Getting consumer electronics with phone contracts used to be fairly commonplace, but as the smartphone gradually became the most lusted after piece of technology, the bundle deal dried up. You could still find them, but you’d likely be paying a high price for a subpar phone, which made them tricky to recommend.
Not so Virgin Mobile’s latest deal: they’re giving away FIFA 18 PlayStation 4 bundles with their Sony Xperia XA1, XZ and XZ Premium contracts. We’ve reviewed the latter two positively, and I went hands-on with the XA1 and found it to be a solid enough offering at the lower price point.
Virgin Mobile – which piggybacks on the generally excellent EE network – contract prices start at just £22 per month for the XA1 with 1.2GB data, meaning you’re looking at a total cost of £528 for the phone, PS4 and monthly contract. Considering the phone goes for £229 SIM-free, and the PS4 FIFA 18 bundle goes for £200, that’s a decent deal, given you have two years of manageable monthly instalments to pay it off.
The higher end Xperia XZ deals are worth looking at too, but it’s worth noting that the seemingly best deal – £28 per month on the top-of-the-range Xperia XZ Premium – has you locked into a three-year contract, which is too long for my liking. For the cheapest two-year deal, you’re looking at £41.50 per month – or £996 over the full contract. Still not awful considering the XZ Premium – with its beyond-silly 4K screen – retails for £650.
Perhaps the best trade-off, therefore, is going for the Xperia XZ classic which still packs a punch with its Snapdragon 820 processor. This is a 24-month contract starting at £31 per month – or £744 over the two years. Again, not too shabby when the XZ retails for £499 SIM-free.
Obviously, all of these are cheaper to buy separately, but most people don’t have the cash reserves to drop £500 in one go, and the monthly payments make getting a top-of-the-range smartphone and games console that bit more manageable. Bravo, Virgin Mobile.