O2 recently introduced massive price cuts to the iPhone in the UK that should pique anyone’s interest but Play.com is offering a different kind of deal: an official contract free iPhone that will work on any GSM carrier.

This is different than AT&T’s contract free iPhone which is just that, a more expensive phone without any commitments but still tied to their network. Play.com however, is making the same version of the iPhone available without any carrier restrictions which means you can put in a SIM card from any GSM carrier and have service for your handset. While you may not get the luxury of Visual Voicemail, the freedom to hop from carriers using a prepaid plan more than makes up for it. The price however, may be a little unsettling. The 8GB version retails for £550 while the 16 GB version goes for £50 more.

Via: Arstechnica