One of the most important considerations when making any purchase is the cost.
We've taken a look at the SIM-free and contract prices you can expect to pay. To make this a fair comparison we have used the site of the manufacturer where applicable. For firms which have not been selling their device directly we have used popular retailers Amazon and Carphone Warehouse. Prices are listed from cheapeast to most expensive.
Winner: Various
If you're looking to buy a device SIM-free it's a two-horse race between the Nexus 4 and the Galaxy S3. The Nexus is by far the cheapest device on offer as Google is willing to take a hit on profits by selling it close to cost price. However, we still feel that the Galaxy S3 is the best value device especially when you consider the specifications and software features.
The iPhone 5 is the most expensive SIM-free, and it's not cheap on contract either, so it's hard to recommend. The Lumia 920 and the Z10 are also expensive compared to the Nexus and S3, but they are the newest devices.
The Samsung device also wins when it comes to pricing on contract plans - not only is it by far the cheapest, but you also get unlimited data as well.
