In this day and age, mobiles phones are everywhere. One could even say that – as a society – we are very much obsessed with phones. They have become an essential part of our lives. You can get them literally everywhere. In this article, we will compare Mobile Phone Contracts and SIM Only Contracts and see which one is better.
What are mobile phone contracts?
Network service providers offer new smartphones in monthly plans with a term contract and a down payment. Consumers can pay for their new smartphones in monthly instalments after signing the term contract and paying the down payment. The term of the contract varies with network provider and plan. The monthly plans cover the costs for both the device and the monthly data, calls and SMS.
However, there will be a term contract for 12 months, 18 months or 24 months that doesn’t let you switch SIMs for that amount of time. But most of them allow you to break the contract after you pay the remaining amount of the term contract. However, you cannot remove the SIM from the phone before you finish the term.
What are SIM only contracts?
SIM only contracts don’t come with a mobile phone and can be used with any mobile phone you like. They are flexible in choosing the mobile device. However, you need to buy the mobile phone separately on a store.
The phone plans in SIM only contracts vary with the network provider and the plan they offer. You can pay as you go with the SIM only contracts. There is no fixed term. If you can choose this option, always take this option over the other.
After you buy the phone separately on your favourite store, you can use existing 3G/4G SIM or get a new one from your favourite Network Provider.
Mobile phone contracts vs SIM only contracts
Now that you know the difference between mobile phone contracts and SIM only contracts, it is time to compare both the contracts to see which one suit you better.
We will take a thorough look at the prices and benefits of iPhone X and compare them with the costs if you buy the phone and the SIM separately.
Airtel iPhone X vs SIM only iPhone X
Let’s compare the costs and benefits of buying iPhone X at Airtel store with mobile phone contracts and SIM only contracts. We will compare costs, benefits, and term contracts.
Airtel offers iPhone X at Rs. 2799 per month with Rs. 35270 down payment. The plan comes with unlimited calls, Amazon Prime subscription and 40 GB of 3G/4G internet data per month. The amazon prime subscription is only for one year. The term of this contract is 24 months.
Meanwhile, if you get the iPhone X and the Airtel 3G/4G SIM separately, then you get 75GB of internet data per month. It is 35 GB more than what Airtel offers with the iPhone X monthly mobile phone contract.
You can break the contract only three months after you buy it. To break the contract, you need the pay the rest of the amount that the plan requires you to pay in 24 months. So, in mobile phone contracts, you won’t have the flexibility to switch networks if you dislike their service.
Plan |
iPhone X on Airtel |
iPhone x with Airtel Postpaid SIM |
| Phone cost | Rs. 35270 (Down Payment) | Rs. 87848 (Amazon Price) |
| Monthly cost | Rs. 2799 (For device and phone plan) | Rs. 495 (Airtel Monthly Plan) |
| Internet Data | 40GB per month (3G/4G) | 75GB per month (3G/4G) |
| Calls | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Other benefits | Amazon Prime Subscription for one year | Amazon Prime Subscription for two years (come with the Airtel postpaid plan) |
| Total Price for two years | Rs. 102446 | Rs. 99824 |
All the prices are taken from the official websites of Airtel and Amazon on 10/8/2018.
For the comparison, we have selected the plan that provides Amazon Prime Subscription. As you can clearly see from the table above, it would be cheaper for you to get the phone on Amazon and a 3G/4G SIM separately without a mobile phone contract.
If you buy the iPhone on Amazon and buy the monthly Airtel plans separately, then you can get two years of Amazon Prime Subscription rather than one year.
However, if you’re planning to get the phone on EMI, it would be cheaper for you to buy it on Airtel. Since you get the monthly plan along with the device, the costs would be cheaper. I would always suggest you try and avoid the term contracts as much as you can.
We hope you found this article helpful in choosing the right plan for your mobile phone.
Read more:
4 Ways to Protect the Most Breakable iPhone X
How to Switch between Apps in iPhone X
