Apple's recently unveiled iPhone 4S is available to order via a number of retailer and network providers, including Carphone Warehouse, Phones4U, Three, T-Mobile, Vodafone, O2 and Orange.

Buying a SIM-free iPhone 4S from Apple, without a contract, will prove to be the cheapest way to acquire the smartphone in the long run, but it will make you for out a minimum of £500 up front.

Users of the contract-free iPhone 4S will be able to get 250 free minutes, unlimited Internet and unlimited texts for just £10 per month.

On the other hand, the iPhone 4S on contract from mobile phone operator Three will cost you £30 per month, totaling £849, £939 and £1,029 for the 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models respectively.

Vodafone and Orange are offering 18-month contract deals. The cheapest deal is Orange's £31 a month contract that offers a 16GB model for £310 and a total of £870.

Orange's most expensive deal offers 3,000 minutes, 2GB of data, and 3,000 texts for £100 up front and £61 a month for 24 months, totaling at £1,563.

The iPhone 4S boats of its faster A5 central processor, an 8-megapixel photo snapper and voice recognition technology.