Like the sun rises and sets every day, so too shall be the release of the new iPhones every year. Yet, as the sun (or more accurately, the weather) gets ever so slightly hotter, so too do the features of the new iPhone change ever so slightly.
Will the iPhone 13s’ prices change ever so slightly, or will it cause such a void implosion that it cancels out your recent financial windfall? Let’s find out.
iPhone 13, Mini, Pro & Pro Max Prices in Singapore
It’s 2021, and Apple has finally decided to phase out the 64GB storage option for their lesser iPhone 13 and 13 mini. It’s about damn time.
If you’re in the market for the 13 Pro and Pro Max model, not that there was a 64GB option to begin with, but there is an equally unnecessary 1TB option. Please see the table below to find out what the eye-watering price is:
| Model | Storage | |||
| 128GB | 256GB | 512GB | 1TB | |
| iPhone 13 Mini | $1,149 | $1,319 | $1,649 | – |
| iPhone 13 | $1,299 | $1,469 | $1,799 | – |
| iPhone 13 Pro | $1,649 | $1,819 | $2,149 | $2,479 |
| iPhone 13 Pro Max | $1,799 | $1,969 | $2,299 | $2,629 |
Surprisingly, this year’s iPhone 13 and 13 Mini are cheaper than what was offered for last year’s iPhone 12 lineup — for the same price as last year’s 64GB iPhone 12, you get twice the storage for this year’s base 128GB iPhone 13. Step up to the 256GB option for the iPhone 13 and 13 Mini and you’re looking at a $70 discount over both the iPhone 12 and 12 Mini.
This doesn’t discount the fact that they’re still overpriced — especially more so with the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max models; none of the models have received any discounts of sorts and the prices go up to TWICE the price of the base iPhone 13 Mini.
Most tech nerds will argue that the marginal improvements in the screen, camera and notch size justify the prices, but for most consumers, they will win more value out of the cheaper, non-pro iPhone 13 and 13 Mini.
But this is Singapore. Unless you’re in the minority who uses one of the 13 cheapest SIM-only plans, who pays upfront for a new iPhone? You’ll want to get it via a subsidised telco plan like Singtel, Starhub or M1.
Singtel, Starhub & M1 iPhone 13, Mini, Pro & Pro Max Prices
The most well-rounded model in the iPhone 13 lineup this year has to be the 256GB iPhone 13 — it has most features that are suitable for average consumers wanting to stay in the Apple ecosystem or are wanting to jump into it. You also wouldn’t want to skimp on the data allocation each month, so we’ve selected the medium tier plans for each of the big 3 telcos.
Here are the prices for each of the major telcos in Singapore:
| Telco | Monthly fee | Upfront fee | Total cost (2 years) |
| Singtel XO Plus 68 (30GB) | $68 | $728 | $2,360 |
| Starhub Mobile+ (30GB) | $65 | $739 | $2,299 |
| M1 (35GB) | $65.95 | $710 | $2,292 |
Do note that these plans include 5G access. If you don’t care much about having 5G, or are skeptical about its benefits, or in the fringe case that you believe that it causes the coronavirus, buying the iPhone upfront and pairing it with a SIM-only plan is almost always going to be cheaper.
By how much cheaper? This depends on the SIM-only plan you go for — personally, I’m using a Giga plan that is $25 a month and I get 60GB of data. The math works out to be about $300 cheaper over two years, assuming the same iPhone 13 256GB model. Is $300 worth paying for 5G access? Yes to some, but not to me. I’d rather put that money into my Germany travel fund.
iPhone 13, Mini, Pro & Pro Max: what’s the difference, and which is better?
iPhone 13 vs iPhone 13 Mini
There’s nothing new to report this year when it comes to the differences between the cheaper iPhone 13 and 13 Mini — both have the same tech specs aside from the different screen sizes. Which one you should get is largely dependent on your hand size, your budget and your personal viewing preferences when you’re binge-watching Netflix or Disney+.
iPhone 13 Pro vs iPhone 13 Pro Max
The headline features aside from the marginally better cameras are the doubly-increased screen refresh rates and the 1TB storage option. This year, you get a 120hz refresh rate on the screen which translates to buttery smooth animations, whilst more storage is more storage for your secret reaction memes stash.
Best credit card to charge your next iPhone 13, Mini, Pro & Pro Max purchase
UOB Absolute Cashback
- Cash Back on Eligible Spend
- 1.7%
- Min. Spend per month
- S$0
- Cash Back Cap
- Unlimited
This card has the highest cashback rate in the market currently, at 1.7% and with hardly any exclusion. It is also uncapped, and the fact that it’s an Amex card doesn’t matter as Apple accepts Amex as a payment option.
Citi Cashback+ Mastercard
- Cash Back on Eligible Spend
- 1.6%
- Min. Spend per month
- S$0
- Cash Back Cap
- Unlimited
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Playing second fiddle to UOB’s Absolute Cashback card is Citibank with their Cashback+ card, at 1.6%. It’s a Mastercard, which means it’s a lot more versatile than Amex — and usually Citibank has lucrative sign-up rewards that change every month.
Standard Chartered Unlimited Cashback Mastercard
Third place is Standard Chartered’s Unlimited Cashback Mastercard, at 1.5%, it’s not the best, but if you’ve signed up for the two above then this one would be a good alternative to have.
American Express True Cashback Card
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- on up to $5,000 spend in the first 6 months for new Card Members.
- 3.0% Cashback
- all subsequent eligible purchases
- 1.5% Cashback
- Cash Back Cap
- Unlimited
This card has the highest cashback for the first $5,000 spend in the first 6 months after card sign-up, at 3%. After hitting that limit, it will revert to 1.5%, the same as Standard Chartered’s Mastercard.