Buying a smartphone from an operator: advantages and disadvantages

You’re about to invest in a new cell phone to start the year off right. By consulting the prices offered by different sellers, you will find that the bill with the operators is much lower. But be careful: in fact, all this is synonymous with hidden costs. Indeed, although the initial payment is quite low, you should be aware that such offers will often ask you to commit for a certain period of time, sometimes up to two years. Plus, this is what the supplier doesn’t tell you The installment payment of the smartphone hides the ultimately higher price if you bought it from an electronics store. Add up all the monthly payments to see this.

Another drawback: SIM lock. When you buy a device from Orange or SFR, it will be “locked” with an operator. Understand that you won’t be able to use it fully with a competitor’s SIM card. To do this, it will be unlock itIt can be risky if you don’t master this procedure at your fingertips.

Tough question about overlays

Among the additional risks you are exposed to with a smartphone purchased from an operator, we will also mention the one related to you. personal information. As some know, mobile phones delivered by Bouygues Télécom or Free have additional applications installed locally. Often these provide access to third-party services provided by the ISP.

Also, in reality, their code often hides trackers that spy on your behavior on iOS or Android. In addition, we note that the options offered by these platforms are often available for free online or through less dangerous alternatives in the Play Store or App Store. Even worse: if you choose your cell phone in a country suspected of tracking its residents, such as Russia, sometimes these spyware they are invisible and act like a real keylogger.

Pay in installments, real plus

All in all, it’s true that a monthly subscription rather than a three-figure price can be very practical for a freelancer starting out and looking to keep setup costs down. Same thing for the student tight budget. This is also what Apple has recently offered thanks to the financing of its iPhones.

The second advantage and not least: you will sometimes have an opportunity with the operator Change your mobile as soon as the next generation is released. If you stay in the same row category, there is no additional cost. Moreover, it remains more profitable to buy a bare smartphone, especially when you know that specialized stores also offer rentals.