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So here we have it, the official plans from Celcom, DiGi and Maxis have been released and looks like each of them offer different plans with different monthly commitment and duration. So now what ? Which one is the most suitable ? Well we try to compare each of the plans and see which is the most suitable for an average joe, not to mention the cheapest as well.

First thing to know before actually choosing a plan would be how much data you consume and how many calls you make in a month. With that in mind it would be easier to know which plan would be the most suitable for you. In our case, we want something with at least 2-3 GB data and at least 100 mins of voice calls. SMS and MMS is a bonus and is not a big deal as it’s something we rarely use anyway.

Next, you’ll need to determine how long would you want the contract period to be. At the moment you only have the choice of 12 or 24 months. Got it ? Finally decide which device you want, either the 16GB, 32GB or 64GB. Okay next we’ll have a look at the plans from all 3 telcos.

Celcom iPhone 4S Plans

Celcom offers the iPhone 4S in either 12 or 24 months contract and comes with 4 different plans, the i68, i98, i148, and i248.

Celcom 12 months commitment iPhone 4S plans

Celcom 24 months commitment iPhone 4S plan

DiGi iPhone 4S Plans

DiGi only offers 24 months contract period with their plans so if you only want something for 12 months you can skip looking at DiGi’s plan altogether.

iDigi 88 iPhone 4S Plan

iDigi 138 iPhone 4S Plan

iDigi 238 iPhone 4S Plan

Maxis iPhone 4S Plans

Like Celcom, Maxis offers the iPhone 4S in either 12 or 24 months contract and comes with 4 different plans, the iValue 1, iValue 2, iValue 3 and iValue 4.

Maxis iPhone 4S Plans

Now that you’ve gotten a look at the actual plan from each telco let’s try to demystify all those numbers.

iPhone 4S Plans Compared

Honestly, looking at all those numbers and trying to figure out which is the best plan for you can be quite a daunting task. Fortunately once you know what you need it’ll be a much easier task. Based on our checklist we require

• 2-3 GB data monthly
• at least 100 mins of voice calls
• SMS/MMS is not of importance
• 12 Months contract

Maxis and Celcom plans compared

Based on our criteria the most suitable plan would be Celcom’s i98 or Maxis’s iValue 2 but how much would it actually cost if I were to choose any of the plans ?

iPhone 4S Total ownership cost for 12 months

Based on our criteria and the comparison between Celcom’s i98 plan and iValue 2 it’s easy to see that going with Celcom under the i98 plan would be a much cheaper option for us. We save almost RM 500 irrelevant of which device we choose. Do bear in mind that for the total subscription of 12 months we have not included the taxes yet and we’ve also not included the rebates that each plans offer.

Of course you’ll have to take other factors into account such as coverage area, 3G speeds etc when comparing but in terms of value for money in our case the Celcom package is a better choice. If you require more calls monthly, the Maxis package is definitely the one for you. It’s much easier to compare the plans once you’ve got your requirements at hand.

Next we’ll compare the 24 months plans and see which one would be suitable if we opted for that duration instead.

Celcom,DiGi, Maxis iPhone 4S 24 months contract

Based on the chart the most suitable plan would be Celcom’s i98, iDigi 138 and Maxis’s iValue 2. Let’s see which one costs the least when in comes to total cost after 24 months.

iPhone 4S total cost of ownership for 24 months contract

After 24 months the iPhone 4S would have cost us RM 4,860 with Celcom i98, RM 4,802 under DiGi i98 and RM 6,290 under Maxis iValue 2. DiGi’s i98 plan is not only cheapest among all three telco but there’s also no upfront payment which lessens the burden for those on a tight budget. Apart from that it gives a lot more talk time compared to Celcom.

Note : iPhone 4S 32GB by Maxis is currently free on iValue  4 with 24 months contract during the promo period which is from the launch date until 15th January 2012. It will cost RM 350 after the promo period.

Do bear in mind that for the total subscription of 24 months we have not included the taxes yet and we’ve also not included the rebates that each plans offer.

What astonished us the most was that under Maxis iValue 4 plan you’ll end up paying more than RM 10k for an iPhone 4S 64 GB. Now that’s one expensive plan but then again it’s catered for those who require LOTSA data and voice calls; 7 GB quota and 2500 mins of talk time.

We are already quite accustomed to the speeds that U Mobile provides and wondered how much it would cost us if we were to buy an iPhone 4S direct without any subsidy based on the Recommended Retail Price (RRP) and we were quite surprised with the results. Based on our requirement U Mobile’s U58 fits perfectly offering 100 mins of calls and 2 GB data.

iPhone 4S outright purchase paired with U Mobile for 12 months

Now if we were to compare the total cost for an iPhone 4S 64 GB for 12 months, with Celcom i98 it’s RM 3854, with Maxis iValue 2 it’s RM 4,360 and finally with U Mobile’s U 58 it’s RM 3,586. The savings made from monthly fees more than makes up for buying the phone at full price without any subsidy.

iPhone 4S outright purchase paired with U Mobile for 24 months

As we’ve mentioned previously after 24 months the iPhone 4S would have cost us RM 4,860 with Celcom i98, RM 4,802 under DiGi i98 and RM 6,290 under Maxis iValue 2. Now with U Mobile’s U58 plan the total cost would be RM 4,282. In this case the U Mobile plan still gives the best bang for buck and the best part is you’re not tied down by any contracts.

At the end of the day like we’ve mentioned previously, total cost of device is one thing, the customer support, convenience of payment, coverage of data and voice, packages/tie ups when roaming, roaming data plans all comes to play. Hope this post at least helps with your choice as to which telco and plan is most suitable for you. That being said, which telco will you go for and why ?

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