Feature Articles

4G LTE Phone Contract Price Comparison

By Sidney Wong - 23 Oct 2012

Contract Price Comparison

4G LTE Smartphones with 2-year Contract Comparison 

Early this year, we predicted 4G smartphones are probably going to be pick up pace by the year-end. Looking at the interest rate of the current crop of premium devices (as witnessed here and here for example), which also happen to sport LTE network support, it looks like we were right on the dot. Without a doubt, 4G smartphone uptake is going to rise greatly as more of such devices come to the market. If you're not quite certain about the current hype about 4G, LTE and what does it entail, do check out HardwareZone's Tech Guide to 4G/LTE.

At this juncture, we've just about enough 4G smartphones available in the market to round them up and present you a good overview of the current contract prices across the three telcos for your easy reference.

1. Do note that the contract pricing is based on this week's promo which is valid from 20th to 26th October 2012. Prices may change thereafter.

2. Other miscellaneous costs such as early re-contract fees, SIM card charges and registration fees are not included in this table.

Before we dive into the details, let's take a look at recommended retail prices and specs of these premium 4G phones:-

From left to right: Apple iPhone 5, Samsung Galaxy Note II (LTE), Samsung Galaxy S III (LTE), HTC One XL, LG Optimus True HD LTE, Samsung Galaxy Note (LTE)


4G Smartphone Specs Comparison

Device

Apple iPhone 5 (16GB)

Samsung Galaxy Note II (16GB)

Samsung Galaxy S III LTE (16GB)

HTC One XL

LG Optimus True HD LTE

Samsung Galaxy Note LTE (16GB)

OS Apple iOS 6 Android 4.1 Android 4.1 Android 4.0 Android 2.3 Android 4.0.4
Processor A6 dual-core 1GHz Exynos 4212 quad-core 1.6GHz Exynos 4212 quad-core 1.4GHz Qualcomm MSM8960 Snapdragon S4 dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm APQ8060 Snapdragon
dual-core 1.5GHz Scorpion
Dual-core 1.4GHz
RAM 1GB 2GB 2GB 1GB 1GB 1GB
Storage 16GB built-in
(no memory card slot)

5GB free iCloud storage
16GB built-in
(microSD support up to 64GB)

50GB free Dropbox storage for two years
(inclusive of 2GB when you sign up)

16 built-in
(microSD support up to 64GB)

50GB free Dropbox storage for two years
(inclusive of 2GB when you sign up)
32GB built-in
(no memory card slot)

25GB free Dropbox storage for two years (inclusive of 2GB when you sign up)
 
4GB built-in
(microSD support up to 32GB)
16GB built-in
(microSD support up to 32GB)
Display 4-inch IPS TFT 5.5-inch HD Super AMOLED 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED 4.7-inch Super LCD 2 4.5-inch True HD IPS 5.3-inch Super AMOLED
Resolution 1136 x 640 pixels / 326ppi 1280 x 720 pixels / 267ppi 1280 x 720 pixels / 306ppi 1280 x 720 pixels / 312ppi 1280 x 720 pixels / 326ppi 1280 x 800 pixels / 285ppi
Camera 8-megapixel rear
FaceTime HD camera front-facing
8-megapixel rear
1.9-megapixel front-facing
8-megapixel rear
1.9-megapixel front-facing
8-megapixel rear
1.3-megapixel front-facing
8-megapixel rear
1.3-megapixel front facing
8-megapixel rear
2 -megapixel (front-facing)
Battery 1,440mAh (non-removable) 3,100mAh (removable) 2,100mAh (removable) 1800mAh
(non-removable)
1830mAh
(removable)
2,500mAh (removable)
Dimensions 123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6mm 151 x 81 x 9.4mm 136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6mm 134.86 x 69.9 x 8.9mm 133.9 x 67.9 x 10.18mm 146.85 x 82.95 x 9.65mm
Weight 112g 180g 133g 130g 136g 178g
Recommended Retail Price $948 $998 $998 $998 $898 N.A
Actual Store Pricing Check Here Check Here Check Here Check Here Check here N.A


 

Telco Basic Plans Comparison
 

Data Plan M1 SingTel StarHub
Name iPhone Value+ / ValueSurf+ Flexi Lite SmartSurf iPhone Lite / Smartsurf Lite
Monthly Subscription $36 / $39 $39.90 $38
Local Outgoing Mins 100 / 120 100 100
Local SMS 600 800 800
Local Data Bundle 2GB 2GB 2GB
Phone Contract Prices
iPhone 5 (16GB) $430 $478 $473
Samsung Galaxy Note II $568 $568 $568
Samsung Galaxy S III (LTE) $498 $468 $498
HTC One XL $468 $318 $318
LG Optimus True HD LTE $198 $98 N.A
Samsung Galaxy Note (LTE) $348 $348 $368

 

Telco Mid-Tier Plans Comparison
 

Data Plan M1 SingTel StarHub
Name iPhone Lite+ / LiteSurf+ Flexi Value SmartSurf iPhone Value / SmartSurf Value
Monthly Subscription $56 / $59 $59.90 $58
Local Outgoing Mins 300 200 300
Local SMS 800 900 900
Local Data Bundle 3GB 3GB 4GB
Phone Contract Prices
iPhone 5 Price $190 $198 $233
Samsung Galaxy Note II $398 $288 $298
Samsung Galaxy S III (LTE) $268 $198 $238
HTC One XL $268 $98 $98
LG Optimus True HD LTE $48 $0 N.A
Samsung Galaxy Note (LTE) $148 $148 $148

 

Telco High-Tier Plans Comparison
 

Data Plan M1 SingTel StarHub
Name iPhone Extreme+ / ExtremeSurf+ Flexi Plus SmartSurf iPhone Premium / SmartSurf Premium
Monthly Subscription $98 $99.90 $98
Local Outgoing Mins 700 500 700
Local SMS 1,000 1,000 1,000
Local Data Bundle 5GB 4GB 6GB
Phone Contract Prices
iPhone 5 (16GB) $0 $0 $0
Samsung Galaxy Note II (16GB) $298 $98 $98
Samsung Galaxy S III LTE (16GB) $198 $0 $38
HTC One XL (32GB) $168 $0 $0
LG Optimus True HD LTE $0 $0 N.A
Samsung Galaxy Note LTE (16GB) $0 $0 $38

   

Telco Premium Plans Comparison
 

Data Plan M1 SingTel StarHub
Name iPhone Max+ / MaxSurf+ Flexi Premium SmartSurf iPhone Elite
Monthly Subscription $198 $205 $205
Local Outgoing Mins Unlimited 2,000 2,000
Local SMS 2,000 2,500 2,500
Local Data Bundle 12GB 12GB 12GB
Phone Contract Prices
iPhone 5 (16GB) $0 $0 $0
Samsung Galaxy Note II (16GB) $298 $0 $98
Samsung Galaxy S III LTE (16GB) $198 $0 $38
HTC One XL (32GB) $168 $0 $0
LG Optimus True HD LTE $0 $0 N.A
Samsung Galaxy Note LTE (16GB) $0 $0 $38

 

Price Comparison Analysis

If you are considering the Apple iPhone 5, M1 offers the best deals across the board. The detailed analysis can be found here

For those who want the Samsung Galaxy S III LTE, StarHub consistently delivers the lowest total costs over a two-year period on its basic, mid and high-tier plans. However, SingTel takes the lead in the premium plan category with a slightly lower total costs incurred over two years. If you tend to consume more than 2,000 minutes of local talk time, M1's MaxSurf+ may be a better choice with its unlimited local talk time.

Samsung Galaxy S III LTE (16GB) - Total Cost of Ownership
  Basic Mid-Tier High-Tier Premium
M1 $1,434 $1,684 $2,550 $4,950
SingTel $1,425.60 $1,635.60 $2,397.60 $4,920
StarHub $1,410 $1,630 $2,390 $4,958


Consumers who want to give the Galaxy Note (LTE) a try, StarHub gives you a better deal at the basic and mid-tier plans while M1 takes the top spot in the high-tier and premium plans.

Samsung Galaxy Note LTE (16GB) - Total Cost of Ownership
  Basic Mid-Tier High-Tier Premium
M1 $1,284 $1,564 $2,352 $4,752
SingTel $1,305.60 $1,585.60 $2,397.60 $4,920
StarHub $1,280 $1,540 $2,390 $4,958


Consumers who prefer the HTC One XL, they should choose StarHub if they plan to sign up for basic, mid and high-tier plans. The cost saving factor no longer exists in the premium plan category where the total cost of ownership over two years is uniform across the three telcos.

HTC One XL (32GB) - Total Cost of Ownership
  Basic Mid-Tier High-Tier Premium
M1 $1,404 $1,684 $2,520  $4,920 
SingTel $1,275.60 $1,535.60 $2,397.60 $4,920
StarHub $1,230 $1,490 $2,352 $4,920


Consumers who want to buy the LG Optimus True HD LTE, SingTel offers better deals for its basic and mid-tier plans, whereas high-tier and premium plans, the total cost of ownership will be lower for M1 (factoring in the unlimited local talk time of M1's MaxSurf+). However once you stretch into the high-tier and premium plans, the total cost associated to own the LG Optimus True HD LTE doesn't really make it a good choice as opposed to considering one of the other phones in this comparison.

LG Optimus True HD LTE - Total Cost of Ownership
  Basic Mid-Tier High-Tier Premium
M1 $1,134 $1,464 $2,352 $4,920
SingTel $1,055.60 $1,437.60 $2,397.60 $4,920
StarHub N.A N.A N.A N.A

For more information on the different phones, hit the links below to the respective reviews and articles: 

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