Yahoo Finance iPhone 16: Telstra wake-up call as competitor offers $1299 credit to slash price of new Apple device for Aussies
The iPhone 16 has landed and there's a $1299 credit that makes one big telco cheaper than the rest.
Pre-orders have opened for the latest iPhone, so you can expect to see smug early adopters, tech geeks and Apple disciples ostentatiously waving around their new devices from this weekend. But not all iPhone 16 offers are equal, so here’s a rundown of how to get it for as little as possible.
As usual, there are two ways to buy the newest phone - outright or on a plan. The big three telcos have first dibs on selling it with a plan thanks to their exclusivity deals with Apple.
Vodafone is the most generous of the big three, offering the iPhone 16 from $81.78 per month if you lock yourself into a three-year promo plan featuring 600GB of monthly data.
It’s actually a $79 plan, but they’re including a $1299 credit over the three years and a heap of bonus data so that the combined cost of phone plus plan comes in close to $80 a month.
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Optus pricing starts around $90 per month and Telstra around $100 per month on three-year 50GB plans, or you can opt to pay the phone down faster over 12 or 24 months instead.
All three big telcos are also offering trade-in deals on your old phone to lower the cost of upgrading to the latest model iPhone, which starts at $1399 outright.
MAJOR TELCO OFFERS
STARTING COST PER MONTH | DATA | |
Telstra | $103.86 | 50GB |
Optus | $90.86 | 50GB |
Vodafone | $81.78 | 600GB |
Source: WhistleOut.com.au
Remember, however, that if you can buy the phone outright you will save money over time - because you can then choose from dozens of mobile plans that cost less than the big telcos and switch whenever you get a price hike.
Officeworks appears to be the most generous of the “outright purchase” options, offering a $250 gift card that you have to spend in store - while Kogan.com is offering a $100 credit on their site.
Meanwhile, outgoing models are being discounted by up to $250 now that the new model has been released. Discontinued models are likely to be sold off at discounts now too.
DISCOUNTS ON OUTGOING MODELS
iPhone 15: $1,249 ($150 OFF)
iPhone 15 Plus: $1,399 ($250 OFF)
iPhone 14: $1,049 ($200 OFF)
iPhone 14 Plus: $1,249 ($250 OFF)
DISCONTINUED MODELS:
iPhone 15 Pro
iPhone15 Pro Max
iPhone 13
The new iPhone starts at $1399 outright, which is $100 cheaper than last year’s iPhone 15 was at launch.
That’s good news. But it’s still an expensive phone.
Apple is excellent at hyping up their new phone launches, but the reality is you can still get some very good phones for around half the price.
For those with a smaller budget, many of the best budget phones on the market are currently being discounted too, such as the Google Pixel 8a (WhistleOut’s phone of the year) and the Motorola Edge 50 Fusion (WhistleOut’s budget phone of the year).
BEST BUDGET PHONES (CURRENT DISCOUNTED PRICES)
iPhone SE - Under $600
Pixel 8a - Under $700
Motorola Edge 50 Fusion - Under $500
Nothing Phone 2a - Under $500
Refurbished iPhones - Under $400
It’s not easy to come by big discounts on the latest model phones but telcos do find ways to bump up their offers using promo plans and trade-in deals so why not make the most of them.
WhistleOut is Australia’s #1 telco comparison website. Joel Gibson is the author of EASY MONEY & KILL BILLS. Together, they’ve launched a campaign to identify money-saving opportunities for Australian mobile and internet users.
