AT&T just announced the official pricing and release date for the LTE version of Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8.0 and it’s a bit of a surprise. The Note 8.0 will cost $399, the same price as the Wi-Fi version, if you sign a two-year contract. That’s an unusual move for AT&T. The carrier usually sells tablets for an unsubsidized price and allows customers to pay for data on a month-to-month basis. Lately AT&T has backed off on that, encouraging customers to sign up for contracts with discounts on tablet prices. The unsubsidized option is likely to be available as well, though I couldn’t confirm the price since the Note isn’t on AT&T’s website yet and might not be until the on sale date: June 21.
Signing a two year contract for a tablet might not be all that appealing. AT&T is hoping customers will be more willing to do so if they also sign  up for phone service. If you buy a Galaxy S4, Galaxy S4 Active, or Galaxy Note II phone, you can get the Note 8.0 for $199. $400 all together for a phone and a tablet is a pretty good deal if AT&T’s service is decent in your area. Just be aware of what you’re getting in to.
The press release doesn’t go into details about plans, but it’s likely that AT&T will want customers who take advantage of this bundle to sign up for a shared plan. If you do, it will cost you $95 per month for 1GB of space between both devices. The next step up is 4GB and that will cost $120 per month. The least you will pay per month with a non-shared plans is $75, and that’s for less than 1GB of data per month between both devices. The data choices on AT&T aren’t the greatest.
Aside from that issue, the Galaxy Note 8.0 is a pretty sweet Android tablet. Getting it for just $200 is pretty tempting, especially if you’re a fan of the S Pen or of smaller tablets. Having speedy mobile data available at all times is especially useful for an 8-inch tablet that is more likely to leave the house than a 10-inch one. Personally, I would hesitate to tie myself to a carrier for a tablet. With mobile hotspot on my phone, my Wi-Fi tablet has the connectivity it needs. I know some people think of that as a hassle, though.
Would you sign a two year contract to get a discount on this (or any) tablet?
Actually AT&T and Verizon are matching in price, Verizon does have higher deposits on service and higher disconnect fees. But the both of them are the top two with services. Go prepaid, but if you travel you will regret it.
The wife and I are leaving Verizon in October, period.
AT&T isn’t even a consideration due to their pricing on plans.
This looks no better.
They are going to have to do much better before I consider giving them my business.
This doesn’t seem like much of a deal at all, then again I don’t think I’d go back to AT&T if the phones and service were free.