WHERE TO BUY THE IPHONE 13 ON A PLAN

The wait is over! Apple has not only announced its 2021 flagships, but all four models of the iPhone 13 series are now shipping. Pre-orders are over and if you've done so already, you should be receiving your new device soon. If you haven't pre-ordered yet and was waiting to check them out in stores, you can do so now. 

All four iPhone 13 models – namely the iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max – are now available to buy directly from Apple and other major retailers, or you can get one on a plan from one of the major Australian telcos. We’ve got all the information you need to get yourself a brand new iPhone 13 right here – just scroll down to your preferred provider and handset, and you'll be directed to the appropriate page.

iPhone 13 plans from Telstra, Optus and Vodafone

All four iPhone 13 models are 5G-enabled, so if you are keen to upgrade, you could go with one of the three main Aussie telcos. However, 5G coverage is still spotty across Australia, with the best coverage available on the Telstra network at the time of writing.

Telstra:
Australia’s biggest service provider has a tempting offer on its iPhone 13 plans. You can get $50 off its 180GB XL plan for the first 12 months. That means, instead of paying the usual $115p/m, you’ll only pay $65, after which you can move to a cheaper plan if you think 180GB is too much data or the $115p/m fee is too high.

The good news is that Telstra is also discounting the handset. Don’t get excited as it’s not by much – there’s up to about $20 off on the iPhones.

Click here to order the iPhone 13 mini @ Telstra
Click here to order the iPhone 13 @ Telstra
Click here to order the iPhone 13 Pro @ Telstra
Click here to order the iPhone 13 Pro Max @ Telstra

Optus:
In a similar vein to Telstra, Optus too is offering a discount on its biggest data plan by $10, one that comes with a whopping 500GB of data per month.

Click here to order the iPhone 13 mini @ Optus
Click here to order the iPhone 13 @ Optus
Click here to order the iPhone 13 Pro @ Optus
Click here to order the iPhone 13 Pro Max @ Optus

Vodafone:
Taking a very different approach from its competitors, Vodafone’s tempting offer is on its first ever truly unlimited data plan, with $20 off per month for the entire time you stay on this plan with Vodafone. So no contracts to lock you in. Despite the unlimited data, there’s no speed cap here, unless you are tethering your phone (or using it as Wi-Fi hotspot). The other offer from Vodafone is on its 'Super' or 150GB data plan – here Vodafone is throwing in 50GB of bonus data each month for as long you stick with the plan, so you'll get 200GB per month at no extra cost.

Click here to order the iPhone 13 mini @ Vodafone
Click here to order the iPhone 13 @ Vodafone
Click here to order the iPhone 13 Pro @ Vodafone
Click here to order the iPhone 13 Pro Max @ Vodafone

Where to purchase the iPhone 13 series outright

The best place to buy the new phone is from Apple Australia directly. If you’re upgrading from an older iPhone model, you can trade it in to recoup some of the cost of the new handset.

While that may not be possible at other retailers, you can still buy the handsets outright at several other stores. Here are some of the retailers with iPhone 13 stock: 

Apple
JB Hi-Fi
Bing Lee
Harvey Norman
Officeworks
The Good Guys

iPhone 13 release date and price

While the new 2021 iPhones are now available to pre-order, they won’t start shipping until Friday, September 24. That’s also when they’ll be available on shelves in stores. 

Apple hasn’t changed  a lot when it comes to prices for the new iPhone 13 range:  they’re almost identical to their iPhone 12 equivalents at launch. A reason for that could be the lack of major upgrades over the iPhone 12 range. 

Apple’s new line-up includes four phones: the iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro and the iPhone 13 Pro Max. They’re priced as follows:

• iPhone 13 mini
• 128GB, $1,199 | 256 GB, $1,369 | 512GB, $1,719

• iPhone 13
• 128GB, $1,349 | 256GB, $1,519 | 512GB, $1,869

• iPhone 13 Pro
• 128GB, $1,699 | 256GB, $1,869 | 512GB, $2,219 | 1TB, $2,569

• iPhone 13 Pro Max
• 128GB, $1,849 | 256GB, $2,019 | 512GB, $2,369 | 1TB, $2,719

What is the cheapest iPhone 13?

As was the case with the iPhone 12 range, the cheapest option this year is the iPhone 13 mini, with prices starting at AU $1,199 for the 128GB model. 

What is the best-value iPhone 13 (calculate cost per GB)

While the 128GB iPhone 13 mini might be the absolute cheapest model, it’s arguably not the best value for money – to figure that out, for each model we’ve calculated the cost per gigabyte to pinpoint which capacity offers the best bang-for-buck proposition.

Apple iPhone 13 mini

• iPhone 13 mini (128GB) - $9.37 per GB
• iPhone 13 mini (256GB) - $5.35 per GB
• iPhone 13 mini (512GB) - $3.36 per GB

Apple iPhone 13

• iPhone 13 (128GB) - $10.54 per GB
• iPhone 13 (256GB) - $5.93 per GB
• iPhone 13 (512GB) - $3.65 per GB

Apple iPhone 13 Pro

• iPhone 13 Pro (128GB) - $13.27 per GB
• iPhone 13 Pro (256GB) - $7.30 per GB
• iPhone 13 Pro (512GB) - $4.33 per GB
• iPhone 13 Pro (1TB) - $2.51 per GB

Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max

• iPhone 13 Pro Max (128GB) - $14.45 per GB
• iPhone 13 Pro Max (256GB) - $7.89 per GB
• iPhone 13 Pro Max (512GB) - $4.63 per GB
• iPhone 13 Pro Max (1TB) - $2.66 per GB

Somewhat unsurprisingly, the best option for all models based on cost per GB is the biggest model – every step up generally reduces the GB cost by 40% or more, with the Pro Max 1TB offering the lowest cost per GB at $2.66.

What you may find surprising, however, is that Apple has been very consistent in the price it charges for each step up from that base 128GB model, which is the same across all new iPhones. So, to go from 128GB to 256GB costs you an extra $170 ($1.33 per extra GB), from 128GB to 512GB costs $520 ($1.35 per extra GB) and, on the Pro and Pro Max, stepping up from 128GB to 1TB costs $870 ($0.97 per extra GB).

There’s no much difference, then, between choosing the 256GB or 512GB models when it comes to value – the 256GB model is actually fractionally cheaper than its bigger sibling at $1.33 vs $1.35, so if you’re picking between the two, 256GB is the sensible option.

What’s new?

The new iPhone 13 and 13 mini come in their own range of colours, with the new Pink, Blue and Midnight, Starlight and Product Red shells making their debut this year. Apple has tweaked a couple of features from its predecessor, with the iPhone 13 now showcasing a smaller notch and advanced storage options, including a subtle makeover of the rear camera, with a diagonal (rather than vertical) arrangement of lenses. The new iPhone 13 is slightly thicker than last year’s model, but the screen refresh rate remains the same at 60Hz.

Similarly, the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max handsets come in several colours including Silver, Gold, Graphite and a new Sierra Blue. A big improvement this year is in battery life: the iPhone 13 and Pro Max will last about 2.5 hours longer, according to Apple. As for the iPhone 13 Pro duo, you get three 12 MP cameras with brand new sensors and lenses. The iPhone 13 Pro is better in low light conditions compared to the iPhone 12’s camera, with promise of a possible inclusion of ProRes video formatting, which will be included later this year. This video format offers video shooters far more control on the quality of their footage making it easier to edit in apps like Final Cut Pro. The video playback for iPhone 13 Pro is at 22 hours and as for the iPhone Pro Max, it rises to 28 hours.

All four handsets are powered by Apple’s new A15 Bionic processor and are compatible with 5G, a feature that was introduced in last year’s iPhone 12s.

Making their debut alongside the iPhone 13 is the Apple Watch 7, which comes with its own set of upgrades over the Series 6 wearable, and there’s also a brand-new iPad and iPad mini which will ship with the new iPadOS 15.