Cheeky Virgin has come running to give its tuppence worth to Aussies with tasty iPhone 4S deal as Telstra, Optus and Vodafone jostle for marketshare. Why, the iPhone can even be bought topless.
Virgin Mobile made its iPhone 4S strategy public today – unveiling $29, $39, $49, $59 ‘Fair Go’ caps as well as a ‘Topless’ iPhone 4S deal and the fledgling telco appear to be giving rivals a run for their money.
The cheapest, $29 cap comes with 250MB data and $17 monthly instalment meaning Apple cult phone will set you back $46 monthly for the 16GB model.
On comparison, Vodafone $29 and $30 cap appears to be still cheaper than Virgin (with unlimited Voda to Voda calls, 200MB data and the handset costs $15-$25 depending on16GB, 32GB or 64GB model) competes very well with Virgin’s cheapest deal.
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And Voda’s new $30 cap unveiled yesterday is also a pretty sweet deal on low budget offers $450 credit that can be used on standard and international calls, ‘Infinite’ texting, social networking, plus 500MB data. The telco also appears to be one of the only offering the cult handset on a 12 month contract.
But Virgin have also just this minute unveiled a ‘Big Cap’ $29 and $39 plans offering everything it can muster including – unlimited Virgin to Virgin, international calls, rollover and free voicemail as well as 250MB and 500MB data respectively. (Phew)
Meanwhile further up the scale, a 32GB model on $39 ‘Fair Go’ will set you back $57 on Virgin Mobile while on $49 cap will cost $62.
$39 and $49 caps are sadly lacking on Telstra with Freedom Connect starting at $59, while Optus iPhone 4S plans begin at $49.
However, Virgin’s $59 cap that really comparable with Telstra Freedom Connect equivilant $59 deal which offers 1.5GB of data, $550 in calls and MMS, unlimited text, and costs an additional $4, $8 or $13 for 16GB, 32GB and 64GB iPhone 4S, respectively.
Well tough luck Telstra, as Virgin appear to wipe the floor with you – the Optus owned telco is offering $59 Fair Go with a substantial $3GB data with $700 credit and either $10 (32GB) or $15 (64GB) phone fee.
And its Topless plan is going for $89 which gives unlimited standard calls/text as well as zero fee on 16GB or 32GB with a measly $3 fee for 64GB model, which appears to top Telstra’s $79 or $129 deals.
However, the edge Telstra has is its speedier 4G network, a feature its 3G rivals lack.
Read Telstra Reveal ‘Secret’ iPhone 4S Plan
And Aussies’ comparison website WhistleOut predicted as much:
“If the past year is anything to go by, it will be the smaller Virgin Mobile which will be most competitive on pricing as Virgin Mobile have had the most competitive prices on both the iPhone 4 and Samsung Galaxy S 2 for the past 12 months,” says Cameron.
However, Telstra has priced the new model far more aggressively than the original iPhone 4 model.
And if you’re dizzy from all the iPhone 4S plans, its hardly surprising: the iPhone 4S release has inspired a whopping 200 new plan combinations in total and pricing is far better than under iPhone 4 regime, say WhistleOut.
“At these price points, the new iPhone 4S model is definitely a better deal than the pricing on the original iPhone 4 16GB and 32GB models.”
Telstra’s new iPhone 4S prices in particular are squarely aimed at taking the fight to Optus and Vodafone and are far more competitive and evenly matched than before, even undercutting Optus on the iPhone 4S 16GB on the $59 Cap which has been one of the most popular and competitive price points,” says Cameron Craig, Director of WhistleOut.
“Overall, it is a great picture for consumers: when the original iPhone 4 prices do drop, there will be respectable price points for every category of consumer. The exception is the new 64GB variant which is the diamond of the iPhone range where the only $0 phone repayment options are $100 per month,” says Cameron.
While it looks almost identical to the iPhone 4, there have been significant internal changes, including a faster processor, a more advanced camera, and a new antenna design.
“When it launched, the iPhone was a prestige phone, while now it is ‘mass-tige’, with an offering at every price point.
However, this is not necessarily a good thing as although it is now “accessible”, it is less “aspirational” Craig notes.
