Samsung's GALAXY S III release last week has seen people jump in excitement for the best Android phone and plans on the market. Being the latest addition to Samsung's popular GALAXY series, it's described as 'designed for humans and is inspired by nature.' However, despite GALAXY S III’s release across a range of plans, it's important to keep in mind your usage and what you really need out of your phone plan.
Light users
Vodafone was one of the first who offered Samsung’s GALAXY S III plan on the market. The plan is $29.00 per month, and the phone on top of that is an extra $20, making this plan $49 a month in total. The plan has $180 worth of value with 200MB of data, and includes all international call rates in its cap for those who make the odd call overseas. However, the best bonus of this plan is for social network users - it includes completely free access to Facebook, Twitter, FourSquare and LinkedIn throughout Australia.
There are two downsides. If someone isn't a social networker and regularly uses the internet for either GPS or e-mailing, 200MB is hard to get by with. The other catch is it's on a 24-month contract, meaning that for light users there's very little room to move. Along with that, you're forced to purchase the phone and can't choose to be on the cap with your own provided phone.
The closest plan to this comes from Optus. For $30 per month, and an extra $17 per month for the handset, you can receive $200 of value, making this plan $47 a month. Like Vodafone, they're focused on social networking - you're receiving unlimited access to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace, eBay and Foursquare. The cap also includes 1300 and 1800 numbers, meaning that there'll be no nasty fees when you've called to a call centre.
Once again, despite Optus being cheaper by the month, there are some drawbacks. They still have Vodafone's standard 200MB limit but with a dire postscript - you will be charged $0.50 for every megabyte exceeding the limit. Paired with a 24-month contract, the plan isn't particularly desirable but if you're a light internet user who makes calls and texts every now and then, Vodafone and Optus should be the ones you search for.
Medium users
Medium users are those who would use a lot of GALAXY S III's functions but would to stay within a a lighter plan's restrictions. A lot of medium plans only cost slightly more than light plans (or sometimes the exact same price) yet include more flexibility with their caps and their data allowances.
Virgin has a $29 cap that's similar to Vodafone but packs a larger punch. At the same price as Vodafone, $29 per month and an extra $20 for the phone, Virgin tries to entice with more data and voicemail. They offer free voicemail across Australia, along with the standard free talk and text to other Virgin mobiles.
2GB of data is also a large step up from the Vodafone plan, clearly marking a step up between a light and medium user. One of the most appealing parts of their contract is that it rolls over the unused talk and text from previous months - meaning that whatever you don't use, it won't be wasted. Their cons are effectively the same as Vodafone too- $0.99 per minute call rate and a 24-month contract makes its data flexibility questionable.
For someone who has already gotten their hands on a GALAXY S III, not all plans have a requirement to include a phone purchase. An example of this for a mid-use is TPG, who for $17.99 per month includes $550 worth of talk and text. Along with this, there's 1.5GB thrown in and doesn't have a contract at all meaning that if you're unhappy with the services you can break away immediately.
TPG stings with its call charges and a huge delivery fee; - like Virgin, it has slapped $0.90 per minute on calls and charges customers $20 to have their SIM card safely delivered.
Heavy users
The best plan by far on the market right now is Vodafone's $79 cap. If you're a user who is constantly on their phone for either your business or internet solutions, then the cap is perfect. For $79.00 a month, you receive completely unlimited local, national and mobile calls within Australia along with unlimited national and international text messaging. With 2GB included, it's going to be hard to find a better plan on the market right now that throws in a Samsung GALAXY S III absolutely free.
Like the others, it has its drawbacks. A 24-month contract seems acceptable given the phone being thrown in for free, but there's also a $0.40 flag fall and $0.98 per minute calls that might make some people uneasy.
For heavy users who have their hands on a Samsung GALAXY S III already and are looking for the best SIM card available, Amaysim goes above and beyond with their postpaid plan. For $39.90 per month, Amaysim provides heavy users with completely unlimited calls and texts within Australia, along with 4GB of data and 1300 and 1800 numbers included.
The only downside to this is the limitation issues over their network coverage, and that video calls are on the expensive side. However for those who are heavy users and want to be in complete control of their phone without a contract, Amaysim is perfect.