AT&T first in US to offer Microsoft Surface 3 with LTE starting July 24th
Three weeks ago ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley wrote that the Surface 3 with LTE was rolling out in Japan, Germany, and the UK. Starting this Friday, 24 July, US customers can pick up the Surface 3 with LTE from AT&T.
A commercial version of the Surface 3 with LTE will be launching for business customers in the coming weeks. You will be able to buy one for $0 down and pay $30 per month for 20 months on an AT&T Tablet Installment plan on Friday. This is the 64GB internal storage/2GB RAM model where the comparable WiFi-only Surface 3 retails for $499.
Check out the ZDNet review of the Surface 3 that earned an 8/10 rating from the editor.
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AT&T did not provide information on the 128GB storage/4GB RAM model that is also listed on the Microsoft site. AT&T confirmed that this is the commercial version launching in the coming weeks.
AT&T is also offering up the 64GB/2GB Surface 3 for $399.99 if you purchase a Lumia smartphone on AT&T Next. The fine print states that the Surface 3 needs to be activated with a 2-year agreement to get it at this price. I just recently reviewed the AT&T Lumia 640 XL that would make a great, low-cost companion to the Microsoft Surface 3 with LTE.
If you are an existing AT&T customer with a Mobile Share Value plan then you can pay $10 to add the Surface 3 with LTE to your account and share the data you currently pay for. If you are not an AT&T customer, then you can purchase data at the rate of $10 per GB in 3GB and 5GB blocks.
While you can use your smartphone to serve as a hotspot for your tablet, it is more convenient and power efficient to have an integrated LTE radio in the tablet itself. If you are a current AT&T customer, $10 to share your data with your tablet is a great deal.