SmartphoneRental

Latest

  • Don't want to shell out the cash for an iPhone 4S? Lease one on O2

    by 
    Brad Molen
    Brad Molen
    12.12.2011

    If you can lease a vehicle, why not a smartphone? That's O2's line of thinking, anyways, as the UK carrier has begun piloting a rental scheme -- called O2 Lease -- with the iPhone 4S in the driver's seat. For a 12-month lease period and £55 per month, you'll be able to rent the 16GB version and get 750 minutes, unlimited messaging, 500MB of data and insurance. Want a 32GB model? That'll be an extra £10 per month. Since it's a rental, you'll be required to give the phone back after your year is up, but at that point you're free to grab a new device -- a great idea for anyone embarrassed to still be holding onto a primitive year-old phone. As O2 puts it: "this is the first tariff model available to all O2 customers that reflects the lifestyle of the smartphone industry." If the pilot's successful, the company will consider expanding its selection to more devices; since not everyone wishing to lease a smartphone wants an iPhone, we'd say the more handsets the merrier.