Globe, Smart reveal prices, begin pre-orders for iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus

Published November 8, 2014 12:19am

Pre-orders for Apple Inc.'s iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in the Philippines began Friday via Globe Telecom and Smart Communications with the two telecommunications service providers laying out their pricing offers for postpaid subscribers and prepaid users.

Side-by-side comparison of the two firms' pricing matrices revealed that the 16GB version of the iPhone 6 can be had via Globe at its Plan 1299 but with an P800-cash-out per month for 24 months.

Smart's counterpoint to that Globe offer is its Plan 999 with two options: the P800-cash-out option or a one-time cash-out of P19,200.

The 16GB iPhone is “free” at the Data Plan 3000 of Smart while Globe gives it for “free” at Plan 2499 running 24 months.

For prepaid users, the 16GB iPhone can be had with the Globe P37,500 Prepaid Kit, while it costs P36,700 for Smart.

The 128GB iPhone 6 is "free" in the 30-month Plan 3799 of Globe while over at Smart the same unit can be had at P1,154.17 per month through Plan 999.

The iPhone 6 Plus 16GB, meanwhile, is available at Globe at Plan 1299 plus P1,000 monthly cash out for 24 months. A unit for prepaid, meanwhile, is available for P43,000.

Smart offers the iPhone 6 Plus 16GB at Plan 999 plus monthly P1,050 cash out for 24 months, while a prepaid unit is available for P42,300.

Record sales, reviews

Apple Inc. released the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus back in September. The gadgets went on sale on Sept. 19 in the United States.

Apple said it received a record 4 million first-day pre-orders for the new phones, double the number for the iPhone 5 two years ago.

Analysts had estimated first-weekend sales of up to 10 million iPhones, after Apple booked record pre-orders of 4 million on Sept. 12, the day pre-orders first opened.

Most reviewers said the iPhone 6 is the best smartphone available or "ever made", while the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus has been described as a "phablet" that will give competition to Samsung Electronics Co Ltd's Galaxy S line of 'big' Android phones.

New York Times reviewer Molly Wood appreciated the new "thinner, flatter and more rounded shapes" of both the phones. But she pointed out that the sleek look comes at the cost of the phones feeling "slippery".

The improvements made to the operating system - the iOS 8 software, and that to the camera were given a thumbs up by reviewers across the board. However, most believed that Apple could have done more to enhance the battery life of the phones. — with Reuters/Earl Rosero, GMA News

Tags: iphone, iphone6