What are the best iPhone plans?

Looking for a new iPhone? While buying a new iPhone can be costly, you can pick up your device of choice on plans from Telstra, Optus and Vodafone.

The advantage to buying a new phone on a plan is that you can spread out your device payments over 12, 24 or 36 months, rather than spending well over $1,000 upfront. For many Aussies, this is a more affordable way of picking up the latest smartphone without that big upfront cost.

So, if you’re curious about the best iPhone plans, we’ll cover some of the iPhone plans available from Telstra, Optus and Vodafone to help you determine which plan will be the best for your needs.

• Cheapest iPhone plans
• Best iPhone 13 plans
• Best iPhone 13 Mini plans
• Best iPhone 13 Pro plans
• Best iPhone 13 Pro Max plans
• Best iPhone 12 plans
• Best iPhone 11 plans
• Best iPhone SE plans
• Best iPhone plans with 100GB data

Cheapest iPhone plans

If a low price is what you look for when signing up to a plan, to pick up an iPhone on the absolute cheapest plan from Telstra, Optus and Vodafone, you might have to make some compromises.
Firstly, the cheapest iPhone offered by all three major telcos right now is the iPhone SE, a smaller, budget-oriented iPhone with the technology of the iPhone 11 (minus the all-screen front and the cameras). It’s a lot cheaper compared to the premium iPhone 13 range, and is definitely one of the most affordable ways to get a new iPhone.

All three telcos separate phone payments from the actual plan, meaning you can choose how long you want to pay off your device, with 12, 24 or 36-month options available. Then you can bundle your phone with your plan of choice. Keep in mind the cheapest plans will often have the smallest data inclusions, and may lack other added extras. Both Telstra and Vodafone offer unlimited capped-speed data, available after you use your fast-speed data inclusions. No matter which payment term you pick from your provider, you’ll pay the same in total for your phone — it’s just your monthly repayments that will vary. Choosing the 36-month payment period will give you the cheapest monthly device payment cost, however you’ll be locked into your device contract for longer.

Adding on the cheapest plan available from each telco will give you an idea of how much you’ll pay each month. This being said, 12-month plans are much more expensive month-to-month, but it gets you off the plan quicker, which is great if you want to consider jumping on a different phone plan.

Best iPhone 13 plans

Each telco offers a range of postpaid plans that can be bundled with any device. While light data users might find the inclusion on the cheapest plans to be adequate for their data needs, moderate and heavier data users might need a bit more data than 10-50GB.

The following table shows a selection of 24-month 128GB iPhone 13 plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of standard monthly cost, from the lowest to highest and then by data allowance, largest to smallest. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products with links to a referral partner.

Best iPhone 13 Mini plans

The iPhone 13 Mini is the cheapest of the 13 range, and has most of the same features and specs as the iPhone 13, but in a smaller device. It’s available in all of the same colours and storage sizes as the iPhone 13, and you can pick up the iPhone 13 Mini on a phone plan from Telstra, Optus or Vodafone.

The following table shows a selection of 24-month 128GB iPhone 13 Mini plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of standard monthly cost, from the lowest to highest and then by data allowance, largest to smallest. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products with links to a referral partner.

Best iPhone 13 Pro plans

The iPhone 13 Pro is a bit of an upgrade to its predecessor, the iPhone 12 Pro. Unlike the iPhone 13, you’ll get a triple rear camera setup with the 13 Pro, as well as upgraded battery and a different range of colourways. The 13 Pro is available in 128GB, 256GB, 512GB and 1TB storage sizes, and you’ll be able to pick up this phone bundled with a postpaid plan from your provider of choice.

The following table shows a selection of 24-month 128GB iPhone 13 Pro plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of standard monthly cost, from the lowest to highest and then by data allowance, largest to smallest. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products with links to a referral partner.

Best iPhone 13 Pro Max plans

The iPhone 13 Pro Max features many of the same specs as the iPhone 13 Pro, but in a bigger device and with a bigger battery. You’ll have the same colour options as the 13 Pro and it’s available in the same 128GB, 256GB, 512GB and 1TB storage sizes. You can pick up the iPhone 13 Pro Max on phone plans from Telstra, Optus and Vodafone.

The following table shows a selection of 24-month 128GB iPhone 13 Pro Max plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of standard monthly cost, from the lowest to highest and then by data allowance, largest to smallest. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products with links to a referral partner.

Best iPhone 12 plans

The 2020 iPhone series included four devices, lead by the iPhone 12, which were also the first devices Apple released with 5G capability. While it has now been replaced with the iPhone 13 series, these devices might still be worth considering, especially if you’re not dedicated to having the latest smartphone on offer. You’ll be able to pick up these devices on phone plans from Telstra, Optus and Vodafone. However, keep in mind that with the new range of iPhones replacing the iPhone 12 series, and with Apple discontinuing some models, stocks of these phones may run out.

Best iPhone 11 plans

Though this phone is from 2019, stocks of this device are still available and can still be picked up from all three major telcos and from Apple itself. The iPhone 11 comes in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB storage sizes, however stocks of certain sizes and colours may no longer be available.

The following table shows a selection of 24-month 64GB iPhone 11 plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of standard monthly cost, from the lowest to highest and then by data allowance, largest to smallest. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products with links to a referral partner.

Best iPhone SE plans

The iPhone SE is a budget-oriented iPhone released in early 2020 and might be the way to go if you like iPhones but don’t have the budget for a more premium iPhone. You can find the iPhone SE from the three big telcos and even from smaller provider TeleChoice, to then bundle with a postpaid plan.

The following table shows a selection of 24-month 64GB iPhone SE plans on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of standard monthly cost, from the lowest to highest and then by data allowance, largest to smallest. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products with links to a referral partner.

Best iPhone plans with over 100GB data

If you want more data from your iPhone plan, Telstra, Optus and Vodafone all offer phone plans with 100GB of data or more, with Vodafone even offering an unlimited data phone plan. The following table shows a selection of Telstra, Optus and Vodafone postpaid plans with 100GB of data or more, as published on Canstar Blue’s database, listed in order of standard monthly cost, from the lowest to highest and then by data allowance, largest to smallest. Use our comparison tool to see plans from a range of other providers. This is a selection of products with links to a referral partner.

What about older iPhones?

While there are still some older iPhones around from some retailers or online (such as the iPhone XR, iPhone XS and iPhone 8) these devices are more than a few years old now, so it’s harder to find them in stock. That being said, you might still find stocks of older devices available from telcos, Apple or other retailers. You might also find some of these older devices are available as refurbished phones.

Going with an older phone will generally be a much cheaper option than choosing the latest iPhone, however there is no guarantee that you’ll be able to find the exact device (colour, storage size, etc) that you want. As these devices become older each year, there is also the downside that the new software upgrades may no longer be compatible with the older devices. It’s worth looking into these potential issues before buying an older iPhone.