T-Mobile 'Unleashes' Connected Tablets with New Data Plans

T-Mobile is taking its Un-carrier initiative to the tablet market with its new Tablet's Un-leashed plan. The move will allow customers to purchase slates including the new iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display for no money down with 200MB of free 4G LTE data for life. The latest Un-carrier plan also gives users a host of new data pricing options, including daily and weekly on-demand plans.

Under the plans, users can purchase a daily 4G LTE pass for $5 per day and get up to 500MB data. Weekly passes will get you 1GB of LTE data for $10. If you're going to need access to data more frequently, you can sign up for one of T-Mobile's "always-on" Simple Choice plans. 

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Options include a 500MB LTE plan for $10 a month with additional data available in 2GB increments for an additional $10 per month. So 2.5Gb of data will cost $20, while 4.5GB will run you $30. T-Mobile says Simple Choice plan tablet users will also be eligible for unlimited international data for no additional charge. Technically, the plans offer unlimited data, meaning you're paying for high-speed LTE. Once, you exceed your allotment, you'll be throttled to a slower bandwidth.

Verizon's tablet data plans start at $30 per month for 4GB and increase by $10 increments for each additional 2GB of data. AT&T's DataConnect plans start at $14.99 for 250MB of data, with 3GB costing $30 and 5GB costing $50 per month. Sprint tablet plans start at 25MB for $5, and include a 2GB plan for $15. Purchasing 3GB will run you $34.99, while 6GB costs $49.99. 

As part of T-Mobile's Tablets Un-leashed initiative, customers can choose from the iPad Air that goes on sale Nov. 1, Google's new Nexus 7, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 or the iPad mini with Retina display that hits stores later in the month.

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The $0 down option is only available for 16GB versions of the iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display. Choose that, and you'll have to make 24 payments of $26.25 for the Air and 24 payments of $22.08 for the iPad mini with Retina display. Go for the 32GB or 64GB version of the iPad Air, and you'll have to put down $99.99 or $199.99, respectively, as well as the 24 payments of $26.25. The 32GB and 64GB versions of the iPad mini with Retina display will cost you $99.99 and $199.99 down, in addition to 24 payments of $22.08. 

If you opt for Google's Nexus 7 for $0 down, you'll end up making 24 payments of $16. The Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 will run you 24 payments of $19 if purchased on the $0 down plan.

T-Mobile has been on a roll lately, shaking up everything from its data plans to smartphone upgrades and international data. With the company's 4G LTE network growing rapidly, T-Mobile could be the carrier to watch in the coming months and years.

Daniel P. Howley
LAPTOP Senior Writer
A newspaper man at heart, Dan Howley wrote for Greater Media Newspapers before joining Laptopmag.com. He also served as a news editor with ALM Media’s Law Technology News, and he holds a B.A. in English from The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey.