Is it possible to change to an iPhone midway through a contract?

[thereinmadnesslies]

Does anyone know if it is ok to buy an iPhone on pay as you go to replace a HTC Desire?

DH idiot got a HTC on a two year contract with Vodafone. The phone is rubbish, takes ages to connect to anything, the icons keep going missing and it eats data even when all the apps are closed.

He's still got at least a year left on the contract. Would it be ok to buy a pay as you go iPhone to use for the duration of the contract, so keeping the same data plan etc? I know we would need to request an apple style sim card.

An actual iPhone owner may want to correct me but it is my understanding that all phones. iPhones included, use a standard size SIM.

The iphone 3G/3GS use a normal size sim card but the 4 and 4S use a micro-SIM. These aren't unique to apple any more, some newer blackberries use them and a couple of the new Nokia phones too.

Either way, it isn't a big issue because if you visit a mobile phone shop you can get your sim card cut down using a little tool which leaves the outer part intact so that you can still use it as an adapter if you need a full size sim again.

You can indeed buy any iphone which is unlocked or registered to vodafone and just put your sim card into that one, your contract will continue as usual. I work in a shop which sells phones second hand and have had many people come in and do this. You could also buy a brand new one sim-free or on PAYG.

Oh, and if you plan to never go back to the old phone, it's possible to literally cut your existing sim card down with scissors. As long as you don't cut the gold chip it's fine.

The iphone 3GS uses a standard SIM card. The 4 & 4S use a microSIM. It's not a big deal really. You can either get a SIM cutter from eBay which will cut it to size or if you are handy with a craft knife and have the confidence, there are templates you can download off the Internet to cut it yourself.

The original Desire is a pretty poor phone. I remember getting one myself when it first came out as I was determined to switch from my iphone. I sent it back after a week.

You can buy a pay as you go iphone and there are plenty available from eBay too. Just make sure whoever you buy it from that the phone is SIM free/carrier unlocked and not jailbreak unlocked. The latter means the phone has been unlocked by hacking it. It's not illegal but it does mean when you upgrade your phone's software you may relock it and it won't work with Vodafone. Oh and if you are getting from ebay, never ever get one which says no signal fault. 9/10 this is because the phone was either stolen or someone's ditched it mid contract so the carrier's disabled it.

Check with the provider first. Even half way through the contract they're often quite willing to do a deal on a change of phone. We did it and changed Ranty's phone from a crappy 'droid to an iPhone.

Yes I wouldn't recommend getting one on ebay etc - if you want one second hand, go for one from a trusted friend or a shop which will tell you what their policy is if the phone later becomes blocked or develops a fault. We have had people trade phones in to us which they then later report as lost (so they can claim on the insurance) which means they get blocked by the network. One big payout for them, one useless phone for us. We always restore all phones to factory settings too which reverses any jailbreak which has been done on it.

Either buy new or get second hand from a reputable source.