iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro: The cheapest way to get these new handsets in Australia

The most affordable mobile plans

Credit: Apple

With pre-orders of iPhone 13 and iPhone Pro well under way in Australia, the major carriers have begun offering their best 12, 24 and 36 month mobile plans.

The iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro are currently on sale from Apple for AU$1,349 / AU$1,699, and while their upgraded feature sets sound impressive with the addition of wide cameras, optical image stabilization for better low light photography and longer battery life, buying them outright may be a little pricey for some buyers.

The Apple iPhone 13Credit: Apple
The Apple iPhone 13

If you do have the cash to splash - you should, since that’s undoubtedly your best option for getting a cheaper mobile plan. With an outright purchase, you can pair your iPhone 13 or iPhone 13 Pro with a SIM-only plan via a lesser-known carrier, such as Boost or Circles Life, and avoid the higher fees from the major carriers. See possible SIM-only plans for iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro via the widget below.

However, if a postpaid plan is your only option, you’ll need to weigh up the different options on offer by Telstra, Optus and Vodafone. Comparing these options by wading through the details isn’t easy. To simplify the process, we’ve put together the absolute cheapest options for you below.

iPhone 13: What’s the cheapest deal right now?

Vodafone, Optus and Telstra all have plans with varying amounts of data. But to home in on the absolute minimum you’d have to pay if you wanted a mobile plan and a starter model iPhone 13, Vodafone has the cheapest option.

Vodafone is currently offering the iPhone 13 with 128GB storage on its Vodafone Lite Plan. The plan includes 40GB of data for a monthly cost of AU$77.47 and a total phone cost of AU$1368.92 over 36 months as long as you stay on the plan and continue using the phone during that time.

This plan is AU$5 cheaper per month than Optus’ cheapest plan for the same starter iPhone 13 model, which is the 20GB per month Small Optus Choice Plus plan. This plan costs AU$82,46 per month for a total minimum phone cost of $1,348.56 over 36 months, but comes with only 20GB of data per month.

Vodafone’s Lite Plan is also AU$15 more affordable than Telstra’s cheapest plan – the Telstra Small Upfront Mobile Plan. Like the Vodafone plan, the Telstra plan offers 40GB monthly data, but for AU$92.47 per month and for a total minimum total cost of AU$1,349.92 for the iPhone 13.

It’s worth noting also, that while the Vodafone and Optus plans we just mentioned both include 5G access as long as you’re within the carrier’s coverage areas, the Telstra plan is limited to 4G only.

To access 5G, Telstra customers can choose either the Extra Large Upfront Mobile Plan or the Medium Upfront Mobile Plan. The Extra Large Upfront Mobile Plan more than quadruples the amount of monthly data available from 40GB to 180GB, but costs an extra AU$10 per month (for a monthly fee of AU$102.47 for the first 12 months, then rises substantially to AU$152.47 thereafter). This plan might actually be a good option for heavy data users.

If you don't need that much data and still want 5G, Telstra's $65 Medium 5G Upfront Mobile Plan with 80GB data is the cheapest 5G option. It costs AU$102.47 per month for the whole 36 months. See both of these Telstra plans below:

iPhone Pro: What’s the cheapest deal right now?

For the swankier iPhone Pro 13 model, the price differences are comparable to the cheapest iPhone 13 plans from the major carriers.

Vodafone once again offers the cheapest option for a postpaid plan. An iPhone 13 Pro with 128GB storage on Vodafone’s $40 Lite Plan will cost you AU$87.19 per month over 36 months for a minimum total cost of AU$1718.84 for the handset. This plan provides 40GB data per month as well as unlimited calls and texts.

Vodafone’s deal is AU$5 cheaper per month than an iPhone 13 Pro 128GB on a Small Optus Choice Plus plan with 20GB data per month over 36 months, which will cost you AU$92.18 per month (with a minimum total handset cost AU$1,698.48). See below.

It’s also AU$15 per month cheaper than the iPhone 13 Pro on a 36-month Telstra Small Upfront Mobile Plan that costs AU$102.19 (total cost AU$1,698.84 for the handset), but this plan only provides access to 4G.

Telstra’s most affordable 5G plan for iPhone 13 Pro, the $65 Medium Upfront Mobile Plan, will cost you AU$112.19 per month. If you go with this plan you will have paid a total of $1,753.84 for your iPhone 13 Pro after 36 months. 

Otherwise, the iPhone 13 Pro can also be paired with Telstra's $115 Extra Large Upfront Mobile Plan that offers 180GB per month data. This will cost you AU$112.19 per month for the first 12 months only, after which time it will rise sharply to AU$162.19 per month for the remaining months. See below for both of these Telstra plans:

How can I save even more money?

Of course you can always skim off a few extra bucks with a trade in offer. All three carriers have trade-in offers available for iPhone 13 Series phones that we highly recommend investigating before you purchase to potentially save yourself hundreds off the cost.

Vodafone is offering a bonus trade-in credit of AU$150 for eligible trade-ins on purchases of iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro phones between September 17 and October 14, 2021, while Optus and Telstra have similarly attractive offers that can be found on their websites. 

These trade-in offers are usually only available for a limited time, so it’s best to get in quickly if you want to make use of them.

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Tags smartphonesVodafoneTelstraoptusmobile plansCarriersaffordableiPhone 13iPhone 13 Procheapest

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Dominic Bayley

Dominic Bayley

PC World
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