I'm on the lookout for a much needed new phone after 3+ years with my current (terrible) Samsung Tocco Lite. I'm really interested in the LG Optimus 4X HD and have found a deal for £18pm that includes 300mins, unlimited texts and 750mb data.

At the moment I have 500mb on my current contract, although I use a fraction of that because pretty much all I can access are the mobile versions of Facebook & Twitter, however, I know that would change if I had full internet capabilities. Any large app downloads I could do at home on Wi-Fi but I know emails/weather etc are periodically updated on top of any web surfing i'd be doing on the move. So basically my question is, would 750mb be enough for a smartphone such as the 4X? What do you need/consider a reasonable amount for the things you do?

As a side note... How would you rate the 4X? It seems to have brilliant specs and I much prefer the design over the SIII. Would the £18 tarriff mentioned above be a good buy on a 24month contract?

Thanks

What network is this new deal with?
It isn't T-Mobile by any chance?

A 'good' amount of data is an entirely subjective thing - some people will be fine with a couple of hundred MB, some people will need a couple of GB, some people will need even more.
Three, for example, quote 1.1GB/month as the average that people on their network use but given that includes a lot of people using crazy amounts (hundreds of GB per month), it must also include a lot of people that use less than average, quite possibly a lot less, as well.

As for the handset, it should be pretty decent. Maybe not quite up there with the Galaxy S3 or HTC One X but definitely one of the highest-spec handsets on the market just now.
And for that price, it sounds like a good deal IMO.

It's hard to say as it varies individually but 1GB is usually a good amount unless you are doing lots of audio or video streaming.

1GB per month seems to cover the average users needs presently. 3 have reported that their average on unlimited data plans is around 1.1GB per month and they attract some very heavy users who will have pushed the average beyond other networks. As more people use services like Netflix, BBC iPlayer and Sky Go on the move the data consumption will increase and 1GB a month may not cover usage patterns where customers regularly use these types of services. This will be an issue for all of the networks regardless of their consumer offerings.

I find that 1GB suits me fine - but I almost never watch or download video over 3G.

In 2 years on a 1GB allowance I've only ever gone over it once and that was due to a badly behaving app which was very chatty in the background.

unless you are streaming video away from wifi networks then 750MB should be fine.

As you say, do your big downloads at home.

Well like the majority of you have said, I was thinking 1gb would be more appropriate because i'm a pretty heavy internet user at home so i'd definitely take advantage of it if I was able to when i'm out and about. Unfortunately the deals that offer higher data either are far more expensive or only have a minimal amount of mins. I don't quite understand why you can only have one or the other. Packages should be equal IMO.

It is with T-mobile. Is that a bad sign?

No, I'd say it was a good thing.

For a start, T-Mobile won't charge you for exceeding your allowance.
That and EE seem to be investing much more in their network, not only LTE but faster HSPA covering more of the country etc as well.

Light browsing, Gmail sync and facebook sync - my wife uses ~150mb of her 250mb limit.

I had a 1gb limit for the last year and only went over 500mb twice. Once by 3mb and another by 250mb - both times that was down to tethering. So I was quite happy to sign up for a 500mb plan. I do not stream over 3g (the chance would be nice but all the networks here are intermittent). I am running JB on my GNexus and my wife is running ICS on her GNote – in both of these it is easy to set data warnings and limits so there is no excuse to go over. Apps are available – 3G watchdog – for Android 2.x.

What do you mean by this? Surely if I went over i'd be expected to pay what i've used.

T-Mobile don't charge people for exceeding their data allowances.

If you go over the 750MB/month threshold then I believe they restrict certain data-intensive activities like streaming but web browsing and e-mailing are completely unaffected.

If you go to this page which lists all the standard tariffs, then click on any of the inclusive data allowance 'buttons', you'll see a pop-up which says 'No Internet run-on rates. Even if you use more than your internet option allows, we won't charge a penny.'

Do you have a smart phone at the moment ? Do you have an idea of how much data you use ?

Do you go out and about a lot without access to wifi, it available in may public places. What are planning on doing while you are out and about.

I am a heavy internet user at home (talking several hundred GB a month) and the most I have used in a month was 400mb and that included a 10 day road trip around the UK.

Also I think if you go with Vodafone then you get some allowance on BT openzone included I think.

O2 also have this policy. You can also tether using your allowance free of charge.


I have a 2GB monthly allowance but only ever use around 500 mb in a single month and I do a lot of web browsing/ checking emails on the go. I rarely stream when I'm out and about though.

Unfortunately I don't. My current phone does have internet access but as I mentioned previously, I can only access the mobile versions of a few websites so it isn't a very good gauge on what I would use with full internet capabilities.

I'll be commuting into uni this year, Bristol to Cardiff, so i'd be using it regularly on bus/train journeys and also when i'm at work. My uni actually has Wi-Fi so when i'm on campus I can always sign into that.

So thinking about it 750mb should be fine right? At home/uni I can use the free internet & it's just for a few hours each day i'd have to use the data allowance.

Also, thanks Step666! If i'm not going to get charged for going over then I suppose I have nothing to worry about. Does that mean it actually is pretty much unlimited then if they don't charge you for any extra you use?

That's one way of looking at it - it used to be that these sorts of allowances were advertised as 'unlimited' with a Fair Use Policy (generally the FUP part was hidden away in the small print).
But now, because there's genuinely unlimited plans on the market (and maybe also due to pressure from Ofcom), the FUP allowance is the headline figure and the unlimited aspect sort of gets hidden away.

The difference between the 750MB allowance and truly unlimited is, as I mention, that is you exceed the 750MB then you will see some restrictions to your service.
But for most people that won't be a huge issue.

Okay so after all this, i've done some research on the website selling the deal 'mobiles.co.uk' and they seem to have a very dodgy reputation, regardless that they are owned by Carphone Warehouse. I think i'd rather pass on this offer, buy a sim-free handset and continue to use my current £10pm contract, which after checking is actually unlimited internet anyway! I swore it was only 500mb! Sorts that one out for when I finally get a decent phone to use it with. So thanks again everyone. I really appreciated your help.

The reputation will be down to people who were too stupid to follow the instructions for things like their cashback.

With mobiles.co.uk, aside from the first 28 days when you would send the handset back to be replaced if it were faulty, you just head into a CPW store if there's a problem.
So in that respect it's superior to almost any other online store.

Be careful there are some offers e.g. T-Mobile where if you go over your allowance then the speed is throttled so you can do nothing beyond email & light web browsing but on other plans you will be charged per MB of data which can wind up being very expensive.

Sounds OK, don't forget you can download podcasts and music to your phone for the commute if you want to save listening to live radio though streaming radio is not exactly high usage.

You will probably find that if you keep the mobile data function on that not only will it use data but also drain your battery fast. Certainly my Galaxy S2 drains much faster when I forget to turn the mobile data off.

I use approx 30-40MB of my 500MB limit but use my home wifi mostly. I work in the middle of nowhere so I rarely get a decent standard signal, let alone 3G. If I did, then I'd possibly do some surfing on my lunch break, but I'd still easily be within my limits.

i am on 3....i use data a lot and i have never gone over 400mb

I'm also with 3 and used a lot more, you must be only viewing web pages or checking emails.

I thought 1024mb was enough on my 3 account until i started to use sky go and watch videos etc.

I believe 3 doesnt compress images on websites either, so uses more data than the other mobile providers.

Personally, I use a hell of a lot of data, not every month, but often. So anything less than 1GB is a no go right away. Even 2GB would probably be pushing it.
I tend to stream video a lot (iPlayer, Sky Go, TVcatchup) and download a lot of podcasts (including video ones, which themselves can be almost 1GB).
Yes I could do that on wifi, but as I have unlimited data I don't see why I should limit myself to being able to do those things only when I have wifi. It means I can do them when I am commuting to work, or travelling to see my girlfriend etc etc.

Unlimited is my ideal usage too although what you use can vary depending what network you're on.

When I was on Three, despite being on unlimited, I was using something between 2GB - 5GB a month, where as now on T-Mobile I am using something between 1GB - 2GB per month.

But for me unlimited is ideal especially when I'm out and about as I tend to listen to Chris Moyles (or watch Breakfast on One as of next week) in the mornings and I sometimes watch TV on my iPhone (when out and about) when there are big sporting events or big breaking news stories.

750MB does me fine
(I use my home wifi when I'm at home though)