The Price of an iPhone 3G Without Contract

The pricing plan for the upcoming Apple iPhone 3G has been discussed ad nauseum. We already know that the 8GB and 16GB renditions of the upgraded cell phone will sell for $199 and $299, assuming that you’ll latch yourself down for a few more years to an appropriate contract. That said, how much would it be if you’re not so interested in service agreements?

While we may not be able to do so in Canada (Rogers Wireless) or in the United States (AT&T), it seems that the people of the United Kingdom will be able to get an unsubsidized iPhone 3G. That’s right. No contract. All those Londoners will have to pay quite the hefty premium for the lack of shackles however, because O2 will be selling the iPhone 3G sans contract for 350 GBP. That works out to about $685. And we have to assume that’s the 8GB model too.

It sounds pretty expensive, but you also have to remember that an unlocked HTC Touch Diamond seems to be going for around the same price. Maybe contracts aren’t such a bad thing…