M1 beats rivals to issue new iPhone price plans

Telco M1 yesterday released its pricing plans for the most expensive iPhones to date, ahead of competitors SingTel and StarHub.

The new Apple iPhone 6 and 6 Plus will be available from all three telcos next Friday.

The basic iPhone 6 16GB handset will cost $525 under M1's i-Lite+ plan, which has a monthly fee of $41.

Under the same plan, the iPhone 6 Plus 16GB handset will retail at $665.

When the iPhone 5S was released a year ago, it cost about $515 for the 16GB model.

All sets are sold with a two-year post-paid plan and will be available at M1 shops.

The new models, which were unveiled on Tuesday, feature Retina HD displays, a fingerprint lock called Touch ID, and an 8-megapixel camera with faster auto-focus.

When contacted, StarHub's spokesman said the telco would release more details to its customers on Monday.

SingTel did not say when its price plans would be available.

But analysts whom The Straits Times spoke to said pricing will be similar across the telcos. "All three telcos will watch each other closely in terms of pricing," said Singapore telco analyst Clement Teo at United States-based market research firm Forrester.

"In the end, it won't differ that much but (consumers) have to look at the amount of features they get with the different plans," he added.

And despite the higher cost, ardent fans of US tech giant Apple are looking forward to the new phones.

The price will not matter to Mr Ong Hek Meng, for instance.

The 25-year-old audit associate has been using his current iPhone 4S for three years and has been holding out for the new releases.

"The switch is worth it for me, because my phone now is not in the best condition," said the M1 customer, adding that he was looking forward to the 5.5-inch screen of the iPhone 6 Plus.

The iPhone 6 comes with a 4.7-inch display.

"With the bigger screen, it'll be easier to play games, send text messages and watch videos. Bigger is better," said Mr Ong.

dansonc@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on September 13, 2014.
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