With the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S5 just around the corner, Australian carriers have announced their pricing and availability of the much-anticipated 2014 addition to Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S line.
To start with, the Galaxy S5 will be available for $929.00 outright and will be available for pre-order from tomorrow morning (March 27) at the Samsung Experience Stores in Melbourne and Sydney. The Galaxy S5 itself will go on sale in Australia from April 11th.
We’ve given you all the info we’ve got in relation to the three major carriers – Telstra, Optus and Vodafone – as well as Virgin Mobile which will also be carrying the Galaxy S5. We’ve also then picked a common (or close to it) price point to compare inclusions and value.
Of course, the decision on whether to purchase on a plan or outright, and from a carrier or a third party retailer, is a complex decision, and one that you have to make with as much information as you can get your hands on. So, with no further ado, here’s the info we have.
Telstra
Telstra will make the Galaxy S5 available from Friday, 11 April through Telstra stores and online. Customers who can’t wait until 11 April to secure their GALAXY S5, can pre-order from 9am 27 March by heading to www.telstra.com/galaxyS5.
In terms of plan pricing, here’s the details:
| Type | Consumer | Business |
| Commitment | 24 month | 24 month |
| Plan Cost | $70.00 | $80.00 |
| Handset Cost | $12.00 | $2.00 |
| Total Monthly | $82.00 | $82.00 |
| Incl. Value | $700 | $800.00 |
| Incl. Data (GB) | 1.50 | 1.50 |
| Minimum Total | $1,968.00 | $1,968.00 |
In addition to the Galaxy S5 pricing, Telstra has also announced retail availability of the new Galaxy Gear range of devices. The Galaxy Gear Fit will be available for $10 per month when added to an eligible plan (making a minimum total cost of $240). Outright pricing is $249, also from 11 April.
The Galaxy Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo will be offered for $369 and $249 respectively, also from 11 April.
Vodafone
Our good friends at Vodafone have given us some very detailed pricing information for the Galaxy S5, to make sure that existing (or would-be) Vodafone customers can make the most informed decision. Vodafone have made the Galaxy S5 available across both its 12-month and 24-month plans, and at a number of price points. Some are less appealing, but others are quite competitive. Decide for yourself!
| Plan Length | 12 month | |||
| Plan Name | $60 Plan | $65 Red | $80 Red | $100 Red |
| Plan Cost | $60.00 | $65.00 | $80.00 | $100.00 |
| Handset Cost | $44.00 | $42.00 | $36.00 | $26.00 |
| Total Monthly | $104.00 | $107.00 | $116.00 | $126.00 |
| Incl. Value | $700.00 | Infinite | Infinite | Infinite |
| Incl. Data (GB) | 3.00 | 3.00 | 5.00 | 10.00 |
| Minimum Total | $1,248.00 | $1,284.00 | $1,392.00 | $1,512.00 |
| Plan Length | 24 month | ||||||
| Plan Name | $30 Plan | $40 Plan | $50 Plan | $60 Plan | $65 Red | $80 Red | $100 Red |
| Plan Cost | $30.00 | $40.00 | $50.00 | $60.00 | $65.00 | $80.00 | $100.00 |
| Handset Cost | $28.00 | $24.00 | $19.00 | $14.00 | $14.00 | $4.00 | $- |
| Total Monthly | $58.00 | $64.00 | $69.00 | $74.00 | $79.00 | $84.00 | $100.00 |
| Incl. Value | $200.00 | $250.00 | $500.00 | $700.00 | Infinite | Infinite | Infinite |
| Incl. Data (GB) | 0.30 | 0.50 | 1.00 | 3.00 | 3.00 | 5.00 | 10.00 |
| Minimum Total | $1,392.00 | $1,536.00 | $1,656.00 | $1,776.00 | $1,896.00 | $2,016.00 | $2,400.00 |
As you can see, there’s quite a range of prices there, and while some of the lower value plans (e.g. the $30 plan over 24 months) don’t include much, and do cost quite a lot in terms of handset price, once you get up to the $60 plans and above, the handset pricing is quite reasonable.
Optus
Optus plans are expressed in a slightly different way to the Vodafone and Telstra plans shown above, but they remain easy to compare across the board. We’ve got the details on Optus’ 24 month plans here:
| Commitment | 24 month My Plans | ||||
| Plan Name | $35 | $50 | $60 | $80 | $100 |
| Plan Cost | $35.00 | $50.00 | $60.00 | $80.00 | $100.00 |
| Handset Cost | $26.00 | $21.00 | $16.00 | $11.00 | $7.00 |
| Total Monthly | $61.00 | $71.00 | $76.00 | $91.00 | $107.00 |
| Incl. Value | 200 mins | 450 mins | 600 mins | 800 mins | Infinite |
| Incl. Data (GB) | 0.20 | 0.50 | 1.50 | 2.00 | 3.00 |
| Minimum Total | $1,464.00 | $1,704.00 | $1,824.00 | $2,184.00 | $2,568.00 |
Like Telstra, Optus will also have the Galaxy Gear range available, with the Gear Fit and Gear 2 Neo available for $240 outright, or $10 a month on any of the listed plans, while the Gear 2 is $360 outright or $15 per month on contract.
Virgin Mobile
Virgin’s pricing plans are set out below. As you can see, they are similar to Optus’ plans but the inclusions are slightly different.
| Commitment | 24 months | |||||
| Plan Name | $30 | $40 | $50 | $60 | $90 | $140 |
| Plan Cost | $30.00 | $40.00 | $50.00 | $60.00 | $90.00 | $140.00 |
| Handset Cost | $27.00 | $23.00 | $18.00 | $13.00 | $3.00 | $0.00 |
| Total Monthly | $57.00 | $63.00 | $68.00 | $73.00 | $93.00 | $104.00 |
| Incl. Value | $200.00 | $450.00 | $500.00 | $700.00 | Infinite | Infinite |
| Incl. Data (GB) | 0.20 | 0.50 | 1.00 | 3.00 | 6.00 | 6.00 |
| Minimum Total | $720.00 | $960.00 | $1,200.00 | $1,440.00 | $2,160.00 | $3,360.00 |
Some useful comparisons
We know that there’s about thirteen hundred different ways to compare all this data, but we’ve drawn a few easy comparisons just so you can get a feel for who offers what and for what price, and across three different price points.
First up, in the plans that are in the realm of $74 to 82 per month (incl. handset cost):
| Telstra | Optus | Vodafone | Vodafone | |
| Plan Name | $70 Consumer | My Plan 60 | 60 Plan | Red 65 |
| Plan Cost | $70.00 | $60.00 | $60.00 | $65.00 |
| Handset Cost | $12.00 | $16.00 | $14.00 | $14.00 |
| Total Monthly | $82.00 | $76.00 | $74.00 | $79.00 |
| Incl. Value | $700.00 | 600 mins | $700.00 | Infinite |
| Incl. Data (GB) | 1.5 GB | 1.5 GB | 3 GB | 3 GB |
| Minimum Total | $1,968.00 | $1,824.00 | $1,776.00 | $1,896.00 |
In this price bracket, the lowest total cost is Vodafone’s $60 plan, but that’s not the whole story. Arguably the best value, in terms of included airtime, SMS, MMS and data is Vodafone’s $65 Red plan with 3 GB of data and as many calls as you can make. If you’re not such a big user of calls, and international roaming doesn’t matter too much to you, there’s a hundred dollars to be saved by looking at Vodafone’s $60 plan instead.
For those with slightly higher demands, and the ability to pay a little more, here’s the mid-range plans that come in between $85 and $91 a month from Optus and Vodafone:
| Optus | Vodafone | |
| Plan Name | My Plan 80 | Red 80 |
| Plan Cost | $80.00 | $80.00 |
| Handset Cost | $11.00 | $4.00 |
| Total Monthly | $91.00 | $84.00 |
| Incl. Value | 800 mins | Infinite |
| Incl. Data (GB) | 2 GB | 5 GB |
| Minimum Total | $2,184.00 | $2,016.00 |
Vodafone’s plan comes in a bit cheaper, with significantly more data, and it’s about $170 cheaper over the two year contract period.
Last but not least, for the real road warriors amongst you who just can’t leave their phones alone for long enough to smell the coffee, here’s the heavy hitting plans:
| Optus | Vodafone | |
| Plan Name | My Plan 100 | Red 100 |
| Plan Cost | $100.00 | $100.00 |
| Handset Cost | $7.00 | $- |
| Total Monthly | $107.00 | $100.00 |
| Incl. Value | Infinite | Infinite |
| Incl. Data (GB) | 3 GB | 10 GB |
| Minimum Total | $2,568.00 | $2,400.00 |
Again the price difference isn’t enormous here, about $170 between the two plans, but the inclusions differ greatly. 3 GB is all Optus will give you, whereas Vodafone gives you a whopping 10 GB. Otherwise, the inclusions are similar with unlimited airtime, so it may come down to data and coverage making your decision here.
Which carrier will you be picking up the Galaxy S5 on?
