My recollection is that 10-15yrs ago (in FR/DE/UK) it was cheaper to get a phone on a contract than buying it outright and finding a cheaper plan. That has not

My recollection is that 10-15yrs ago (in FR/DE/UK) it was cheaper to get a phone on a contract than buying it outright and finding a cheaper plan. That has not been the case for a long time. The last phone I had on contract was an iPhone 4.