Smart, Globe reveal iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus pricing
(UPDATED) The wait is over. Smart Communications and Globe Telecom have revealed their respective postpaid and prepaid pricing for the Apple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, which will be officially available in the Philippines beginning November 14.
Smart iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus offers
Smart's pricing model is similar to last year's, with the 16GB iPhone 6 coming in starting at Plan 999 with a monthly fee of P800. That means the total cash out per month is P1,799. The 16GB iPhone 6 Plus, on the other hand, is also available at Plan 999, but with a P1,050 monthly fee this time. Total cash out per month then is P2,049.
Both offers are tied to a 24-month contract and come bundled with voice-call minutes and text messages to all networks, plus consumable data.
As a bonus, those claiming their new iPhones from November 14 to 16 get free Uber rides to and from select Smart stores by using the promo code SMARTIPHONE6. They'll also be treated to a special lane upon arriving at the shop, as well as three movies they can stream through video-on-demand service Blink. Oh, and they get to choose their own mobile number, if available.
For the full list of postpaid and prepaid offers from Smart and a step-by-step infographic for ordering online, refer to the images below.
Smart iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus plan matrix
Smart Infinity plans
Smart's guide to pre-ordering the iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus online
Smart's Wipeout promo lets existing subscribers cancel a current subscription at a discounted rate—provided there's less than 20 months left on it—and upgrade to the latest iPhones.
The corresponding "wipeout" discounts are outlined in the screenshot below.
Globe iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus pricing
As with previous iPhone releases, Globe's iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus subscriptions offer a choice of lock-in periods, though the monthly cost increases as contract periods get shorter. The 16GB iPhone 6 under Plan 1299, for example, has a P800 monthly cost for a 24-month contract or P2,320 for a shorter, 12-month contract.
Plan 1299 nets you 20 minutes of calls and 400 texts to all networks and 3GB of data per month, in addition to three month's worth of Spotify Premium music and a full month of extended service coverage and theft insurance.
New Globe subscribers are also eligible for huge discounts on iPhone accessories in select Apple resellers.
Charts detailing the rest of Globe's iPhone offers can be found below.
Globe iPhone 6 16GB packages
Globe iPhone 6 64GB packages
Globe iPhone 6 128GB packages
Globe iPhone 6 Plus 16GB packages
Globe iPhone 6 Plus 64GB packages
Globe iPhone 6 Plus 128GB packages
Additionally, Globe lists contract-free options for the iPhone 6, with the 16GB, 64GB, and 128GB models costing P37,500, P43,000, and P48,500, respectively. The prices are slightly higher than what Smart charges for its iPhone 6 prepaid kits.
The latest iPhones represent a dramatic shift away from previous designs and boast larger displays to compete with big-screen flagships running Android or Windows. The 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus also cram better specs across the board into a thinner package and, as expected, deliver the best iOS 8 experience of any iPhone.
Consumer demand for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus has driven Apple's profitability to record levels. In his latest research, analyst Michael Walkley of Canaccord Genuity estimates that the Cupertino-based outfit accounts for a staggering 86 percent of the industry's total profits.
By the end of 2014, the Apple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will be available in more than 115 countries. (By Alora Uy Guerrero and Ramon Lopez)