Scrambling to get your hands on the brand new iPhone XS or XS Max… and wondering which telco you should sign up with? This article compiles the Singtel iPhone XS price, Starhub iPhone XS price and M1 iPhone XS price.
Because comparing bundled (iPhone + plan) prices necessarily means also comparing the value of the plans themselves, I’m also including the specs and pricing for the phone plans. No point getting an iPhone XS and not having any data to use with it, right?
Contents
- Singtel iPhone XS & XS Max price 2018
- Starhub iPhone XS & XS Max price 2018
- M1 iPhone XS & XS Max price 2018
- Singtel vs Starhub vs M1 – which telco has the best iPhone plan?
- Should you sign up for the free iPhone plan?
Singtel iPhone XS price
Singtel has released its iPhone XS and XS Max prices for those who are recontracting/new customers. Singtel has a shitload of Combo plans, so swipe left to see the full table.
| 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 XS 64GB (U.P. $1,649) | $1,248 | $1,108 | $878 | $798 | $638 | Free |
| iPhone XS 256GB (U.P. $1,889) | $1,468 | $1,338 | $1,108 | $998 | $858 | Free |
| iPhone XS 512GB (U.P. $2,199) | $1,748 | $1,618 | $1,388 | $1,308 | $1,148 | Free |
| iPhone XS Max 64GB (U.P. $1,799) | $1,388 | $1,248 | $1,018 | $938 | $778 | Free |
| iPhone XS Max 256GB (U.P. $2,039) | $1,608 | $1,478 | $1,238 | $1,138 | $998 | Free |
| iPhone XS Max 512GB (U.P. $2,349) | $1,888 | $1,758 | $1,528 | $1,448 | $1,288 | Free |
Singtel is also offering an Apple Bundle promotion for a limited time with the new launch. Pay an extra $26.90/month to get the following 3 services bundled into your plan:
- Data X 4 (quadruples your data bundle, e.g. turns your Combo 2GB data to 8GB)
- Apple Music (i.e. Apple’s Spotify Premium, so you can stream music/listen offline)
- MobileSwop Unlimited (lets you swop damaged phone for a new handset/replace lost handset, service fees apply)
If you sign up for the Apple Bundle, you also get $100 off the iPhone model of your choice, valid until 23 Sep.
Is it worth it though? Actually I think the savings are only marginal.
Let’s say you sign up for Singtel Combo 2 + Apple Bundle. That’s $69.80/month for an 8GB data plan, plus you save $9.90/month on your Spotify Premium subscription. But you’ll still have to top up $1,008 (after the $100 handset discount) for your iPhone XS 64GB.
Compare this to the Combo XO plan. At $78/month, it costs basically a few bucks more but gives you way more data (18GB!). And you only need to top up $798 for the iPhone XS 64GB. (That’s a $210 difference for the handset – just nice for a Spotify Premium subscription for 2 years.)
Singtel iPhone XS availability: Open for preorders, starting 19 Sep 2pm
Starhub iPhone XS price
Here are the Starhub iPhone XS prices and iPhone XS Max prices for those who sign up for 2-year contracts.
| 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 XS 64GB (U.P. $1,649) | $1,061 | $878 | $717 | $539 | Free |
| iPhone XS 256GB (U.P. $1,889) | $1,285 | $1,103 | $942 | $764 | Free |
| iPhone XS 512GB (U.P. $2,199) | $1,569 | $1,387 | $1,225 | $1,048 | $293 |
| iPhone XS Max 64GB (U.P. $1,799) | $1,200 | $1,017 | $856 | $679 | Free |
| iPhone XS Max 256GB (U.P. $2,039) | $1,425 | $1,242 | $1,081 | $903 | $149 |
| iPhone XS Max 512GB (U.P. $2,349) | $1,708 | $1,526 | $1,364 | $1,187 | $432 |
There’s currently an OCBC cardmembers promotion – you get $200 off your iPhone XS if you sign up for plan S and up. The promo expires 28 Sep.
Starhub iPhone XS availability: Preorder registration closed. You can still try your luck when stock comes in.
M1 iPhone XS price
And here are the M1 iPhone XS and XS Max prices, valid with a 2-year contract commitment.
| 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 XS 64GB (U.P. $1,649) | $1,130 | $840 | $695 | $450 |
| iPhone XS 256GB (U.P. $1,889) | $1,355 | $1,065 | $920 | $675 |
| iPhone XS 512GB (U.P. $2,199) | $1,640 | $1,350 | $1,205 | $955 |
| iPhone XS Max 64GB (U.P. $1,799) | $1,270 | $980 | $835 | $585 |
| iPhone XS Max 256GB (U.P. $2,039) | $1,495 | $1,205 | $1,060 | $810 |
| iPhone XS Max 512GB (U.P. $2,349) | $1,780 | $1,490 | $1,345 | $1,095 |
M1 actually has 2 phone plan product ranges: the MySIM series and the i-Lite/i-Reg/i-Max range. I’m only featuring the MySIM plans here because they’re much better value for money. For example, the i-Lite+ plan costs $42/month for 3GB of data, while MySIM40 is cheaper at $40/month yet gives you more data (5GB).
That said, if you really want an “i-Plan”, you can check out the prices on the M1 site. Click on the “Smartphone” button to toggle.
M1 iPhone XS availability: Again, preorder registration is closed, but you can still sign up and get a phone when they arrive. Stock might be limited though.
Singtel vs Starhub vs M1 – which has the best iPhone XS plan?
Okay, now let’s put everything together in one giant table. I’ve ranked them by phone plan price, which corresponds nicely to the top up price for an iPhone XS anyway.
| Plan | Specs (data / talktime / SMS) | Price per month | Top up for iPhone XS 64GB (U.P. $1,649) |
| Singtel Combo 1 | 100MB / 100 min / 500 SMS | $27.90 | $1,248 |
| M1 MySIM 40 | 5GB / 100 min + unlimited to 3 M1 numbers / 100 SMS | $40 | $1,130 |
| Singtel Combo 2 | 2GB / 200 min / 1,000 SMS | $42.90 | $1,108 |
| Starhub XS | 3GB + weekend unlimited data / 200 min / no SMS | $48 | $1,061 |
| Starhub S | 4GB + weekend unlimited data / 400 min / no SMS | $68 | $878 |
| Singtel Combo 3 | 3GB / unlimited talktime + SMS | $68.90 | $878 |
| M1 MySIM 70 | 15GB / 100 min + unlimited to 3 M1 numbers / 100 SMS | $70 | $840 |
| Singtel Combo XO | 18GB / 300 min / 300 SMS | $78 | $798 |
| Starhub M | 5GB + weekend unlimited data / unlimited talktime / no SMS | $88 | $717 |
| M1 MySIM 90 | 30GB / 100 min + unlimited to 3 M1 numbers / 100 SMS | $90 | $695 |
| Singtel Combo 6 | 6GB / unlimited talktime + SMS | $95.90 | $638 |
| Starhub L | 8GB + weekend unlimited / unlimited talktime / no SMS | $108 | $539 |
| M1 MySIM 118 | Unlimited data + talktime + SMS | $118 | $450 |
| Starhub XL | 15GB + weekend unlimited data / unlimited talktime + SMS | $238 | Free |
| Singtel Combo 12 | 12GB / unlimited talktime + SMS | $239.90 | Free |
It should be pretty easy to see which phone plans jump out as the best value for their price range.
For those who don’t need a lot of data, the best value plan is M1 MySIM 40. No other plan gives you 5GB data at the $40+ price point. You’ll still need to top up $1,130 for the cheapest iPhone XS model though.
If you’re a data-hungry user, it’s a toss up between M1 MySIM 70 and Singtel Combo XO. They’re similarly priced at $70+ a month, and are bundled with 15GB and 18GB data respectively. (I honestly don’t know anyone who uses more than that…) Topping up for the iPhone XS starts from around $800.
Should you sign up for the free iPhone plan?
In case you’re thinking of signing up for the most expensive plans just to get a free iPhone XS… I’ve done the math for you. Spoiler alert: it’s not worth it.
Take Singtel Combo 12 for example. You can get a free iPhone XS Max 512GB (top of the line!) at the low, low price of $239.90/month. Multiply this by 24 and you’re looking at $5,757.60 in total costs… for a measly 12GB of data a month.
Whereas if you opt for the Singtel Combo XO instead, you’d get a respectable 18GB of data at a much saner price of $78/month. $78 x 24 months = $1,872 in total. Add $1,448 top up for the most expensive iPhone XS Max 512GB, and your total cost will still be $3,320.
$5,757.60 – $3,320 = almost $2,500!
The other telco with a “free iPhone XS” plan is Starhub. Starhub XL is similarly weak, costing $238/month for 15GB + unlimited weekend data. And the most expensive iPhone you can get for free is the iPhone XS 256GB, which is only mid-tier. That’s an absurd total of $5,712.
You’re better off with the Singtel Combo XO plan and topping up $998 for the same phone. It’ll set you back only $2,870. Again, massive difference.
Or go for the M1 MySIM 118 at $118/month. It’ll cost $2,832 in subscription fees + $675 top up for the same phone, so your total costs are $3,507. That’s still more than $2,000 in savings, and you get UNLIMITED everything with this plan.
Singtel, Starhub, M1… or none? Tell us what you think of the local telcos and their iPhone plans!
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