Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority
TL;DR T-Mobile is replacing 24-month payment terms with 36-month terms for most tablets and smartwatches.
The change affects iPads, the Galaxy Tab S10 FE 5G, and all Apple, Google, and Samsung watches.
This move aligns T-Mobile with rivals AT&T and Verizon, despite its previous advocacy for shorter terms.
T-Mobile offers plenty of freebies and perks that keep its customers satisfied, but the carrier also frequently makes contentious decisions. For its latest move, T-Mobile is reintroducing three-year payment durations on select devices, which is somewhat surprising given the carrier’s previous advocacy for “Phone Freedom” when it transitioned from three-year to two-year payment durations.
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According to a report from DroidLife, T-Mobile is offering a variety of tablets and smartwatches with an extended 36-month term, rather than the typical 24-month term provided by the carrier. Customers can either choose to pay in full for the tablet/smartwatch, or pay monthly for three years — there’s no choice to pay monthly for two years. The report notes that these 36-month terms are new, having previously been listed as 24-month terms.
These longer terms are not yet present on all tablets. Most of Apple’s iPads are now offered on 36-month terms, and even the Galaxy Tab S10 FE 5G is part of the club. However, a bunch of relatively older Samsung tablets are still offered with 24-month terms. All smartwatches from Apple, Google, and Samsung are offered on 36-month terms, though.
AT&T and Verizon currently offer practically all devices (phones, tablets, smartwatches) on 36-month terms. T-Mobile is going back to convention rather than pushing the industry towards a shorter term. It remains to be seen whether the carrier will make the same move for phone EIPs as well.
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