After months of guesswork, the iPhone 5C is official and it's basically an iPhone 5 in plastic coating.
But that won't stop you (or perhaps your kids) wanting one when you see the colourful array of finishes the handset comes in - green! yellow! white! pink! etc.
The good news is that there isn't long to wait: the iPhone 5C release date is September 20 while pre-orders opened on September 13. We've had a quiet word with all the networks to find out who's stocking what. Let's do this:
- But wait! First decide if the new handset is worth your money with our hands on iPhone 5C review
EE
Yes, EE will be stocking the iPhone 5C and it will be running on its 4G network and you can pre-order it now, but there's not sign of a free handset on the 12 or 24 month contracts.
If you want to shell out the least amount of cash up front then you'll need to commit to paying EE at least £46 per month over two years, netting you 10GB of data and an initial payment of just £9.99 for the 16GB iPhone 5C.
EE "recommends" its £36 per month 24 month contract, which gives you 1.5GB of data, but requires £69.99 up front, unless you want the 32GB variant in which case it reckons the £41 per month tariff with 2GB of data and £109.99 up front.
If you're not that bothered about 4G, or can't afford the premium cost EE is also offering 3G contracts via its T-Mobile and Orange arms, with the best of the bunch being the £32 per month everything unlimited tariff from T-Mobile with the iPhone 5C setting you back £89.99.
Vodafone
The iPhone 5C pre-order machine is also up and running over at Vodafone with 4G and 3G price plans for you to choose from. If you commit by October 31 you'll get 4GB of extra data on the listed allowances below.
Unlike EE you can get hold of a free 16GB iPhone 5C on a two year 4G contract, although you'll be paying either £47 (with 4GB of data) or £52 (with 8GB of data) every month.
The only other two year 4G option is £42 a month tariff which requires you to pay £19 for the handset.
As we've mentioned 3G tariffs are also on the cards here starting at £29 per month, although you'll have to pay £149 up front for the iPhone 5C.
Three
There's no free iPhone 5C on offer over at Three, nor does the network boast a 4G network for now (it's arriving in December), but the big pull here is the all-you-can-eat data tariffs.
You get just three choices of tariffs on Three's 3G network which all require £49 up front, with the £37 per month two year deal providing unlimited data, 5000 texts and 500 minutes while the top billing £41 per month plan gives you 2000 minutes and 5000 Three-to-Three minutes.
It looks like we will be getting a PAYG option for the 5C on Three, but it's currently listed as "out of stock", and there's no price on display.
O2
There's a little bit of an issue if you're looking to get the iPhone 5C on O2, as its 4G network won't actually support the phone from the off.
That doesn't mean the bubbly network won't be stocking the 5C though, with the handset hitting shelves at the same time as its rivals.
On the 4G tariffs side of things the iPhone 5C falls under O2's Refresh programme, which splits airtime and handset cost - allowing you to switch handsets part way through your two year deal without disrupting your airtime.
You ca get the iPhone 5C on 4G for free, but once again you'll need to splash £47 a month and you'll only get 1GB of data, which isn't particularly amazing. No sign of any PAYG or SIM-free offers though.
Apple
If you're ready to shell out £469 for the 16GB iPhone 5C or £549 for the 32GB model off-contract, you can buy directly from Apple.
- Find out everything there is to know about the iPhone 5C and check out what the TechRadar team makes of it too