The news has been confirmed — the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro & iPhone 11 Pro Max will officially be released in Singapore on 20 Sep 2019. Preorders are open for the Apple Store and the big 3 telcos (Singtel, Starhub and M1) and everyone is asking:
Which iPhone 11 model is the best? Should I just buy the phone, or sign up for a telco contract? If the latter, which telco is the cheapest?
If you’re still deciding between the models, check out our guide on the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro, which compares their Apple retail prices and key differences in their tech specs.
This article will (hopefully) help you with the next 2 questions.
Singtel vs Starhub vs M1 iPhone 11 prices
In case you’re new to this whole contract + device thing, basically if you sign up for a 2-year contract with the telcos, you get to pay a discounted price for the iPhone.
All 3 of these telco giants —Singtel, Starhub and M1 — have released their prices and begun preorders for the newest iPhone.
Their prices are actually almost the same. Which telco is the cheapest will depend on the specific plan and iPhone 11 model you’re looking at.
M1, however, has the cheapest option of a $30/month two-year plan, while Singtel and Starhub’s cheapest plans start at $42.90 and $50 monthly respectively.
Contents
- Starhub iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro & iPhone 11 Pro Max prices
- Singtel iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro & iPhone 11 Pro Max prices
- M1 iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro & iPhone 11 Pro Max prices
- Should you buy the iPhone on its own, or sign up for a contract plan?
Starhub iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro & iPhone 11 Pro Max prices
Starhub iPhone 11 prices
| Starhub mobile contract plans | iPhone 11 (64GB) | iPhone 11 (128GB) | iPhone 11 (256GB) |
| $50 2-year plan | $587 | $651 | $806 |
| $75 2-year plan | $359 | $423 | $578 |
| $105 2-year plan | $110 | $175 | $330 |
| $238 2-year plan | $0 | $0 | $120 |
Starhub iPhone 11 Pro prices
| Starhub mobile contract plans | iPhone 11 Pro (64GB) | iPhone 11 Pro (256GB) | iPhone 11 Pro (512GB) |
| $50 2-year plan | $1,042 | $1,261 | $1,544 |
| $75 2-year plan | $814 | $1,033 | $1,316 |
| $105 2-year plan | $565 | $784 | $1,068 |
| $238 2-year plan | $355 | $574 | $858 |
Starhub iPhone 11 Pro Max prices
| Starhub mobile contract plans | iPhone 11 Pro Max (64GB) | iPhone 11 Pro Max (256GB) | iPhone 11 Pro Max (512GB) |
| $50 2-year plan | $1,181 | $1,395 | $1,678 |
| $75 2-year plan | $953 | $1,167 | $1,450 |
| $105 2-year plan | $704 | $918 | $1,202 |
| $238 2-year plan | $494 | $708 | $992 |
Starhub has the fewest postpaid plan options, and is the only one that charges a top-up for the iPhone 11 256GB with their most expensive plan ($238 monthly + $120 top-up for the device).
Their $238 plan also has the most expensive device top-up prices of all 3 telcos. For instance, the iPhone 11 Pro Max 512GB — i.e. the top tier model — is a whopping $992 even with that plan.
At Singtel, it’s only $498. Even M1 is cheaper ($840).
Singtel iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro & iPhone 11 Pro Max prices
Singtel iPhone 11 prices
| Singtel mobile contract plans | iPhone 11 (64GB) | iPhone 11 (128GB) | iPhone 11 (256GB) |
| $27.90 Combo 1 | – | – | – |
| $42.90 Combo 2 | $658 | $718 | $878 |
| $48 Combo XO | $608 | $678 | $828 |
| $68.90 Combo 3 | $428 | $488 | $638 |
| $78 Combo XO | $338 | $408 | $558 |
| $95.90 Combo 6 | $178 | $248 | $398 |
| $108 Combo XO | $78 | $138 | $298 |
| $239.90 Combo 12 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Singtel iPhone 11 Pro prices
| Singtel mobile contract plans | iPhone 11 Pro (64GB) | iPhone 11 Pro (256GB) | iPhone 11 Pro (512GB) |
| $27.90 Combo 1 | – | – | – |
| $42.90 Combo 2 | $1,108 | $1,328 | $1,618 |
| $48 Combo XO | $1,068 | $1,288 | $1,568 |
| $68.90 Combo 3 | $878 | $1,098 | $1,378 |
| $78 Combo XO | $798 | $1,018 | $1,298 |
| $95.90 Combo 6 | $638 | $858 | $1,138 |
| $108 Combo XO | $528 | $748 | $1,028 |
| $239.90 Combo 12 | $0 | $88 | $368 |
Singtel iPhone 11 Pro Max prices
| Singtel mobile contract plans | iPhone 11 Pro Max (64GB) | iPhone 11 Pro Max (256GB) | iPhone 11 Pro Max (512GB) |
| $27.90 Combo 1 | – | – | – |
| $42.90 Combo 2 | $1,248 | $1,468 | $1,748 |
| $48 Combo XO | $1,208 | $1,418 | $1,698 |
| $68.90 Combo 3 | $1,018 | $1,228 | $1,518 |
| $78 Combo XO | $938 | $1,148 | $1,438 |
| $95.90 Combo 6 | $778 | $989 | $1,278 |
| $108 Combo XO | $668 | $878 | $1,168 |
| $239.90 Combo 12 | $58 | $218 | $498 |
Although Singtel’s cheapest postpaid plan Combo 1 costs only $27.90 per month, there is no iPhone 11 promotion for it. You have to get Combo 2 ($42.90 monthly) and up.
Like M1, the iPhone 11 (even 256GB) is free if you get the most expensive plan (Combo 12, $238.90 monthly). Singtel is also the only one that has a $0 plan for iPhone 11 Pro.
Singtel may not be the cheapest for all their plans, but as the monthly contract price goes up, the device prices get much more competitive. They have the best prices for the most expensive plan tier.
M1 iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro & iPhone 11 Pro Max prices
M1 iPhone 11 prices
| M1 mobile contract plans | iPhone 11 (64GB) | iPhone 11 (128GB) | iPhone 11 (256GB) |
| $30 2-year plan | $770 | $835 | $990 |
| $50 2-year plan | $575 | $640 | $795 |
| $78 2-year plan | $315 | $380 | $535 |
| $110 2-year plan | $70 | $130 | $285 |
| $235 2-year plan | $0 | $0 | $0 |
M1 iPhone 11 Pro prices
| M1 mobile contract plans | iPhone 11 Pro (64GB) | iPhone 11 Pro (256GB) | iPhone 11 Pro (512GB) |
| $30 2-year plan | $1,225 | $1,445 | $1,725 |
| $50 2-year plan | $1,030 | $1,250 | $1,530 |
| $78 2-year plan | $770 | $990 | $1,270 |
| $110 2-year plan | $520 | $740 | $1,025 |
| $235 2-year plan | $200 | $420 | $705 |
M1 iPhone 11 Pro Max prices
| M1 mobile contract plans | iPhone 11 Pro Max (64GB) | iPhone 11 Pro Max (256GB) | iPhone 11 Pro Max (512GB) |
| $30 2-year plan | $1,365 | $1575 | $1,860 |
| $50 2-year plan | $1,170 | $1,380 | $1,665 |
| $78 2-year plan | $905 | $1,120 | $1,405 |
| $110 2-year plan | $660 | $875 | $1,160 |
| $235 2-year plan | $340 | $555 | $840 |
Like Singtel, the iPhone 11 (even 256GB) is free if you get the most expensive plan ($235 monthly).
Should you buy your iPhone 11 with a 2-year contract plan?
As you can see from above, even if you tie yourself to a 24-month contract, the iPhone 11 prices aren’t that much cheaper. For many models, you still have to pay over $1,000.
So is it ever worth it to buy your new iPhone with a contract plan? Let’s find out.
Example #1 — SIM-only vs the basic contract plans
Say we’re interested in buying the iPhone 11 Pro 64GB ($1,649), and need a plan that gives us about 15GB to 20GB of data per month.
If we get a SIM-only plan and buy the iPhone separately…
SIM-only plan = $25 /month
Device price = $1,889
Assuming we use the same plan throughout, at the end of 2 years we would have spent $25 x 24 months + $1,649 = $2,249.
If we sign up for a 2-year contract and top up for the iPhone…
2-year contract plan = $50 /month
Device price = $1,030 (the cheapest, at M1)
At the end of 2 years, we would have spent $50 x 24 months + $1,250 = $2,230.
Verdict: In this case, it’s about the same price.
Example #2 — SIM-only vs $0 free iPhone plans
You may have noticed that for some of the higher-tier plans, the iPhone is free (i.e. you don’t need to top up for the device). But these plans are very expensive, at $200+.
Singtel’s $0 iPhone plan: $238.90 x 24 months = $5,733.60 for the iPhone 11 (64GB, 128GB and 256GB) or iPhone 11 Pro (64GB)
Starhub’s $0 iPhone plan: $238 x 24 months = $5,712 for the iPhone 11 (64GB or 128GB)
M1’s $0 iPhone plan: $235 x 24 months = $5,640 for iPhone 11 (64GB, 128GB and 256GB)
For Starhub and M1, only the iPhone 11 is eligible. If we want the iPhone 11 Pro or iPhone 11 Pro Max, we will need to top up, unless you go for Singtel.
If we sign up for the 2-year contract…
So far, the best $0 top-up deal is from Singtel. You pay $238.90 monthly, and can get the iPhone 11 Pro 64GB for free. That’s a total of $235 x 24 months = $5,733.60!
The Combo 12 isn’t that generous though — for that price, you only get 12GB of data (but unlimited talk time and SMSes). To me, it’s a pretty expensive deal.
If we pick a similar SIM-only plan…
Singtel’s cheapest SIM-only plan is $25.35/month, and at a tenth of the price, gives you almost double the data. For the same iPhone 11 Pro 64GB, the SIM Only 20GB Plan will cost $25.35 x 24 months + $1,649 = $2,257.40.
Verdict: The SIM-only plan is over $3,000 cheaper, and definitely a better deal.
From doing these comparisons, I’ve found that there isn’t really any way to get a “discounted” price for the newest iPhone. If you are going the SIM-only + device route, however, you can consider buying your iPhone 11 via Lazada.
On top of the 4% rebate that LiveUp members get, shoppers who “collect” their e-vouchers on the site and buy their phones on 20 Sep can get $50 off their $1,000 purchase. The voucher can be used at the Apple LazMall shop from 8am that day, but redemption is limited.
Lazada doesn’t say limited to how many buyers, but so it’s safe to assume it’ll be quite few.
Which iPhone and telco are you going for? Tell us in the comments below!
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