There's a new telco in town. One might even say it's a "nu" telco. It's called numobile, and I'm so sorry, I'll go now.
Powered by the Telstra network, numobile is a telco with a twist. numobile exclusively sells refurbished smartphones, paired with some pretty decent plans. So if you're in the market for a second-hand handset or just want to save some cash, here's what you need to know about numobile.
What makes numobile different?
numobile is a telco solely focused on refurbished smartphones. A refurbished smartphone is a second-hand device, but buying one is a bit different to just jumping on eBay and taking a chance on a used handset.
Refurbished phone sellers like numobile put their phones through multiple stages of testing to ensure everything still works. In addition, you can be certain the phone you're buying isn't stolen, is free from someone else's data, and is unlocked.
In Australia, refurbished smartphones sold through companies like numobile come with a 12-month warranty. They're also covered by Australian Consumer Law, which means you're entitled to a replacement or refund in the event of a major failure, and eligible to have the phone repaired or replaced if it fails to be of acceptable quality.
As is standard, accidental or intentional physical damage are not covered by the warranty you'll get with a refurbished device, or by Australian Consumer Law.
Plan pricing is made up of two components: a core plan fee, and a handset repayment fee based on the device's outright price, divided by 24 months. numobile's plans are contract-free on the basis that if you want to leave early, you can simply pay out the remaining value of your smartphone. This is similar to how Telstra and Vodafone structure their plans.
In addition, numobile will let your return or swap out your phone at any time, even if it's damaged. If your phone is in roughly the same condition, you won't have to pay any fees. If your phone is slightly impaired (a cracked screen for example), you'll only need to pay out 20% of your remaining handset repayment balance. If the phone is significantly damaged, you'll need to pay 40% of your outstanding balance.
What devices can I get on numobile?
numobile sells refurbished iPhones and refurbished Samsung Galaxy devices. These include the iPhone 7, iPhone 8, iPhone X, Galaxy S7, and Galaxy S8.
You can check out more refurbished iPhone plans here, more refurbished Samsung plans here, and read about the pros and cons of refurbished phones here.
How much are numobile's plans?
You'll pay between $10 and $50 per month for a numobile phone plan, excluding handset repayments. Your monthly handset repayment will be determined by which phone you pick.
numobile plan features
numobile phone plans are fairly simple for the most part, but there are some nifty extras. For one, the plans don't auto top-up when you run out of data. Instead, you can purchase a 2GB add-on for $10, or a 5GB add-on for $25. Not bad, considering the standard excess data fee charged by other telcos is $10 for 1GB.
numobile plans also support data banking (also known as data rollover). If you have data left over at the end of your billing month, it gets added to your data bank and stored for future use. Your data bank will only be tapped into if you burn through your monthly allowance. You can store up to 200GB in your data bank.
While numobile allows you to change your base plan on a monthly basis, you'll forfeit your banked data if you drop down to a lower tier.
In addition, all numobile plans come with a one-off data bonus on sign-up that will be added to your data bank automatically.
numobile plans worth at least $30 per month (excluding your handset repayment) come with unlimited talk and text to 15 countries. These include: China, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, India, South Korea, Bangladesh, United Kingdom, Malaysia, United States, Indonesia, Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.
numobile plans don't include roaming, so you'll need to pick up a local SIM in whatever country it is you're travelling to, or mooch of public Wi-Fi.
Can I get a SIM-only numobile plan?
If you want to sign-up to a numobile plan, you'll need to get a phone to go with it. At present, numobile doesn't have any SIM-only or prepaid plans.
What is numobile's coverage like?
numobile is powered by the Telstra wholesale network, which reaches 98.8% of the Australian population. For comparison, the full Telstra network reaches 99.4% of the Australian population.
Here's how the full Telstra network and Telstra wholesale network (numobile) compare:
Is numobile good value for money?
Comparing numobile to other telcos isn't exactly easy, given that no other provider is slinging refurbished phones on a plan.
However, when you look at numobile's core range of plans, you're getting a little less data than you'd get on a SIM-only plan from other Telstra MVNOs. For example, at $40 per month, Belong offers 30GB. numobile offers 25GB per month at that price point. However, considering a numobile plan can't be bought without a device, the comparison isn't exactly like-for-like.
When compared to buying a new phone through a telco, numobile's plans are understandably cheaper, especially at the lower end. For example, You can get a refurbished iPhone 7 with 16GB of data for $45 per month on numobile, whereas a new iPhone 7 with 10GB of data will cost you $60 per month on Optus, or $75 per month with 15GB on Telstra.
It is however worth comparing before you commit to buying a refurbished phone. Right now, Optus will sell you a new iPhone 7 with 60GB of data for $65 per month. numobile' $65 refurbished iPhone 7 plan only includes 40GB of data. For the same price, a new iPhone 7 is clearly a better buy.
All in all, buying a phone through numobile can save you money - especially at the lower end. You just have to work out if you want a refurbished device.
Alex Choros
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