Buy outright from £549.99 (O2)
Apple iPhone 16
4 retailers · 6 networks · 128GB / 256GB
The headline trap
The lowest monthly price for this phone is £11.95 — but it comes with £459 to pay upfront.
In this case the low monthly price is still the cheapest deal overall — just make sure you can pay £459 today.
Contract or buy outright?
The cheapest new 128GB contract, against buying the same phone outright and adding the cheapest SIM plan with at least 15GB of data, over 24 months.
The contract is £178.20 cheaper over 24 months.
Assumes the SIM plan price (iD Mobile sim only, 25GB, rolling monthly) stays the same for the whole period; contracts may also rise each year. Add price rises or cashback in the calculator.
Key specs
Every contract for the iPhone 16, ranked by true cost
541 deals match. Prices last checked 29 October 2026.
Device plan £14.44/mo for 36 months, airtime £32.00/mo for 24 months
Buy the iPhone 16 outright
Pair it with a SIM-only plan. Whether that beats a contract depends on the phone — see the verdict above.