How much can you save on the cost of the hardware with Telstra and what are the pros and cons of a carrier contract?
Following the announcement by Apple of two new iPads - the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 - local carriers are now selling these new tablets. Here's a look at what you can get for your money from Telstra.
When you buy a device, whether it's a phone or tablet, from a carrier you're paying for two things. Part of your monthly fee covers the cost of the communications services and the rest covers the cost of the device. Often, the carrier subsidises the cost of the device so that you're paying a little less for the hardware.
But the flipside is that you're locked into a contract, usually for two years with the carrier so if a better deal comes up after you sign up, you'll be stuck or have to pay some exit fees to break the contract.
Buying direct from Apple
Alternatively, you can by the iPad Air 2 or iPad mini 3 direct from Apple and then find your own carrier deal. This means you can look at pre-paid deals and switch carriers whenever a better deal comes up.
The iPad Air 2 with WiFi and Cellular comes in 16GB, 64GB and 128GB versions. The costs are $629, $729 and $829 respectively and you can choose between silver, gold and space gray colour finishes.
If you're after an iPad mini 3 you have the same cost and capacity options. The costs are $529, $629 and $729 for the 16GB, 64GB and 128GB versions respectively.
Telstra
Telstra offers four data plans for the new iPads. Designated S, M, L and XL, these plans offer 1GB, 4GB, 8GB and 15GB of data.
For a 16GB iPad Air 2 the monthly prices are $51, $60, $77 and $121 on 24-month contracts. When you look at the fine front, this is compromised of a fee for the communications service and an additional fee for the hardware.
On the $51 plan, the device cost is $26. That fee falls to $16 per month on the XL plan.
So, on the $51 month plan, the cost of the hardware over the two years is $624 - a meagre saving of $5 against the cost of buying the hardware up front. But on the XL plan, the saving is over $200.
For a 16GB iPad mini 3 the monthly prices are $47, $55, $73 and $116 on 24-month contracts. There are similar monthly fees for the hardware that represent similar savings on the hardware.
Telstra also allows you to bring your own hardware and access their data plans without buying your hardware from them.
So, here's how it looks when you put all that together.
|
|
"S" 1GB/mth |
"M" 4GB/mth |
"L" 8GB/mth |
"XL" 15GB/mth |
|
iPad Air 2 16GB |
Data: $25 Hardware: $26 |
Data: $35 Hardware: $25 |
Data: $55 Hardware: $22 |
Data: $105 Hardware: $16 |
|
iPad Air 2 64GB |
Data: $25 Hardware: $30 |
Data: $35 Hardware: $29 |
Data: $55 Hardware: $26 |
Data: $105 Hardware: $19 |
|
iPad Air 2 128GB |
Data: $25 Hardware: $35 |
Data: $35 Hardware: $33 |
Data: $55 Hardware: $31 |
Data: $105 Hardware: $23 |
|
iPad mini 2 16GB |
Data: $25 Hardware: $22 |
Data: $35 Hardware: $20 |
Data: $55 Hardware: $18 |
Data: $105 Hardware: $11 |
|
iPad mini 2 64GB |
Data: $25 Hardware: $27 |
Data: $35 Hardware: $25 |
Data: $55 Hardware: $22 |
Data: $105 Hardware: $16 |
|
iPad mini 2 128GB |
Data: $25 Hardware: $31 |
Data: $35 Hardware: $30 |
Data: $55 Hardware: $27 |
Data: $105 Hardware: $21 |
