UPDATE: Smart adjusted their one-time cashout fee as of April 27, 2017
It’s the battle of the Samsung Galaxy S8 for the telcos, both Globe and Smart just put up their pre-order page for the newest flagship of the Korean giant. Pre-order ends this May 4th 2017 and you have plenty of time to decide which telco will you choose, but here is our comparison of the two.
We will first lay out the comparison sheets per phone and you can compare the price and inclusions.
Globe Galaxy S8
Globe suggests the Plan 1799 with 11GB of data, unlimited calls to Globe/TM and unlimited text to all networks. It has an additional Php800 monthly for the S8, making it an overall monthly of Php2,599. Freebies include 6 months of HOOQ and Netflix, 3 months spotify and 1 month free gadget care.
Total Ownership for Plan 1799 – Php62,376.00
Smart Galaxy S8
Smart suggest their Plan 999 with 10GB data, unlimited text to all networks and 50 mins calls to all networks. Add up Php1,500 for the device you want and a one-time Php5,000 Php3,000 fee for the Galaxy S8. It also comes with one app free access, we suggest getting Facebook or Instagram for this one.
Total Ownership for Plan 999 – Php62,976.00
Globe Galaxy S8+
The bigger S8+ is suggested as well at Plan 1799 with the same package as the Galaxy S8. But Globe increased the monthly add-on to Php1,000, making it Php2,799 per month.
Total Ownership for Plan 1799 – Php67,176.00
Smart Galaxy S8+
Smart offers Plan 999 as well with the same package as the Galaxy S8. The only difference will be is the higher cash out of Php8,000 for the S8+ device. That’s just Php3,000 higher to get the bigger Galaxy.
Total Ownership for Plan 999 – Php65,976.00
Globe offers a more compelling digital package with free limited-time access to streaming apps Spotify, HOOQ, and Netflix. The additional 1GB data is also handy as it will be tempting for data junkies.
Just make sure to be aware of your HOOQ, Netflix, Spotify and Gadget Care subscription as they don’t automatically terminate. You will have to request Globe to cut the subscription to avoid billing after the free period, which could cost as much as Php1,096 monthly fee when left ignored.
Smart has limited number of calls but it’s upgraded to all network calls, unlimited all-net text and 10GB of mobile data. It just provides one app free access per month and no free-trial to their digital content partners like iWant TV, Fox+ or even iFlix.
Still, Smart has a better plan offering for Plans 799, 599, or even 399 and you can get the Galaxy S8 for as low as Php1,899 with more data as compared to the nearest plan from Globe.
If you are a recontacting customer for Globe, then you’re lucky as you’re eligible for the free Samsung Bottle Speaker. But with Smart, they are offering the bundle of the Samsung Wireless Bottle Speaker (Php5,099) to all (new or recontacting) customers who will order via their online store.
Overall, both telcos offer a different kind of solution for the customer. But for a Flagship such as the Galaxy S8, we think it’s a shame if you will get data plans lower than 5GB. So far, we think Smart has a minor upper hand against Globe when it comes to low tier plans (399 – 999). But Globe has the upper hand with higher tier Plans (1499 – 2499) as they offer a cheaper total cost of ownership.
Come on, what will you do with so much free content if you can’t even have the data allocation for it. So just make sure you get 5GB or more, or else you’ll just suffer more by being too conscious about your data usage.
