Where's the cheapest place to get Samsung’s Galaxy S5 in the UK?
Samsung might not have rocked the world with the specs for its Galaxy S5, but its new flagship is still probably going to be a massive seller when it arrives later this week.
The S5, with its perforated plastic backplate, runs on Android 4.4 KitKat and has a 5.1-inch high-definition 1080p display, a Snapdragon 800 2.5GHz quad-core processor, and a 16-megapixel camera.
Its launch couldn't come soon enough for Samsung, which is employing its own fingerprint scanning technology in the S5 to win back some territory Apple has gained with its TouchID-equipped iPhone 5S released last September.
The device is officially released in the UK on 11 April — so who's got the best plan?
Vodafone
Vodafone has exclusive rights to sell the gold version of the Galaxy S5 — which is also available in blue, white, and black — in the UK.
Tech Pro Research
Vodafone has separate 3G and 4G pricing for the Galaxy S5, but since the device is LTE-compatible, we'll take a look at 4G pricing. On Vodafone, the lowest monthly fee on a two-year plan is £42 if the customer trades in another Galaxy device. There's no upfront cost for the device in that case, and the plan comes with 3GB of data per month, along with six months of either Spotify or Sky Sports.
Without a trade in, the cheapest offer on Vodafone for the S5 is £47 a month with a £19 upfront cost, which also brings with it 3GB of data every month and a six-month subscription with Spotify or Sky Sports.
The Galaxy S5 with Vodafone costs roughly the same as the 16GB iPhone 5S on a two-year contract — although the iPhone doesn't come with expandable storage options, of course. The 16GB iPhone 5S costs £47 a month with no upfront fee and includes a 3GB monthly data allowance. The iPhone 5S 32GB model on a 3GB per month allowance costs £47 a month with an upfront fee of £179.
EE
EE is selling the black, white, and blue Galaxy S5 on 24-month 4G plans and is promoting its 4GB allowance as the optimal package for the device.
It doesn't offer a 3GB plan to compare directly with Vodafone. However, the 4GB plan for the Galaxy S5 costs £37.99 a month with an upfront fee of £59.99, while a 2GB plan costs £37.99 with an upfront fee of £49.99.
EE also offers a 5GB allowance for £49.99 a month with a £9.99 upfront fee.
Three
Three also stocks the three colours without the gold option on 4G-ready plans from £38 a month, which carry a £29 upfront price tag. The carrier is offering the S5 at that price for its 'all-you-can-eat' data plans, which include 600 minutes of voice calls, or alternatively a 2GB data allowance with unlimited calls per month.
O2
O2 is only selling the black Galaxy S5 and is offering the device from £38 a month for a 4G-ready plan with a 2GB allowance, which carries an upfront fee of £69.99. Its 5GB plan with no upfront fee costs £48 a month.