Buying guide: Best phone deals of the week

Best phone deals of the week

We've scoured the net for the best prices on the Samsung Galaxy S5, HTC One (M8), LG G3, Nokia Lumia 930 and Sony Xperia Z2.

While we were at it we also cherry picked the best iPhone 5S, iPhone 5C and SIM-only deals for your delectation and for one week only we've got an exclusive offer on the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 as well.

Our deals have two elements for each phone we're featuring: the first is one of the most popular of the week, with the most interest from consumers all over the UK.

The second is the lowest total cost of ownership, where we work out how much the combined total of handset plus monthly cost will hit the wallet over the duration of the deal.

It might not come with much data, but for a lot of people the thought of owning an HTC One M8 and a contract for two years for under £600 is a rather lovely one.

Samsung Galaxy S5

So, let's begin with the phone that's got the most tongues wagging, and this week people are jumping at a Samsung Galaxy S5 in blue on EE, which if bought through mobilephonesdirect comes with unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and 2GB of 4G data.

This can all be yours for £30.99 per month and there's no upfront cost. Over 24 months that comes out at £743.76, which is great value considering the solid allowances that it comes with.

Galaxy S5

Cheapest Samsung Galaxy S5 deal

The above deal is certainly popular but there are cheaper ways to get the Samsung Galaxy S5.

The cheapest deal right now is for it in white on Vodafone for just £18.50 per month and that's through mobilephonesdirect.

It comes with 100 minutes, unlimited texts and 100MB of 3G data (though you get unlimited data for the first three months). So the allowances aren't amazing and there's a pretty steep £132.99 upfront charge, but it will cost just £576.99 over 24 months.

HTC One (M8)

The most popular HTC One M8 deal of the week is for the handset in gold and comes out at £29.99 per month. It comes with 250 minutes, unlimited texts and unlimited 3G data.

That's available through dialaphone and it's for a 24 month T-Mobile contract. Ultimately it adds up to £719.76, as there's no upfront cost. The data might only be 3G but getting an unlimited quantity should make up for it.

HTC One (M8)

Cheapest HTC One M8 deal

The above deal is already great value, but right now you can get the HTC One M8 a fair bit cheaper. The cheapest overall deal this week is just £18.50 per month with a steep charge of £155.99 upfront. For that you'll get 100 minutes, unlimited texts and 100MB of data, though for the first three months it gives you unlimited data.

That's for a 24 month Vodafone contract and it's available through mobilephonesdirect. In total it will cost you just £599.99. It's for the phone in gold and while the allowances aren't the best it's still great value if you can afford to pay a large chunk upfront.

Sony Xperia Z2

The most popular Sony Xperia Z2 deal this week involves buying it in black on O2 from mobiles.co.uk. It comes with unlimited minutes, 1GB of data and unlimited texts for £28 per month.

Normally there'd be a £29.99 upfront cost, but if you enter 'Z229DISCO' at checkout you'll get it for free, so over 24 months it will be just £672.

Xperia Z2

Cheapest Sony Xperia Z2 deal

Right now the cheapest Xperia Z2 deal involves paying a lot of money upfront, £160.99 to be precise. But then you only have to shell out £14.50 each month, for a total cost of just £508.99.

That's for the Z2 in black on Vodafone through mobilephonesdirect, with 100 minutes, just 100MB of data (though for the first three months it has unlimited data) and unlimited texts, so while it's certainly cheap it comes with very little data beyond the first three months, so consider how much data you're going to need before opting for it.

LG G3

The LG G3 is one of the newest flagship smartphones on the block, so it tends to be quite expensive, but you can still get a lot for your money. Take this week's most popular deal for example.

It's through buymobiles.net and includes 600 minutes, unlimited texts and unlimited 4G data for £36 per month. That's for the phone in black on Three and there's nothing to pay upfront so in all you're looking at £864, which isn't bad at all for such a shiny new phone with unlimited 4G data.

LG G3

Cheapest LG G3 deal

While this week's most popular LG G3 deal is a little pricey it's possible to get the phone a lot cheaper. It's available in black through mobiles.co.uk and comes with 500 minutes, 250MB of 3G data and unlimited texts on an Orange contract for just £13.99 per month.

Now it is rather more expensive than that suggests, as there's a £264.99 upfront cost, but it still only adds up to £600.75 over 24 months.

Nokia Lumia 930

Don't think we've forgotten about Windows Phone handsets. The latest Lumia flagship has recently hit the shelves and we've already dug up some good deals for it. The most popular one currently is for the phone in black on O2 through Carphone Warehouse.

It will cost you £28 per month with no upfront cost, so in total it's just £672 over 24 months. For that you get unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and 1GB of 4G data. Plus if you trade in your old smartphone while buying this you can get an extra £100 on top of your phones normal value.

Lumia 930

Cheapest Nokia Lumia 930 deal

It's even possible to get the Lumia 930 for substantially cheaper than the deal above. It's available in orange from mobiles.co.uk for £13.99 per month plus £249 upfront, adding up to £584.76 over the 24 months of the contract.

That gets you 100 minutes, unlimited texts and 1GB of 3G data on a T-Mobile contract, so as you'd expect for that price there's no 4G data, but the allowances are reasonable and it sure is cheap.

Apple iPhone 5S

Apple's flagship might be getting on a bit but it's still good enough to go toe-to-toe with the Android heavyweights.

It also carries a similarly high price tag, with the most popular deal this week coming courtesy of dialaphone, which offers the handset for £33.99 per month with no upfront cost, so over 24 months it's £815.76

For that you'll get a 16GB version of it in gold on EE with 2GB of 4G data, 1000 minutes and unlimited texts. So it's expensive but has some generous allowances.

iPhone 5S

Cheapest iPhone 5S deal

You can get the Apple iPhone 5S a little cheaper over the course of the contract, but only if you're prepared to pay some money upfront.

Mobilephonesdirect is offering a 16GB version in silver on a 24 month Vodafone contract with 500MB of data (after the initial three months of unlimited data), 600 minutes and unlimited texts for £22.50 per month, alongside a one-off charge of £197.99.

In all it will set you back £737.99, so that works out almost £100 cheaper than the deal above, but includes far less data.

Apple iPhone 5C

The iPhone 5S's cheaper sibling is still a pretty slick handset in its own right. We've only got the one deal for it this week but it's a good one. It's available through Phones 4u, which sells a 16GB version of the phone in green on EE, with 500MB of 4G data, unlimited texts and 500 minutes for £24.99 per month.

That's with no upfront cost, so over 24 months it will cost you £599.76, which is pretty cheap compared to some of the other handsets listed here, but then again this isn't a top end phone.

iPhone 5C

Exclusive Samsung Galaxy Note 3 deal

This week only we've also got an exclusive offer on the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, which can be picked up in black at buymobiles.net with unlimited 4G data, unlimited texts and 600 minutes.

You can get all that for just £33 per month and while there'd normally be a £49.99 upfront cost you can waive that by entering '4999NOTE3' at checkout. So all in all you're looking at just £792.

Note 3

SIM only

If you want to keep your old phone, or just buy a new one outright, then you can currently get a great SIM-only deal from Virgin Mobile, which has a SIM card loaded with 2GB of data, unlimited minutes and unlimited texts for just £15 per month and it's a pay monthly contract so you're not even tied in to anything.