Requirements:
- You must BYOD one of three eligible devices:
- You must sign up with Sprint and use auto pay
There is no mention of needing to have a phone line with Sprint. It sounds like the total price of the "free unlimited data" will be more than $0, due to undisclosed fees and probably taxes.
Scant details on Sprint website:
Free unlimited data from Sprint in 2018 with AutoPay on select devices.
(i) After 12/31/18 pay $15/mo. with AutoPay. Video streams at up to 480p resolution, music up to 500 Kbps, gaming up to 2 Mbps. 10GB of high-speed Mobile Hotspot, VPN, and P2P data included. Other monthly charges apply.**
Eligible devices:
ASUS NovaGo, HP Envy x2, Lenovo Miix 630
Featuring the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 835 Mobile PC Platform with X16LTE modem. These 2-in 1 PCs deliver longer battery life, always-on connectivity and other smartphone-like features.
https://www.sprint.com/en/shop/pl…ected.html
Fine print from press release:
Offer valid through December 31, 2018 with select Always Connected PCs. After 12/31/18 pay $15/month, a savings of $5/month when signed up for AutoPay discount. Video streams at up to 480p resolution, music up to 500 Kbps, gaming up to 2 Mbps. VPN, and P2P data included. Other monthly charges apply.** Eligible devices are the ASUS NovaGo, HP Envy x2, Lenovo Miix 630. Eligible devices are not currently sold in Sprint retail channels.
https://www.qualcomm.co
IMO the 10GB of mobile hotspot makes this hot if you already carry a laptop or tablet around on a daily basis for work or school, and you don’t need a lot of voice calling. If your usage is data-heavy and voice-light, you could pair this $15/month service with T-Mobile’s $3 prepaid plan that gives you 100 voice calling minutes per month.
However, I’m hesitant to plunk down $700-$1000 for a device, for several reasons:
- There’s no guarantee the $15/month plan will last for any length of time. "Free" until the end of the year is nice, but I think the real value is in the $15/month.
- I don’t know much about these "Qualcomm Snapdragon Always Connected PCs."
- What is "Windows 10 S"? Is it a full operating system, or a crippled one, like Windows RT?
- Are the devices capable of dual-booting operating systems?
- Will the Sprint SIM continue to work if I change the operating system?
- Does "smartphone-like capability" mean that I’ll be restricted to installing apps from an app store?
- I like the flexibility and anonymity of prepaid cellular service.
- It would be nice to know the total price, after "other monthly charges."
Comments on these issues welcome.