Do you need a 4G iPad?

By Alex Choros

Last updated 15 June 2018

If you're thinking about picking up a new iPad, you've got an important choice to make: whether to save money and get a Wi-Fi only model or splurge on one with cellular connectivity.

A 4G iPad is certainly a nice luxury - whenever you unlock it, you're already connected to the internet, wherever you are. You don't need to find public Wi-Fi or connect it to a personal hotspot if you're on the go, and you're not running down your phone's battery in the process if you're doing the latter.

Of course, opting for a 4G iPad will cost around $200 more than the same model in a Wi-Fi only configuration, and you'll also need to pick up a second mobile plan to go with it. There are ways to minimise the cost of a secondary phone plan, but we'll go into that shortly.

First, you need to think about where you're going to use your iPad. If it's mostly at home, an office, or another space with easy Wi-Fi access, the premium probably isn't worth it. If you're a frequent traveller, are looking to use your iPad on the train, or don't tend to work in a fixed location, a 4G iPad could be worth the investment.

So you've decided you want a 4G iPad

If you've decided you'll get value out of a 4G iPad, you'll need to decide how to buy it. You've got two main options: on a plan, or outright.

If you're looking at buying a tablet on a plan, we think it's best that you stick with your current provider if you're already with Telstra, Optus, or Vodafone. This will let you pool your phone data with tablet data for a larger shared allowance, which can save you money in the long run.

If you've already got more data than you're using on your mobile, it's worth considering an entry-level plan. For example, if you're looking at the entry level 32GB 4G iPad, you're looking at $669 outright. Alternatively, you can get it for $30 per month on Telstra with 1GB of data. That's $720 over 24 months, which is only $51 more than you'd pay outright. And you don't have to drop over $600 in one go. Similar holds true on entry level iPad Pro plans, but you end up spending around $150 extra over two years when compared to an outright purchase.

Optus and Vodafone's iPad plans aren't quite as cheap as Telstra's, starting at $40 per month and $34 per month respectively, but they're still not bad options.

If you decide to buy your 4G iPad outright, you'll still need a SIM and a plan to go with it. Here's some cheap data-only no-contract plans with at least 5GB:

#1	Belong	Belong 20GB Data SIM Only 20GB Data No Contract $15/mth Min. cost $15 Link not supplied	$15/mth Min. cost $15	Link not supplied
#2	Vodafone	Vodafone Small Data Plan 60GB Data No Contract Deal Get 60GB of data each month (incl. 30GB bonus data) on the Small Data plan. T&Cs apply. $20/mth Min. cost $20 Link not supplied	$20/mth Min. cost $20	Link not supplied
#3	Optus	Optus 20GB Optus Choice Plus Data Plan (M2M) 20GB Data No Contract $20/mth Min. cost $20 Link not supplied	$20/mth Min. cost $20	Link not supplied
#4	Telstra	Telstra Upfront Data Plan Small 30GB Data No Contract Deal Get 3 months Telstra Device Security. $25/mth Min. cost $25 Link not supplied	$25/mth Min. cost $25	Link not supplied
#5	Aussie Broadband	Aussie Broadband Regular Data Only 5G SIM 25GB Data No Contract $25/mth Min. cost $25 Link not supplied	$25/mth Min. cost $25	Link not supplied

If you're a Telstra small business customer, you can add a data-sharing SIM to your account for an extra $5 per month. This SIM doesn't add data to your account, but gives you access to your existing allowance on another device.