Compared: New upgraded MaxisOne Plan vs the rest

UPDATE: Celcom and Digi have introduced new plans with more data. Check out the latest postpaid comparison here.

Maxis has finally responded to the recent postpaid price war by upgrading all MaxisONE plans with up to 9GB of extra data. These new upgraded plans will be rolled out to all new and existing subscribers by the end of this month. While waiting for that to kick in, Maxis is giving 3GB extra data next week to all MaxisONE plan customers.

So how does Maxis’ postpaid offering compare against the rest? It’s time for another round of postpaid comparison.

Maxis

In our previous comparison, Maxis looked pretty costly with a paltry 1GB of data for its base RM98 plan. Now they have bumped up their data allocation from 1GB to 5GB, 3GB to 8GB, 5GB to 12GB and 7GB to 16GB. The monthly subscription fee remains unchanged except for East Malaysia, where they are offering RM30 off each month and they are offering unlimited data usage between 1AM to 7AM daily.

Celcom, Digi and U Mobile
For Celcom, they have extended its FIRST postpaid offering until 31st May. To recap, FIRST Blue at RM45/month comes with 4GB of data (2GB all time + 2GB weekend), 50 minutes of calls and 50 SMS. For heavy duty users, FIRST Gold offers 10GB of data (5GB all time + 5GB weekend) plus unlimited calls and SMS for RM80/month.

Digi on the other hand revamped its postpaid offering last month with more data and internet rollover. As a limited time promo, they are allocating more data for its higher “More Internet” plans and a RM20/month discount for its “More Talk” options of RM98 and above. Hitting the sweet spot for Digi is probably their Postpaid 98 (More Voice), as it offers 7GB of data and unlimited calls at RM78/month.

Over at team orange, U Mobile has recently boosted its P70 Hero Postpaid plan with a whopping 15GB data for RM70/month. This plan also comes with unlimited voice calls. Note that the extra 8GB is given as a promo until 30th June 2016. So how does it all stack up? Click on our comparison table below for a clearer view.

Postpaid Plans under RM100

Postpaid Plans above RM100

Conclusion
It is commendable for Maxis to bump up more data for their plans but the pricing is still on the high side when compared to its competitors. If you’re looking solely at cost per GB, Celcom’s FIRST Gold is likely your top pick as it offers 10GB of data at RM80/month in addition to its unlimited calls and SMS. Both U Mobile and Digi are quite generous as well by offering more than 5GB of data for RM70 and under. If you can’t finish your data quota, Celcom and Digi lets you carry forward unused data (up to a certain limit) to the following month.

Beyond the cost of data, calls and SMS, there are other factors to consider such as network quality and customer service. Each telco will perform differently depending on location, so it is best to pick one that has optimal coverage for both home and work. You can use OpenSignal to get a rough idea of which network performs better in your area. After all, what’s the use of getting lots of data if you can’t use them?

For those that travel, another factor to consider is their international roaming packages. Most telcos these days do have daily roaming plans but they could vary in terms of price and countries supported. Most recently U Mobile has started offering RM10/day data roam for selected countries while Maxis has thrown additional unlimited calls and SMS with MaxisONE World.

Looking for a newer alternative? Webe is launching next week. If their purported unlimited plan is real, this could be the best postpaid ever.