Deals

Globe vs Smart: Samsung Galaxy S9/S9+ postpaid plans

Where to get the latest Galaxy?

Published

March 1, 2018

Daniel Morial

The Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are already confirmed to be offered by Philippine carriers. As always, we want to know which telco offers the best plan, so let’s compare Globe’s ThePLAN versus the new GigaX Plans of Smart.

Galaxy S9 (64GB)

Let’s start off with the “regular” Galaxy S9 which is going to be the best option for consumers looking for the latest premium Samsung phone that’s still fairly usable with one hand (due to its smaller display size) and not too expensive.

	Globe	Smart
Plan	ThePLAN 1499	GigaX Plan 1499
Calls	Unlimited to Globe/TM	50 minutes to all networks
Texts	Unlimited to all networks	Unlimited to all networks
Data	8GB	5GB + 10GB for video streaming
Freebies	Netflix for 6 months Spotify Premium for 3 months	Discounted calls to Smart/TNT (PhP 4/min)
Device Fee	PhP 1,000/month	PhP 1,000/month
Total Monthly Fee	PhP 2,499	PhP 2,499
Contract Period	24 months	24 months
Total Cost	PhP 59,976	PhP 59,976

Both carriers offer the Galaxy S9 under their respective Plan 1499 and the device cashout fee is also the same at just PhP 24,000 or PhP 1,000 per month if availed through installment. Whichever telco you choose will cost you PhP 2,499/month or PhP 59,976 for the whole duration of the standard two-year contract.

The cost might be the same, but the inclusions of the plans are quite different. Globe offers unlimited calls within their network, unlimited texts to all networks, and 8GB of data. The usual freebies of premium subscriptions to Netflix and Spotify are present as well. With Smart, the new GigaX Plan offers 5GB of data and another 10GB solely for video streaming services like YouTube, iFlix, Fox+, and iWant TV. It also includes unlimited texts plus 50 minutes of voice calls to all networks. Despite the additional data for the video streaming, paid subscription to some of them are not included, but at least the plan offers discounted call rates to Smart/TNT.

Choosing between Globe or Smart is a matter of which plan meets your needs. Globe’s 8GB mobile data is definitely more generous than Smart’s 5GB, but the additional 10GB for video streaming is perfect for those who watch on the go. Smart’s allowance for calling and texting is ideal if you have to contact people on both networks, while Globe just has an unlimited all-network text offer.

Galaxy S9+ (64GB)

The Galaxy S9+ is a more powerful phone with its big bigger memory (6GB vs 4GB), dual rear cameras, and — if size matters — larger display. With that, the Galaxy S9+ is more expensive but not by much when availed through a postpaid plan.

	Globe	Smart
Plan	ThePLAN 1499	GigaX Plan 1499
Calls	Unlimited to Globe/TM	50 minutes to all networks
Texts	Unlimited to all networks	Unlimited to all networks
Data	8GB	5GB + 10GB for video streaming
Freebies	Netflix for 6 months Spotify Premium for 3 months	Discounted calls to Smart/TNT (PhP 4/min)
Device Fee	PhP 1,333/month	PhP 1,300/month
Total Monthly Fee	PhP 2,832	PhP 2,799
Contract Period	24 months	24 months
Total Cost	PhP 67,968	PhP 67,176

Again, both telcos recommend their respective Plan 1499 for the bigger S9 and offer an installment scheme for the device.

Since we’re still with Plan 1499, we have same inclusion as with the Galaxy S9: Globe offers unlimited calls within their network, unlimited texts to all networks, and 8GB of data, while Smart has 5GB data + 10GB for video, 50 minutes of calls, and unlimited texts to all networks. They also have their respective freebies.

The cost of both handsets is not far from each other with Globe asking for a device cashout of PhP 32,000 or PhP 1,333/month and Smart with PhP 31,200 or PhP 1,300/month. Adding this to the plan fee, the monthly fee is PhP 2,832 for Globe and PhP 2,799 for Smart. Either plan has a standard contract of two years, which drives the total cost of the plans to PhP 67,968 and PhP 67,176, respectively.

If you don’t want to have ties with the carrier, you can always get the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ unlocked for PhP 45,990 and PhP 52,990, respectively, for the 64GB version. The Galaxy S9+ will also be available with 128GB storage for PhP 55,990 and 256GB storage for PhP 60,990. Both will be available in Midnight Black, Coral Blue, and Lilac Purple

Deals

realme smartphones and wearables are discounted this January

PhP 3,000 discount for the realme 6 Pro

Published

January 22, 2021

Kenrick Buduan

realme is kicking off the new year by discounting some of its smartphones and wearables. For a limited time, buyers may snag the realme C12, 6 Pro, Buds Q, Buds Air Neo, and more at discounted prices on Lazada and Shopee

All-day discounts are available on Lazada on January 25, 27, and 30. For Shopee users, they should watch out for all-day discounts happening exclusively on January 30.

Buyers may snag the latest entry-level smartphone — the realme C12 — at a discounted price of PhP 5,490. Meanwhile, budget-conscious gamers may get the realme 6 Pro at a price of PhP 13,990. This represents a total of PhP 3,000 discount from its original price.

Two wearables from realme are also getting price discounts. The realme Buds Q is getting a PhP 400 discount, lowering its price to PhP 1,090. The realme Buds Air gets the same treatment with a PhP 700 discount, bringing down the price to PhP 1,290.

Shopee users should also watch out for flash sales happening this January 25 and 27. More devices from realme are getting discounts this January, so visit their Lazada or Shopee store page now.

Deals

Shopee launches ShopeePay Cashless Festival

Exclusive prices for ShopeePay users

Published

January 22, 2021

Kenrick Buduan

Shopping on Shopee? You may want to take advantage of ShopeePay — Shopee’s integrated mobile wallet. From January 21 to 28, ShopeePay users may enjoy free shipping, win exclusive rewards, and claim vouchers as part of the first ShopeePay Cashless Festival.

Free shipping and cashback

Users who activate their ShopeePay for the first time during the festival period can get a free shipping voucher with no minimum spend. Those who spend a minimum of PhP 149 will also receive a free shipping voucher daily.

Select shops on categories such as personal gadgets, home essentials, and sports will also offer 20% coin cashback on purchases.

Users can also look forward to 15% cashback capped at 120 coins when they pay their bills with a minimum of PhP 800. That cashback percent bumps to 20% with a cap on 160 coins for January 28.

Deals for all

There will also be various deals exclusively for ShopeePay users. They may enjoy PhP 1 deals, up to 50% off on e-vouchers, and up to 15% coins cashback capped at 160 coins.

Deals on mobile load will also be available during the festival. Users can enjoy Php 10 discount on PhP 100 load/data for the whole week. More deals will be exclusively available from January 25 to 28 such as PhP 10 load/data for PhP 6, PhP 15 load/data for PhP 9, and PhP 20 load/data for PhP 12.

Cash prizes to be given away

Users may also win PhP 10,000 just by topping up PhP 300 or transferring PhP 1 to their wallet balance. Coins and vouchers are also up for grabs for every user.

Meanwhile, lucky participants of the Play & Win ShopeePay edition can score a cash prize of PhP 20,000 just by playing on weekdays from 5 to 6:30 PM. Finally, successful callers on Wowowin’s Tutok to Win will receive ShopeePay credits worth PhP 5,000 each on top of the usual cash prize of PhP 20,000.

More deals and vouchers await users this January. Visit this link to know more about ShopeePay and start reaping the benefits of the integrated mobile wallet.

Deals

Smart postpaid plans for the Galaxy S21 series

Exclusive pre-order items worth PhP 20,000 are also up for grabs

Published

January 21, 2021

Kenrick Buduan

The Galaxy S21 series can’t come soon enough to the Philippines. Smart is now offering pre-orders for both the Galaxy S21+ and S21 5G on its Signature plans. Plus, first-time and renewing subscribers may get exclusive items for every pre-order until January 24.

Subscribers may opt for the regular Signature plans or the upgraded Signature 5G plans. As the name suggests, the Signature 5G plans take advantage of Smart’s 5G network which is now available in Metro Manila and select areas of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

For this comparison, we’ll be looking into both regular Signature and Signature 5G plans.

Galaxy S21+

There is only one variant available for the Galaxy S21+ — the 8GB/256GB model. It comes in two colors: silver and violet.

	Signature 4G plans						Signature 5G plans
	Plan S	Plan M	Plan L		Plan XL		Plan L		Plan XL
One-time cashout	PhP 37,800	PhP 34,200	PhP 30,600	PhP 9,900	PhP 23,300	PhP 7,200	PhP 30,600	PhP 9,900	PhP 23,300	PhP 3,299
Data Allocation	5GB	10GB	15GB		30GB		30GB		60GB
Text Allocation	Unlimited to all networks
Call Allocation	Unlimited to all networks
Additional Perks	50 mins. call to PLDT	100 mins. call to PLDT	150 mins. call to PLDT		300 mins. call to PLDT		150 mins. call to PLDT		300 mins. call to PLDT
Plan Cost	PhP 999	PhP 1,499	PhP 1,999	PhP 2,899	PhP 2,999	PhP 3,699	PhP 3,199	PhP 2,299	PhP 3,299	PhP 3,999
Total One-time Cost	PhP 38,799	PhP 35,699	PhP 32,599	PhP 12,799	PhP 26,299	PhP 10,899	PhP 33,799	PhP 12,199	PhP 26,599	PhP 7,298

Galaxy S21 5G

Unlike the Galaxy S21+, the Galaxy S21 5G will come in an 8GB/256GB and an 8GB/512GB model. Both silver and black are available for the 256GB model while black is the only option for the 512GB.

256GB

	Signature 4G plans						Signature 5G plans
	Plan S	Plan M	Plan L		Plan XL		Plan L		Plan XL
One-time cashout	PhP 49,800	PhP 46,200	PhP 42,600	PhP 15,020	PhP 35,300	PhP 12,300	PhP 42,600	PhP 15,020	PhP 35,300	PhP 12,300
Data Allocation	5GB	10GB	15GB		30GB		30GB		60GB
Text Allocation	Unlimited to all networks
Call Allocation	Unlimited to all networks
Additional Perks	50 mins. call to PLDT	100 mins. call to PLDT	150 mins. call to PLDT		300 mins. call to PLDT		150 mins. call to PLDT		300 mins. call to PLDT
Plan Cost	PhP 999	PhP 1,499	PhP 1,999	PhP 3,199	PhP 2,999	PhP 3,999	PhP 2,299	PhP 3,499	PhP 3,299	PhP 4,299
Total One-time Cost	PhP 50,799	PhP 47,699	PhP 44,599	PhP 18,219	PhP 38,299	PhP 16,299	PhP 44,899	PhP 18,519	PhP 38,599	PhP 16,599

512GB

	Signature 4G plans						Signature 5G plans
	Plan S	Plan M	Plan L		Plan XL		Plan L		Plan XL
One-time cashout	PhP 57,000	PhP 53,400	PhP 49,800	PhP 15,310	PhP 42,500	PhP 14,890	PhP 49,800	PhP 15,310	PhP 42,500	PhP 14,890
Data Allocation	5GB	10GB	15GB		30GB		30GB		60GB
Text Allocation	Unlimited to all networks
Call Allocation	Unlimited to all networks
Additional Perks	50 mins. call to PLDT	100 mins. call to PLDT	150 mins. call to PLDT		300 mins. call to PLDT		150 mins. call to PLDT		300 mins. call to PLDT
Plan Cost	PhP 999	PhP 1,499	PhP 1,999	PhP 3,499	PhP 2,999	PhP 4,199	PhP 2,299	PhP 3,799	PhP 3,299	PhP 4,499
Total One-time Cost	PhP 57,999	PhP 54,899	PhP 51,799	PhP 18,809	PhP 45,499	PhP 19,089	PhP 52,099	PhP 19,109	PhP 45,799	PhP 19,389

Exclusive items worth PhP 20,000

Pre-order exclusive worth PhP 20,000 will include a pair of Galaxy Buds Pro (for the S21 Ultra) or Galaxy Buds Live (for the Galaxy S21+), Galaxy Tab A 8.0, Galaxy SmartTag, and a 25W wall charger. These exclusive items are only available for pre-orders until January 24.

First-time and renewing subscribers may visit Smart’s website for more details on the plans and pricing for the Galaxy S21 series.