At last we've come to the end of the secrets and speculation. We know everything about the iPhone 3G and we know how much each of the Aussie telcos will be charging us for one. All that's left to do is sift through the seemingly endless plans to discover the best value iPhone deals.
For the sake of comparison, we're looking strictly at out of pocket expenses. It's important to note that the charts below don't take additional services into account. While Telstra may look like "Australia's most expensive iPhone" — especially in regards to its data charges — some would argue that its network, services and coverage make up the difference.
Prepaid
In line with their initial iPhone announcements both Vodafone and Optus will offer the iPhone out of contract with prepaid SIM cards. These handsets will be network locked but both companies offer unlocking for an additional fee.
| Outright — 8GB | Outright — 16GB | Unlocking fee | |
| Optus | $729 | $849 | $80 |
| Vodafone | TBC | TBC | $75 |
Cheapest plan — 8GB model
This chart represents the cheapest iPhone on a post-paid contract over the life of a 24-month contract.
| Optus | $19 | $21 p/m* | $50 | 100MB | $960 |
| Vodafone | $69 | $189 or $7.88 p/m* | $310 | 250MB | $1,845 |
| Telstra | $30 | $279 | $25 | 5MB | $999 |
Cheapest $0 upfront — 8GB
Each of the carriers will offer the iPhone fully subsidised at a certain price point.
| Monthly spend | Included calls | Included data | Minimum total cost | |
| Optus | $79 | $550 | 700MB | $1,896 |
| Vodafone | $169 | $1,200 | 1GB | $4,056 |
| Telstra | $80 | $70 | 10MB | $1,920 |
Big Spender — 16GB
Have you got a pile of cash begging to be spent on mobile calls and data? This chart shows the opposite end of the the spectrum; the most costly plans with each of the carriers.
| Monthly spend | Included calls | Included data | Minimum total cost | |
| Optus | $179 | $1,500 | 1GB | $4,296 |
| Vodafone | $169 | $1,200 | 1GB | $4,056 |
| Telstra | $100 | $90 | 10MB | $2,400 |
In summary
Optus is subsidising the handset at a lower price point than Vodafone and will appeal to shoppers looking for the cheapest price over the life of their contract. However, Vodafone offers significantly increased data allowances and, while you'll pay a premium for the handset, will appeal to people who intend to use the internet heavily.
Alternatively
If you felt, as many have, that iPhone pricing is exorbitant, then one alternative would be to take your unlocked iPhone to Australia's forgotten carrier 3 Mobile. The table below assumes you sign up to 3's AU$29 cap plan plus the 500MB X-series plan for AU$20 per month. The handset cost is the cost of a prepaid Optus iPhone plus the unlocking fee.
However, a word of warning; 3 spokespeople were unsure if iPhones bought from other carriers and unlocked would function on its network. "We don't know," a spokesperson said. "We haven't seen one. We are not going to know until the phones have launched and people start trying."
| Handset cost | Monthly spend | Included calls | Included data | Minimum total cost | |
| 8GB | $809 | $49 | $150 | 500MB | $1,985 |
| 16GB | $929 | $49 | $150 | 500MB | $2,105 |
For all the information you need about the iPhone in Australia check out our iPhone launch centre, and stand by for our full review of Apple's hotly anticipated smartphone.
Persomally I reckon the best deal is that on the Optus $79 cap listed in the "Cheapest $0 upfront" table above, you can upgrade to the 16GB iPhone for just $2 a month extra on a 2-year contract - basically, double the memory capacity for under $50 over the contract life. I'm surprised I haven't read any media articles noting/suggesting this yet.