Samsung Galaxy Note9 telco price plan comparison

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Samsung Galaxy Note9 telco price plan comparison

Who's got the best plan?

With all three telcos announcing their price plans for the Samsung Galaxy Note9, we find out who's got the best deal.

But first, check out the following articles for a quick refresher on what the Note9 offers:

Read (1): Samsung Galaxy Note9 review: No compromises
Read (2): Samsung Galaxy Note9: Local pricing and pre-order promos
Read (3): The best cases to protect your Samsung Galaxy Note9
Watch (1): 10 ways the Samsung Galaxy Note9 has improved over the Note8
Watch (2): Turn your Galaxy Note9 into a desktop PC with just an adapter!
Watch (3): Tracing a photo with the S Pen on the Samsung Galaxy Note9

There are two configurations available for the Note9: The 6GB/128GB version is available directly from Samsung (or any authorized retailer) without a contract for $1,398, while the 8GB/512GB version costs S$1,728.

Value plans comparison

Data Plan	M1	Singtel	StarHub
Name	Lite	Combo 1	Lite
Samsung Galaxy Note9 Price	128GB - S$1,098 512GB - S$1,448	128GB - S$1,048 512GB - S$1,348	128GB - S$1,099 512GB - S$1,399
Monthly Subscription	S$28	S$27.90	S$30
Local Outgoing Mins	100	100	100
Local SMS	500	500	100
Local Data Bundle	300MB	100MB	1GB
Total Cost Over Two Years	128GB - S$1,770 512GB - S$2,120	128GB - S$1,717.60 512GB - S$2,017.60	128GB - S$1819 512GB - S$2119

Basic plans comparison

Data Plan	M1	Singtel	StarHub
Name	Lite+	Combo 2	XS
Samsung Galaxy Note9 Price	128GB - S$908 512GB - S$1,248	128GB - S$928 512GB - S$1,228	128GB - S$999 512GB - S$1,299
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	128GB - S$1,916 512GB - S$2,256	128GB - S$1,957.60 512GB - S$2,257.60	128GB - S$2,151 512GB - S$2,451

Mid-tier plans comparison

Data Plan	M1	Singtel	StarHub
Name	Reg	Combo 3	S
Samsung Galaxy Note9 Price	128GB - S$648 512GB - S$998	128GB - S$598 512GB - S$898	128GB - S$539 512GB - S$899
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	128GB - S$2,136 512GB - S$2,486	128GB - S$2,251.60 512GB - S$2,551.60	128GB - S$2,171 512GB - S$2,531

Mid-high-tier plans comparison

Data Plan	M1	StarHub
Name	Reg+	M
Samsung Galaxy Note9 Price	128GB - S$578 512GB - S$928	128GB - S$499 512GB - S$799
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	128GB - S$2,546 512GB - S$2,896	128GB - S$2,611 512GB - S$2,911

High-tier plans comparison

Data Plan	M1	Singtel	StarHub
Name	Max	Combo 6	L
Samsung Galaxy Note9 Price	128GB - S$478 512GB - S$828	128GB - S$368 512GB - S$678	128GB - S$299 512GB - S$599
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	8GB + unlimited weekend data
Total Cost Over Two Years	128GB - S$2,926 512GB - S$3,276	128GB - S$2,669.60 512GB - S$2,979.60	128GB - S$2,891 512GB - S$3,191

Premium plans comparison

Data Plan	M1	Singtel	StarHub
Name	Max+	Combo 12	XL
Samsung Galaxy Note9 Price	128GB - S$328 512GB - S$678	128GB - S$198 512GB - S$498	128GB - S$199 512GB - S$499
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	128GB - S$5,800 512GB - S$6,150	128GB - S$5,955.60 512GB - S$6,255.60	128GB - S$5,911 512GB - S$6,211

Analysis

Overall, M1 offers the best deal, with the cheapest monthly subscription prices, and the cheapest handset prices.

In the value plan category, while Singtel has the cheapest overall price, it also has the smallest data bundle at just 100MB. As such, we would actually recommend StarHub for its 1GB data bundle.

In the mid and mid-high tiers, M1 and StarHub are fairly close in price, and while StarHub is more expensive overall, its unlimited free weekend data may offset the price.

At the high tier, Singtel has the overall lowest price, however it once again has the smallest data bundle. If you're a heavy data user, you may want to consider StarHub thanks to its 8GB data bundle and unlimited weekend data.

Lastly, in the premium plan tier, it's the same story again as M1 appears cheapest from a total outlay perspective, but StarHub isn't that much more expensive and its generous 15GB data bundle and unlimited weekend data make it a better choice for heavy data users.