Vodafone iPhone

After enjoying a whole year as New Zealand’s only official and capable carrier, Vodafone are now carrying Apple’s iPhone 3GS – only this time they’re not the only network users can connect to. With the spectre of competition in the shape of Telecom’s XT Network, expectations prior to pricing announcements were high for a more aggressive set of plans and subsidies, but have Vodafone delivered?

The hardware on offer, as if we need remind you, are the iPhone 3G in both 8GB and 16GB flavours, as well as the newer iPhone 3GS in 16GB and 32GB sizes. The iPhone 3G 16GB is officially discontinued by Apple so sales of these will be while stocks last only. The iPhone 3G 8GB is available in black only, while all other models are available in both black and white.

In terms of outright pricing for those not wishing to commit to a term or who would prefer to be on Pre-Pay, hardware pricing is as follows:

• iPhone 3G 8GB: $979
• iPhone 3G 16GB: $979
• iPhone 3GS 16GB: $1179
• iPhone 3GS 32GB: $1379

These are some pretty affordable prices for a Smartphone that is arguably the class leader. Compared to many touch-screen Windows Mobile, Android and even Nokia mobiles (the N97 is priced at a ridiculous $1,799), the iPhone is a relative bargain considering all it can do.

An important point to note here is that Vodafone will not sell you an iPhone in any flavour outright in-store – only their online store will supply this kind of sale. Why? Vodafone say this is to stop the large numbers of devices being bought in New Zealand for export to countries where the iPhone is normally locked to a specific carrier. Interestingly, Apple’s own online NZ store also offers the iPhone unlocked for $30 less for each model, so those looking to buy one outright might want to consider shopping here, although bear in mind the 5-7 day delivery target.

Vodafone’s plans and subsidies this year are similar to last year’s offerings. There are four plans on offer ranging from $40 per month for 20 mins / 100 texts / 250MB to $130 per month for 250 mins / 600 texts / 500MB. Nothing groundbreaking there, but  to sweeten the deal Vodafone are throwing in 3GB of data and 1000 pxts (picture messages) for the next three months. This is great news for those who want the full iPhone experience, but the downside is that it could encourage some habits that could be hard to break and could end up costing users an arm and a leg once the promotional period is over.

Three out of the four of Vodafone’s plans offer 250MB of data with no option to add on more. Once your 250MB is up, you’ll be charged between $0.10 and $0.25 per MB depending on the plan you choose. 250MB may sound like a lot for mobile data, but even modest users will edge close to this so choose your plan with care. Our friends in America with their unlimited data plans have no idea of our pain!

The subsidies on offer with these four plans are pretty good on the whole. All plans are subject to a 24-month term, but for your commitment you’ll pay between $199 and $499 for the iPhone 3G in either 8GB or 16GB, between $399 and $699 for a iPhone 3GS 16GB and finally between $599 and $899 for a iPhone 3GS 32GB.

So, some fairly solid offers on the table from Vodafone. Nothing groundbreaking or radical enough to live up to the hopes we all had prior to launch, but the 3GB for 3 months promo is certainly appealing – if not very dangerous in the long-term!

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Have you bought an iPhone from Vodafone? What plan did you pick? If not, why not? Hit us up in the comments with your thoughts!

Tags: 3G, 3GS, plans, subsidies
Posted in All, Vodafone