Free laptop with broadband
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Vodafone: The Dell Mini 9 is ultra portable and has a good battery life, so Vodafone's price cut to £20 per month (from £25) looks a steal.
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Currently showing the top 10 of 32 deals which match your search
Show all >Best selling mobile broadband deals
Currently showing the top 10 of 32 deals which match your search Show all >
Free laptop with broadband - what's the deal?
A free laptop with broadband connection? Sounds too good to be true - and in some ways it is. You will find that the suppliers of these deals - currently 3, O2, Vodafone, T-Mobile and Orange - tend to shy away from using the word 'free', although some less scrupulous sellers continue to do so. This is because the deals offer subsidised, not free, laptops. It is more like hire purchase, or taking out a loan, but it is still a great way to get your hands on a shiny new laptop or netbook.
The big names in laptops
Free laptops with broadband aren't bottom of the range models either: the mobile broadband market is growing rapidly, and this leads to what is known as a 'land grab': competition for new customers is fierce between the big players, as they struggle for market share. This can only be a good thing for consumers.
Depending on which provider you choose, you will be able to choose a brand new laptop from one of the top manufacturers: at the time of writing, deals are in place for Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Fujitsu, Asus, Acer, Samsung, Compaq and Toshiba machines, with everything from tiny netbooks to full size laptops available. That pretty much covers all the bases.
Why would anyone want to give away free laptops?
As we mentioned - and really need to stress - they aren't 'free'. If you look at the table above you'll see the monthly payments for free laptop with broadband deals are much higher than normal mobile broadband contracts, and all the deals are long-term. Think of mobile broadband free laptop deals as hire purchase agreements rather than free gift offers: you get the mobile broadband connection plus a laptop up front, and then pay for both over the course of 18 or 24 months.
Will I be tied into a mobile broadband contract for ever?
Certainly not - in fact, it's very important to note down when your contract reaches its end: you may not be informed by your mobile broadband supplier when the contract is up, so you could end up continuing to pay the subsidised price fro longer than you need to. As soon as your deal reaches its end, be sure to either cancel or renegotiate it down to a cheaper one, which just pays for the mobile broadband itself - unless of course by that time you want another laptop!
So which one should I choose?
While none of us can predict the future (even the Genie), do your best to think where your life may be in two years' time. A funky little netbook may seem like a great idea now, but will it 24 months down the line? Perhaps a fully specced laptop is going to be more practical in the long-term? Remember - this deal is going to be with you for a long time.
Free laptops with broadband are a brilliant idea for a good number of people, particularly those without immediate capital that can ensure a fixed income that will cover the contract cost over a couple of years (new university students are a great example). And you can be sure Broadband Genie will keep this page up to date with all the latest free laptop with broadband deals.
