[Update: Included U Mobile’s bundle as well. This is now the complete price comparison for the Samsung Galaxy S5 from major telcos in Malaysia – Maxis, DiGi, Celcom and U Mobile]
The Samsung Galaxy S5 will finally hit the shelves this Friday, 11 April 2014 for a retail price of RM2,399, but you don’t have to pay full price to own one. With the existence of telcos and postpaid plans with a contract, you can get your hands on the latest flagship smartphone from Samsung at a subsidized price of as low as RM1,199. Maxis and DiGi have already opened up their preorder (Maxis’ preorders are full now, unfortunately), and while we’re waiting for Celcom and possibly U Mobile to unveil their plans, here’s a comparison of the two that are currently available.
Click on image for larger version (Updated with U Mobile)
[Updated with U Mobile]
U Mobile may be a late player in the whole Samsung Galaxy S5 deal, but they’re most definitely not the least. The telco is offering a “no upfront payment” option for subscribers to pay only for the price of the device after subsidy, from as low as RM999. The promotion is valid for any customers who subscribe to auto debit.
On top of that, U Mobile also has a partnership with Standard Chartered that gives subscribers a further rebate of RM444 when they sign up for the U Plus plan at RM138/month. Customers will have to sign up for a Standard Chartered JustOne Platinum credit card before 30 June 2014 and if approved, the bank will rebate back to you RM444 – that means that the Samsung Galaxy S5 costs only RM555. Check out our U Mobile post for the details.
When Maxis first announced their Galaxy S5 bundle plans, the SurfMore30 option wasn’t available. SurfMore30 may not give you a huge subsidy, but if you’re a light user and do not require all the bundles the more expensive plans comes with, it is a great option at only RM30/month. SurfMore30 is actually a supplementary line but it looks like Maxis is extending it to those who wish to get the Galaxy S5 from them.
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As you already know, Maxis usually has a lot of postpaid plans to pick from but it looks like they are restricting your choice to these 6…for now at least. If Maxis is doing the same as before, these should be the plans that are offered for preorders, and the telco might be unveiling more plans after the launch this Friday.
As for DiGi, the telco isn’t offering the Galaxy S5 with their most affordable postpaid SmartPlan – SmartPlan50, so you’re only limited to 3 choices. As always, DiGi does not offer any 12 months contract and the same applies for the Galaxy S5 bundle. I must say that DiGi looks like they’re slightly cheaper than Maxis but you’ll be tied to a 2 years contract and judging by how fast new phones are being released now (we’re already looking forward to Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 powered devices), 2 years contract is a long wait.
Celcom has just unveiled its Samsung Galaxy S5 bundle as well, allowing you to own the Galaxy S5 from as low as RM988. As usual, the telco is offering the device with its Celcom First postpaid plans coupled with data of up to 5GB, or if you’re a data-only user, you can also pick the mPro Plus plan at RM88 a month.
Of course, at the end of the day, the most important factor would definitely have to be the coverage area. Now that DiGi is offering LTE for its SmartPlans and the S5 is LTE-enabled, picking the one with LTE coverage in the areas you frequent the most would be the best choice.
Have any of you ordered the Galaxy S5 or are you waiting for the official launch to see what other telcos have got to offer? Check out our previous posts for more information about these individual plans of Maxis, DiGi and Celcom.
