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Optus currently has a deal going for its iPhone 17e plans when you sign up for a 24- or 36-month repayment term. Customers who sign up to a new service before September 6 get $300 off the device over the life of the repayment. It works out to a monthly discount of roughly $8.30 for 36 months or about $12.50 on a 24-month plan.
Given the RRP of the base model iPhone 17e (with 256GB) is $999, a $300 discount is about 30% off. The 512GB version has an RRP of $1,399, making it closer to a 21% drop in price.
So, why are we publishing a news piece about a single phone deal from a single telco? Simple: The iPhone 17e was our 2026 pick for best phone of the year, in the most recent WhistleOut Awards. In a market where year-on-year phone prices are increasing, despite their comparative upgrades decreasing, the iPhone 17e was a refreshing change.
It launched with the same price as its predecessor, while still including some meaningful upgrades such as processing power, a more scratch-resistant screen, MagSafe support, and twice the storage.
It's easily one of the best phones you can get for its price, so a $300 discount isn't something to snub your nose at – assuming you're in the market for a phone on a repayment plan.
Comparing this deal
As with any phone repayment term from one of the big three telcos, you'll also need a postpaid mobile plan along with your shiny new handset. We'll take a look at Optus' iPhone 17e plans, then see how the cheapest one compares.
These are the Optus iPhone 17e deals:
And here are the cheapest plans from Vodafone and Telstra:
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Vodafone
$76.91/mth
Min. cost $1,193.76
Link not supplied
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Telstra
$105.91/mth
Min. cost $1,185.76
Link not supplied
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As you can see, Vodafone has a current deal where new postpaid customers who sign up before August 31 get $13 off for the first 12 months. This knocks its initial plan pricing down below Optus' deal, but over the life of the plan it ends up being a bit more.
Telstra is unsurprisingly a fair bit more expensive, so we can skip it for the rest of the comparison.
Vodafone's discount ultimately amounts to roughly $150 under that telco's standard pricing. But we also need to consider that Vodafone's standard pricing is $2 per month less than Optus', which adds another $72 difference over 36 months.
So, the Optus deal is $300 under Optus' standard pricing over 36 months, while the Vodafone deal is only $222 under it. Either option will save you a decent amount, but Optus' deal is clearly the cheapest if you're after an iPhone 17e, even if it's only by $78.
Alex Angove-Plumb
Digital Content Editor
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