Updated: What is the best iPhone 4 plan?
- — 29 July, 2010 11:15
What is the best iPhone 4 plan?
Apple's iPhone 4 is just days away from its Australian launch, and the telco price war is heating up. While people in the US got their hands on the iPhone 4 on 24 June, Aussies have been left with hanging until 30 July.
Where can I buy the iPhone 4 in Australia?
The iPhone 4 will be sold outright through Apple's online store, Apple's retail stores and select Apple authorised resellers.
The iPhone 4 is also available from all three major telcos in Australia — Telstra, Optus, and VHA (Vodafone and 3). It will also be available from Optus subsidiary Virgin Mobile, just like the current iPhone 3GS.
How much will the iPhone 4 cost?
The Apple iPhone 4 is slightly cheaper than the iPhone 3GS to purchase outright. It will set you back $859 for a 16GB model and $999 for the 32GB model. As a comparison, in the US the iPhone 4 sells for US$199 for the 16GB model and US$299 for the 32GB model, though both are tied to AT&T contracts.
Australia is one of the only countries in the world where all major telcos — Telstra, Optus and VHA — will carry the iPhone. In the US, people are restricted to signing up with AT&T if they want an iPhone, as it is the exclusive American iPhone carrier.
Most Australian consumers will sign up to a two-year telco contract for the iPhone 4. With the competition for customers so intense, which network offers the best value plans and what can you expect to pay for a new iPhone 4? Keep up to date with all the pricing and plan information below.
Telstra
Telstra was the first telco to announce iPhone 4 plans; when the iPhone 3GS was launched a year ago it was beaten to the punch by rival Optus.
Telstra's hero offer is the 32GB or 16 GB iPhone 4 for $0 over 24 months on a $99 cap plan. The plan offers $1000 worth of standard voice and video calls, text and MMS to any Australian network and 500MB of data per month.
The entry-level Telstra iPhone 4 plan is a $49 cap plan that includes $400 of standard voice and video calls, text and MMS to any Australian network and 200MB of data. The 16GB iPhone 4 will cost $149 upfront on this plan, while the 32GB model will cost $299 upfront.
A day before the iPhone 4 launch, Telstra announced it was increasing data allowances on all iPhone 4 plans for all new and re-contracting customers. The offer applies for the life of the 24-month contract and is valid for anyone signing up to a plan before 1 November, 2010.
Full Telstra iPhone 4 plan details:
| Details | $49 cap plan | $79 cap plan | $99 cap plan |
| Monthly price | $49 | $79 | $99 |
| Included value | $400 | $750 | $1000 |
| Included data | 200MB (500MB before Nov 1) | 500MB (1GB before Nov 1) | 500MB (1GB before Nov 1) |
| iPhone 4 16GB upfront cost | $149 (Minimum cost: $1325) |
$0 (Minimum cost: $1896) |
$0 (Minimum cost: $2376) |
| iPhone 4 32GB upfront cost | $299 (Minimum cost: $1475) |
$199 (Minimum cost: $2095) |
$0 (Minimum cost: $2376) |
| Call connection fee (flagfall) | 37c | 37c | 32c |
| Voice calls (per minute) | 80c | 80c | 70c |
| Voicemail (per 30 seconds) | 30c (no connection fee) |
30c (no connection fee) |
30c (no connection fee) |
| Standard SMS message | 25c | 25c | 25c |
| Standard MMS message | 50c | 50c | 50c |
| International SMS message | 50c | 50c | 50c |
| Excess data usage (charged per KB) | 25c | 25c | 25c |
| Tethering fee? | No | No | No |
Optus
Optus was the second telco to announce iPhone 4 plans, just hours after Telstra revealed its pricing.
The big news is the offer of an unlimited plan with a hefty 3GB of data for $89 per month over 24 months. Like Telstra, Optus also offers an entry-level $49 cap plan that includes $450 of standard voice and video calls, text and MMS to any Australian network and 1GB of data per month — significantly more than Telstra's 200MB of data.
Other Optus iPhone 4 plans include a $59 cap with $550 worth of value and 2GB of data, and a $79 cap plan with $800 value and 2GB of data. Both these plans provide unlimited SMS and MMS messages to any Australian number.
Full Optus iPhone 4 plan details:
| Details | $49 extreme cap | $59 extreme cap | $79 extreme cap | $89 timeless extreme |
| Monthly price | $49 | $59 | $79 | $89 |
| Included value | $450 | $550 | $800 | Unlimited |
| Included data | 1GB | 1GB | 2GB | 3GB |
| iPhone 4 16GB instalment per month | $8 (Minimum cost: $1368) |
$0 (Minimum cost: $1416) |
$0 (Minimum cost: $1896) |
$0 (Minimum cost: $2136) |
| iPhone 4 32GB instalment per month | $15 (Minimum cost: $1536) |
$10 (Minimum cost: $1656) |
$0 (Minimum cost: $1896) |
$0 (Minimum cost: $2136) |
| Call connection fee (flagfall) | 35c | 35c | 35c | Unlimited |
| Voice calls (per minute) | 90c | 90c | 90c | Unlimited |
| Voicemail (per 30 seconds) | 30c (no connection fee) |
30c (no connection fee) |
30c (no connection fee) |
30c (no connection fee) |
| Standard SMS message | 25c | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Standard MMS message | 50c | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| International SMS message | 50c | 50c | 50c | 50c |
| Excess data usage (charged per MB) | 25c | 25c | 25c | 25c |
| Tethering fee? | No | No | No | No |
Vodafone
Vodafone Hutchison Australia (VHA) was the third Australian network to announce its iPhone 4 pricing, revealing details late on Tuesday afternoon. VHA operates the Vodafone and 3 mobile brands in Australia, but has clearly offered better plans with Vodafone.
Vodafone's entry-level iPhone 4 plan comes in at $29 per month which includes 550MB of data and $180 worth of calls and texts to any Australian number. Vodafone has followed Optus with an "unlimited iPhone 4 cap" which is $99 per month and includes 3GB of data — the same as the Optus plan. Vodafone's $79 cap also includes unlimited text messages to any Australian mobile number.
All Vodafone plans offer free, unlimited Vodafone-to-Vodafone and Vodafone-to-3 calls.
Full Vodafone iPhone 4 plan details:
| Details | $29 cap plan | $49 cap plan | $69 cap plan | $79 cap plan | $99 cap plan |
| Monthly price | $29 | $49 | $69 | $79 | $99 |
| Included value | $180 | $450 | $650 | $800 | Unlimited |
| Included data | 550MB | 1.5GB | 1.75GB | 2 GB | 3GB |
| iPhone 4 16GB instalment per month | $18 (Minimum cost: $1128) |
$5 (Minimum cost: $1296) |
$0 (Minimum cost: $1656) |
$0 (Minimum cost: $1896) |
$0 (Minimum cost: $2376) |
| iPhone 4 32GB instalment per month | $24 (Minimum cost: $1272) |
$10 (Minimum cost: $1416) |
$5 (Minimum cost: $1776) |
$0 (Minimum cost: $1896) |
$0 (Minimum cost: $2376) |
| Call connection fee (flagfall) | 35c | 35c | 35c | 35c | Unlimited |
| Voice calls (per minute) | 90c | 90c | 90c | 90c | Unlimited |
| Voicemail (per 30 seconds) | 45c (+35c flagfall) |
45c (+35c flagfall) |
45c (+35c flagfall) |
45c (+35c flagfall) |
45c (+35c flagfall) |
| Standard SMS message | 28c | 28c | 28c | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Standard MMS message | 50c | 50c | 50c | 50c | Unlimited |
| International SMS message | 28c | 28c | 28c | 28c | 28c |
| Excess data usage (charged per MB) | 50c (minimum session 12KB) |
50c (minimum session 12KB) |
50c (minimum session 12KB) |
50c (minimum session 12KB) |
12c (minimum session 50KB) |
| Tethering fee? | No | No | No | No | No |
3
3 has created three new plans specifically for the iPhone 4, but the good news is that the iPhone is also available on its standard range of caps. These caps are almost identical to the Vodafone caps listed above, with the exception of an extra $119 unlimited plan. This top-of-the-range cap includes $50 of international calls per month, as well as 5GB of data.
All standard 3 cap plans include unlimited 3-to-3 and 3-to-Vodafone calls, but strangely, the three new cap plans don't get this offer and instead receive a dollar amount depending on the plan selected.
Full 3 iPhone 4 plan details:
| Details | $39 cap plan | $49 cap plan | $79 cap plan |
| Monthly price | $39 | $49 | $79 |
| Included value | $150 (+ $200 to Voda and 3) |
$350 (+ $270 to Voda and 3) |
$650 (+ $450 to Voda and 3) |
| Included data | 1.15GB | 1.25GB | 2GB |
| iPhone 4 16GB instalment per month | $10 (Minimum cost: $1176) |
$5 (Minimum cost: $1296) |
$0 (Minimum cost: $1896) |
| iPhone 4 32GB instalment per month | $14 (Minimum cost: $1272) |
$10 (Minimum cost: $1416) |
$0 (Minimum cost: $1896) |
| Call connection fee (flagfall) | 35c | 35c | 35c |
| Voice calls (per minute) | 90c | 90c | 90c |
| Voicemail (per 30 seconds) | 45c (+35c flagfall) |
45c (+35c flagfall) |
45c (+35c flagfall) |
| Standard SMS message | 25c | 25c | 25c |
| Standard MMS message | 75c | 75c | 75c |
| International SMS message | 45c | 45c | 45c |
| Excess data usage (charged per MB) | 50c | 50c | 50c |
| Tethering fee? | No | No | No |
Virgin Mobile
Optus subsidiary Virgin Mobile was the last telco to unveil its iPhone 4 plans. The telco offers the iPhone 4 on two plan types: Easy caps, and Smart Caps. All Virgin plans include unlimited free Virgin-to-Virgin text messaging and voicemail, while all Smart Caps include unlimited free texts to any Australian mobile number.
The iPhone 4 is also available on Virgin's high-end topless plan, which is basically an unlimited plan that includes unlimited calls and messages, free voicemail and 4GB of data per month.
Full Virgin Mobile iPhone 4 plan details:
| Details | 29 easy cap | 39 easy cap | 49 easy cap | 39 smart cap | 49 smart cap | 59 smart cap |
| Monthly price | $29 | $39 | $49 | $39 | $49 | $59 |
| Included value | $190 (Free Virgin to Virgin calls) |
$300 (Free Virgin to Virgin calls) |
$450 (Free Virgin to Virgin calls) |
$190 (Free Virgin to Virgin calls) |
$300 (Free Virgin to Virgin calls) |
$450 (Free Virgin to Virgin calls) |
| Included data | 100MB | 300MB | 500MB | 1.5GB | 2GB | 2.5GB |
| iPhone 4 16GB instalment per month | $15 (Minimum cost: $1056) |
$5 (Minimum cost: $1056) |
$5 (Minimum cost: $1296) |
$15 (Minimum cost: $1296) |
$5 (Minimum cost: $1296) |
$0 (Minimum cost: $1416) |
| iPhone 4 32GB instalment per month | $35 (Minimum cost: $1536) |
$25 (Minimum cost: $1536) |
$20 (Minimum cost: $1656) |
$25 (Minimum cost: $1536) |
$20 (Minimum cost: $1656) |
$18 (Minimum cost: $1848) |
| Call connection fee (flagfall) | 40c | 40c | 40c | 40c | 40c | 40c |
| Voice calls (per minute) | 99c | 99c | 99c | 99c | 99c | 99c |
| Voicemail | Free | <Free | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| Standard SMS message | 28c (Free to Virgin) |
28c (Free to Virgin) |
28c (Free to Virgin) |
Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Standard MMS message | 60c | 60c | 60c | 60c | 60c | 60c |
| International SMS message | 45c | 45c | 45c | 45c | 45c | 45c |
| Excess data usage (charged per KB) | 2c | 2c | 2c | 2c | 2c | 2c |
| Tethering fee? | No | No | No | No | No | No |
For full details on all the iPhone 4's new features, read our iPhone 4 preview.
Also check out all the angles of Apple's latest smartphone in our Apple iPhone 4 gallery.
Are you buying an iPhone 4? What do you think of the Telstra and Optus plans? Let us know in the comments below!
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Comments
Matthew
1
Optus can charge nothing for all I care...their network is shoddy at best! I will not make the same mistake again, dropped calls, calls going straight to voicemail, slow, unusable data...NEVER AGAIN!!!
Christina
2
I prefer to use my phone for calls so find the optus unlimited absolutely brilliant, I never experience dropped calls and have had signal where my telstra ipad doesn't, although I also have no signal where my ipad does lol. Yes the data is slow and unusable where I live but when I go to 2100mhz areas it is fast and reliable. iPhone 4 will address a lot of the 3gs problems with optus and I for one will be going optus again.
Paul
3
Hi Guys, does anyone know if Optus are going to charge an additional $10 to use the Iphone as a modem (tethering) on their new Iphone 4 PLans. If so I would be looking elsewhere!!
Ross Catanzariti
4
Hi Paul,
As specified in the Optus table in the article (right at the bottom), Optus is not charging extra for tethering.
Andy
5
After two years of annoying reception issues on Optus with iPhone 3G I'm going the extra mile and jumping ship to Telstra. Those call costs reveal that Telstra is actually better value than Vodafone at $79 (ignoring data, 500mb is more than enough for me).
John
6
Christina must work for Optus surely???? The only network where you have full five bars but still can't make or receive a call!
Mhoram
7
John, why imply that Christine "must work for Optus" just because she has something a little positive to say about them?
I've been with Optus (on a Blackberry) for a couple of years and found them extremely reliable for both voice and data - no dropped calls, very good reception, pretty fast internet. My wife is on Voda and has the same experience. No one disputes that Telstra has the best and fastest network, but it's no matter for most pundits, as Optus/Voda perform perfectly well for day-to-ady use.
The Optus/Voda plans look very good, although the new data allowances and charge per 30sec on Telstra make their plans quite persuasive as well.
peter
8
i found telstra big rip off you buy a phone on a cap 59 then you pay 25 for handset bloody tightarses should be 59 thats all i stay with optus.
paul gras
9
if telstra were good they would have caps only nothing for handsets then they would be on top. i stay with optus.
jatin
10
i would of gone telstra if only there caps would be 59 cap and nothing for handset if they were smart they would be on top but telstra people are dummies.