Mobile Broadband with Laptops

Here at Choose we're old enough to remember when the very first free laptop deals were launched with fixed line broadband from AOL at The Carphone Warehouse.

These days you're much more likely to find a free laptop when you take out mobile broadband.

Free Laptops? Really?

Well, no not really. So called 'free' laptop deals are really just an add-on that you'll pay for within the cost of your broadband.

That's not to say that they're necessarily a bad deal, though. The very best free laptop broadband deals actually offer a saving over buying the laptop and mobile broadband as two separate products. For example, this month:

• 3 iPad with 3 mobile broadband 10GB: £230 saving.
• Samsung N145 laptop with 3 mobile broadband 5GB [Ed: package no longer available, see 3]: £70.24 saving.

Still, you'll never get good value for money from free laptops unless you make full use of the mobile broadband.

However, the relatively small usage allowances and slow speeds available to mobile broadband users mean that this way of getting online is really only suitable for browsing and emailing.

Are the free laptops on offer any good?

There are a wide range of free laptops on offer with mobile broadband from some well-known PC brands including Asus, Samsung, Toshiba, Sony and HP (sometimes branded as Compaq).

As you might expect, they tend to be from the budget end of the laptop scale so don't expect to get a Macbook Air or a HP Envy (note for non-geeks: two super-fancy premium laptops) but many are very high performing nonetheless.

There are currently seventeen free laptops, netbooks and tablets available in various mobile broadband deals so there's quite a range to choose from. We review every laptop that you can see in our free laptop with mobile broadband comparison table but we've also listed some more general pointers on what to look out for below.

Laptops vs. netbooks vs. tablets

Many of the laptops broadband deals available at the moment aren't actually offering laptops at all but netbooks and tablets.

Netbooks are miniature laptops and tablets are one-screen computers like the iPad, they have an 11" screen or smaller (screens are measured from corner to corner on the diagonal).

Netbooks and tablets have the advantage of being highly portable so they're perfect for using your mobile broadband on the go. On the negative side, they have much less memory, a smaller keyboard - which makes typing for extended periods tricky - and often don't have a DVD drive.

Our top three features to check free laptops for:

• Long battery life if you're going to make full use of your mobile broadband chances are you'll be away from the mains at least some of the time.
• Non-glare screens a real plus if you'll be using your laptop outside or on the train.
• Adequate memory need somewhere to store your music, photos and work databases? Make sure you'll have enough space.

Current Laptop and Netbook Best Buys

Note that these are best buys based on laptop or netbook performance only, see the end of the guide for our overall best buys.

Value for Money

The best way to check if your free laptop broadband deal is good value is to compare what you'll spend over the length of your contract with the cost of buying the laptop and mobile broadband separately.

Lucky for you, we work this out in all of our mobile broadband with free laptop reviews.

As a general rule of thumb 'free' laptops tend to be around £20 more expensive when you get them in a bundle with mobile broadband.

Remember, as counter-intuitive as it sounds, settling for less usage allowance with your mobile broadband rather than more could end up being more expensive since mobile broadband is expensive over allowance.

Additionally, larger usage limits on mobile broadband laptop deals often offer the best value for money.

Potential problems

• Credit Checks Since free laptop deals are a fairly long-term commitment some mobile broadband providers credit check you when you sign up (3 and Orange) while others require you to have lived in the UK for at least five years (O2).
  
  As a result, some mobile broadband with laptop deals may only be suitable for you if you've had credit commitments in the past and aren't in a large amount of debt.
• Cancellation Fees You should also bear in mind that free laptop deals will require you to sign up for 18 or 24 months and cancellation half-way through means you'll have to make all your outstanding monthly payments as a lump sum.
  
  However, some mobile broadband providers do offer 30-day money back guarantees. Mobile broadband coverage being what it is the opportunity to test the service in your area before you're tied down for the next year and a half can't be bad.
• Warranties It's also worth checking out the warranties available on your free laptop before you sign up. O2 and Orange now offer a 24 month warranty, the length of your contract, while 3 and Vodafone only offer 12 month warranties on their 2 year contracts.
  
  A warranty is no substitute for insurance on laptops, especially if you think you could damage your laptop while out and about but no mobile broadband companies currently offer more comprehensive cover at the checkout.

All in all, while these potential problems are worth keeping in mind when you're looking for a laptop deal they're all fairly simple to solve.

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