Top Tech: Our favourite iPhone 17 pre-order deals as iOS 26 update goes live

Apple’s newest handsets have hit UK retailers. These are our favourite pre-order deals for the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max and iPhone Air

In just a few days, Apple’s new smartphones will finally land on shelves. Pre-orders for each phone in the iPhone 17 series are now live, including the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max and iPhone Air.

Each model will officially launch on Friday (September 19), with high demand pushing back the delivery date of select models to early October. Retailers including Sky Mobile, EE, Mobiles.co.uk, O2, Vodafone and Three are now taking pre-orders for their monthly contracts, with Apple and Amazon offering the phones outright.

It comes as Apple begins rolling out its iOS 26 software around the world, with the update expected to be available in the UK from around 6pm today (September 16). Each model in the iPhone series will come with the new updates installed out of the box, offering new features such as the Liquid Glass design, call screening and a more dynamic lock screen.

For those yet to secure their iPhone 17 pre-orders, there’s plenty of deals still up for grabs, some of which include free AirPods 4 or free Apple One. Here, we’ve pulled together a selection of our favourite pre-orders deals for the iPhone 17 series.

Mobiles.co.uk

This Currys-backed site regularly throws in freebies with select smartphone contracts and is giving away a free pair of Apple AirPods 4 with the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. There’s no free AirPods with the iPhone Air, but shoppers pre-ordering this model will receive a free Belkin 2-in-1 MagSafe charger worth £109.99.

Each eligible contract also comes with a huge data allowance starting from 100GB, plus up to £500 back when trading in an old phone, depending on the model and condition. Another key selling point of this retailer is that its contracts tend to run for 24 months, while many rivals now last for 36 months.

The free AirPods come with the following contracts:

• iPhone 17: iD Mobile, 100GB, £38.99 per month, £135 upfront.
• iPhone 17 Pro: iD Mobile, 100GB data, £49.99 per month, £155 upfront.
• iPhone 17 Pro Max: iD Mobile, 100GB, £53.99 per month, £155 upfront.

Sky Mobile

Sky’s contacts tend to be more affordable than many of its competitors, with prices starting at £25 for the iPhone 17. However, there’s one caveat to consider with Sky: the prices only cover the phone and a small 100MB data allowance.

This isn’t enough for most people, but Sky offers a selection of data plans including 1GB for £1, 10GB for £10 or 60GB for £14. Even with a larger data add-on, Sky’s prices are still attractive, with the standard iPhone 17 and 10GB of data costing £35.

Monthly prices for the other members of the iPhone 17 family start at £35 for the iPhone 17 Pro, £38 for the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and £32 for the iPhone Air. There’s also no upfront cost on any of the 256GB models, plus up to £560 when trading in an old phone.

EE

EE’s 36-month contracts are by far the most expensive in our round-up, but they also come with one freebie that its rivals don’t offer. As well as the phone, unlimited data and uncapped 5G speeds, EE’s Full Works plans also include a free Apple One subscription.

Usually priced at £18.95 per month, this bundle provides access to Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade and iCloud+ 50GB, all of which would set customers back £28.96 if signing up for each service individually. EE also offers monthly discounts of more than £20 for EE broadband customers, so it could be worth considering changing providers.

Here are the eligible contracts:

• iPhone 17 – Unlimited data, calls and texts, Apple One. £76.24 per month, £30 upfront.
• iPhone 17 Pro – Unlimited data, calls and texts, Apple One. £85.29 per month, £30 upfront.
• iPhone 17 Pro Max – Unlimited data, calls and texts, Apple One. £88.32 per month, £30 upfront.
• iPhone Air – Unlimited data, calls and texts, Apple One. £82.26 per month, £30 upfront.