Note: This article was first published on 19th September 2018.
Who's got the best plan?
With all three telcos announcing their price plans for the Apple iPhone XS and XS Max, we find out who's got the best deal.
For a full in-depth look at both phones, make sure you check out our full review.
On this page we'll be covering the XS. Price comparisons for the XS Max can be found on page two.
There are three configurations available for the XS: The 64GB version is available directly from Apple for S$1,649, the 256GB model costs S$1,889, and the 512GB model costs S$2,199.
Value plans comparison
Data Plan | M1 | Singtel | StarHub |
Name | Lite | Combo 1 | Lite |
Apple iPhone XS Price | 64GB - S$1,240 256GB -S$1,465 512GB - S$1,750 | 64GB - S$1,248 256GB - S$1,468 512GB - S$1,748 | 64GB - S$1,225 256GB- S$1,450 512GB - S$1,733 |
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 | 64GB - S$1,912 256GB - S$2,137 512GB- S$2,422 | 64GB - S$1,917.60 256GB- S$2,137.60 512GB - S$2,417.60 | 64GB - S$2,065 256GB - S$2,290 512GB - S$2,573 |
Basic plans comparison
Data Plan | M1 | Singtel | StarHub |
Name | Lite+ | Combo 2 | XS |
Apple iPhone XS Price | 64GB - S$1,115 256GB- S$1,335 512GB - S$1,620 | 64GB - S$1,108 256GB - S$1,338 512GB - S$1,618 | 64GB - S$1,061 256GB - S$1,285 512GB - S$1,569 |
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$2,343 512GB - S$2,628 | 64GB - S$2,137.60 256GB - S$2,367.60 512GB - S$2,647.60 | 64GB - S$2,213 256GB - S$2,437 512GB - S$2,721 |
Mid-tier plans comparison
Data Plan | M1 | Singtel | StarHub |
Name | Reg | Combo 3 | S |
Apple iPhone XS Price | 64GB - S$915 256GB - S$1,140 512GB - S$1,425 | 64GB - S$878 256GB - S$1,108 512GB - S$1,388 | 64GB - S$878 256GB - S$1,103 512GB - S$1,387 |
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$2,403 256GB - S$2,628 512GB - S$2,913 | 64GB - S$2,531.60 256GB - S$2761.60 512GB - S$3,041.60 | 64GB - S$2,510 256GB - S$2,735 512GB - S$3,019 |
Mid-high-tier plans comparison
Data Plan | M1 | Singtel | StarHub |
Name | Reg+ | Combo XO | M |
Apple iPhone XS Price | 64GB - S$730 256GB- S$955 512GB - S$1,235 | 64GB - S$798 256GB - S$998 512GB - S$1,308 | 64GB - S$717 256GB - S$942 512GB - S$1,225 |
Monthly Subscription | S$82 | S$78 | S$88 |
Local Outgoing Mins | 400 | 300 | Unlimited |
Local SMS | 1,500 | 300 | Pay per use at 5.35 cents/SMS |
Local Data Bundle | 5GB | 18GB | 5GB+unlimited weekend data |
Total Cost Over Two Years | 64GB - S$2,698 256GB - S$2,923 512GB - S$3,203 | 64GB - S$2,670 256GB - S$2,870 512GB - S$3,180 | 64GB - S$2,829 256GB - S$3,054 512GB - S$3,337 |
High-tier plans comparison
Data Plan | M1 | Singtel | StarHub |
Name | Max | Combo 6 | L |
Apple iPhone XS Price | 64GB - S$590 256GB - S$815 512GB - S$1,100 | 64GB - S$638 256GB- S$858 512GB - S$1,148 | 64GB - S$539 256GB - S$764 512GB - S$1,048 |
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 | 64GB - S$3,308 256GB - S$3,263 512GB - S$3,548 | 64GB - S$2,939.60 256GB- S$3,159.60 512GB - S$3,449.60 | 64GB - S$3,131 256GB - S$3,356 512GB - S$3,640 |
Premium plans comparison
Data Plan | M1 | Singtel | StarHub |
Name | Max+ | Combo 12 | XL |
Apple iPhone XS Price | 64GB - S$235 256GB - S$460 512GB - S$745 | 64GB - S$0 256GB - S$0 512GB - S$0 | 64GB - S$0 256GB - S$0 512GB - S$293 |
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$5,707 256GB - S$5,932 512GB - S$6,217 | 64GB - S$5,757.60 256GB - S$5,757.60 512GB - S$5,757.60 | 64GB - S$5,712 256GB - S$5,712 512GB- S$6,005 |
Analysis
Overall, M1 offers the best deal, with the cheapest monthly subscription prices, and the cheapest handset prices.
In the value plan category, while M1 has the cheapest overall price, it only offers 300MB data. As such, we would actually recommend StarHub for its 1GB data bundle.
In the mid tier, M1 and StarHub are fairly close in price, and while StarHub is more expensive overall, its unlimited free weekend data may offset the price.
In the mid-high-tier, Singtel offers excellent value with its new Combo XO plan, which has the cheapest monthly subscription, reasonable phone prices and includes a whopping 18GB local data.
At the high tier, Singtel has the overall lowest price, however it also 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, each telco offers the cheapest pricing on a different storage capacity, with M1 offering the cheapest 64GB model, StarHub offering the cheapest 256GB model, and Singtel offering the cheapest 512GB model. In general, we find the 256GB model to be the most desirable capacity, with a good amount of storage, at a reasonable price point, and StarHub also offers a generous 15GB data bundle and unlimited weekend data, making it our pick for this category.
On this page we'll be covering the iPhone XS Max. Price comparisons for the XS can be found on page one.
There are three configurations available for the XS Max: The 64GB model costs S$1,799 directly from Apple, the 256GB model costs S$2,039, and the 512GB model costs S$2,349.
Value plans comparison
Data Plan | M1 | Singtel | StarHub |
Name | Lite | Combo 1 | Lite |
Apple iPhone XS Max Price | 64GB - S$1,380 256GB -S$1,605 512GB - S$1,890 | 64GB - S$1,388 256GB - S$1,608 512GB - S$1,888 | 64GB - S$1,364 256GB- S$1,589 512GB - S$1,872 |
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 | 64GB - S$2,052 256GB - S$2,277 512GB- S$2,562 | 64GB - S$2,057.60 256GB- S$2,277.60 512GB - S$2,557.60 | 64GB - S$2,084 256GB - S$2,309 512GB - S$2,592 |
Basic plans comparison
Data Plan | M1 | Singtel | StarHub |
Name | Lite+ | Combo 2 | XS |
Apple iPhone XS Max Price | 64GB - S$1,250 256GB- S$1,475 512GB - S$1,760 | 64GB - S$1,248 256GB - S$1,478 512GB - S$1,758 | 64GB - S$1,200 256GB - S$1,425 512GB - S$1,708 |
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$2,258 256GB - S$2,483 512GB - S$2,768 | 64GB - S$2,277.60 256GB - S$2,507.60 512GB - S$2,787.60 | 64GB - S$2,352 256GB - S$2,577 512GB - S$2,860 |
Mid-tier plans comparison
Data Plan | M1 | Singtel | StarHub |
Name | Reg | Combo 3 | S |
Apple iPhone XS Max Price | 64GB - S$1,055 256GB - S$1,280 512GB - S$1,565 | 64GB - S$1,108 256GB - S$1,238 512GB - S$1,528 | 64GB - S$1,017 256GB - S$1,242 512GB - S$1,526 |
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$2,543 256GB - S$2,768 512GB - S$3,053 | 64GB - S$2,761.60 256GB - S$2891.60 512GB - S$3,181.60 | 64GB - S$2,649 256GB - S$2,874 512GB - S$3,158 |
Mid-high-tier plans comparison
Data Plan | M1 | Singtel | StarHub |
Name | Reg+ | Combo XO | M |
Apple iPhone XS Max Price | 64GB - S$865 256GB- S$1,090 512GB - S$1,375 | 64GB - S$938 256GB - S$1,138 512GB - S$1,448 | 64GB - S$856 256GB - S$1,081 512GB - S$1,364 |
Monthly Subscription | S$82 | S$78 | S$88 |
Local Outgoing Mins | 400 | 300 | Unlimited |
Local SMS | 1,500 | 300 | Pay per use at 5.35 cents/SMS |
Local Data Bundle | 5GB | 18GB | 5GB+unlimited weekend data |
Total Cost Over Two Years | 64GB - S$2,833 256GB - S$3,058 512GB - S$3,343 | 64GB - S$2,810 256GB - S$3,010 512GB - S$3,320 | 64GB - S$2,968 256GB - S$3,193 512GB - S$3,476 |
High-tier plans comparison
Data Plan | M1 | Singtel | StarHub |
Name | Max | Combo 6 | L |
Apple iPhone XS Max Price | 64GB - S$730 256GB - S$955 512GB - S$1,235 | 64GB - S$778 256GB- S$998 512GB - S$1,288 | 64GB - S$679 256GB - S$903 512GB - S$1,187 |
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 | 64GB - S$3,178 256GB - S$3,403 512GB - S$3,683 | 64GB - S$3,079.60 256GB- S$3,299.60 512GB - S$3,589.60 | 64GB - S$3,271 256GB - S$3,495 512GB - S$3,779 |
Premium plans comparison
Data Plan | M1 | Singtel | StarHub |
Name | Max+ | Combo 12 | XL |
Apple iPhone XS Max Price | 64GB - S$375 256GB - S$600 512GB - S$885 | 64GB - S$0 256GB - S$0 512GB - S$0 | 64GB - S$0 256GB - S$149 512GB - S$432 |
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$5,847 256GB - S$6,072 512GB - S$6,357 | 64GB - S$5,757.60 256GB - S$5,757.60 512GB - S$5,757.60 | 64GB - S$5,712 256GB - S$5,861 512GB- S$6,144 |
Analysis
Once again, overall, M1 offers the best deal, with the cheapest monthly subscription prices, and the cheapest handset prices.
In the value plan category, while M1 has the cheapest overall price, it only offers 300MB data. As such, we would actually recommend StarHub for its 1GB data bundle.
In the mid tier, M1 and StarHub are fairly close in price, and while StarHub is more expensive overall, its unlimited free weekend data may offset the price.
In the mid-high-tier, Singtel offers excellent value with its new Combo XO plan, which has the cheapest monthly subscription, reasonable phone prices and includes a whopping 18GB local data.
At the high tier, Singtel has the overall lowest price, however it also 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, StarHub offers the cheapest 64GB model, while Singtel offers the cheapest 256GB and 512GB model, thanks to them both being offered at an incredible S$0. If you're a Singtel customer going for the 512GB model (and why wouldn't you since it costs the same as the 256GB model) this is an amazing deal and is significantly cheaper than both M1 and StarHub's offerings.
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