Quick summary
The Samsung Galaxy S5 is, like most of the latest releases, an expensive phone. Bought outright in Australia, it will set you back the better part of $900 – $1000. Add to that the price of 2 years’ worth of calling, texting and data usage and you’re talking about a Minimum Total Cost of $1500 – $2000 – whichever phone company you go with.
That said, there is an amazing $23 per month difference between the cheapest plans offered by Telstra and the cheapest plan offered by Vodafone. Even for the Samsung Galaxy S5 plans we think are best value, there is a $216 difference over the course of the contract. It’s worth shopping around.
The Galaxy S5 and plan combination you choose is a big investment. To help you, we’re reviewed the pricing from all the major phone companies and come up with this summary. In short, we’re recommending Vodafone.
Here’s why we recommend Vodafone Australia’s price plans for the Samsung Galaxy S5.
- Coverage: Their coverage has improved recently and dramatically. See the chart below. They have the fastest 4G coverage in every major city in Australia. You can read more about Vodafone’s network coverage here. and there is a summary of the major network improvements, shown below on this page.
- Double Data: They have a double data offer on most of the time these days. If there is one thing you’re going to need with the 4G enabled Samsung Galaxy S5, it’s data. Average usage on a smartphone at the beginning of 2014 is around 1GB. To be safe, we’d recommend 2GB minimum. Vodafone’s pricing gives you access to the data you need.
- Best Value: Whether you’re looking for the cheapest plan in market, the plan we think is the best value or the cheapest plan which offers unlimited minutes, Vodafone come out on top in our side by side comparison.
What’s the best value plan for the Samsung Galaxy S5 at launch?
Competition on phone plans for the Samsung Galaxy S5 is between Vodafone and Virgin Mobile. Here’s how their plans break down in a side by side comparison. For the same spend, Vodafone offer better value across the board.
If you live outside of Australia’s main cities and need better coverage, Telstra and Optus have some eye watering pricing which you can review and compare here.
Best deal on the Samsung Galaxy S5 from Vodafone
As we said in the intro, Vodafone have picked up their game recently. Their customer base has started rising again recently. This represents improvements across the board from Vodafone Australia. Complaints are down about them, customer service is improving and, importantly, their network has gotten a lot better.
Here is some 2014 research which makes the point nice and easily. Source : Vodafone
In addition to that, Vodafone have released a slew of good value innovative products to boot. Take the international roaming agreements they have in place for $5 per day. Vodafone’s roaming is cheaper and better than the alternatives.
Vodafone’s Red plans also come with preferential Australian service. It really makes a difference when you need help and, when you call, you’re straight through to someone who talks the same Australian English you do.
Here is Australia’s best value pricing for the Samsung Galaxy S5.
Best deal from Optus on the Samsung Galaxy S5
Optus price plan range for the Samsung Galaxy S5 cannot be said to be strong. To be fair to the country’s second largest phone company brand, what these plans do have going for them is excess charging fees which are reasonable. As with all of Optus’ current plan range, when you use more than your allowance, you will automatically be moved to the next bundle size.
We’ve recommended the Optus $76 Plan as best value but please note, it has far less than the recommended minimum we’ve put in place of 2GB of data. Average usage is around 1GB now. However, the faster the device, the more data you find yourself using. Also, usage of data on your phone has a habit of increasing over time. For many customers, it doubles every year. The question you need to ask yourself is – will 1.5GB be enough data for you each month when you get to the end of your contract ?
What’s Telstra’s best deal on the Samsung Galaxy S5 ?
If you need far flung coverage for the Samsung Galaxy S5, you’re going to have to be prepared to pay for it. Telstra’s pricing is enough to make you wince. Their best value plan is $82 per month and even that does not offer unlimited minutes / SMS in Australia. Our suggestion is only consider Telstra if you need their coverage.
We have similar commentary on Telstra’s data inclusions as we do Optus. As we explained above, 1.5 GB (which is what we’ve recommended here for the best value Telstra plan for the Samsung Galaxy S5) may just give you what you need now. The open question however is, will you need more by the end of your contract ? This is especially important for Telstra. Unlike Optus, Telstra still charge penal (high) rates for excess usage. It’s still the case with Telstra that if you accidentally use more data than you intend to.
What’s Virgin Mobile’s best deal for the Samsung Galaxy S5?
Virgin Mobile is a great bet if you want Optus’ coverage and Vodafone’s pricing. Unfortunately, at every price point, Vodafone out perform Virgin. Here’s the table to prove it.
