UK second priciest in the world for an iPhone 6s
As the world waits for the new iPhone 6s to hit the shops on Friday, a new study may take the shine off the new Apple must-have for some tech-mad Brits. It found that this country is the second most expensive for the phones - and the third most expensive for the iPhone 6s Plus.
Voucherbox.co.uk has discovered that in the UK you'll have to fork out £539 for the iPhone 6s and £619 for the larger model. Only France is more expensive for the 6s - at £545, while other countries are dramatically cheaper.
In the US, for example, the base price is £421. You have to add the local sales tax onto that, which could be another £40 on top, but even then, the model is £84 cheaper in the US. Meanwhile, in Japan, it's £78 cheaper, Australia it's £51 cheaper, and even in Germany it's £7 cheaper.
For the iPhone 6 Plus, you'd have to spend £619 in the UK. Things could be worse, because in China it's £1 more expensive, and in France it's £6 more. However, in the US, even assuming local sales tax at a maximum 9.45%, you'll pay just £532 - £87 less.
Over time, the price of these phones has shot up. Back in 2007 when the first iPhone was released it would have set you back just £235. By 2009 the new model cost £440, and by 2012 we were being charged £529. It seems that once we had bought into the concept of the iPhone, Apple felt free to add more expensive technology to the gadget, in the certain knowledge our brand loyalty would keep us paying for it.
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Packages even worse
If you decide to opt for a 24 month contract instead of buying the phone outright, there's bad news there too. Voucherbox calculated the average cost of a contract including the new device. For someone who uses around 6GB a month, the average cost of a plan including an iPhone 6 over two years is £1189 - some £650 more expensive than outright purchase.
It means you could buy the phone, spend £15 on a sim-only deal offering unlimited texts, unlimited calls and 6MB of data, and be £290 better off over the course of the two years.
It means that by opting for a package and spreading the cost of the phone over two years, we're not just paying £539 for the phone, we're forking out £829 for it.
Paying for the phone outright may seem like an impossible stretch, and in many cases it is. However, if you have a relatively new phone it's worth bearing in mind that it will have a decent resale value. Voucherbox found that a 2014 iPhone 6 sells for £347, and a 2013 iPhone 5s for £260 - which is a reasonable start.
But what do you think? Will you be splashing out on a new model? Let us know in the comments.
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