A Guide To Free Laptops With Mobile Broadband

How to get a free laptop as part of a mobile broadband contract.

These days, more and more companies are offering free hardware in exchange for signing up for a long term mobile broadband contract. Of course, nothing in life is truly free, and whether it be mobile phones, netbooks, or free laptops, the cost of the device is usually covered by a higher monthly fee for your mobile broadband.

These contracts typically run from 12 to 24 months and may or may not be better than purchasing the laptop outright, depending on a number of factors. With the rise in laptop quality coupled with the struggling economy, many consumers who are unable to pay the initial cost are finding free laptop deals an attractive option for deferring payment.

How to get the best value from a free laptop offer

When signing up for a mobile broadband deal, it is best to go with the contract that has the shortest length and the lowest monthly charge. By comparing and contrasting these free laptop packages with the overall cost of paying for everything upfront, you can often find a bundle that not only defers your payments, but offers a discount on the total cost of the laptop as well.

For example, a £30 month deal over 24 months brings the total cost of the contract to £720. If we add in a £10 per month surcharge for the laptop, you are essentially paying £300 for the laptop over the course of two years.

Compared to high interest credit cards, this amount is precipitously smaller. Since these offers are subsidised, they also provide a significant discount when compared to purchasing a laptop and a mobile broadband service separately as well.

Making sure that you meet your mobile broadband needs

Another factor to keep in mind is whether the mobile broadband deal offered in the contract suits your particular needs, both in usage and coverage. Most mobile broadband deals will come with speed and download limits, with the more expensive plans offering higher speed and larger downloads.

If you are a heavy internet user you want to be sure your free laptop deal comes with an applicable data plan, or you might end up paying additional charges on top of the monthly rate.

It is also critical that your mobile broadband is accessible in your area, although most broadband devices work everywhere there is mobile phone coverage.

The benefits of free laptop deals over paying outright

No upfront costs – You can spread out the cost of a laptop over 12 to 24 months
No interest
Mobile Broadband – Get internet on the go anywhere there is mobile phone coverage
Discounted Bundle – Pay less than buying a laptop and broadband separately
Free USB dongle to access mobile broadband from a variety of devices

What to consider when choosing your laptop

Processor – The processor is the brain of your laptop and determines overall speed. Generally, the higher the GHz, the better. For even faster speeds, you can get a laptop with a dual-core processor, which uses two processor cores, or a Quad-core processor, which uses four.
Hard Drive – This is the storage area of your laptop, and will determine how much space there is for programs, music, games, and videos.
Screen Size and Resolution – While the size is important, the resolution is more so, as higher resolutions mean the laptop is capable of displaying higher quality images and video.
Operating System – Most modern laptops will come with Windows 7, but be wary of free laptop deals that offer ancient operating systems like Windows XP.
Random Access Memory (RAM) – RAM is where your computer stores information for easy access while it runs. High RAM allows you to run multiple programs at once without slowing down.

Finding the best mobile broadband laptop deals

As laptops were designed to be used on the go, a free laptop deal is an excellent way to save on a mobile broadband package. Many of these deals come with a free USB dongle to access the service, or have mobile broadband SIM card already embedded inside the laptop. Mobile broadband laptops are ideal for students, businessmen, and technology fanatics alike.

Some Free Laptop providers include: