Who Has The Best Value iPhone 5 Deal In Australia?


We now know the Telstra, Optus, Vodafone and Virgin Mobile pricing plans for the iPhone 5. Why bother yourself with comparing scores of plans, though? We’ve taken all the hard work out of it and compared and ranked them all for you.

There are a few things to consider when reading this guide.

First and foremost, not every plan is 4G. The only 4G providers are Telstra, Virgin Mobile and Optus. Vodafone is running on 3G+, with 4G set to come online next year. Read our 4G Frequencies Explained guide for more information on where 4G is in Australia right now.

Second, everyone is going to need different things in their mobile plans. This guide is about getting you the iPhone 5 for the least amount of cash against the best value per month on a 24 month contract. If you want more information, consult your carrier.

With that out of the way, what’s the best iPhone deal in Australia?

iPhone 5 16GB

Virgin:

$47 per month in total.
• $29 Big Plan, which includes 250MB of data, $450 of plan credit (talk and text).
• 16GB iPhone 5 is $18 per month extra.
• 24 month contract
• $1128 minimum cost over 24 months

Telstra:

$67 per month in total.
• Small Plan, which includes 1GB of data, $600 of plan credit (talk and text).
• 16GB iPhone 5 is $7 per month extra.
• 24 month contract
• $1608 minimum cost over 24 months

Optus:

$48 per month in total.
• $30 Optus Plan, which includes 200MB of data, $200 of plan credit (talk and text).
• 16GB iPhone 5 is $18 per month extra.
• 24 month contract
• $1152 minimum cost over 24 months

Vodafone:

$48 per month in total.
• $30 Plan, which includes 200MB of data, $180 of plan credit (talk and text).
• 16GB iPhone 5 is $18 per month extra.
• 24 month contract
• $1152 minimum cost over 24 months

Analysis

From a cash point of view, Virgin has the best value for money. It’s $1 cheaper than both Optus and Vodafone and has more plan credit than both of them. Plus, it runs on a 4G network which puts it light years ahead of Vodafone in terms of ongoing value.

Telstra gets an honourable mention on the value front, too. Despite the fact that it’s the most expensive of the carriers on the 16GB plan, it does have 4G coverage in more areas and will continue to do so over the next 12 months. It also has the most data and the cheapest handset repayments of the four offerings.

iPhone 5 32GB

Virgin:

$52 per month in total.
• $29 Big Plan, which includes 250MB of data, $450 of plan credit (talk and text).
• 32GB iPhone 5 is $23 per month extra.
• 24 month contract
• $1248 minimum cost over 24 months

Telstra:

$71 per month in total.
• Small Plan, which includes 1GB of data, $600 of plan credit (talk and text).
• 32GB iPhone 5 is $11 per month extra.
• 24 month contract
• $1704 minimum cost over 24 months

Optus:

$52 per month in total.
• $30 Optus Plan, which includes 200MB of data, $200 of plan credit (talk and text).
• 32GB iPhone 5 is $22 per month extra.
• 24 month contract
• $1248 minimum cost over 24 months

Vodafone:

$52.50 per month in total.
• $30 Plan, which includes 200MB of data, $180 of plan credit (talk and text).
• 32GB iPhone 5 is $22.50 per month extra.
• 24 month contract
• $1260 minimum cost over 24 months

Analysis

Telcos are offering all the iPhone 5’s storage variants on low tier plans, so not much changes in this guide on the plan front. As far as handset repayments go, those all change across carrier.

Interestingly, for the 32GB iPhone 5, Optus and Virgin are both the same price per month, but Virgin is still offering the better deal, with more data and more talk and text credit. Virgin seems to be beating Optus at its own 4G game.

Vodafone is more expensive than both, albeit by $0.50 per month, for a plan with the least amount of data and talk and text credit out of all four carriers.

Telstra, meanwhile, still has the most data on offer and the lowest handset repayments.

iPhone 5 64GB

Virgin:

$56 per month in total.
• $29 Big Plan, which includes 250MB of data, $450 of plan credit (talk and text).
• 64GB iPhone 5 is $29 per month extra.
• 24 month contract
• $1344 minimum cost over 24 months

Telstra:

$77 per month in total.
• Small Plan, which includes 1GB of data, $600 of plan credit (talk and text).
• 64GB iPhone 5 is $17 per month extra.
• 24 month contract
• $1848 minimum cost over 24 months

Optus:

$61 per month in total.
• $30 Optus Plan, which includes 200MB of data, $200 of plan credit (talk and text).
• 64GB iPhone 5 is $31 per month extra.
• 24 month contract
• $1464 minimum cost over 24 months

Vodafone:

$57 per month in total.
• $30 Plan, which includes 200MB of data, $180 of plan credit (talk and text).
• 64GB iPhone 5 is $27 per month extra.
• 24 month contract
• $1368 minimum cost over 24 months

Analysis

Plans are the same again, only the handset repayments have changed, and interestingly the top tier handset changes up second and third place.

Virgin still wins out as far as value is concerned for the 64GB iPhone 5, but Vodafone comes in a close second on dollar value. Vodafone is only $1 extra than Virgin Mobile at $57 per month. Optus comes third and Telstra is still in last place, making it unanimously the most expensive carrier for the iPhone 5 per month.

Who will you go with for your iPhone 5?


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