Top iPhone SIM Only Plans (Perfect for iPhone 16)

Hey there! I’m throwing in a review about the new iPhone 16 because I was lucky enough to get one this year. Since I haven’t upgraded my phone for years, it was a surprise how long it took to get my phone working the same as my old one. It was a reminder to save passwords to a secure third-party app like Dashlane or LastPass rather than having them saved randomly across iCloud, keychains and Chrome.

iPhone 16 negatives (from my perspective):

Apple Intelligence isn’t available yet, so a huge chunk of Apple’s big features for this gen of iPhones is missing. I’ll have to reserve my opinion for that one, but I’m hoping Siri gets a personality upgrade so she stops telling me what she’s incapable of and finally gets on with the job.

The new camera button on the right-hand side is ok if you like quick happy-snaps, but it’s a nightmare if you want to put your phone in a tripod. I had to shoot a quick video and ended up propping the phone on a stack of books instead. Time for a tripod upgrade, I suppose.

The new ‘quick tools’ button (where the mute switch used to be) makes it unfortunately easy to switch your ringtone on and off accidentally just by holding it with your finger for a second. You know, like the way you do when you’re holding the phone normally. The customisable quick tools is good once you get used to using it, though. I like being able to tap the button and find my favourite apps without searching or swiping around.

iPhone 16 positives:

Coming from an iPhone 11, the speed is amazing. Swiping around and switching tabs feels far less clunky. My husband has an iPhone 14 and the difference is negligible.

The camera functionality is super impressive. You can get really creative and go deeeeep into the weeds on every photo and video. Here is an iPhone 16 photo of my cat taken with some basic tweaking of the settings:

The packaging is economical. And, it’s pretty cool. You won’t find any booklets or wasted paper, just a pop-out box and a wire tool for popping your SIM card out of your old phone.

If I had one last gripe, it would be that the size of phones is getting out of hand. The camera lenses sit further out than my old 11, and the bigger size is much harder to fit in my pocket. But, that could be more of a complaint about the functionality of women’s shallow pockets than the phone itself. At least I can watch Grey’s Anatomy on a slightly larger screen.

For fun, here’s a snap of my iPhone 4 from 2010 compared to the iPhone 16:

If you’re cynical, you might think there isn’t much different between the iPhone 16 generation of phones and the 15. And yes, it’s getting harder for phone companies to come up with fab features each year, but this iPhone does have some interesting new inclusions.

The newest features mostly revolve around making your phone quicker to use, and AI to streamline your life. It’s kind of cool and also kind of confronting how well your phone can get to know you (and run your life).

Two of the braver functions Apple added is a new physical button on the right side. Great for quick tool access, but it sucks if you regularly pop your camera into a tripod or selfie stick. But let’s look at its new AI inclusions first.

Apple Intelligence: “AI” is Apple’s new personal intelligence system. It includes features that rewrite and proofread your text to ensure it makes sense and conveys the right tone, and create a quick summary if needed. A bit like Grammarly for your iPhone, and it works across third-party apps too. It also uses AI to mange your inbox by priority, and transcribe and summarise your recorded notes.

Better Siri Experience: Siri has been given a boost with a richer language understanding and an enhanced voice. Hopefully it makes her generally less infuriating.

Privacy Protections: Apple has increased security, using Apple Intelligence for on-device processing and boosting user data protection with Private Cloud Compute technology.

Audio Mix: for videographers, vloggers, streamers and influencers there’s now Audio Mix, which lets you adjust the way voices sound in your videos. You can increase or decrease background noise, and adjust whether the voices have a professional studio quality or a cinematic sound.

Action Button: The action button acts like a shorter shortcut to the “swipe from right top corner” to access your torch, wifi etc, and even more. A little press of the action button opens all your most-used features, as well as shortcuts to frequently used actions in apps, like voice memo, setting alarms, or taking actions like ordering coffee or translations.

Quick Camera Control: A quick tap on the new right-side button and your camera opens – another quick tap and it snaps a pic. The 16 model has a 48MP Fusion camera with a 2x telephoto option and an Ultra Wide camera for macro photography. It also has spatial capture that allows you to take photos and videos in 3D (which Apple hopes you’ll watch with Apple Vision Pro).

Faster Chip: The latest A18 chip is a two-generation jump from the A16 featured in the iPhone 15 range. It was custom-built to support Apple Intelligence and offers a significant boost in performance, which is good if you’re into streaming, games or want to utilise Apple’s newest video and camera tools.

The iPhone 16 also has an improved battery life (probably a much-needed upgrade with so much extra processing power required for its AI features).

The iPhone 16 has an aerospace-grade aluminium casing and colour-infused glass on the back (this is the same as the iPhone 15 range). Its glass is 2x tougher than any smartphone glass, which I appreciate as someone who smashed my previous phone twice in 3 months.

It also comes with:

Thinner bezels: The iPhone 16 Pro models have thinner bezels, which gives a larger display area.

Upgraded internal design: While you can’t see the inside, it has been revamped to provide better heat dissipation (which my poor old iPhone 11 could really use at this point) and fit a larger battery.

It’s available in 2 sizes and five colours: black, white, pink, teal and ultramarine.

iPhone 16 colours. Source: Apple

You can expect to pay around $100 more for the iPhone 16 compared to the 15 when it launched. I said the same thing about the 15 to the 14.

Lastly, the new iPhone 16 range lets you customise your homescreen in a whole new way:

Source: Apple

When you’re choosing a phone plan, you need to think about how you use your phone. Almost all plans these days come with unlimited calls and texting, so your decision will likely hinge on the amount of data and what extras the plan includes.

Here’s a summary of how to compare phone plans :

1. Figure out your data usage.
Many people buy way more data than they really need, which means they’re throwing money away. Figure out what you’ve been using each month, and stick as close to that as possible. If you’re not sure, choose a mid-range plan and switch it to one with a little more or less data the following month depending on what you used.

2. Are you paying for the phone outright or on a repayment plan?
The most cost-effective way to buy a new phone is actually to buy it outright if you can. That way, you could choose a cheaper phone plan rather than being bundled into one with Telstra, Optus or Vodafone.

Other smaller providers (called MVNOs) often have discounts as big as 50%, which can add up over the course of a year or two of repayments with a more expensive telco.

3. Do you need international calls and texts?
Only some plans will include international minutes and texts, and some will offer it as an optional add-on for a few dollars. Similarly, many plans won’t include international roaming, so you’ll need to look for a plan that does if you’re a frequent traveller.

There used to be a belief that iPhone’s used more data, and maybe that was true at one stage. But today, the only reason an iPhone would use more data is because of the way you might use it, and your phone’s settings.

Economising data on the iPhone 16:

• Be mindful of data-heavy apps. Some apps (especially streaming services) use a lot of data, so try to use them or download shows while on WiFi.
• Be mindful of background activities. Background refresh and automatic updates can be turned off so those activities only happen when you request it or when on WiFi.
• Check your media settings. Your iPhone 16 might be set to stream in the highest quality, which will use enormous data and isn’t necessary if you’re watching on your phone.

Apple introduced some very interesting features in its iPhone 15 generation, which was released in September 2023. In particular, the biggest change (and the most welcome for Mac users) was the switch to the more universal USB-C. That meant fewer random cords lying around the house with only one purpose.

After several generations of squared edges, the iPhone also returned to a more contoured look and a new matte finish on the back. In a first for smartphones, Apple says it’s introduced colour-infused glass to create 5 new phone colours. The iPhone 16 has continued this detail.

The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are the lightest high-tier iPhones Apple had launched to date, with a new titanium case (which Apple likes to point out is the same alloy used in spacecraft).

One of the major upgrades for the standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus models is the implementation of Dynamic Island. Dynamic Island is a pill-shaped element at the top of the screen that displays alerts and current activities you have running. For example, it will show music playing, timers and navigation cues.

Let’s look at a few of the new features in more detail.

The iPhone 15 5G capability

The iPhone 15 range has 5G connectivity. 5G is still rolling out across Australia and you’ll find your phone switching between 5G and 4G as the connection changes.

Telstra has stated its 5G now covers 85% of the population. If you’re after a phone plan with the best 4G and 5G coverage, you can also look at Boost Mobile, which is the only other telco to use the entirety of Telstra’s network.

The iPhone 15 camera

The camera is always one of Apple’s biggest back-pats, and the 2023 upgrade was pretty nifty. The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus still only have two rear cameras, but have adopted the super-high-resolution 48MP main camera that was featured on the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max devices.

Apple included an additional 2x Telephoto option to give 3 zoom levels for the first time in a dual-camera system. You’ll be able to use 0.5x, 1x and 2x zoom.

For the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, you’ll get the equivalent of 7 pro lenses. The Pro Max also has a 5x Telephoto camera for ultra-professional photos.

One other nice change is that all photos are now taken with depth detail, so you can turn any photo into a portrait after you’ve taken it. That means you no longer have to select ‘portrait mode’ to use the feature.

The iPhone 15 processor

Apple introduced a new A17 Pro processor in its iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max devices which promises unparalleled gaming and overall performance. The standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will use the same A16 processor as the iPhone 14, but as someone with an iPhone 14 I can tell you it’s still plenty fast enough for most people.

Apple’s iPhone 14 generation included its biggest number of versions: the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, and the iPhone 14 Pro Max.

The iPhone 14 has a 6.1 inch screen and offers 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB storage options. According to Apple, this model’s battery life can withstand up to 20 hours of continuous video playback.

The iPhone 14 Plus has a 6.7 inch display and offers 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB storage options. Apple cites a battery life of 26 hours continuous video playback for this model.

The iPhone 14 Pro comes with a 6.1 inches display as well, and offers either 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB storage options. Apple claims the model’s battery life lasts up to 23 hours of continuous video playback.

The iPhone 14 Pro Max has a 6.7 inch screen and offers 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB storage options. This model offers a battery that can handle 29 hours of continuous video playback.

The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max also include the A16 bionic chip. The A15 chip had some significant improvements over the A14 chip which was launched in previous models, and was at least 50% faster than other rival chips.

5G: The iPhone 14 is 5G capable, as are all models since. All you need is a 5G mobile plan from any Australian telco, and you’ll be able to enjoy high speeds wherever there’s 5G coverage.

eSIM technology: You can use a physical SIM or eSIM in the iPhone 14.

We’re big fans of owning phones outright and using prepaid or postpaid SIM-Only plans rather than being locked in with an expensive telco. If you have one of the 13 generation, it’ll still serve you for years since iPhones are generally tough little cookies.

For example, my iPhone 11 lasted me 5 solid years, through drops and cracked screens and toddlers throwing it across the floor, until I got a hand-me-down iPhone 15. I was sad to see my faithful 11 go….directly to my teenager, who was upgrading from an iPhone 7, can you believe.

Talk about longevity!

Here’s a summary of the iPhone 13 generation and its features:

Released September 2021, the iPhone 13 had 4 models: iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max.

Upgraded features

Design and display: the iPhone 13 and 13 mini feature a 6.1-inch and 5.4-inch Super Retina XDR displays with Ceramic Shield front cover for better durability. The iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max includes a 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion technology.

Performance: The iPhone 13s included the A15 Bionic chip.

Camera systems: The iPhone 13 and 13 mini included dual 12MP cameras with wide and ultra-wide lenses. The 13 Pro and Pro Max included Triple 12MP cameras with wide, ultra-wide and telephoto lenses.

Battery life: the battery life was improved across all models. The iPhone 13 mini could handle up to 17 hours video playback; the 13 Pro Max handled up to 28.

Storage options: Storage is available in 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB configurations. You could also get a 1TB option for the Pro models.

The iPhone 13 generation are all 5G-enabled and can take physical and eSIMs.