iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X telco price plan comparison
With all three telcos announcing their price plans for the upcoming iPhones of 2017, now's the time to find out who offers the best deal.
By Liu Hongzuo -
Note 1: This article was first published on 15th September 2017.
Note 2: Apple iPhone X telco price plans comparison and analysis updated on 30th October 2017.
Who's got the best plan?
With all three telcos announcing their price plans for the upcoming Apple iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X, now's the time to find out who offers the best deal.
Check out the following articles for a quick refresher on what the latest iPhones offer:
- First impressions of the new iPhone X, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus
- In pictures: hands-on with the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus
- Hands-on with the brand new iPhone X (video)
- Why the iPhone X is called the iPhone X
- Why the iPhone X’s high prices might work out for you, even if you don’t buy one
- Some notes on iPhone X and iPhone 8's wireless and wired charging capabilities
Buying the phones directly from Apple without a service plan will cost you the following:
- iPhone 8 (64GB) - S$1,148
- iPhone 8 (256GB)- S$1,388
- iPhone 8 Plus (64GB) - S$1,308
- iPhone 8 Plus (256GB) - S$1,548
- iPhone X (64GB) - S$1,648
- iPhone X (256GB) - S$1,888
iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus are available in Silver, Gold, and Space Grey. iPhone X is available only in Silver, and Space Grey.
iPhone 8 with 2-year contract
Value plans comparison
Data Plan | M1 | Singtel |
Name | i-Lite | Combo 1 |
iPhone 8 Price | (64GB) - S$790
(256GB) - S$1,015 | (64GB) - S$788
(256GB) - S$1,018 |
Monthly Subscription | S$28 | S$27.90 |
Local Outgoing Mins | 100 | 100 |
Local SMS | 500 | 500 |
Local Data Bundle | 300MB | 100MB |
Total Cost Over Two Years | (64GB) - S$1,462 (256GB) - S$1,687 | (64GB) - S$1,457.60
(256GB) - S$1,687.60 |
Basic plans comparison
Data Plan | M1 | Singtel | StarHub |
Name | i-Lite+ | Combo 2 | XS |
iPhone 8 Price | (64GB) - S$665
(256GB) - S$885 | (64GB) - S$658
(256GB) - S$878 | (64GB) - S$606
(256GB) - S$831 |
Monthly Subscription | S$42 | S$42.90 | S$48 |
Local Outgoing Mins | 200 | 500 | 200 |
Local SMS | 1,000 | 1,000 | Pay per use at 5.35 cents/SMS |
Local Data Bundle | 3GB | 2GB | 3GB + unlimited weekend data |
Total Cost Over Two Years | (64GB) - S$1,673
(256GB) - S$1,893 | (64GB) - S$1,687.60
(256GB) - S$1,907.60 | (64GB) - S$1,758
(256GB) - S$1,983 |
Mid-tier plans comparison
Data Plan | M1 | Singtel | StarHub |
Name | i-Reg | Combo 3 | S |
iPhone 8 Price | (64GB) - S$465
(256GB) - S$690 | (64GB) - S$428
(256GB) - S$648 | (64GB) - S$424
(256GB) - S$648 |
Monthly Subscription | S$62 | S$68.90 | S$68 |
Local Outgoing Mins | 300 | Unlimited* (10,000) | 400 |
Local SMS | 1,200 | Unlimited* (10,000) | Pay per use at 5.35 cents/SMS |
Local Data Bundle | 4GB | 3GB | 4GB +unlimited weekend data |
Total Cost Over Two Years | (64GB) - S$1,953 (256GB) - S$2,178 | (64GB) - S$2,081.60
(256GB) - S$2,301.60 | (64GB) - S$2,056 (256GB) - S$2,280 |
Mid-high tier plans comparison
Data Plan | M1 | StarHub |
Name | i-Reg+ | M |
iPhone 8 Price | (64GB) - S$275
(256GB) - S$500 | (64GB) - S$262
(256GB) - S$487 |
Monthly Subscription | S$82 | S$88 |
Local Outgoing Mins | 400 | Unlimited |
Local SMS | 1,500 | Pay per use at 5.35 cents/SMS |
Local Data Bundle | 5GB | 5GB+unlimited weekend data |
Total Cost Over Two Years | (64GB) - S$2,243 (256GB) - S$2,468 | (64GB) - S$2,374 (256GB) - S$2,599 |
High-tier plans comparison
Data Plan | M1 | Singtel | StarHub |
Name | i-Max | Combo 6 | L |
iPhone 8 Price | (64GB) - S$140 (256GB) - S$365 | (64GB) - S$178
(256GB) - S$408 | (64GB) - S$85
(256GB) - S$309 |
Monthly Subscription | $102 | $95.90 | $108 |
Local Outgoing Mins | 800 | Unlimited* (10,000) | Unlimited |
Local SMS | 2,000 | Unlimited* (10,000) | Pay per use at 5.35 cents/SMS |
Local Data Bundle | 7GB | 6GB +
S$20 roaming data /month | 8GB + unlimited weekend data |
Total Cost Over Two Years | (64GB) - S$2,588 (256GB) - S$2,813 | (64GB) - S$2,479.60
(256GB) - S$2,709.60 | (64GB) - S$2,677 (256GB) - S$2,901 |
Premium plans comparison
Data Plan | M1 | Singtel | StarHub |
Name | i-Max+ | Combo 12 | XL |
iPhone 8 Price | (64GB) - S$0 (256GB) - S$0 | (64GB) - S$0
(256GB) - S$0 | (64GB) - S$0
(256GB) - S$126 |
Monthly Subscription | S$228 | S$239.90 | S$238 |
Local Outgoing Mins | Unlimited | Unlimited* (10,000) | Unlimited |
Local SMS | 5,000 | Unlimited* (10,000) | Unlimited |
Local Data Bundle | 13GB | 12GB | 15GB+ unlimited weekend data |
Total Cost Over Two Years | (64GB) - S$5,472 (256GB) - S$5,472 | (64GB) - S$5,757.60
(256GB) - S$5,757.60 | (64GB) - S$5,712
(256GB) - S$5,838 |
Both M1 and Singtel have S$500 handset vouchers at this tier, among other benefits.
Quick analysis (iPhone 8)
Almost across the board, M1 has both the lowest priced monthly plans and the cheapest phone price. The high-tier Singtel plan is where it gets interesting, since Singtel's recent price plan reconfiguration saw Combo 4 removed entirely, the refreshed Combo 6 plan took a price cut and added S$20 worth of roaming data free.
Having said that, it's worth considering StarHub's new plans if you're a heavy data user, as StarHub's new plans provide unlimited weekend data, which could make up for its higher monthly subscription prices. While Singtel and M1 have "unlimited data" alternatives, the former is a S$39.90/month add-on, while the latter is a separate, SIM-only mobile plan altogether.
The above observations are purely based on total outlay and who's the cheapest offering. But what if you divide the total outlay against the amount of data you get? Now that sparks an interesting set of recommendations (in some cases):-
- At the mid-high tier section, StarHub's overall asking price is only a tad more than M1, but it nets you unlimited weekend data and unlimited talk time that comes in handy if you make a lot of phone calls in your line of work. So both M1 and StarHub are tied in this tier.
- The high-tier segment is the most interesting as the price point is strongly in favor of Singtel. However, if you tear down each telco's per GB data cost for two years, StarHub comes out to offering the most value as it's massive 8GB data allotment really helps bring them per GB data cost. Not to mention you still have unlimited weekend data that's not accounted for.
- Lastly in the premium plan tier, it's the same story again as M1 appears cheapest from a total outlay perspective. Once you factor the per GB data cost, StarHub comes out ahead easily.
Circles.Life plan with iPhone 8
There's the Circles.Life route as well. The virtual network operator offers a 6-month, 12-month, and 24-month installments for certain phone models, but you are required to have at least one Circles.Life mobile plan in order to utilize their S$0 upfront installment plans. Circles.Life phone-less plans start from S$28 per month, which works out to S$672 for two years. The Circles.Life mobile plan isn't bounded to a 24-month contract cycle.
- Apple iPhone 8 (64GB) - Phone price S$1,148 from S$47.83 per month for 24-month installments with Circles.Life plan = S$1,820 in 24 months at S$75.83 per month.
- Apple iPhone 8 (256GB) - Total price S$1,388 from S$57.83 per month for 24-month installments with Circles.Life plan = S$2,060 in 24 months with Circles.Life plan at S$85.83 per month.
iPhone 8 Plus with 2-year contract
Value plans comparison
Data Plan | M1 | Singtel |
Name | i-Lite | Combo 1 |
iPhone 8 Plus Price | (64GB) - S$935
(256GB) - S$1,160 | (64GB) - S$938
(256GB) - S$1,158 |
Monthly Subscription | S$28 | S$27.90 |
Local Outgoing Mins | 100 | 100 |
Local SMS | 500 | 500 |
Local Data Bundle | 300MB | 100MB |
Total Cost Over Two Years | (64GB) - S$1,607 (256GB) - S$1,1,832 | (64GB) - S$1,607.60
(256GB) - S$1,827.60 |
Basic plans comparison
Data Plan | M1 | Singtel | StarHub |
Name | i-Lite+ | Combo 2 | XS |
iPhone 8 Plus Price | (64GB) - S$805
(256GB) - S$1,030 | (64GB) - S$798
(256GB) - S$1,028 | (64GB) - S$750
(256GB) - S$975 |
Monthly Subscription | S$42 | S$42.90 | S$48 |
Local Outgoing Mins | 200 | 200 | 200 |
Local SMS | 1,000 | 1,000 | Pay per use at 5.35 cents/SMS |
Local Data Bundle | 3GB | 2GB | 3GB + unlimited weekend data |
Total Cost Over Two Years | (64GB) - S$1,813
(256GB) - S$2,038 | (64GB) - S$1,827.60
(256GB) - S$2,057.60 | (64GB) - S$1,902
(256GB) - S$2,127 |
Mid-tier plans comparison
Data Plan | M1 | Singtel | StarHub |
Name | i-Reg | Combo 3 | S |
iPhone 8 Plus Price | (64GB) - S$610
(256GB) - S$835 | (64GB) - S$568
(256GB) - S$788 | (64GB) - S$568
(256GB) - S$793 |
Monthly Subscription | S$62 | S$68.90 | S$68 |
Local Outgoing Mins | 300 | Unlimited* (10,000) | 400 |
Local SMS | 1,200 | Unlimited* (10,000) | Pay per use at 5.35 cents/SMS |
Local Data Bundle | 4GB | 3GB | 4GB +unlimited weekend data |
Total Cost Over Two Years | (64GB) - S$2,098 (256GB) - S$2,323 | (64GB) - S$2,221.60
(256GB) - S$2,441.60 | (64GB) - S$2,200 (256GB) - S$2,425 |
Mid-high tier plans comparison
Data Plan | M1 | StarHub |
Name | i-Reg+ | M |
iPhone 8 Plus Price | (64GB) - S$420
(256GB) - S$645 | (64GB) - S$407
(256GB) - S$631 |
Monthly Subscription | S$82 | S$88 |
Local Outgoing Mins | 400 | Unlimited |
Local SMS | 1,500 | Pay per use at 5.35 cents/SMS |
Local Data Bundle | 5GB | 5GB+unlimited weekend data |
Total Cost Over Two Years | (64GB) - S$2,388 (256GB) - S$2,613 | (64GB) - S$2,519 (256GB) - S$2,743 |
High-tier plans comparison
Data Plan | M1 | Singtel | StarHub |
Name | i-Max | Combo 6 | L |
iPhone 8 Plus Price | (64GB) - S$285 (256GB) - S$510 | (64GB) - S$328
(256GB) - S$548 | (64GB) - S$229
(256GB) - S$454 |
Monthly Subscription | $102 | $95.90 | $108 |
Local Outgoing Mins | 800 | Unlimited* (10,000) | Unlimited |
Local SMS | 2,000 | Unlimited* (10,000) | Pay per use at 5.35 cents/SMS |
Local Data Bundle | 7GB | 6GB
+ S$20 roaming data /month | 8GB + unlimited weekend data |
Total Cost Over Two Years | (64GB) - S$2,733 (256GB) - S$2,958 | (64GB) - S$2,629.60
(256GB) - S$2,849.60 | (64GB) - S$2,821 (256GB) - S$3,046 |
Premium plans comparison
Data Plan | M1 | Singtel | StarHub |
Name | i-Max+ | Combo 12 | XL |
iPhone 8 Plus Price | (64GB) - S$0 (256GB) - S$160 | (64GB) - S$0
(256GB) - S$0 | (64GB) - S$46
(256GB) - S$270 |
Monthly Subscription | S$228 | S$239.90 | S$238 |
Local Outgoing Mins | Unlimited | Unlimited* (10,000) | Unlimited |
Local SMS | 5,000 | Unlimited* (10,000) | Unlimited |
Local Data Bundle | 13GB | 12GB | 15GB+ unlimited weekend data |
Total Cost Over Two Years | (64GB) - S$5,472 (256GB) - S$5,632 | (64GB) - S$5,757.60
(256GB) -S$5,757.60 | (64GB) - S$5,758
(256GB) - S$5,982 |
Quick analysis (iPhone 8 Plus)
Almost across the board, M1 has both the lowest priced monthly plans and the cheapest phone price. The high-tier Singtel plan is where it gets interesting, since Singtel's recent price plan reconfiguration saw Combo 4 removed entirely, the refreshed Combo 6 plan took a price cut and added S$20 worth of roaming data free.
Having said that, it's worth considering StarHub's new plans if you're a heavy data user, as StarHub's new plans provide unlimited weekend data, which could make up for its higher monthly subscription prices. While Singtel and M1 have "unlimited data" alternatives, the former is a S$39.90/month add-on, while the latter is a separate, SIM-only mobile plan altogether.
The above observations are purely based on total outlay and who's the cheapest offering. But what if you divide the total outlay against the amount of data you get? Now that sparks an interesting set of recommendations (in some cases):-
- At the mid-high tier section, StarHub's overall asking price is only a tad more than M1, but it nets you unlimited weekend data and unlimited talk time that comes in handy if you make a lot of phone calls in your line of work. So both M1 and StarHub are tied in this tier.
- The high-tier segment is the most interesting as the price point is strongly in favor of Singtel. However, if you tear down each telco's per GB data cost for two years, StarHub comes out to offering the most value as it's massive 8GB data allotment really helps bring them per GB data cost. Not to mention you still have unlimited weekend data that's not accounted for.
- Lastly in the premium plan tier, it's the same story again as M1 appears cheapest from a total outlay perspective. Once you factor the per GB data cost, StarHub comes out ahead easily.
Circles.Life plan with iPhone 8 Plus
There's the Circles.Life route as well. The virtual network operator offers a 6-month, 12-month, and 24-month installments for certain phone models, but you are required to have at least one Circles.Life mobile plan in order to utilize their S$0 upfront installment plans. Circles.Life phone-less plans start from S$28 per month, which works out to S$672 for two years. The Circles.Life mobile plan isn't bounded to a 24-month contract cycle.
- Apple iPhone 8 Plus (64GB) - Total price S$1,308 from S$54.50 per month for 24-month installments with Circles.Life plan = S$1,980 in 24 months with Circles.Life plan at S$82.50 per month.
- Apple iPhone 8 Plus (256GB) - Total price S$1,548 from S$64.50 per month for 24-month installments with Circles.Life plan = S$2,220 in 24 months with Circles.Life plan at S$92.50 per month.
iPhone X with 2-year contract
Value plans comparison
Data Plan | M1 | Singtel |
Name | i-Lite | Combo 1 |
iPhone X Price | (64GB) - S$1,245
(256GB) - S$1,470 | (64GB) - S$1,248
(256GB) - S$1,468 |
Monthly Subscription | S$28 | S$27.90 |
Local Outgoing Mins | 100 | 100 |
Local SMS | 500 | 500 |
Local Data Bundle | 300MB | 100MB |
Total Cost Over Two Years | (64GB) - S$1,917 (256GB) - S$2,142 | (64GB) - S$1,917.60
(256GB) - S$2,137.60 |
Basic plans comparison
Data Plan | M1 | Singtel | StarHub |
Name | i-Lite+ | Combo 2 | XS |
iPhone X Price | (64GB) - S$1,115
(256GB) - S$1,340 | (64GB) - S$1,108
(256GB) - S$1,338 | (64GB) - S$1,061
(256GB) - S$1,285 |
Monthly Subscription | S$42 | S$42.90 | S$48 |
Local Outgoing Mins | 200 | 200 | 200 |
Local SMS | 1,000 | 1,000 | Pay per use at 5.35 cents/SMS |
Local Data Bundle | 3GB | 2GB | 3GB + unlimited weekend data |
Total Cost Over Two Years | (64GB) - S$2,123
(256GB) - S$2,348 | (64GB) - S$2,137.60
(256GB) - S$2,367.60 | (64GB) - S$2,213
(256GB) - S$2,437 |
Mid-tier plans comparison
Data Plan | M1 | Singtel | StarHub |
Name | i-Reg | Combo 3 | S |
iPhone X Price | (64GB) - S$920
(256GB) -S$1,145 | (64GB) - S$878
(256GB) - S$1,098 | (64GB) - S$878
(256GB) - S$1,103 |
Monthly Subscription | S$62 | S$68.90 | S$68 |
Local Outgoing Mins | 300 | Unlimited* (10,000) | 400 |
Local SMS | 1,200 | Unlimited* (10,000) | Pay per use at 5.35 cents/SMS |
Local Data Bundle | 4GB | 3GB | 4GB +unlimited weekend data |
Total Cost Over Two Years | (64GB) - S$2,408 (256GB) - S$2,633 | (64GB) - S$2,531.60
(256GB) - S$2,751.60 | (64GB) - S$2,510 (256GB) - S$2,735 |
Mid-high tier plans comparison
Data Plan | M1 | StarHub |
Name | i-Reg+ | M |
iPhone 8 Plus Price | (64GB) -S$730
(256GB) - S$955 | (64GB) -S$717
(256GB) - S$942 |
Monthly Subscription | S$82 | S$88 |
Local Outgoing Mins | 400 | Unlimited |
Local SMS | 1,500 | Pay per use at 5.35 cents/SMS |
Local Data Bundle | 5GB | 5GB+unlimited weekend data |
Total Cost Over Two Years | (64GB) -S$2,698 (256GB) - S$2,923 | (64GB) -S$2,829 (256GB) - S$3,054 |
High-tier plans comparison
Data Plan | M1 | Singtel | StarHub |
Name | i-Max | Combo 6 | L |
iPhone 8 Plus Price | (64GB) -S$595 (256GB) - S$820 | (64GB) - S$638
(256GB) - S$858 | (64GB) -S$539
(256GB) - S$764 |
Monthly Subscription | $102 | $95.90 | $108 |
Local Outgoing Mins | 800 | Unlimited* (10,000) | Unlimited |
Local SMS | 2,000 | Unlimited* (10,000) | Pay per use at 5.35 cents/SMS |
Local Data Bundle | 7GB | 6GB+
S$20 roaming data /month | 8GB + unlimited weekend data |
Total Cost Over Two Years | (64GB) -S$3,043 (256GB) - S$3,268 | (64GB) -S$2,939.60
(256GB) - S$3159.60 | (64GB) -S$3,131 (256GB) - S$3,356 |
Premium plans comparison
Data Plan | M1 | Singtel | StarHub |
Name | i-Max+ | Combo 12 | XL |
iPhone 8 Plus Price | (64GB) -S$240 (256GB) - S$465 | (64GB) - S$0
(256GB) - S$0 | (64GB) -S$356
(256GB) - S$581 |
Monthly Subscription | S$228 | S$239.90 | S$238 |
Local Outgoing Mins | Unlimited | Unlimited* (10,000) | Unlimited |
Local SMS | 5,000 | Unlimited* (10,000) | Unlimited |
Local Data Bundle | 13GB | 12GB | 15GB+ unlimited weekend data |
Total Cost Over Two Years | (64GB) -S$5,712 (256GB) - S$5,937 | (64GB) -S$5,757.60
(256GB) - S$5,757.60 | (64GB) -S$6,068
(256GB) - S$6,293 |
Quick analysis
Almost across the board, M1 has both the lowest priced monthly plans and the cheapest phone price. The high-tier Singtel plan is where it gets interesting, since Singtel's recent price plan reconfiguration saw Combo 4 removed entirely, the refreshed Combo 6 plan took a price cut and added S$20 worth of roaming data free.
Having said that, it's worth considering StarHub's new plans if you're a heavy data user, as StarHub's new plans provide unlimited weekend data, which could make up for its higher monthly subscription prices. While Singtel and M1 have "unlimited data" alternatives, the former is a S$39.90/month add-on, while the latter is a separate, SIM-only mobile plan altogether.
The above observations are purely based on total outlay and who's the cheapest offering. But what if you divide the total outlay against the amount of data you get? Now that sparks an interesting set of recommendations (in some cases):-
- At the mid-high tier section, StarHub's overall asking price is only a tad more than M1, but it nets you unlimited weekend data and unlimited talk time that comes in handy if you make a lot of phone calls in your line of work. So both M1 and StarHub are tied in this tier - especially for the iPhone X (256GB) model.
- The high-tier segment is the most interesting as the price point is strongly in favor of Singtel. However, if you tear down each telco's per GB data cost for two years, StarHub comes out to offering the most value as it's massive 8GB data allotment really helps bring them per GB data cost. Not to mention you still have unlimited weekend data that's not accounted for.
- Lastly in the premium plan tier, it's the same story again as M1 appears cheapest from a total outlay perspective. While Singtel might seem to be the most affordable when getting the 256GB variant of the iPhoneX, it's still bested by M1 when you factor cost per GB of data. If you don't mind a higher overall outlay, StarHub easily comes out ahead when you consider the cost per GB of data for both the 64GB and 256GB iPhone X versions.
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