The iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max launch in South Africa today and they cost a lot of money.
For those hoping for a cheaper option by getting the handset on contract the bad news is that pricing for these new Apple handsets starts at R999 per month for 24 months for the 64GB iPhone Xs. Sure it’s not R21 999 once off but you will end up spending R23 976.
The iStore has a slew of deals starting at R799 for the 64GB iPhone Xs but those contracts are for a 36 month period. So while the iStore is cheaper month-to-month, you’ll end up paying R4 788 more than if you took out a 24-month contract directly from a network operator.
We have compiled a list of the starting prices for the iPhone Xs and Xs Max on Vodacom, Telkom Mobile, MTN and Cell C. Sadly at time of writing MTN was not advertising its pricing but we will update you when it goes live.
We have not listed the iStore’s contracting options as they are exhaustive. If you want to get a slightly cheaper month to month price we recommended checking out the iStore but remember, as we pointed out above, you will be paying more in the long run.
iPhone Xs 64GB | Minutes | SMS | Data | Price (per month 24 months) |
Vodacom SmartXS+ | 50 | 50 | 350MB | R999 |
MTN | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Telkom FreeMe 1GB | 0 | 50 (per day) | 1GB | R999 |
Cell C Flexi Access | 45 | 120 | 1GB | R999 |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9m_K2Yg7wGQ&t=2s
iPhone Xs Max 64GB | Minutes | SMS | Data | Price (per month 24 months) |
Vodacom Red Select + | 800 | Unlimited | 2GB | R1 699 |
MTN | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Telkom Mobile FreeMe 1GB | 0 | 50 (per day) | 1GB | R1 099 |
Cell C FlexiAccess | 45 | 120 | 1GB | R1 249 |
It appears as if Cell C offers the best value for money though we say “value for money” through gritted teeth. Any way you slice it R999 is a lot of money to pay for a handset every month.
That having been said if you must have the latest Apple smartphone and the contracts above don’t suit your needs you can shop all the iPhone deals available on local mobile networks below.
Shop iPhone on MTN (coming soon)