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The iPhone 12 Pro Max is now available in Australia, with the ability to connect to 5G networks. Conveniently, Australia's three largest providers – Optus, Telstra and Vodafone – all now have 5G options on some of their mobile plans. The iPhone 12 Pro Max is Apple's largest phone so far.
Sign up with the largest mobile network in Australia by getting your iPhone from Telstra.
An iPhone from Telstra will come with one of Telstra's SIM only plans, beginning at $55 for its smallest data plan, but that's not including your phone repayments. While Telstra's plans aren't the cheapest around, you'll be hard-pressed to find another provider that offers as many extra features as Telstra. Here's what else you get on its plans:
Cancelling your 12- or 24-month phone contract early has no fee other than the remaining cost of your phone. Once per month, you can change what mobile plan you're on without breaking the contract.
Want a cheaper option? If you take promotional pricing out of the picture, Optus has the cheapest plan to pair with an iPhone 12. Optus offers up to 500GB of data on its mobile plans.
This is what else Optus is packing with their options:
Optus contracts stretch over 12, 24 or 36 months, depending on what you're interested in. Want to cancel early? Just pay off the rest of your phone and walk away, no problem.
Vodafone may not have as many fancy features as its competitors, Telstra and Optus, but it does have the following:
Depending on what plan you sign up to, Vodafone will let you continue to download and stream at speeds up to 25Mbps for no cost, even after you've consumed your monthly allowance, compared to Telstra's and Optus's 1.5Mbps. You can pay your phone off over 12, 24 or 36 months, based on what you want.
Because the big providers have very expensive plans, it is usually cheaper to buy outright. See how the costs compare between getting that iPhone 12 Pro Max 128GB on a 24-month contract on Telstra's cheapest plan vs a similar plan from Belong but buying it outright.
Bought on a plan | Bought outright | |
---|---|---|
iPhone 12 Pro Max 128GB (outright cost) | $0 | $1,849 |
Monthly handset repayments (24 month contract) | $77.04 | $0 |
Plan name | Telstra Small SIM only | Belong 40GB SIM only |
Data allowance | 40GB | 40GB |
Monthly plan cost | $55 | $40 |
Total monthly cost (phone + plan) | $132.04 | $40 |
Total cost | $132.04 x 24 = $3,168.96 | $40 x 24 + $1,849 = $2,809 |
As you can see from the table above, you get the same amount of data with Belong as you would with Telstra. The biggest difference in plans would be the access to extra features, which you don't get with Belong.
Buying the iPhone 12 Pro Max outright and going with Belong will save you almost $360 over the 24-month period. If you go for a cheaper phone plan than Belong's, you'll save even more without having to sign onto a big provider's pricey plan.
Repayment plans can be convenient for some since you don't have to pay for the device outright and can instead pay it off in more manageable instalments. Whether this is worth it to you knowing you'll end up paying more over time depends on your priorities. Remember, a longer contract means lower repayments on the phone, but also a longer time spent stuck with a more expensive provider.
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