Australian customers lined up around Apple stores and other retailers Friday to get the iPhone 4S, but for budget-conscious consumers, the new smartphone could be too much for their wallets to handle. To help financially strapped customers, price-comparison service WhistleOut has released a table contrasting the various pricing plans Australian telcos offer.

WhistleOut's Cameron Craig tells consumers that for the best bang for the buck, they shouldn't look further than Telstra's price plan.

"Over the last six months, Telstra's iPhone 4 pricing has been considerably more expensive than competitors," said Craig.

"However, Telstra's new iPhone 4S prices are squarely aimed at taking the fight to Optus and Vodafone, with these price points far better matched with Optus, but still higher than Vodafone, even undercutting Optus on the iPhone 4S 16GB on the $59 cap, which has been one of the most popular and competitive price points."

Vodafone is offering capped plans for the iPhone 4S for $29, $49, $59, and $79. The $29 plan requires monthly payments of $15-$25 for the iPhone 4S. While this is the lowest price among the carriers, the $29 plan might not offer enough data or calls for the average user.

"When it comes to unlimited voice and SMS [short message service], Vodafone provides the best value compared to Optus and Telstra," said Telsyte analyst Alvin Lee.

"If network performance is taken into consideration, Telstra offers good value by only charging $9 more per month on average including repayments for a 16GB iPhone 4S when compared to equivalent plans with other carriers."

Consumers who are looking for an iPhone, but are not necessarily looking for the newest iPhone 4S model should wait for prices on the iPhone 4 to drop in the next few months. In fact, entry-level consumers should also look at buying the iPhone 3GS, which Apple is now offering at even lower prices.

"When it launched, the iPhone was a prestige phone -- expensive and powerful. Now the iPhone is 'mass-tige', with an offering at every price point," said Craig.

"By keeping the iPhone 3GS in the range, Apple's iPhones are more accessible now as they're on entry-level plans, but less aspirational."