Best iPhone 13 Mini plans in Australia

We small-handed humans rejoiced last year when Apple introduced the teeny-tiny iPhone 12 Mini, and after months of speculation as to its future, its return has finally been confirmed. As with previous years, the only way to get your hands on an iPhone 13 Mini is to purchase it outright or on a plan through Telstra, Optus or Vodafone. If you choose to go with the latter option, all that’s left to decide is which plan to go with. Lucky for you, finding the best plan is kind of our thing. So, without further ado, let’s get this show on the road.

• Monthly data: 100GB
• Monthly plan price: $59
• Duration: 12, 24 or 36 months
• Network: Optus 4G/5G

When we’re looking for the best plan overall, we’re looking for the plan that has the best balance between monthly cost, data, coverage and perks. With that in mind, it’s hard to argue against the $55 Optus Choice Plus Plan.

It’s on the lower end of the pricing spectrum, comes with a hefty 80GB of data (with endless data at 1.5Mbps if you go over), standard unlimited talk and text in Australia, unlimited standard international calls to 35 destinations, a subscription to Optus Sport and OS Fitness at no extra cost and access to Optus’ growing 5G network.

Optus’ $55 offering is our top pick, but if it doesn’t quite meet your needs, see how it stacks up against the most popular iPhone 13 Mini plans from each of the Big Three below.

• Monthly data: 40GB (10GB + 30GB bonus)
• Monthly plan price: $40
• Duration: 12, 24 or 36 months
• Network: Vodafone 4G/5G

You probably know by now that no iPhone comes cheap - not even the iPhone 13 Mini, which is the cheapest of a pretty expensive bunch. Still, opting for a low-cost plan can help you minimise the damage.

Once again, this year the cheapest iPhone 13 Mini plan goes to the Vodafone $40 Lite Plan. For $40 per month (plus handset costs), you’ll get 40GB of data (10GB standard and 30GB bonus data), unlimited national talk and text and three months of Amazon Music Unlimited (valued at $11.99 per month) at no extra cost. It’s available on either a 12, 24 or 36-month repayment plan so you can keep costs low with a longer contract or pay it off sooner with the one or two-year option.

See how it compares to the other cheaper iPhone 13 Mini plans available right now.

• Monthly data: Unlimited full-speed data (with 30GB for hotspot connections)
• Monthly plan price: $85
• Duration: 12, 24 or 36 months
• Network: Vodafone 4G/5G

Just because the iPhone 13 Mini is a small phone, it doesn’t necessarily mean your data appetite is equally as small. And if it’s lots of data you’re after, it’s hard to beat unlimited data, which is just what you’ll get on Vodafone’s $85 Ultra+ plan.

It only launched mere weeks before the iPhone 13 announcement, but Vodafone’s offering is the first actually unlimited data plan in Australia. No speed caps or anything like that - just unlimited max-speed data throughout the month. There’s also a bunch of other features like 5G network access, unlimited standard national calls and text and unlimited international minutes to Zone 1 countries (with 300 minutes to Zone 2 countries).

As you might have suspected, Vodafone’s unlimited phone plan does come with a minor caveat which may affect you if you’re an avid hotspot user. Basically, you’ll only get 30GB of hotspot (a.k.a. tethering) data to use each month. From what we can gather, it’s essentially a way of Vodafone stopping customers from using the plan to replace their home internet.

If you can make do without unlimited, here are some other big-data iPhone 13 Mini plans.

It’s also worth keeping in mind that Vodafone’s 5G network is currently pretty small. If you’re hoping to take full advantage of those blazing fast 5G speeds, you’ll need a plan that can back it up. Funnily enough, we have just the thing...

• Monthly data: 300GB
• Monthly plan price: $89
• Duration: 12, 24 or 36 months
• Network: Telstra 4G/5G

As Australia’s biggest telco, it’s not entirely surprising that Telstra has a significant lead in the 5G network race, reaching 75% coverage of the country’s population in June. As such, it’s your best option if you want to make the most of your iPhone 13 Mini’s 5G speed capabilities.

Unsurprisingly, that beefy 5G coverage doesn’t come cheap - in fact, it’ll set you back at least $65 per month. Still, you do get decent inclusions for your money, particularly with Telstra's preorder deal which brings their $115 Extra Large plan down to $65 per month for the first 12 months. That includes 180GB of monthly data, data-sharing on up to 10 eligible plans and unlimited talk and text in Australia. Plus, it's a contract-free plan, so you can always switch to a cheaper one when the discount ends.

If you’re happy to be patient and wait for Optus or Vodafone’s 5G networks to catch up, here are their most popular iPhone 13 Mini plans with 5G access below.

• Monthly data: 300GB
• Monthly plan price: $89 months)
• Duration: 12, 24 or 36 months
• Network: Telstra 4G/5G

Although the $55 Small Upfront Plan is Telstra’s cheapest iPhone 13 Mini plan, it’s missing something pretty big - 5G access. Because that’s one of Telstra’s main selling points, the omission means our top pick has to go to the discounted $115 Extra Large Upfront Plan (which also happens to be our pick for the best 5G plan).

For $65 per month for the first 12 months (on top of handset costs), the plan offers 180GB of data per month, which is more than enough for most users. There’s also the usual unlimited talk and text in Australia, data sharing across up to 10 eligible Telstra services and access to the Telstra Plus loyalty program.

Here’s how it fares against Telstra’s other iPhone 13 Mini plans below - but remember that the $55 Small Plan doesn’t include 5G access.

• Monthly data: 150GB (60GB + 90GB bonus)
• Monthly plan price: $55
• Duration: 12, 24 or 36 months
• Network: Vodafone 4G/5G

Vodafone doesn’t have the most extensive 5G network in Australia (at least, not yet) but it should be more than capable enough for most people in metropolitan areas. It’s also a good option for those who value a lower monthly bill higher than 5G coverage. As for Vodafone’s best value plan overall, it’s hard to beat the $55 Super Plan.

It currently offers a sizeable 150GB of data (60GB standard and 90GB bonus data) with infinite data at speeds up to 10Mbps if you manage to use it all up. On top of that, you’ll also get unlimited talk and text in Oz, three free months of Amazon Music Unlimited and 1000 international minutes to Zone 1 countries with a further 100 minutes to Zone 2 countries.

Here’s how the $55 Super plan compares to the most popular Vodafone iPhone 13 Mini plans.

• Monthly data: 80GB
• Monthly plan price: $55
• Duration: 12, 24 or 36 months
• Network: Optus 4G/5G

If you’re torn between Telstra’s solid coverage and Vodafone’s more budget-friendly The middle child of Australia’s telco family. For the best coverage, you go with Telstra. For the best value, you go with Vodafone. But for the best all-rounder, we reckon Optus is the winner for your iPhone 13 Mini plan.

Their $55 Optus Choice Plus Plan offers a great mix of value, coverage, data and perks. We’re talking a generous 80GB of data each month (with endless speed-capped data at 1.5Mbps if you use it all up) and a free Optus Sport and OS Fitness subscription, valued at $14.99.

If that doesn’t quite tickle your fancy, check out the current most popular Optus iPhone 13 Mini plans available below.