Best value plans for new iPhone 6s

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The iPhone 6S has been unveiled and it's received mixed reviews. Like its predecessor, the iPhone 6, the new phone comes in two models: the 6S, and the slightly larger 6S Plus. The prototype was revealed to the world late last week and will be available to buy from September 25. The phone's headline feature is Apple's new 3D touch technology. Simply touching and swiping will be a thing of the past with Apple's 3D touch, which can differentiate between a soft touch and a hard touch. This means that more options will be at your disposal when you're navigating through your device, and you can bet that apps will start to integrate this feature into their products.

On a side note, this technology isn't exactly new. Anyone who owned a Blackberry years and years ago would know that touch technology was very much a part of the Blackberry brand name. Blackberry's 'SurePress' technology allows screen navigation at a soft touch, and an action at a firm press. This technology responds to the touch by sending the user a vibrating feedback. Motley Fool Canada found that Apple's new 3D Touch may infringe on 40 patents registered by Blackberrry, so it will be interesting to see where Apple's iPhone 6S goes from here.

Other features of the new device include an upgraded processor for faster performance and a clearer display. The front and rear cameras have also been upgraded (including a new selfie flash), and the case now comes in a sturdy 9000 series aluminium in gold, silver, space grey and rose gold. If you're bedazzled by the new device, and you're ready to pay the neat thousand or so dollars it costs to have the latest model, there are already a few plans out on the market. You could also line up at the Apple store to buy your model outright on Friday September 25 - but that could be a very long, very uncomfortable day.

iPhone 6s

If you're buying outright...

The less than impressive Australian dollar will mean that you're going to pay big bucks for your new iPhone. According to CNet.com.au, Aussies will pay anywhere between $30 and $55 more than our US counterparts, but a little bit less than our friends in the UK. Using exchange rate information correct for Thursday September 10, CNet created a price comparison table for anyone looking to buy the device outright. The converted prices in the table take into account the exchange rate and GST, but don't factor in shipping costs. Beware buying an unlocked iPhone overseas: depending on the model, it may not be compatible with all Australian carriers. You'll probably also find yourself amiss when it comes to warranty. Even charging the device could be a problem, unless you also purchase a DC converter. All in all, the extra costs will most likely add up.

Model Australian retail price UK retail price US retail price Cost difference between Australia and US
iPhone 6s 16GB $1079 £540 ($1188.44 AUD) $649 USD ($1022.95 AUD) $56.05 more in Australia
iPhone 6s 64GB $1229 £620 ($1364.51 AUD) $749 USD ($1180.57 AUD) $48.43 more in Australia
iPhone 6s 128GB $1379 £700 ($1540.57 AUD) $849 USD ($1338.19 AUD) $40.81 more in Australia
iPhone 6s Plus 16GB $1229 £620 ($1364.51 AUD) $749 USD ($1180.57 AUD) $48.43 more in Australia
iPhone 6s Plus 64GB $1379 £700 ($1540.57 AUD) $849 USD ($1338.19 AUD) $40.81 more in Australia
iPhone 6s Plus 128GB $1529 £790 ($1738.65 AUD) $949 USD ($1495.80 AUD) $33.20 more in Australia

Source: CNet, 10-Sep-15

If you're looking for a good value payment plan...

Finder.com released a summary of all iPhone 6S plans on offer from the major telcos. The cheapest deal is with Virgin Mobile's $30 Contract Plan, which allows you to pay off your iPhone over a period of two years. The 16GB iPhone 6S is about $385 more expensive than buying the phone outright, but over the course of the plan you also get 300MB of data, $300 of call credit and $30 SMS credit every month.

But 300MB doesn't suit everyone. If you're a religious phone user, and need more data for browsing and streaming, there are a few plans that you can look at. If you use your mobile phone as your main house phone, some also come with unlimited call and text credit. It's worth having a look through Finder's table to see which plan best aligns with your phone use.

Cheapest plans, based on data use
Data Model Plan Cost over 24 months Credit
300MB iPhone 6s 16GB Virgin Mobile $30 Contract Plan $1464 $300 call credit; text from credit
500MB iPhone 6s 16GB Optus My Plan Plus $40 $1752 Unlimited call credit; unlimited text credit
1GB iPhone 6s 16GB Virgin Mobile $50 Contract Plan $1752 $500 call credit; unlimited text credit
2GB iPhone 6s 16GB Virgin Mobile $60 Contract Plan $1896 Unlimited call credit; unlimited text credit
2.5GB iPhone 6s 16GB Telstra M Contract ($92 per month) $2208 $1000 call credit; Unlimited text credit
3GB iPhone 6s 16GB Optus My Plan Plus $60 $1896 Unlimited call credit; unlimited text credit
4GB iPhone 6s 16GB Virgin Mobile $80 Contract Plan $2064 Unlimited call credit; unlimited text credit
6GB iPhone 6s 16GB Optus My Plan Plus $80 $2064 Unlimited call credit; Unlimited text credit
10GB iPhone 6s 16GB Optus my Plan Plus $100 $2400 Unlimited call credit; Unlimited text credit
20GB iPhone 6s Plus 128GB Vodafone $130 Red Plan $3120 Unlimited call credit; unlimited text credit

Source: Finder.com, 14-Sep-15

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Steph Nash was a staff writer at Money until 2017.