Circles.Life first to announce iPhone 12 price plans in Singapore for as little as $54 a month

It’s that time of the year again when people start losing their minds over the latest version of iPhones. Though a couple of things have changed drastically since last year’s iteration (finally, OLED displays), one thing that stays firm is the painful price points of over $1,100 each. 

Traditionally, Apple fans here would typically wait for the price plans from the big three telcos — Starhub, Singtel and M1 — to get their hands on the latest and greatest iPhones at a monthly fee. Interestingly enough, none of them were the first to announce their mobile plan bundles for the iPhone 12 because that glory goes to Circles.Life. 

The mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) has announced that it would be selling the iPhone 12 series at “the best price available in the market”, where shoppers have the option to buy the phone upfront or pay for their device via an instalment plan. 

It’s a different ball game from the plans offered by Circles.Life’s bigger rivals. Where one would have to keep paying a fixed amount of money every month should one sign a contract with StarHub, Singtel or M1, Circles.Life customers can opt for an instalment-based phone plan, where one would just have to pay off monthly charges according to the price of the device itself and be done with it once the phone is fully paid off.  

There's also the combo plan that comes together with 20GB of data monthly... which looks mightily similar to signing a two-year contract with major telcos, barring the $0 upfront cost. 

Since there aren’t any physical Circles.Life stores and we’re still living in a world where social distancing saves lives, the company is offering doorstep delivery to customers who pre-book their new iPhones. 

The catch here is that you’ll just have to wait if you’re interested in getting the cheapest model (the iPhone 12 Mini) or the most high-end one (the iPhone 12 Pro Max). Those models won’t be arriving here anytime soon, anyway — they’re only available on Nov 13. 

Alternatively, one could always brave the long lines at Apple Stores and other tech retailers come Oct 23, when the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro launches. Or, you know, buy it directly from the online Apple Store where instalment plans are entirely doable as well. 

ilyas@asiaone.com