The One M9 is officially off of preorder and available in Australia starting today. The starting RRP is $1099, which may sound a bit daunting, but don’t blame HTC; the Aussie dollar is the culprit here.
For another example look no further than Apple’s own phones, which recently all jumped around 15% Down Under. The 16GB iPhone 6 now rests atop a tag labelled "$999", up from $869.
The One M9 is still an expensive phone, but it’s not priced out of the game. Expect these kinds of premium costs to continue in the smartphone market for as long as the dollar remains weak. Perhaps longer.
The plans
Telstra
Telstra is offering the One M9 in both Gold on Silver and Gunmetal Grey. Plans start at $78 per month.
| Telstra | $78 | $82 | $95 | $130 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Calls and text (standard national) |
$550 for calls & MMS with unlimited text | $700 for calls & MMS with unlimited text |
$950 for calls & MMS
with unlimited text |
Unlimited talk, MMS and text |
| Data | 500GB | 1GB | 1.5GB | 3GB |
| Bonus upgrade offer | 500MB or $500 credit | 1GB or $1000 credit | 1GB or $1000 credit | 1GB |
| Min. cost over 24 months | $1872 | $1968 | $2280 | $3120 |
|
Check out the plans |
Go for it | Go for it | Go for it | Go for it |
Optus
Optus has the M9 in Gold on Silver right now, but the Rose Gold option will eventually follow. As for plan options, there are five; three of which will give you bonus data for the life of your plan if you sign up before April 6.
| Optus | $68 | $73 | $78 | $83 | $100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calls | 300 mins | 600 mins | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Data | 500MB | 1.5GB |
2.5GB
(usually 2GB) |
5GB
(usually 3GB) |
8GB
(usually 5GB) |
| Text and MMS | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Min. cost over 24 months | $1632 | $1752 | $1872 | $1992 | $2400 |
|
Check out the plans |
Go for it | Go for it | Go for it | Go for it | Go for it |
Vodafone
Vodafone is also only rocking the Gold on Silver version right now, but like Optus it will eventually offer the Rose Gold One M9.
There are too many plans for a single table. Voda's classic plans offer a large range of affordable options, which you can check out here.
The three Red Plans have been enormously successful over the past few months. They offer a choice between varying lengths of free access to Spotify Premium or an SMH subscription, 2 months of UNLIMITED data to get you started, 300 minutes of international calls to select countries and infinite TXT to overseas numbers.
Also, right now, if you order a Red Plan online there's a bonus 1GB per month for 24 months. Offer ends April 9.
| Vodafone | $80 | $88 | $106 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calls | Infinite | Infinite | Infinite |
| Data | 4GB* | 5GB* | 7GB |
| Text and MMS |
Unlimited MMS
Unlimited TXT here and to select overseas countries |
Unlimited MMS
Unlimited TXT here and to select overseas countries |
Unlimited MMS
Unlimited TXT here and to select overseas countries |
| Min. cost over 24 months | $1920 | $2112 | $2544 |
|
Check out the plans |
Go for it | Go for it | Go for it |
*Includes bonus 1GB offer. Ends April 9.
Alex Angove-Plumb
Digital Content Editor
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