What was the best phone deal of the year? You'll find out at our awards next month

By Adam Marshall
published

Argos, EE, Carphone Warehouse and Three all among contenders

mobile phone deals at mobile choice consumer awards 2019
(Image credit: Future)

Frankly, the UK public are spoilt rotten by the mobile phone deals that retailers and networks throw at them week in, week out. From Black Friday to Amazon Prime Day and everywhere in between, there's pretty much always a fabulous freebie or delectable discount to take advantage of.

But if you've ever wondered what the very best mobile phone deal of them all is, you'll soon find out - on October 10, to be precise, when TechRadar's Phone Deal of the Year is announced at the 2019 Mobile Choice Consumer Awards (opens in new tab).

Among the six nominees are some of the biggest names in the industry - Argos, Carphone Warehouse, EE, Three - as well as those you still may not have heard of like Smarty and last year's winner Mobiles.co.uk.

From the downright cheap (like Smarty's dirt cheap SIM only deals) to a barely believable Black Friday free gift (EE giving away Nintendo Switches), you can discover all the nominees below. One or two are even still available to buy now!

See all of today's best...

2019 Phone Deal of the Year shortlist

best budget smartphones (opens in new tab)

1. Argos

Super cheap SIM-free Moto - only £179.95
Roll back to Black Friday 2018 and the Moto G6 was sat at the top of our best budget smartphones charts. So when we saw Argos knocking the price down, we were delighted. 10 months on and it's now even cheaper still, at a bargain basement £149.95 (opens in new tab).

Unlimited screen replacements for new phones (opens in new tab)

2. Carphone Warehouse

Unlimited screen replacements for new phones (opens in new tab)
In the cutthroat world of mobile phone deals, Carphone Warehouse stood out from the crowd with its ongoing offer of unlimited screen replacements on your handset for one whole year (with only foldable screens excluded). It's thinking out of the box and we love it.

View Deal (opens in new tab)
EE (opens in new tab)

3. EE

Free Nintendo Switch with selected phone contracts
Another Black Friday special that really caught the consumers' imaginations. EE (opens in new tab) started handing out Nintendo Switch consoles like they were confetti, and all you had to do was sign up for a contract on your choice of Huawei or Nokia phone.

Mobiles.co.uk (opens in new tab)

4. Mobiles.co.uk

The awesome Huawei Mate 20 Pro for only £20 per month
We genuinely had to double check with Phone Deal of the Year title holders Mobiles.co.uk (opens in new tab) that this price was correct when we discovered it. Bills of £20 per month and less than £100 upfront for one of the very best smartphones in the world. 

Smarty (opens in new tab)

5. Smarty

Cheapest ever SIM only deal
Smarty has become a growing force in the crowded field of cheap SIM only deals, which culminated in offering its cheapest plan for as little as £3.12 per month (thanks to its flexibility and second month free promotion) earlier this year.

Unlimited data SIM only deal for £20 per month (opens in new tab)

6. Three

Unlimited data SIM only deal for £20 per month (opens in new tab)
Three took this title two years ago, and its ridiculous £20 per month unlimited data SIM is in contention again this time around. The sheer value on offer here only improves when you consider that you can currently get the first six months of the contract for half price!

View Deal (opens in new tab)
Adam Marshall
Adam Marshall

Adam was formerly the Content Director of Subscriptions and Services at Future, meaning that he oversaw many of the articles TechRadar produces about antivirus software, VPN, TV streaming, broadband and mobile phone contracts - from buying guides and deals news, to industry interest pieces and reviews. Leading and developing a great team, Adam also dusted off his keyboard to write articles for the likes of TechRadar, T3 and Tom's Guide.

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