The Galaxy S8/S8+ are now available for pre-order through our local telcos in Malaysia. To sweeten the deal, they are also bundling over RM900 worth of freebies as announced by Samsung Malaysia.
So which telco offers the better deal? We’ve compared the plans from Celcom, Digi, Maxis, U Mobile and Yes, so head after the break to find out which contract plan is suitable for you.
Across the board, all 5 telcos are offering the Galaxy S8/S8+ with 2-3 plan options that are tied with a 24-month contract duration. While comparing, it is best to look at the monthly plans first before considering the device pricing itself. Telcos will offer a lower Galaxy S8 price on their higher commitment plans but we recommend getting a plan that fulfils your actual need. It’s a waste to pay more for something you can’t finish each month and it accumulates over 2 years. You can probably get a better picture of your usage by looking at your recent postpaid bills.
Below is our full comparison which include the postpaid bundles, subscription fees and device price. You can click on each table for clearer viewing. The table also includes the minimum total cost of ownership (inclusive of 6% GST) which is calculated based on 24-months subscription along with the subsidised Galaxy S8/S8+ price. Note that your actual cost of ownership would be higher as you incur additional charges such as calls to special numbers, IDD usage, roaming and etc.
Galaxy S8 Telco Comparison
Galaxy S8+ Telco Comparison
Not shown on the tables above are U Mobile’s extra Video-Onz, Music-Onz, and App-Onz offering. On U Mobile’s Ultimate Device Plan 130, you’ll get unlimited video (Video-Onz) and music streaming (Music-Onz) plus unlimited access to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (App-Onz). Both Ultimate Device Plan 60 and 90 plans are entitled to unlimited Music-Onz and App-Onz too but they get 3GB and 5GB respectively for Video-Onz.
On Maxis, they are the only telco that offers the Galaxy S8/S8+ with RM0 upfront along with 24-month 0% interest instalments on Zerolution. The advantage of this program is the ability to swap phones hassle free every year but you’ll need to fork out more money every month for its upgrade option. If you don’t intend to swap phones, you are better off with the standard contract plans as Zerolution turns out to be the most expensive in the long run.
During sign up, all 5 telcos would require some form of advance payment which will be rebated back to offset your next bills. For Digi and Yes, both telcos would need you to pay an additional 1-month subscription fee in advance. If you’re an existing customer for more than a year with good payment history, both Maxis and Digi will be able to waive your advance payment.
Things to note
Apart from pricing, another factor to consider is coverage as not all telcos will perform the same. The coverage of each telco varies greatly so one could work better than another depending on your area. If you’re happy with your current telco, you might want to consider sticking to them since it works well for you most of the time. Among the 5 telcos, Celcom, Digi and Maxis are more established with its wider 4G coverage backed by their own 3G/2G networks.
For U Mobile, 4G coverage is still quite limited nationwide but they do rely on domestic roaming with Maxis where coverage is not available. On Yes 4G, coverage would be a greater challenge as it operates purely on their 4G LTE network with no backup 3G/2G providers on domestic roaming. According to Yes 4G LTE’s coverage map, it would probably work well with urban folks in Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah but currently, they don’t have 4G coverage for Sarawak.
To gauge which telco is better in your area, you can refer to a recent report by MCMC or refer to 3rd party sources like OpenSignal and YouTube Video Checkup. Since you’re going to be stuck with a telco for 24-months, you better pick one that works really well.
If you have decided to pre-order, your last chance to do so is on 13 April 2017. The Galaxy S8/S8+ will be officially available in Malaysia on 5 May 2017 and pre-order customers can get it a day earlier. For Malaysia, we are getting just 3 colour options – Midnight Black, Maple Gold and Orchid Grey.
For those who don’t wish to be locked down with contracts, the Galaxy S8 and S8+ can be purchased outright at RM3,299 and RM3,699 respectively. Apart from Samsung Malaysia, you can also pre-order from SenHeng, 11street, Lazada, Courts and Harvey Norman. Shopback is also offering RM100 cash back when you purchase the Galaxy S8/S8+ from Lazada Malaysia via their link.
