£900 for an unlocked iPhone 3GS

 

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By Barry Collins

Posted on 1 Jul 2009 at 08:58

Play.com is selling unlocked iPhone 3GS handsets in the UK - but the handsets come at the eye-watering price of £900.

Click here for our review of the Apple iPhone 3GS

Despite rumours that it was losing its exclusivity, O2 remains the sole official iPhone network in the UK, forcing customers of the other networks to jump ship if they want to get their hands on the Apple device.

However, Play.com appears to have got its hands on a batch of unlocked models. The 32GB model is shipped without a SIM card, and can allegedly be used on any UK network. One customer leaving a comment on the Play.com site claims to have had no problems connecting to the Orange network with the device.

The £900 price tag may seem incredibly steep, but it's actually not that much more expensive than the cost of buying the device on contract from O2.

The 32GB device costs £274.23 on a £29.38 per month contract with O2, which lasts for 18 months, giving a total cost of ownership of £803.07.

However, buyers of the unlocked handset will of course have to pay the monthly/pay-as-you-go tariff on the network of their choice.

Play.com may well be looking to cash in on demand for the iPhone 3GS, with stocks reportedly running low at O2.