Compared: Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Telco Plans and Offering

The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 has already arrived in Malaysia and it is available across its Samsung stores and dealers nationwide. Priced outright at RM2,499, is is quite a steep price to pay but you can consider subsidised contract offers from our local telcos such as Maxis, DiGi, Celcom and U Mobile. All 4 have various plans to suit different usage patterns at different price range.

If you’re already an existing subscriber of one of these plans, you might as well continue with them, provided that you’re satisfied with your current postpaid offering. Unlike last year’s Galaxy Note 3, the latest Galaxy Note 4 unfortunately is offered only with 24 months contract which might be too long for some.

So to answer the question which is the best plan to get the Galaxy Note 4, we’ve compared the contract plans from all 4 telcos along with its bundled data, voice and SMS and its total cost of ownership. Check them out after the break.

Galaxy Note 4 Contract below RM80 per month

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If you don’t want to spend too much on your monthly bills, here are the entry level plans from each respective telcos. Want more internet with your plan? Both Celcom First One Plan and DiGi SmartPlan 78 have the most quota in this category with 3GB per month. However do take note that for DiGi, they actually split the internet quota with 2GB for all internet usage and 1GB for its “Smart Apps” that’s restricted to Twitter, Facebook, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and WeChat usage. Both DiGi and Celcom also included a decent amount of free calls and SMS for occasional light chats.

Meanwhile MaxisOne Plan Lite at RM78/month has the least data quota in this category at just 1GB but the trade off is that you get unlimited calls and SMS within the Maxis Network. It is a pity that Maxis has stopped device bundling with its SurfMore plans.

The most affordable plan goes to U Mobile with its U58. Not only it offers a decent 2GB amount of internet for RM58/month, it also comes with 300 minutes of free calls (100 minutes within U Mobile and 200 minutes to other networks).

Galaxy Note 4 Contract Between RM80-RM130 per month

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Going up a notch, these plans offer more internet and more voice calls/SMS at a higher price. Both Celcom and DiGi again offer the most internet for your buck with 5GB each month but do note DiGi’s split of 3GB for internet and 2GB for “smart apps”. U Mobile is still the cheapest here with a well balanced offering of 3GB of internet, 300 minutes (100 minutes within U Mobile) of voice calls and 300 (100 within U Mobile) SMS for only RM88/month.

The MaxisOne Plan however offers a buffet spread of voice calls and SMS with its limitless offering to all numbers within Malaysia but internet users might frown at its rather limited 2GB of internet. For the same subscription of RM128/month, Celcom offers 5GB of internet along with RM40 worth of calls/sms.

Galaxy Note 4 Contract Above RM130 per month

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Unless you make lots of phone calls and use a lot of internet, you probably should stop reading at this point. For more than RM130/month, these plans offer 5GB-6GB internet a month with lots of bundled calls and SMS. Maxis is absent from this list but if they are your preferred network, you can top up additional internet from RM30/GB per month, or take up a bulk offer of RM58/month for 3GB extra on its MaxisOne Plan. So you can get a MaxisOne Plan with limitless calls, SMS and a 5GB of data for RM186/month. Yes, it does sound a lot but it is seems more affordable than Celcom’s First Elite Plan (RM238/month) which has a limited RM150 worth of calls/SMS.

Summary and things to look out for

During sign up, most telcos would require an upfront payment, which is basically a security deposit that will be used to offset your future bills. Usually the cheaper the Galaxy Note 4 is, the telcos would demand more advance payment that can be more than RM1,000. But there’s a way around this as most telcos would normally waive them if you have been a loyal customer for 12 months with good payment records. Some telcos like U Mobile have special credit card promotion where they would waive your advance payment if you sign up with their auto debit service.

Before taking up a plan, it is best to understand your usage patterns by studying your current bill. Take note on how much exactly do you use a month for internet, calls and SMS. Since you’re going to be stuck for 24 months, it is best to get a plan to fulfil your needs and not because the Galaxy Note 4 price is cheaper with higher plans. The last thing you want is to get an expensive plan and end up wasting unused benefits that has been paid for.

Another intangible consideration is customer service, network coverage and quality which varies depending on telco and location. As usual, if you spot any errors do highlight them under the comments. For an easier reference, you can click on the full comparison sheet below.