The Google Pixel 6, Google’s new flagship smartphone, came out right before the current Black Friday sales, and if you’re like us, you’re super keen to have a play with it. Its 50MP main camera sensor, in-display fingerprint scanner, and more powerful custom-made processor are all worthy upgrades over the Google Pixel 5, as is its sporty new design that’s reminiscent of the Huawei Nexus 6P.
If you definitely want 5G, the cheapest way to purchase the starter option 128GB handset is by purchasing it from one of major carriers, Optus or Vodafone on a postpaid plan, if you’re after a minimum monthly data allowance of at least 20GB/month. That way you can spread the device’s cost out over time. In the longer term, this will actually save you a few bucks because the recurring plan fees are slightly lower than the 5G SIM-only equivalents.
Telstra’s postpaid plan will be slightly more costly, but then again, Telstra 5G coverage is second to none in Australia.
Optus currently has a Black Friday deal on the device, reducing its RRP by AU$150. Pairing the device with the most affordable 20GB/month Optus plan, the $45 Small Optus Choice Plus Plan, will cost you AU$80.34/month or AU$1,928.16 over 24 months when you combine both the device repayments and the plan fees (deal applied – see below).
That works out to be AU$390 cheaper over 24 months than the most affordable Telstra plan and AU$360 cheaper over 24 months than the most affordable Vodafone plan – although it’s worth noting that both the Telstra plan and Vodafone plans currently have twice as much monthly data than the Optus plan. Vodafone is also offering up to AU$200 trade-in value, so if you have an eligible trade-in and can get full value, the Vodafone plan will be your best option.
Alternatively if you’d like to keep your monthly outgoing costs down, buying outright and pairing with a 5G SIM-only plan is the way to go. Although, if you want 5G, this actually ends up being more expensive after 24 months than buying the phone on Vodafone or Optus prepaid plans, because the Pixel 6’s retail price has been freshly minted and recurring monthly SIM-only 5G plan fees are currently a little higher (for 30GB/month or higher).
The Google Pixel 6’s Tensor processor
The Google Pixel 6’s Tensor processor
The Google Pixel 6’s Tensor processor
If this is your only option, finding the best price on an outright purchase is simple enough, though. Retailers like JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman and Google, are all currently selling the Pixel 6 for AU$999. Officeworks is gifting you a small coffee by undercutting the other retailers by AU$2 to offer it for AU$997, but stock availability and colour options can vary between retailers, so check each one to find your personal preference.
Once you’ve purchased outright, you can then pair your Pixel 6 with a 4G or 5G SIM-only phone plan. If you want the fastest data and download speeds available, a 5G plan is undoubtedly what you should go for. As of today, the cheapest 5G SIM-only plans are offered by Vodafone and Spintel (See below).
Spintel’s $50 5G Mobile SIM-only Plan comes out being the best value option over 24 months, since a deal on the plan reduces the AU$50 plan fee by AU$10/month to AU$40/month for 6 months for new customers. That includes 80GB of data. If you bought the Pixel 6 for AU$997 and paired it with this plan, you’d pay AU$2,137 over 24 months.
Vodafone’s $45 SIM Only Lite+ Plan costs AU$40/month meaning you’d pay AU$1,957 for 24 months, however the current deal that adds 50GB bonus data to make up 80GB on this plan, lasts for just 3 months, reverting to the original 30GB after that.
This Vodafone plan does, however, include 3 months bonus access to Amazon music, so if you’re a music lover it could be the one to go for if you decide to buy outright and want 5G coverage.
A 4G SIM-only plan such as the Circles.Life’s 30GB Monthly Plan is more affordable than these two options. It will cost you just AU$15 month for the next six months, and then reverts to AU$25/month for 30GB data/month after that. If you purchase your Pixel 6 for AU$997 you’ll pay just AU$1,537 for 24 months (See this plan below). This is the cheapest option of the lot, but it’s worth noting that you will be sacrificing speed for cost with 4G.
As you can see, there are options, options and more options, depending on what you want from your phone plan. How much you save will depend on what you’re looking for. Either way, now is a great time to consider a new Google Pixel 6.