Hi folks, it’s me again. Back to talk about the prices of the upcoming iPhone XR, a hot button issue that is close to all of our hearts.
For those of you living under a rock, the iPhone XR – which has an official release date of 26 October 2018 – is terribly exciting because it’s the first “cheap” iPhone in a long while. Starting at $1,229 for 64GB, the iPhone XR costs about ¾ the price of an iPhone XS. (What a steal!)
But how much cheaper can you buy it for when you sign up for a Singtel, Starhub or M1 plan + iPhone XR bundle? That’s the important question.
Contents
- Singtel iPhone XR price 2018
- Starhub iPhone XR price 2018
- M1 iPhone XR price 2018
- Singtel vs Starhub vs M1 – which telco has the best iPhone XR plan?
- Should you sign up for the free iPhone plan?
Singtel iPhone XR price
Here are the Singtel iPhone XR prices. Swipe left to see all of Singtel’s Combo plans.
| Singtel plan | Combo 1 | Combo 2 | Combo 3 | Combo XO | Combo 6 | Combo 12 |
| Price per month | $27.90 | $42.90 | $68.90 | $78 | $95.90 | $239.90 |
| Data | 100MB | 2GB | 3GB | 18GB | 6GB | 12GB |
| Talktime | 100 min | 200 min | Unlimited | 300 min | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| SMS | 500 SMS | 1,000 SMS | Unlimited | 300 SMS | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| iPhone XR 64GB (U.P. $1,229) | $868 | $728 | $498 | $418 | $258 | Free |
| iPhone XR 128GB (U.P. $1,299) | $928 | $798 | $558 | $478 | $318 | Free |
| iPhone XR 256GB (U.P. $1,469) | $1,088 | $958 | $728 | $638 | $478 | Free |
Turns out you do get a pretty decent discount for signing up for a plan. With Singtel, it’s totally possible to score an iPhone XR for less than $500.
The main thing to be wary about with Singtel is that most of their plans have a pathetic data allowance.
Even Singtel realises this. That’s why they offer Data X2/3/4 add-ons so you can double ($5.90/month), triple ($9.90/month) or quadruple ($19.90/month) your data bundle for Combo 2 and up.
If you do the math, though, you’ll realise that you’re way better off with a Combo XO since it’s way more bang for your buck.
Singtel iPhone XR availability: Singtel is now taking preorders
Starhub iPhone XR price
Here are Starhub’s iPhone XR prices for their XS, S, M, L and XL plans:
| Starhub plan | XS | S | M | L | XL |
| Price per month | $48 | $68 | $88 | $108 | $238 |
| Data | 3GB + weekend unlimited | 4GB + weekend unlimited | 5GB + weekend unlimited | 8GB + weekend unlimited | 15GB + weekend unlimited |
| Talktime | 200 min | 400 min | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| SMS | None | None | None | None | Unlimited |
| iPhone XR 64GB (U.P. $1,229) | $681 | $498 | $337 | $160 | Free |
| iPhone XR 128GB (U.P. $1,299) | $745 | $563 | $401 | $224 | Free |
| iPhone XR 256GB (U.P. $1,469) | $906 | $723 | $562 | $384 | Free |
If you have an OCBC credit card, it’s super worthwhile to buy from Starhub as you can get a $200 discount off your iPhone XR. It’s valid when you sign up for a 2-year contract for S plan and above. This promotion expires 26 Oct 2018.
Starhub is also offering a 24-month instalment plan, if for whatever reason you can’t cough up a few hundred bucks for your iPhone XR:
| Starhub plan | XS | S | M | L | XL |
| Price per month | $48 | $68 | $88 | $108 | $238 |
| Data | 3GB + weekend unlimited | 4GB + weekend unlimited | 5GB + weekend unlimited | 8GB + weekend unlimited | 15GB + weekend unlimited |
| Talktime | 200 min | 400 min | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| SMS | None | None | None | None | Unlimited |
| iPhone XR 64GB (U.P. $1,229) | $30 x 24 | $23 x 24 | $17 x 24 | $10 x 24 | Free |
| iPhone XR 128GB (U.P. $1,299) | $33 x 24 | $26 x 24 | $20 x 24 | $13 x 24 | Free |
| iPhone XR 256GB (U.P. $1,469) | $40 x 24 | $33 x 24 | $27 x 24 | $20 x 24 | Free |
Our verdict? Avoid like the plague. As some simple maths will show you, you’ll basically be paying significantly more just to avoid paying a few hundred bucks upfront. Not worth it at all.
Starhub iPhone XS availability: Preorder closed due to overwhelming response. You can try your luck queueing at the Starhub shop – walk-in sales start on 26 Oct, 2pm.
M1 iPhone XR price
M1’s iPhone XR prices are out as well. These prices are valid with a 2-year contract.
| M1 plan | MySIM 40 | MySIM 70 | MySIM 90 | MySIM 118 |
| Price per month | $40 | $70 | $90 | $118 |
| Data | 5GB | 15GB | 30GB | Unlimited |
| Talktime | 100 min + unlimited to 3 M1 numbers | 100 min + unlimited to 3 M1 numbers | 100 min + unlimited to 3 M1 numbers | Unlimited |
| SMS | 100 SMS | 100 SMS | 100 SMS | Unlimited |
| iPhone XR 64GB (U.P. $1,229) | $750 | $460 | $315 | $70 |
| iPhone XR 128GB (U.P. $1,299) | $815 | $525 | $380 | $130 |
| iPhone XR 256GB (U.P. $1,469) | $975 | $685 | $540 | $295 |
Disclaimer: M1 MySIM plans aren’t the only ones they have. There’s also the i-Lite/i-Reg/i-Max range. But I’m featuring only the MySIM ones because they have bigger data bundles for cheaper, and thus always better value for money than the i-Whatever plans.
You can check out the i-Lite/i-Reg/i-Max plan prices on the M1 website, just click on the “Smartphone” button to toggle.
M1 iPhone XS availability: Apparently, you had to “preorder to preorder” your iPhone XR with M1. The current preorder is only available to those who have registered their interest beforehand. I guess this means the rest of us will have to go down to the M1 shop and queue like peasants.
Singtel vs Starhub vs M1 – which has the best iPhone XR plan?
If you’re not loyal to any one telco and just want to look for the best deal, it can be pretty tiring toggling between different price tables. For your convenience, here are all the 3 major telcos in Singapore and their iPhone XR prices:
| Plan | Specs (data / talktime / SMS) | Price per month | Top up for iPhone XR 64GB (U.P. $1,229) |
| Singtel Combo 1 | 100MB / 100 min / 500 SMS | $27.90 | $868 |
| M1 MySIM 40 | 5GB / 100 min + unlimited to 3 M1 numbers / 100 SMS | $40 | $750 |
| Singtel Combo 2 | 2GB / 200 min / 1,000 SMS | $42.90 | $728 |
| Starhub XS | 3GB + weekend unlimited data / 200 min / no SMS | $48 | $681 |
| Starhub S | 4GB + weekend unlimited data / 400 min / no SMS | $68 | $498 |
| Singtel Combo 3 | 3GB / unlimited talktime + SMS | $68.90 | $498 |
| M1 MySIM 70 | 15GB / 100 min + unlimited to 3 M1 numbers / 100 SMS | $70 | $460 |
| Singtel Combo XO | 18GB / 300 min / 300 SMS | $78 | $418 |
| Starhub M | 5GB + weekend unlimited data / unlimited talktime / no SMS | $88 | $337 |
| M1 MySIM 90 | 30GB / 100 min + unlimited to 3 M1 numbers / 100 SMS | $90 | $315 |
| Singtel Combo 6 | 6GB / unlimited talktime + SMS | $95.90 | $258 |
| Starhub L | 8GB + weekend unlimited / unlimited talktime / no SMS | $108 | $160 |
| M1 MySIM 118 | Unlimited data + talktime + SMS | $118 | $70 |
| Starhub XL | 15GB + weekend unlimited data / unlimited talktime + SMS | $238 | Free |
| Singtel Combo 12 | 12GB / unlimited talktime + SMS | $239.90 | Free |
The good news is that, whatever plan you get, the iPhone XR is way cheaper than the iPhone XS!
For light usage, the M1 MySIM 40 is probably the best value plan out there at just $40 a month for a decent 5GB of data. The unlimited calls to 3 M1 numbers is also a nice perk – though you might have to do some evangelising to get more friends/family onto M1.
If you get this plan, you’ll need to top up $750 for the cheapest iPhone XR model. That’s very palatable though – much better than the $1,130 top up for the iPhone XS.
The runner-up is the Starhub S plan, which is quite a lot pricier at $68 for a 4GB data bundle. However, it comes with weekend unlimited data, and the top up price for an iPhone XR is a more wallet-friendly $498. Pay with an OCBC card for the $200 discount and boom, you’ll have an iPhone XR for under $300.
For heavy data users, you can choose between M1 MySIM 70 ($70/month for 15GB data, top up $460 for iPhone XR) and Singtel Combo XO ($78/month for 18GB data, top up $418 for iPhone XR.)
Never, ever sign up for the free iPhone XR plan!
Just in case you are mathematically challenged, it’s my duty to tell you that it’s TOTALLY NOT WORTH IT to sign up for the Starhub XL and Singtel Combo 12 plans just for the free iPhone XR.
Both plans are pathetic for the money you pay. We’re talking HUNDREDS of dollars every month, for just 12GB or 15GB of data!
Look, if it wasn’t worth it to sign up for a “free” iPhone XS Max, then it sure as hell isn’t worth it for the cheaper iPhone XR. Don’t do it!
The iPhone XR: worth the money, or unacceptable substitute for the XS? Tell us what you think.
Header image credit: Apple
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