iPhone 15 SIM-Only vs Contract Plans: Total Cost Comparison Over 2 Years
Keen to get your hands on the new iPhone 15 but unsure if you should go with a two-year contract or get a SIM-Only Plan?
Well, look no further as we help you make that decision with a total cost comparison over two years!
We’ll be comparing the overall cost of getting the iPhone 15 with a two-year contract from the three major telcos against buying the iPhone 15 directly from Apple and getting a SIM-Only plan for two years.
Let’s dive right in!
TL;DR: iPhone 15 SIM-Only vs Contract Plans – Total Cost Comparison Over 2 Years
If you didn’t already know, buying an iPhone (or any other phone) with SIM-Only plans are cheaper than two-year contract plans bundled with the phone. But the question here is, by how much? Which is more value-for-money?
As there are numerous permutations to this cost comparison, we’ll be narrowing it down with the most important factor being mobile data.
According to various sources, the average Singaporean uses about 9.4GB to about 15GB. So for comparison’s sake, we’ll compare the cheapest plans with at least 20GB of data.
From our SIM-Only plans comparison, we’ve found the VIVIFI Plus plan to meet our criteria while also being on Singtel, the most reliable network in Singapore. Thus, we will be using this plan as an example of a SIM-Only plan.
Lastly, as the price differences across different storage capacities are roughly the same, we will only be comparing each model with the lowest storage capacity.
Click to jump:
- iPhone 15 SIM-Only vs Contract Plans Cost
- iPhone 15 Plus SIM-Only vs Contract Plans Cost
- iPhone 15 Pro SIM-Only vs Contract Plans Cost
- iPhone 15 Pro Max SIM-Only vs Contract Plans Cost
- SIM-Only or Contract Plans?
iPhone 15 SIM-Only vs Contract Plans Cost
| Details | VIVIFI Plus 20GB + Buy Direct From Apple | M1 Base Plan | Singtel XS | StarHub Mobile 80GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phone | iPhone 15 (128GB) | |||
| Upfront Cost | $1,299 | $613 | $625 | $539 |
| Monthly Subsciption | $11.10 | $59.95 | $62 | $69.64 |
| Total Cost (24 Months) | $1,565.40 | $2,051.80 | $2,113 | $2,210.36 |
| Contract Length | No Contract | 24 Months | ||
| Data | 20GB | 30GB (5G) | 30GB (5G) | 80GB (5G) |
| Talktime | 400 mins | 300 mins | 100 mins | 300 mins |
| SMS | 200 SMS | 300 SMS | 100 SMS | 200 SMS |
| Caller ID | $5.40/month | Free for 3 months for new sign-ups $5.40/month | $5.40/month | $5.40/month |
| Additional Perks | Free 30GB per month for first 12 months | Free 1 month Viu Premium Free 1 month TVBAnywhere+ | McAfee Security | Free 1 month cloud gaming on GeForce NOW Free SmartSupport (Swap or replace your mobile device for any reason, including damage or loss.) |
iPhone 15 Plus SIM-Only vs Contract Plans Cost
| Details | VIVIFI Plus 20GB + Buy Direct From Apple | M1 Base Plan | Singtel XS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phone | iPhone 15 Plus (128GB) | ||
| Upfront Cost | $1,449 | $750 | $760 |
| Monthly Subsciption | $11.10 | $59.95 | $62 |
| Total Cost (24 Months) | $1,715.40 | $2,188.80 | $2,248 |
| Contract Length | No Contract | 24 Months | |
| Data | 20GB | 30GB (5G) | 30GB (5G) |
| Talktime | 400 mins | 300 mins | 100 mins |
| SMS | 200 SMS | 300 SMS | 100 SMS |
| Caller ID | $5.40/month | Free for 3 months for new sign-ups $5.40/month | $5.40/month |
| Additional Perks | Free 30GB per month for first 12 months | Free 1 month Viu Premium Free 1 month TVBAnywhere+ | McAfee Security |
StarHub’s iPhone 15 Plus site was down at the time of writing.
iPhone 15 Pro SIM-Only vs Contract Plans Cost
| Details | VIVIFI Plus 20GB + Buy Direct From Apple | M1 Base Plan | Singtel XS | StarHub Mobile 80GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phone | iPhone 15 Pro (128GB) | |||
| Upfront Cost | $1,649 | $929 | $945 | $859 |
| Monthly Subsciption | $11.10 | $59.95 | $62 | $69.64 |
| Total Cost (24 Months) | $1,915.40 | $2,367.80 | $2,433 | $2,530.36 |
| Contract Length | No Contract | 24 Months | ||
| Data | 20GB | 30GB (5G) | 30GB (5G) | 80GB (5G) |
| Talktime | 400 mins | 300 mins | 100 mins | 300 mins |
| SMS | 200 SMS | 300 SMS | 100 SMS | 200 SMS |
| Caller ID | $5.40/month | Free for 3 months for new sign-ups $5.40/month | $5.40/month | $5.40/month |
| Additional Perks | Free 30GB per month for first 12 months | Free 1 month Viu Premium Free 1 month TVBAnywhere+ | McAfee Security | Free 1 month cloud gaming on GeForce NOW Free SmartSupport (Swap or replace your mobile device for any reason, including damage or loss.) |
iPhone 15 Pro Max SIM-Only vs Contract Plans Cost
| Details | VIVIFI Plus 20GB + Buy Direct From Apple | M1 Base Plan | Singtel XS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phone | iPhone 15 Pro Max (256GB) | ||
| Upfront Cost | $1,999 | $1,245 | $1,260 |
| Monthly Subsciption | $11.10 | $59.95 | $62 |
| Total Cost (24 Months) | $2,265.40 | $2,683.80 | $2,748 |
| Contract Length | No Contract | 24 Months | |
| Data | 20GB | 30GB (5G) | 30GB (5G) |
| Talktime | 400 mins | 300 mins | 100 mins |
| SMS | 200 SMS | 300 SMS | 100 SMS |
| Caller ID | $5.40/month | Free for 3 months for new sign-ups $5.40/month | $5.40/month |
| Additional Perks | Free 30GB per month for first 12 months | Free 1 month Viu Premium Free 1 month TVBAnywhere+ | McAfee Security |
The iPhone 15 Pro Max is out of stock at StarHub at the time of writing.
SIM-Only or Contract Plans?
From our comparisons, a SIM-Only plan would be about $400 to $700 cheaper over two years as compared to a contract plan from the major telcos.
That said, contract plans do offer additional benefits such as free subscriptions to certain services. Moreover, the highlight of getting a contract plan is having phone insurance bundled in.
This would be FoneCare+ for M1, MobileSwop for Singtel and SmartSupport for StarHub. If you’re someone who is prone to screen cracks or misplacing your phone, this could be a big factor.
Replacing phone screens can cost hundreds of dollars. Thus, if you were to swap your device twice under phone insurance, you would most likely have made up for the extra $400 to $645 you paid.
Otherwise, a SIM-Only plan would be the more sensible choice as they are not only cheaper but more flexible should you want to switch telcos.
However, if you have access to a Corporate Individual (CIS) scheme, it should be worth it to get a telco set as you can re-contract after 21 months.
The overall discount is about 25 per cent, but you might want to do the math and compare prices.
Pro-tip: some people will sell their brand new telco-bought iPhones for a bit lower than retail prices on platforms like Carousell. You might be able to snag a deal so do check it out!
