iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max telco price plans comparison

Looking at the best plans for iPhone 12 phones in Singapore

With the iPhone 12 smartphones hitting retail in two waves (iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro on 23 Oct, iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max on 13 Nov), we have some time to decide between choosing the right model and choosing an ideal contract plan to go with them.

If you want to know what you're getting out of this year's iPhones, don't forget to check our launch night coverage too:

Editorial note: We'll publish the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max comparison after all telcos have officially announced their contract plan prices.

Choosing the best plan for your needs

A glance at the overall price across two years roughly tells us which telco offers a better deal at each tier. However, telco price plans have become more competitive over the years with the availability of trial 5G networks and seasonal promotions.

Each telco packs a host of tantalising tie-breakers (free accessories, free subscriptions, discounts, waivering of admin fees, free data at certain timings of the week, etc.), and it's really tough to say which telco does it best. If you want to see if the promotion suits your needs, don't forget to check each telco's specific promotions after comparing prices below.

Telco promotions at a glance

Promotion
Singtel	5G NOW raises the monthly fee by $10 for 5G access, but also includes extra 10GB a per month. These calculations are reflected in the telco comparison tables below. Free weekend local data for XO plans. All Combo and XO Plans with 5G receives 12 months free Apple iCloud (50GB) and 9 free months of Apple Arcade. Other offers include 12 free months of Apple TV+, 3 free months of Apple Music (no contract), 3 free months of selected CAST packs (no contract), and 12 months of Amazon Prime membership. The iPhone prices indicated under XO plans are inclusive of $50 discount from 5G NOW and $100 discount if you're upgrading to XO 78 or XO 108 plan from a lower-tier plan or getting a new line of that tier.
M1	Free registration and SIM card (online sign-ups only). $200 off for new sign-ups and those switching to M1 (and an additional $100 if using Citi credit card for payment or S$120 with Citi M1 card). 3 months Free weekend data for new sign-ups (or 6 months if switching to M1). Free 1 year Apple TV+ and 3 months of Apple Arcade. Year-long free subscription to VIU. Unlimited data streaming of Spotify. Limited-time Free 5G service + 100GB extra data (see following section).
StarHub	StarHub 5G is free to all Mobile+ users. Free Caller ID. Free SIM card registration. 3 months free iCloud (50GB). Free one-year subscription to StarHub TV+ and Apple TV+. Switching from different line - S$200 discount on upfront cost.

We'll be exploring the financial outlay of picking up an iPhone 12 with a contract plan, so make sure to keep the other promotions above in mind if the overall cost isn't your highest purchasing priority.

What about 5G connectivity?

Each telco has a different approach in offering 5G connectivity, which is also reflected in their individual price plans:

• Singtel: 5G access at $10/month built into price plans below, which also results in 10GB more local data than their usual plan's allotment.
• M1: 3 months' free 5G Booster Pack at S$40 Base Plan with $10 Add-on. 6 months' free 5G Booster Pack at S$40 Base Plan with S$38 Add-on or higher. 5G Booster Packs start at $5/month and comes with additional local data depending on which booster you get.
• StarHub: Free with all Mobile+ plans.

Since the iPhone 12 mobiles are all 5G capable, We'll take each plan as they are.

However, if you wish to opt-out of Singtel's 5G to save $10 a month, subtract it from the tables below. Or, if you wish to continue with M1's 5G access beyond the free months, add the respective 5G Booster Pack to the monthly total. For a quick reference:

• Singtel: Subtract S$240 from the total if you want to opt-out of 5G completely, but remember that you also to lose out the S$50 discount for not taking 5G NOW.
• M1: Add $105 / 168 / 252 to the total for S$40 Base + $10 Add-on plans, or add S$90 / 144 / 216 to the total for S$40 Base Plans +S$38 Add-on plans or higher. The correct amount depends on which 5G Booster Pack you choose.

With that out of the way, let's get on to comparing.

Value plans compared ($40-and-under/month)

Data Plan	M1
Name	Base Plan with Device
Monthly Subscription	$40
Local Outgoing Mins	100
Local SMS	100
Local Data Bundle	12GB
iPhone 12 upfront cost	64GB: $820 128GB: $880 256GB: $1,040
iPhone 12 Pro upfront cost	128GB:$1,130 256GB: $1,290 512GB: $1,590
	Total Cost Over Two Years
iPhone 12 with plan	64GB: $1,780 128GB: $1,840 256GB: $2,000
iPhone 12 Pro with plan	64GB: $2,090 128GB: $2,250 256GB: $2,550

Basic plans compared ($50 - $65/month)

Mid-tier plans compared ($78 - $95/month)

Data Plan	M1	Singtel	Singtel	StarHub
Name	Base Plan with Device + $38 Add-On	Combo 3 with 5G	XO 78 with 5G	$95 Mobile+
Monthly Subscription	$78	$82.90	$88	$95
Local Outgoing Mins	300	10,000	300	600
Local SMS	300	10,000	300	600
Local Data Bundle	42GB	14GB	50GB	60GB
iPhone 12 upfront cost	64GB: $460 128GB: $520 256GB: $670	64GB: $548 128GB: $608 256GB: $768	64GB: $328 128GB: $398 256GB: $548	64GB: $329 128GB: $399 256GB: $549
iPhone 12 Pro upfront cost	128GB: $770 256GB: $930 512GB: $1,230	128GB: $868 256GB: $1,018 512GB: $1,318	128GB: $648 256GB: $798 512GB: $1,108	128GB: $649 256GB: $809 512GB: $1,109
		Total Cost Over Two Years
iPhone 12 with plan	64GB: $2,332 128GB: $2,392 256GB: $2,542	64GB: $2,537.60 128GB: $2,597.60 256GB: $2,757.60	64GB: $2,440 128GB: $2,510 256GB: $2,660	64GB: $2,609 128GB: $2,679 256GB: $2,829
iPhone 12 Pro with plan	128GB: $2,642 256GB: $2,802 512GB: $3,102	128GB: $2,857.60 256GB: $3,007.60 512GB: $3,307.60	128GB: $2,760 256GB: $2,910 512GB: $3,220	128GB: $2,929 256GB: $3,089 512GB: $3,389

High-tier plans compared ($109 - $155/month)

Data Plan	M1	Singtel	Singtel	StarHub
Name	Base Plan with Device + $70 Add-on	Combo 6 with 5G	XO 108 with 5G	$155 Mobile+
Monthly Subscription	$110	109.90	$118	$155
Local Outgoing Mins	500	10,000	500	1,000
Local SMS	500	10,000	500	1,000
Local Data Bundle	77GB	17GB	80GB	120GB
iPhone 12 upfront cost	64GB: $210 128GB: $270 256GB: $430	64GB: $338 128GB: $398 256GB: $558	64GB: $68 128GB: $128 256GB: $278	64GB: $0 128GB: $0 256GB: $19
iPhone 12 Pro upfront cost	128GB: $530 256GB: $680 512GB: $990	128GB: $658 256GB: $808 512GB: $1,108	128GB: $378 256GB: $538 512GB: $838	128GB: $119 256GB: $269 512GB: $569
		Total Cost Over Two Years
iPhone 12 with plan	64GB: $2,850 128GB: $2,910 256GB: $3,070	64GB: $2,975.60 128GB: $3,035.60 256GB: $3,195.60	64GB: $2,900 128GB: $2,960 256GB: $3,110	64GB: $3,720 128GB: $3,720 256GB: $3,739
iPhone 12 Pro with plan	128GB: $3,170 256GB: $3,320 512GB: $3,630	128GB: $3,295.60 256GB: $3,445.60 512GB: $3,745.60	128GB: $3,210 256GB: $3,370 512GB: $3,670	128GB: $3,839 256GB: $3,989 512GB: $4,289

Premium plans compared (Beyond $230/month)

Data Plan	M1	Singtel
Name	Base Plan with Device + $195 Add-on	Combo 12 with 5G
Monthly Subscription	$235	$249.90
Local Outgoing Mins	Unlimited	10,000
Local SMS	1,000	10,000
Local Data Bundle	112GB	22GB
iPhone 12 upfront cost	64GB: $0 128GB: $0 256GB: $110	64GB: $0 128GB: $0 256GB: $0
iPhone 12 Pro upfront cost	128GB: $230 256GB: $360 512GB: $680	128GB: $0 256GB: $0 512GB: $268
	Total Cost Over Two Years
iPhone 12 with plan	64GB: $5,640 128GB: $5,640 256GB: $5,750	64GB: $5,997.60 128GB: $5,997.60 256GB: $5,997.60
iPhone 12 Pro with plan	128GB: $5,870 256GB: $6,000 512GB: $6,320	128GB: $5,997.60 256GB: $5,997.60 512GB: $6,265.60

iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro plans: quick analysis and first impressions

Editorial note: the impressions are for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro price plans. More will be added when all telcos have released all price plans.

To aid our analysis, we've bolded and/or highlighted parts of the tables above to emphasise certain thoughts below.

There's really only one option lurking about at the value tier of contract plans (M1) , but we can't deny its financial viability.

Not only would you get to offset a significant amount of the iPhone's upfront cost, but the cost over two years also works out to about a $500 difference (very roughly). This is before factoring in promotions.

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M1 also doesn't offer free months of 5G Booster Packs at this level, so this comes across as a very attractive alternative to folks who refuse to use 5G on their iPhone 12 (yes, we know you're out there).

The basic tier is arguably the most competitive bracket among the three telcos. M1 seems like the best at balancing a generous-enough mobile data package against a healthy-looking two-year final cost, making them the most cost-effective option among all.

If your priority is no-frills data capacity , StarHub might be a savvier alternative because it's nearly double of M1's data every month with an extra cost of $200 - $300 spread out over two years.

Also, StarHub piles on 5G access for free to Mobile+ users, while M1's free months of 5G Booster Pack will likely leave you wanting and paying more after the brief trial period (as they say, the first hit is always 'free').

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The mid-tier plans are where Singtel makes its differentiators known. The Combo 3 with 5G plan's 10,000 outgoing minutes and SMSes eclipses the competition, and is undeniably a strong draw for folks who prioritise those call minutes and text messages. Oh, you're not a fan of chatting over the phone? 

Well, Singtel fires yet another round with its 50GB/month XO 78 with 5G . If you stay on its 5G NOW programme, that's 50GB of improving 5G network speeds every month for the next two years.

StarHub seems like a good deal with free 5G and additional 10GB every month for a little more money, but we believe most folks wouldn't be scrambling for extra data with XO 78 with 5G.

M1 could have been the star here, but they missed by a hair: slightly less data than Singtel's same-tiered XO plan, and it's mostly 4G unless you pony up to 5G Booster Pack for the rest of your two years. So, Singtel's choice to make 5G an opt-out service was an advantageous decision at this tier.

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The high-tier plans are a little more divisive. StarHub's Mobile+ plans are for folks who don't mind paying more money for a lot more 5G data allocated to them, while M1's plans are more cost-effective. 

While it's true that opting out of Singtel 5G would make its XO plan at this tier slightly cheaper than M1's, don't forget that you also have to deduct 10GB a month from the allotment (which brings the XO plan down to 70GB/month, less than M1's 77GB/month).

The premium-tier plans , while they have their place, don't really abide by armchair economics. No one paying that amount of money would baulk at having to top-up $268 for the iPhone model with the highest storage available. It's also unlikely they'd be fussing over picking a 64GB iPhone or a 128GB one.

You either go big or you go home. Still, it's sensible to go big and win big, so M1 wins big here with its unlimited talk-time, fivefold mobile data allotment, and lower monthly fees.

Undecided? Maybe this will help

Of course, it's not always just about money when it comes to getting an iPhone. Here are more iPhone 12 articles by the HWZ team if you need more time to think it through:

This article was first published in Hardware Zone.