4G SIM NewsThe eagerly awaited release of the iPhone 5C is nearly here, with handsets hitting stores tomorrow, 20th September. Intended as a budget iPhone, the fact that the price tag is still pretty high may have disappointed some people. However, the main questions over whether the new iPhone would have LTE and whether it would be compatible with the UK’s 4G networks has been answered with a resounding yes.
The new iPhone 5C is available in 16GB and 32 GB models, and will be compatible with all UK 4G networks. As O2 was not included in Apple’s list of mobile operators that will support 4G LTE on the new release, there has been some speculation that the iPhone 5C won’t work on the O2 4G network. However, O2 has assured customers that this is not the case and that it will be able to support 4G LTE on the iPhone 5C in the very near future once it has received an update from Apple.
Aside from a colourful new look, and 4G LTE support, the iPhone 5C looks fairly similar to its predecessor, the iPhone 5. Some of the features of the iPhone 5C include:
- Plastic rear shell available in five bright colours
- An 8 mega pixel rear facing camera
- A 1.2 mega pixel front facing Face Time camera for video calls
- A high definition 4 inch retina display screen
- Digital voice activated personal assistant Siri
- High speed A6 processor (the iPhone 5S has an A7 processor)
- 10 hours battery life when browsing on LTE
EE customers will be able to access 4G on their new iPhone 5C right away, while customers on other networks may need to sign up to a 4G ready plan and wait for their network to be completely rolled out. The price plans for the iPhone 5C have begun to be unveiled, so let’s take a look at the options for the 16GB model and see which is likely to be the best deal.
- EE is offering customers a 16GB iPhone 5C on a 2 year contract for £46 per month plus £9.99 upfront. This includes the handset, unlimited calls and texts, and 10GB of data which should be enough to make use of 4G. While there are cheaper plans, these don’t offer enough data to use 4G.
- O2 is offering customers a 16GB iPhone 5C on a 2 year contract for £27 per month, which includes unlimited calls and texts and 5GB of data. However, customers will need to pay an additional £600 for the handset. The cost of the handset can be spread over 24 months which could reduce the overall cost.
- Vodafone is offering customers a 16GB iPhone 5C on a 2 year contract for £42 per month, with an upfront charge of £19 for the handset. This includes unlimited calls and texts and, until October, 6GB data.
- Three is offering customers a 16GB iPhone 5C on a 2 year contract for £37 per month, with an upfront cost of £49 for the handset. This includes 5,000 texts and 500 minutes per month along with unlimited data, ideal for 4G use. However Three is yet to begin its 4G rollout.
With just a few hours until its release there are plenty of people waiting to get their hands on an iPhone 5C. Whether it’s in white, strawberry pink, lemon yellow, lime green, or sky blue, the iPhone 5C has high expectations to live up to.