MANILA, Philippines  (UPDATE)- Globe and Smart have released their pricing plans for the iPhone 5, along with the kind of perks you can get for your phone.

Both carriers are slated to release the iPhone 5 on December 14, which means you’ve got 7 days to figure out which carrier you’re going to buy from.

To help you out, we’ve rounded up some information and enthusiast analysis to help you make a more informed decision regarding your future purchase. 

Globe’s prices and perks

Following the prepaid pricing scheme, Globe’s iPhone 5 units are priced at Php35,400, Php40,800, and Php46,300 for 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB of internal storage, respectively.

As for snagging a free phone for the lowest price, Globe provides a 16GB iPhone 5 unit for free if you decide to take advantage of Plan 2499.

Globe’s price list for the iPhone 5 may be relatively simple, but the company expands on its offerings on the plans page by providing perks for buying a phone from them.

With an iPhone 5, Globe will also give you 4 months of insurance in addition to the warranty that comes with the purchase.

You will also get discounts of up to 50% for purchasing cases for your shiny new device, as well as a subscription to the GCASH American Express Virtual Card and a US$5 off every US$ 25 shipping cost paid for using the virtual card.

Smart’s massive matrix

Smart’s pricing matrix is a little more complicated, as they have the basic pricing matrix above and a massive page with the breakdown of prices according to the plan you want.

Despite this, it provides users with more options regarding how to best spend their money.

Smart’s prepaid iPhone 5 units are priced at Php33,600, Php38,780, and Php43,950 for the 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB units, respectively. 

Smart also offers either a 16GB or 32GB iPhone 5 unit for free with their Plan 2499.

Perks and downsides

Yugatech has a great breakdown on the iPhone plans, as well as some clarifications regarding how the plans will work.

Most notable in the descriptions on the breakdown is that the units offered are HSPA+ and do not have LTE. 

The Plan 2499 packages for the two providers have different perks and downsides:

1) Smart’s Plan 2499 package does not currently indicate if the texts and calls are free when sending to other networks, but does appear to have unlimited and uncapped Internet connectivity.

2) Globe’s Plan 2499 package allows for 10 minutes of calls and 200 texts to all Globe and TM numbers, and you also get 5 minutes of calls and 25 texts to other networks. The plan also gets up to 5 freebies, which Yugatech describes as the following: “unli calls & text to 1 Globe/TM number (up to 5), 10 min calls & 200 SMS to any Globe/TM number (up to 5x), and 5 min calls and 25 SMS to other networks (up to 5x).” There’s also consumable amount of P1,500. (I earlier misinterpreted the information I had on-hand as stating that you could use each add-on five times. Thanks to RoyceGenman Arellano for spotting the error.)

One additional thing noted is that Smart’s Data Plan 3000 has the dubious honor of costing more but having fewer texting credits than Plan 2499.

Unbox.ph also has another perspective check between the two carriers. Namely, if you plan on getting an iPhone 5, find out what services you intend to use most, and then check the data for which plans serve your needs best.

The plans or their perks may be subject to change and revision, so those interested in picking up an iPhone 5 on December 14 will want to keep the information here in hand.

Compare it to future updates so you get the best value for your hard-earned money. – Rappler.com