iPhone 12 series shaking up the telco market
With Apple’s new iPhone 12 launching in Australia, there is a battle brewing between the major telcos.
Telstra surprised us with a 180GB plan for only $65, saving customers $50 per month as their way to lure them into the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro launch.
However, Optus now has everyone’s attention with one of the best deals in the country – 500GB plan for $65 over 12 months on the Optus One Plan.
Vodafone has a similar plan to Optus, but it simply doesn’t match up with Telstra or Optus, given their very limited 5G coverage.
With the new iPhone finally launching with 5G capabilities, you’ll need the best 5G phone plans in Australia.
Australia’s major telcos offer the iPhone on no-interest monthly payment plans
The iPhone is expensive as usual, so all three of Australia’s major telcos are also offering all iPhone versions on no-interest monthly plans.
- Telstra
Offering the iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max on 12 and 24 month payment plans, and you can also purchase these devices outright from Telstra. Their 12-month plans range from $99.91 to $154.08 per month, while the 24-month plans range from $49.95 to $77.04 per month, depending on the iPhone 12 model. - Optus
Offering the iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max on 12, 24, and 36 month payment plans or outright. Optus 12-month payment plans range from $99.90 to $154.08, 24-month plans from $49.95 to $77.04, and 36-month plans from $33.30 to $51.36. - Vodafone (TPG Telecom)
Get the iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max on 12, 24, and 36 month payment plans or outright. Vodafone 12-month plans range from $99.91 to $154.08, 24-month payment plans from $49.45 to $77.04, and 36-month plans from $33.30 to $51.36.
The new iPhone is 5G capable, so telcos are offering higher data plans
As always, the iPhone brings a ton of competition in the telco world with every new launch. This year, Optus has clearly given customers the best offers to keep up with the new iPhone’s 5G capabilities.
5G phones eat up a lot of data when using a 5G network. This is due to the faster speeds of 5G when compared to LTE and 3G, which means you’ll be consuming a lot more data faster.
As a result, you’ll need a larger data plan if you really want to enjoy the first iPhone with 5G capabilities, and Australian telcos are in a hurry to give you just that.
Here’s a look at the key plans from the major telcos:
- Optus
Launched a HUGE month-to-month plan with 5G access, offering 500GB of data for just $65 per month for 12 months, after which the price goes up to $119 per month. Because the plan is a no-lock-in month to month plan, you can cancel at anytime. Other month-to-month plans with 5G range from $39 to $79 with 10GB to 240GB data (including bonus data). - Telstra
Their major month-to-month 5G offer gives you 180GB of data for $65 per month for 12 months, after which the price goes up to $115 per month. Other 5G plans range from $65 to $85, including 80GB to 120GB data. - Vodafone (TPG Telecom)
Also offering a HUGE month-to-month 500GB plan for $55 per month, which also includes unlimited data throttled to 10Mbps after you exhaust your 500GB plan data. Other month-to-month 5G plans range from $30 to $100 per month, including 50GB to 150GB plan data, and infinite data ranging from 2Mbps to 25Mbps when you exhaust your plan data.
Final words – Optus wins because of 5G coverage, but Vodafone has even better offers
All three major telcos are offering great plans for the new range of 5G-capable iPhone 12 models. But the 5G coverage of each telco plays a major role in which one has the best offer right now.
- Telstra has the widest 5G coverage in Australia today, with coverage of 41 percent of the population. They also have the fastest 5G average speeds right now.
- But Optus recently recorded the fastest 5G speeds in the country at 5Gbps, and plans to roll out those ultra-fast 5G sites starting this year. They have 950 5G sites turned on.
- Vodafone lags behind both Telstra and Optus, with too few 5G sites turned on to even consider them as a competitive 5G network today.
Although Telstra has the widest 5G coverage, Optus’ 500GB data plan at $65 simply trounces Telstra’s 180GB plan at the same price point. Optus also bests Vodafones 500GB plan even though Vodafone offers it for $10 cheaper along with endless data. That’s because of Vodafone’s severely limited 5G coverage today.