Apple iPhone 5 Deals

iPhone 5 contract deals – what’s best for you?

Looking for the best deals for Apple's new iPhone 5? Well, you've come to the right place. Here we'll be detailing the best iPhone 5 contracts around to help you to pick the one that best meets your needs. We'll also be examining which network is most suitable for the iPhone contract you are after.

Looking for a different iPhone model? Check out our best iPhone contract deals page for more choices.

iPhone 5 networks – who is offering it?

All the major UK networks are currently ranging the iPhone 5 on a range of 18 and 24 month contracts. These are O2, Three, Vodafone, T-Mobile, Orange and the UK's first-ever 4G LTE network, EE.

Tesco Mobile also has begun offering Apple's iPhone a range of affordable deals, while Virgin Mobile is expected to do so in the near future.

Most networks offer very similar monthly allowances of texts, call minutes and mobile internet data for largely the same outlay. Typically for a free iPhone 5 on contract, you can expect pay around £36 a month. If you choose to pay less on your monthly bill, however, you will most likely have to pay a on-off fee for the handset itself.

As iPhone contract deals are usually quite competitive, one of the ways networks to differentiate themselves is through exclusive perks. For example, pick the iPhone 5 on Orange and you’ll probably benefit from its two-for-one cinema tickets and its ‘Swappable’ flexible add-ons.

Vodafone iPhone 5 owners on the other hand will receive its ‘VIP’ benefits, which include free tickets to fashion shows, festivals, Formula 1 and more. Vodafone also offers unlimited internet as part of its ‘Data Test Drive’ offer.

Choose O2 and you’ll get priority access to some of the biggest events held at O2 venues around Britain. Three and T-Mobile meanwhile offer unlimited internet with their high-end plans, which are specially designed for data-hungry users.

The newly formed EE, meanwhile, is the UK’s first-ever, and so far only, 4G network, making it a prime destination for customers looking to take advantage of the iPhone’s 4G LTE support for super-fast browsing speeds.

Of course, another key consideration when picking a network is coverage. To see which one provides the best signals in your area, check out our 3G coverage checker. This will help you make an informed decision before taking the plunge.

iPhone 5 Features – what’s on board?

The iPhone 5 is one of the most advanced smartphones money can buy. It’s crammed with cutting-edge features, excellent software and an industry-leading design that Apple is so famed for.

Let’s take a look at some of the best features and specs on board:

iPhone 5 Camera

The iPhone 5 features an eight-megapixel camera with an f/2.4 aperture, backside illuminated CMOS sensor with sapphire crystal glass for improved protection and clarity and a dynamic low-light mode that enables even better snapping in dimly-lit settings. Also, it records videos in full high-definition at 1080p.

The camera app itself has been improved, too, with a Panorama mode that lets you capture widescreen vistas more easily in up to 28-megapixel resolutions. The front-facing camera, on the other hand, is capable of recording and making video calls in 720p HD.

iPhone 5 Processor

At the heart of the iPhone 5 sits the new, faster, snappier A6 processor that brings twice the CPU performance of the A5 chip that featured on the iPhone 4S, and twice the graphics processing brawn, too.

This means the iPhone 5 is now able to run even more sophisticated applications and immersive 3D titles that weren’t possible before. Web pages render much quicker as well and there is no lag or slowdown when loading apps and navigating menus.

iPhone 5 Screen

For the first time in the iPhone’s illustrious history, the iPhone 5 is home to a larger, four-inch Retina ‘integrated touch’ display that’s easily the handset’s crown jewel. Along with a 16:9 widescreen ratio that’s ideal for movie playback, this has 44 per cent more colour saturation, an eye-popping 1136 x 640 resolution and a 326ppi pixel density.

As far as displays go, the iPhone 5 has inarguably the best smartphone screen out there.

iPhone 5 Design – what does it look like?

Fashioned from sturdy Gorilla Glass and anodised aluminium, the iPhone 5 is billed as the ‘world’s thinnest smartphone,’ measuring a staggering 7.6mm thin and weighing just 112 grams – making it 18 per cent slimmer and 20 per cent lighter than the iPhone 4S.

Boasting a similar slab-like form factor, rounded corners and a metallic bezel as the iPhone 4S, teamed with the minimalist aesthetics and build quality that have become the hallmark of Apple products, the iPhone 5 is truly a piece of tech heaven.

iPhone 5 connectivity

New ‘Lightning’ Dock Connector

The iPhone 5 features a new, smaller dock connector dubbed Lightning that’s 80 per cent narrower than the old 30-pin port that featured on its predecessors. This is an eight-signal, reversible connector that’s capable of transferring data and charging the handset even quicker than before.

4G Long Term Evolution (LTE)

The iPhone 5 is the first Apple smartphone to introduce the super-fast 4G LTE. This is the latest generation mobile network standard that enables faster data speeds than before – up to 5 to 6 times more than 3G is capable of.

Better still, 4G LTE brings a new feature called HD Voice, which provides even clearer, crisper call quality.

Apple has implemented a single radio chip that handles all of this with ease. So even if you pick up your iPhone 5 on a 3G network initially, you’ll be able to switch to a 4G operator easily as long as handset is unlocked.

iOS 6 and improved Siri voice assistant

The iPhone 5 comes with the latest iOS 6 operating system out of the box, which adds hundreds of new features and improvements to the platform, among them Facebook integration now baked into the software, an enhanced notifications bar and updated versions of numerous native applications.

Siri, Apple’s personal voice-guided assistant, has also been enhanced with local search capabilities for the UK, enabling you to look up restaurants along with reviews, cinema times and up-to-the-minute results of your favourite sports teams by just using your voice.

iOS 6 also adds Apple’s own Maps application, which comes with a nifty ‘3D Flyover’ feature that give you an eagle-view of locations and free, turn-by-turn voice-guided navigation powered by TomTom.

iPhone 5 memory and colours

The iPhone 5 comes in black and white in three storage variants: the entry-level 16GB model for £529, the mid-range 32GB version for £599 and the high-end 64GB edition for £699.

Admittedly paying full price for a handset is not possible for many. Fortunately, a wide range of iPhone deals are available to substantially lower this outlay. That is why we strongly recommend picking a plan that saves you money both in the short and long term. Use our comparison tables to find the best deal that works for you.

Want an older-generation iPhone? Head to our iPhone page to find the best iPhone deals