Supply and demand

So now we're on to my third post about the HTC Desire and it's pricing - and let me tell you, things have certainly NOT improved.

My analysis of the situation (if it counts for anything) is that the networks have just realised exactly how popular this phone is going to be, and before you can say "KER-CHING!" all the price plans - on all the networks - have gone through the roof.

Would you like an example of this? Remember how I said that you could get the Desire for £10 per month if you were prepared to pay £164 up front for it? And then it changed to £15 per month and £226 up front? So now what do you think it could have gone up to? Have a look at this then...

So if you want to spend £25 a month on your HTC Desire, then T-Mobile would like to charge you £380 up front for the privilege! £980 over 2 years! Bearing in mind you can buy the Desire SIM-free and unlocked for about £375, this is not what I would call a VERY GOOD DEAL.

Anyway, my enquiries with Vodafone came to nothing as well - they wanted £30 per month (so these rumours of £15 per month over 18 months were somewhat exaggerated) and even threatening to leave Virgin didn't get me a deal better than £20 per month and £100 up front.

Upshot of all this then? Erm... well, it would appear that my financial wizardry has all come utterly unstuck over the last couple of weeks. To my mind, the HTC Desire can really only compete as an "iPhone killer" if it is substantially cheaper. If the prices put it into the same territory as the mighty iPhone, then it's going to have a hard time. Sorry, I did try to save you some money. Honest.

All change

So it took T-Mobile less that 24 hours to render my last post about the HTC Desire almost entirely useless - they've changed all their price plans.

So now the entry level tariff is £15 a month, not £10, and the handset price has taken a hefty hike. Instead of £164, it's now £226. So my previous calculations are all wrong. If you want an 18-month contract at £15 per month, the total cost to you is now £496. If you're prepared to put up with the phone for 2 years, then you can have 300 voice minutes instead of 100 and only pay £191 for the phone (total cost £551). These prices, needless to say, are still substantially lower than the iPhone, but they're not quite as marked as they were.

To throw another spanner into the works, I've had some quality time with the Desire's rival sibling, the HTC Legend - and let me tell you, that phone is quite something. Although the specs aren't quite as high as on the Desire, the interface and OS are identical and the big plus point is the beautiful aluminium construction. Add in the fact that it's smaller, more pocketable and cheaper, and there really is now a genuine contest for my affections. It is, however, exclusive to Vodafone, and only on a 24 month contract. It is only £20 per month though, and with a free handset (total cost: £480 for 100 minutes, 500 texts and unlimited internet).

From reading a few forums, people have been getting some very good deals on both phones by dealing with Vodafone's web relations team directly (getting hold of them is a bit of a convoluted process) so if I can secure either the Legend or the Desire for less than the standard prices, then I'll be ordering immediately. I'm awaiting their phone call any time now...