A phone contract or monthly sim only ? Is a contract worth it?

[Shhhthedogssleeping]

My last 2 phones have been bought outright and then got a monthly sim. But now that phones don’t seem to work well after 2 years, I’m wondering if this is no longer the best choice. I like the idea of a regular phone update as I can’t afford to buy a new phone every few years. The monthly higher contract charge is also off putting. Do you buy a phone these days or is it not worth it anymore ? I don’t need the latest model of anything. But I do want IOS because a good camera is important to me and my Samsung and Motorola cameras were very poor. Any advice welcome.

Following as I’m having the same internal battle!
FWIW I’ve got my current phone on contract and since the contract started (about two years ago) the monthly payments seem to have increased a LOT (I’m with o2) so I’m thinking of going the other way and buying the phone outright this time.

I buy a phone, use it until it doesn't work anymore and then buy another one. I have a PAYG SIM. I don't buy IOS though. The days when there was much of a gap in this area are long gone. For me it's much, much cheaper to do this. But that might also be because I hardly ever use data - I pretty much limit myself to wifi and buy data a couple of times a year for emergencies.

As an aside, for me it's a big ethical problem to upgrade phones, other tech or cars on a contract (child and forced labour involved in conflict minerals used in these products.)

Before you go down the "buy a shiny new phone" route, take a look at what is on offer on reseller sites like Backmarket.

£10/month ought to buy you plenty of data and phone calls (assuming that your town has enough capacity for you to be able to browse/make a call).

Basic maths surely?

add up the cost of the phone + 2 year sim only contract, is that cheaper than your 2 year phone deal?

if not, go for the phone deal and switch 2 sim only at the end of the contract. Repeat if you think you need a new phone.

my phones last me around 5 years on average.

If you find it hard to budget and save and you're not so worried about the overall cost then get a phone on a full contract. For a monthly payment the phone company manage it all for you and you get a new phone every so often for "free" or for much less than actual cost.

If you're ok with budgeting and saving it's much cheaper to get a SIM-only contract, buy a phone outright, use it until it won't work any more and then buy another one at full cost.

Get a 2nd hand Google Pixel for around £100, and a SIM for £5 a month. Or do your research a bit better this time for a better camera. Plenty of 2nd hand Androids have super decent cameras.

I've always found Samsung cameras to be really good. I've had my S21Ultra for nearly four years and have had no issues.

My logic before was buy outright then I have phone for years and a cheap sim. But my latest phone is already starting to slow down. They don’t seem to made to last for 5 years like they used to, which made it really worth buying outright. The Moto and Samsung I last had both said in reviews that cameras were good but they were awful. Even my basic model iPhone is loads better than either of them . My DBs Samsung didn’t nave a good camera either. I can’t buy a new iPhone every few years. I’ll look at cheapest contract with an older iPhone I think. It’s the first time I’ve considered a contract for ages. Thanks everyone

I buy a phone outright and I use a GiffGaff sim for £10 a month, it’s not a contract sim, so I’m not tied to the network.
im using an IPhone 13 Max Pro at the moment