note: Deals are for newbies of that network. These are today's prices, but providers often increase prices in line with inflation or a set % during the contract. (1) All come with unlimited mins & texts unless stated otherwise. | ||||
The latest iPhones won't come with a power adapter (you'll just get a USB-C to Lightning cable). This means those new to Apple will need to buy this separately, with a USB-C power adapter costing £19 with Apple directly.
Apple's brand new iPhone 13, released in September 2021, has arrived – see iPhone 13 specs. As its new flagship, it's never going to be cheap. There are 1,000s of different combos, so to help, we've rounded up our pick of the best deals. For more options, see our Cheap Mobile Finder.
iPhone 13 – what we'd go for
They're never MoneySaving, but if you're desperate for the latest model, the cheapest way to get the iPhone 13 128GB on contract and with enough data for most (3GB+) is this iD Mobile (uses Three's network) deal, which comes with 20GB/mth of data. It's £931 over the 24-month contract.
If you need more storage, there's this iD Mobile deal for the 256GB model. It's £1,033 over the 24-month contract and you get 20GB/mth of data.
MODEL |
DATA & NETWORK (1) | TOTAL COST (2YRS) | UPFRONT COST | MONTHLY COST |
| via iD Mobile |
20GB/mth iD Mobile (Three) |
£930.76 | £19 (with code IDM10OFF) | £37.99 |
| via Fonehouse |
100GB/mth Three |
£982 | £190 | £33 |
| via Mobiles.co.uk |
20GB/mth iD Mobile (Three) |
£1,032.76 | £49 | £40.99 |
| Note: Deals are for newbies of that network. These are today's prices, but providers often increase prices in line with inflation or a set % during the contract. (1) All come with unlimited mins & texts unless stated otherwise. | ||||
The latest iPhones won't come with a power adapter (you'll just get a USB-C to Lightning cable). This means those new to Apple will need to buy this separately, with a USB-C power adapter costing £19 with Apple directly.
Apple's top-spec iPhone 13 range was launched in September – see iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max specs. With top-spec comes top prices, so it's important to bag the best deal. There are 1,000s of different combos, so to help, we've rounded up our pick of the best deals. For more options, see our Cheap Mobile Finder.
MODEL* |
DATA & NETWORK (1) | TOTAL COST (2YRS) | UPFRONT COST | MONTHLY COST |
iPhone 13 Pro 128GB* |
20GB/mth iD Mobile (Three) |
£1,071 | £39 (with code ID20UPFRONT) | £42.99 |
iPhone 13 Pro Max 128GB* |
100GB/mth |
£1,279 |
£199 |
£45 |
| Note: Deals are for newbies of that network. These are today's prices, but providers often increase prices in line with inflation or a set % during the contract. (1) All come with unlimited mins & texts unless stated otherwise. | ||||
The latest iPhones won't come with a power adapter (you'll just get a USB-C to Lightning cable). This means those new to Apple will need to buy this separately, with a USB-C power adapter costing £19 with Apple directly.
Apple's iPhone 12 Mini is a smaller version of its iPhone 12, released in October 2020 – see iPhone 12 Mini specs. With its smaller screen comes a slightly smaller price tag, but it's still not cheap – so it's important to bag the best deal. There are 1,000s of different combos, so to help, we've rounded up our pick of the best deals. For more options, see our Cheap Mobile Finder.
iPhone 12 Mini – what we'd go for
The cheapest way to get the iPhone 12 Mini 64GB on contract and with enough data for most (3GB+) is this Three deal via Fonehouse, which comes with 100GB/mth of data. It's £674 over the 24-month contract – the cheapest iPhone 12 Mini deal we've seen.
If you need more storage, the cheapest 128GB model is from Three via Fonehouse. It's £788 over the 24-month contract and you get 100GB/mth of data.
MODEL |
DATA & NETWORK (1) | TOTAL COST (2YRS) | UPFRONT COST | MONTHLY COST |
| via Fonehouse |
100GB/mth Three |
£674 | £194 | £20 |
| via MobilePhonesDirect |
40GB/mth O2 |
£752 | £200 | £23 |
| via Fonehouse |
100GB/mth Three |
£788 | £188 | £25 |
| Note: Deals are for newbies of that network. These are today's prices, but providers often increase prices in line with inflation or a set % during the contract. (1) All come with unlimited mins & texts unless stated otherwise. | ||||
The latest iPhones won't come with a power adapter (you'll just get a USB-C to Lightning cable). This means those new to Apple will need to buy this separately, with a USB-C power adapter costing £19 with Apple directly.
Apple's iPhone 12 was released in October 2020 – see iPhone 12 specs. We're expecting decent deals now it's no longer the flagship. There are 1,000s of different combos, so to help, we've rounded up our pick of the best deals. For more options, see our Cheap Mobile Finder.
iPhone 12 – what we'd go for
The cheapest way to get the 64GB iPhone 12 on contract and with enough data for most (3GB+) is this O2 deal direct with the network. It comes with 20GB/mth data and costs £740 over the 24-month contract – the cheapest iPhone 12 contract we've ever seen.
If you need more storage, the cheapest 128GB model is this Three deal via Fonehouse with 100GB/mth data. It costs £799 over the 24-month contract.
MODEL |
DATA & NETWORK (1) | TOTAL COST (2YRS) | UPFRONT COST | MONTHLY COST |
| iPhone 12 64GB* via O2 |
20GB/mth O2 |
£740 | £20 | £30 |
| via Fonehouse |
100GB/mth Three |
£799 | £199 | £25 |
| iPhone 12 128GB* via Buymobiles |
100GB/mth Three |
£885 | £165 | £30 |
| Note: Deals are for newbies of that network. These are today's prices, but providers often increase prices in line with inflation or a set % during the contract. (1) All come with unlimited mins & texts unless stated otherwise. | ||||
The latest iPhones won't come with a power adapter (you'll just get a USB-C to Lightning cable). This means those new to Apple will need to buy this separately, with a USB-C power adapter costing £19 with Apple directly.
- Want the higher spec models from the 12 range? If you want the iPhone 12 Pro or Pro Max, use our Cheap Mobile Finder to find the best deals.
The 'budget' iPhone SE was released in April 2020 – see iPhone SE specs. While iPhones are never MoneySaving, the iPhone SE is considerably cheaper than any other recent models. There are 1,000s of different combos, so to help, we've rounded up our pick of the best deals. For more options, see our Cheap Mobile Finder.
iPhone SE – what we'd go for
Right now, the cheapest way to get the iPhone SE 64GB with enough data for most is this O2 deal via MobilePhonesDirect. It comes with 6GB/mth data and costs £490 over the two-year contact.
For those who need more storage, you can double your capacity with this deal for the 128GB model with 6GB/mth data. It's with O2, via MobilePhonesDirect, and costs £540 over the 24-month contract.
MODEL |
DATA & NETWORK (1) | TOTAL COST (2YRS) | UPFRONT COST | MONTHLY COST |
| via MobilePhonesDirect |
6GB/mth O2 |
£490 | £130 | £15 |
| iPhone SE 64GB* via MobilePhonesDirect |
100GB/mth Three |
£524 | £188 | £14 |
| via MobilePhonesDirect |
6GB/mth O2 |
£540 | £180 | £15 |
| Note: Deals are for newbies of that network. These are today's prices, but providers often increase prices in line with inflation or a set % during the contract. (1) All come with unlimited mins & texts unless stated otherwise. | ||||
Apple's iPhone 11 was launched in September 2019 – see iPhone 11 specs. Despite being a discontinued model, it's still not cheap, so it's important to bag the best deal. There are 1,000s of different combos, so to help, we've rounded up our pick of the best deals. For more options, see our Cheap Mobile Finder.
iPhone 11 – what we'd go for
Right now, the cheapest way to get the iPhone 11 is this Vodafone deal. It comes with 12GB/mth data and costs £651 over the 24-month contract.
If you need more storage, then the cheapest deal for the 128GB iPhone 11 model is with iD Mobile (uses Three). It comes with 20GB/mth of data for £740 over the two-year contract.
MODEL |
DATA & NETWORK (1) | TOTAL COST (2YRS) | UPFRONT COST | MONTHLY COST |
| via Mobiles.co.uk |
12GB/mth Vodafone
|
£651 | £195 | £19 |
| via MobilePhonesDirect |
10GB/mth O2 |
£656 | £200 | £19 |
| iPhone 11 256GB* via Carphone Warehouse |
20GB/mth iD Mobile (Three) |
£740 |
£20 | £30 |
| Note: Deals are for newbies of that network. These are today's prices, but providers often increase prices in line with inflation or a set % during the contract. (1) All come with unlimited mins & texts unless stated otherwise. | ||||
Sometimes you can save a fair bit if you're happy to go for a phone that is a few years old, so we've rounded up the cream below. While they might not be as new and shiny, they still run Apple's latest iOS 14 operating system. We won't include all the older models here, but we'll include ones when they're competitive on price. If these aren't for you, see our Cheap Mobile Finder tool to help you find the right deal.
Older iPhone models – what we'd go for
One of the cheapest deals we could find for an older iPhone model is this iPhone XR (released in 2018) with Three via Buymobiles, which works out at £548 over the two-year contract.
For anything older, contract pricing isn't very competitive right now, but you may be able to save by buying the phone outright and pairing with a cheap Sim. See iPhone 8 and iPhone 7 Sim-free for options.
| DATA & NETWORK (1) | TOTAL COST (2YRS) | UPFRONT COST | MONTHLY COST | |
| iPhone XR 64GB* via Buymobiles |
100GB/mth Three
|
£548 | £188 | £15 |
| Note: Deals are for newbies of that network. These are today's prices, but providers often increase prices in line with inflation or a set % during the contract. (1) All come with unlimited mins & texts unless stated otherwise. | ||||
Have you thought about getting a refurbished phone?
Some mobile resellers no longer have stock of the older iPhone models, but if you're determined to get an older model, you may find it cheaper to get a refurbished iPhone. See our Refurbished Phones guide for more. Many refurb sellers provide guarantees on their products, meaning you're covered if there's a technical fault. Refurbs may work out cheaper when paired with a cheap Sim. See our Cheap Sim-only Deals guide for more.
How to complain about your network
The mobile industry doesn't have the best customer service reputation and while a provider may be good for some, it can be hell for others. Common problems include limited network coverage, slow data speeds, unexpected charges and more. It's always worth trying to call your provider first, but if not then…
Free tool to help you complain
This tool helps you draft and manage your complaint. It's totally free to use, and it's offered by Resolver, a firm we work with to help people get complaints justice.
RESOLVER – FREE COMPLAINTS TOOL*
If the company won't help, Resolver can escalate it to the free Ombudsman Services (or CISAS if you're complaining about Virgin Mobile).
Important: if your issue is about a voucher or incentive that was part of an MSE Blagged deal, then instead just let us know by emailing voucherhelp@moneysavingexpert.com as that's usually quicker.
Spotted out of date info/broken links? Email: brokenlink@moneysavingexpert.com
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