Consumers have the advantage in telco iPhone price war

Consumers are at an advantage with purchasing the latest iPhone 4S from telcos due to lower price plans on offer, according to comparison website, WhistleOut.

Since Telstra, Optus and Vodafone recently announced price plans for the new iPhone 4S device, presenting 200 plan combinations on the market with seven iPhone models to choose from – starting with Optus, which offers the iPhone 3GS at $0 on $29 Cap plans.

Both Optus and Vodafone reduced a few dollars per month in handset repayments on most iPhone 4S combination plans compared to that of the iPhone 4, while Telstra has priced the new model far more aggressively, WhistleOut claimed.

According to WhistleOut director, Cameron Craig, when comparing the price points, the new iPhone 4S presents a better deal than pricing on the original iPhone 4 16GB and 32GB models.

“Overall, it is a great picture for consumers: when the original iPhone 4 prices do drop, there will be respectable price points for every category of consumer. The exception is the new 64GB variant which is the diamond of the iPhone range where the only $0 phone repayment options are $100 per month plans,” Craig said.

The iPhone 4S looks almost identical to the iPhone 4, but features significant internal changes –including a faster processor, a more advanced camera and a new antenna design. “If the past year is anything to go by, it will be the smaller Virgin Mobile which will be most competitive on pricing as Virgin Mobile have had the most competitive prices on both the iPhone 4 and Samsung Galaxy S 2 for the past 12 months,” Craig added.