[Update: Telstra has also announced pricing for the iPhone 4S.]
Australian phone carriers were letting potential customers register their interest in the new iPhone even before it was officially announced last week. Now the cat is out of the bag and we know the iPhone 4S will be available this Friday and outright pricing starts from $799. But what kind of deals will you get if you’re buying one on a contract?
The cheapest 16GB iPhone 4S deal you’ll get from Vodafone is $44 per month, which is a $29 per month cap plan with $15 per month handset payments. Meanwhile the cheapest deal you’ll get from Optus is $59 per month, a $49 cap plan with $10 for the handset.
Telstra is yet to play its hand and, going on previous years, may even wait until Friday to release its pricing. We’re also yet to hear from Virgin, which tends to offer cheap deals and will probably undercut Vodafone by a few dollars.
Of course things are never that simple when it comes to phone plans and it’s tough to compare apples with apples, if you’ll pardon the expression. The mobile data allowances are perhaps the biggest differentiator between the Optus and Vodafone deals. This table gives you an idea of what you’re getting for your money when looking at the 16GB iPhone 4S.
|
Carrier |
Price |
Data |
|
Optus (Cap plans)
|
|
|
|
|
$59 (inc $10 handset) |
1.5GB data |
|
|
$65 (inc $6 handset) |
2GB data |
|
|
$79 (inc $0 handset) |
3GB data |
|
|
$99 (inc $10 handset) |
unlimited data |
|
|
|
|
|
Vodafone (Cap plans)
|
|
|
|
|
$44 (inc $15 handset) |
200MB |
|
|
$54 (inc $5 handset) |
1.5GB |
|
|
$59 (inc $0 handset) |
2GB |
|
|
$79 (inc $0 handset) |
3GB |
|
|
|
|
|
Vodafone (Infinite plans)
|
|
|
|
|
$62 (inc $17 handset) |
500MB |
|
|
$72 (inc $7 handset) |
2GB |
|
|
$85 (inc $0 handset) |
3GB |
|
|
$100 (inc $0 handset) |
4GB |
If you don’t think you’ll use a lot of mobile data then Vodafone certainly offers the better entry-level deal, assuming that the $29 cap is enough to meet your needs for calls and texts. Take this plan out of the equation and Vodafone still generally comes out slightly in front even though its handset repayments can be higher. If you’re after an iPhone 4S with extra storage capacity, add around $3 to $5 per month for handset repayments on a 32GB model or $8 to $10 per month on a 64GB model.
Of course if we’ve learned anything over the last few years it’s that a good mobile deal isn’t really a good deal if you’re plagued by terrible reception and network performance. Rather than trying to save a few dollars, you’re best to look at which network offers the best performance where you need it most.
Also read: Telstra announces price plans for iPhone 4S
