The iPad mini ’s pint - sized frame was made with portability in mind , and the arrival of a 4 G LTE - equip theoretical account at three of the res publica ’s top cellular supplier this morning do it easier than ever to keep your tablet connect while on the road . But which common carrier has the best tidy sum ?
Sprint , AT&T and Verizon all trade the exact sameiPad minifor $ 459 , or $ 130 more than the Wi - Fi only interpretation . But the carrier wave deviate when it comes to pricing and 4 gram LTE insurance coverage area . Let ’s take a aspect at the item to see which web offers the biggest charge for your dollar bill .
The 4 gibibyte iPad mini ( finally ) ship today , but which carrier should you get yours through ? Laptop Magazine ’s Brad Chacoswalks you through your optionsright here .
iPad mini Pricing
The 4 grand LTE - equipped variants of the iPad miniskirt cost $ 459 , $ 559 and $ 659 for the 16 GB , 32 GB , and 64 GB good example , severally . AT&T , however , is running a limited time promotion where the provider is tap $ 100 off the cost of a tablet if you contract up for a 2 - year datum subscription when you buy it , which almost brings the price back down to Wi - Fi - only levels . Just be certain toweigh the pros and consbefore send to an extended data plan .
[ MORE : Top 10 Tablets Available Now ]
Carrier Data Pricing
There are two ways to calculate at carrier pricing for the iPad miniskirt : you’re able to link your tablet to an existing data plan , or since you have to pay full Mary Leontyne Price for it ( AT&T promotion excluded ) , you’re able to sign on up for a no - commitment monthly data point plan . get ’s take a flavour at the no - committedness pricing first :
Verizon ’s the obvious pick in the $ 20 per month range , while AT&T tender the most data point for your Pearl Buck at $ 30 and Sprint save the better no - contract per - dollar data in the $ 50 and up range . There are a couple of other cistron to consider , as well . Sprint is currently waiving the connection fee for new cellular - equipped tablets , while Verizon does n’t charge activating , re - connection or overage fee for prepaid tablets .
The values skew a bit if you ’re considering supply your iPad mini to an be data point programme , however . Both Verizon and AT&T allow you to add tablets to a share information plan for just $ 10 per month . If you have a bit of squirm room in your monthly usage , you might not even want to increase your datum pool . If you do decide to pay for a tumid information kitty to describe for your new iPad mini , however , Verizon ’s the well heap .
Both companies extend similar prices at 4 GB of data per calendar month and below , but if you make up one’s mind to go above that , Verizon ’s tiered construction sum up 2 GB to your pool for an extra $ 10 . ( $ 80 for 6 GB , $ 90for 8 GB , etc . ) AT&T does n’t offer as many data tiers , and it charge more for its 6 GB and 10 GB tiers than Verizon .
[ MORE : AT&T vs Verizon : Who Has the Best Shared Data Plan ? ]
If you ’re a Sprint contributor , you’re able to attach the iPad mini to your smartphone account to unlock some new rates . Paying $ 10 per calendar month beat you 100 MB of pill data , while paying $ 15 per month give your mini 1 GB of datum . That ’s a much good quite a little than the 300 MB of data Sprint offers month - to - month lozenge user for $ 15 .
4G LTE Coverage
Image course credit : Verizon Wireless
Price is only part of the equating , however . Much of the joy of having a 4 G LTE - equip iPad mini entails basking in those brisk 4 G LTE pep pill , but you ’ll be stick on a molasses - dull 3 G electronic web if your chosen mailman does n’t offer 4 GB in your area . How do Sprint , AT&T and Verizon pile up when it comes to 4 G LTE coverage ? It ’s really no compare .
Verizon:440 cities , with raw locale tot on an almost daily basis . Verizon claim all of its customers will have 4 G LTE entree by mid-2013 , and its speeds are blazing tight .
AT&T : The nation ’s secondly - largest toter also has the nation ’s second - with child LTE web , announcing today that its 4 G LTE connection now extends to103 marketsand 150 million Americans . AT&T skip to bring that total to 200 million masses by the end of next year .
dash : Sprint ’s in the early stages of its 4 1000 LTE turn over out and only32 major metropolitan areasare presently covered . The companionship has announced plans to inflate to an extra 125 markets in the future .
Which Carrier Has the Best Deal for the iPad mini?
Sprint offers competitive 3 gilbert and up prepaid plans , but we hesitate to advocate the postman due to its babe LTE connection : Many masses would simply be perplex on 3 G speed for at least a while . AT&T offer the skilful deal on a 3 GB prepaid architectural plan , but Verizon ’s vast LTE electronic web , 1 GB for $ 20 prepaid tier up , and flexible divvy up datum pricing makes it the iPad mini carrier of pick if you ’re shopping for a cellular - equip lozenge .
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