Is T-Mobile now the best place to buy a tablet without spending a lot up front? iPad Air $0 down and $26.25 a month.

The words of the day are "installment payments".

T-Mobile just announced that it will offer the new iPad Air with $0 down and 24 monthly payments of $26.25. That’s for the 16GB model, while the 32GB model will cost $99.99 down and the 64GB model will cost $200 down and cost $26.25 each month. Meanwhile, the iPad mini with Retina will cost $99.99 down for the 32GB model while the 64GB option will cost $199.99 down. That tablet will require monthly payments of $22.08. The iPad mini with Retina will launch later in November. The old iPad mini will cost $0 down with 24 monthly payments of $17.91.

T-Mobile’s tablet plans include a $10 monthly unlimited data plan ($20 for new customers), though it only includes 500MB at LTE speeds on top of the free 200MB. Customers can add 2GB increments of additional LTE data for $10 per each 2GB package, the company said. Like AT&T, it will offer daily plans for 500MB of 4G LTE data for $5, or weekly passes of unlimited data with 1GB of LTE speeds for $10.

As we already knew from news yesterday, each month T-Mobile will provide 200MB of data free for the life of your device. That’s relatively small, but it’s good enough for quickly checking Facebook or your email.

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 will cost 0 down with $19 for 24 months ($456 with T-Mobile and $449 through Best Buy), while the Nexus 7 (2013) is also $0 down with 24 monthly payments of $16 ($384 with T-Mobile and $349 with Google Store online).

At the end of the day, you’ll be paying $630 for the iPad Air (24 months x $26.25) or $529.92 for the iPad mini with Retina display (24 x $22.08 each month). Those prices are the same as if you would have bought the same version of the tablet directly from Apple. The benefit here, installment payments. If you can't or don't want to spend a large sum of money up front to own a tablet without interest payments from a credit card, this is a great option. Plus with these versions of the tablets, you have the option to be more mobile with your tablet rather than just using it on at home (vacations and road trips).  T-Mobile will also offer a trade-in program for anyone who wants to switch over to its plans.

Below is the official press release:

T-Mobile Revolutionizes How Customers Buy and Use Tablets 
with Free Data for Life 

T-Mobile is the only major national wireless provider offering customers free 4G LTE data every month for as long they own their device

All tablets start at incredible introductory price of $0 down

Revolutionary Simple Choice plan enables tablet customers to enjoy unlimited data worldwide – at no extra charge

BELLEVUE, Wash. - Oct. 23, 2013 - If you purchased one of the nearly 90 percent[i] of all tablets that only connect over Wi-Fi because you worried mobile connections would mean big monthly bills, listen up.

Just two weeks after upending the wireless industry with its Un-carrier 3.0 moves, T-Mobile US, Inc. (NYSE: TMUS), America’s new No. 1 choice in wireless[ii], is at it again. In its latest Un-carrier move, T-Mobile today announcedTablets Un-leashed, a revolutionary approach to make tablets just as mobile and connected as smartphones.

“Tablets are supposed to be un-tethered like smartphones, but it hasn’t worked out that way because people know carriers will charge them an arm-and-a-leg for mobile data,” said John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile. “Carriers figured out a long time ago that they could make money – a lot of money – by forcing customers into restrictive, overpriced data plans. We changed it for smartphones and we’re changing it for tablets.”

T-Mobile is the only major national wireless provider to make tablets affordable, connected and mobile right out of the box. There’s no bait and switch, no trial period and no strings attached. T-Mobile is the only national wireless provider to offer tablet owners up to 200 MB of free 4G LTE data every month for as long as they own their tablet, even if they’re not yet a T-Mobile customer.[iii] It’s really as good as it sounds – 200 MB of free data on T-Mobile’s nationwide 4G LTE network. That means each month customers can send approximately 800 Instagram photos, more than 2,500 emails or stream 200 minutes of music – all for free.

Customers wanting more data can choose from a range of simple, affordable and flexible options – with no annual service contracts, no data overages and a blazing-fast nationwide 4G LTE network. T-Mobile offers daily, weekly and monthly options for adding 4G LTE data. For T-Mobile voice customers, ‘always-on’ tablet plans start at just $10 a month for unlimited data including 500 MB of 4G LTE data each month. Customers can add even more 4G LTE data in 2 GB increments for just $10 more per month. For customers who would rather have the flexibility of on-demand data, T-Mobile offers daily and weekly passes. Daily passes include unlimited data with 500 MB of 4G LTE data starting at just $5. The weekly passes include unlimited data with 1 GB of 4G LTE data for $10. No caps. No overages. Just simple value.

Additionally, postpaid customers who add a monthly Simple Choice tablet plan automatically get unlimited data to include more than 100 countries worldwide, at no extra charge. This means that T-Mobile’s home data coverage area for tablets is now larger than AT&T’s and Verizon’s combined.

T-Mobile is driving unparalleled value for tablets across its entire line-up. New and existing customers will get affordable and hassle-free access to the latest 4G LTE tablets at the upfront price of $0 down with monthly device payments. With incredible upfront pricing and great value rate plans, T-Mobile has the lowest total cost of ownership among the top US carriers for tablets. In fact, compared to similar AT&T plans, consumers can save up to hundreds of dollars over two years with T-Mobile’s Tablets Un-leashed offer.

“By offering free data for life with incredible upfront pricing, T-Mobile is un-leashing customers to fully enjoy tablets as they were meant to be enjoyed – mobile and connected,” Legere said.

T-Mobile Announces Tablet Trade-In Program and New Device
T-Mobile today also announced plans to extend its existing smartphone trade-in program to tablets. Beginning Nov. 1, anyone with a qualifying tablet can bring it into a participating          T-Mobile store – even if it’s only Wi-Fi capable – and receive a discount on a new tablet.

Tablets in T-Mobile’s portfolio will include:

• Google Nexus 7 (2013), Google’s flagship 7-inch LTE tablet, featuring a stunning 7-inch full HD display and virtual surround sound is built to deliver the best of Google in a slim, light and extremely portable tablet. T-Mobile today announced it will offer the Nexus 7 beginning Nov. 20 for $0 down with 24 equal monthly device payments of $16.[iv]

• Samsung Galaxy Tab(TM) 2 10.1, with its brilliant 10.1-inch display, lets customers take entertainment, like games, music, movies and social networking, on the go while taking advantage of T-Mobile’s nationwide 4G LTE network. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 is currently available for $0 down with 24 equal monthly device payments of $19.iv

About T-Mobile US, Inc.: 
As America’s Un-carrier, T-Mobile US, Inc. (NYSE: “TMUS”) is redefining the way consumers and businesses buy wireless services through leading product and service innovation. The company’s advanced nationwide 4G LTE network delivers outstanding wireless experiences for customers who are unwilling to compromise on quality and value. Based in Bellevue, Wash., T-Mobile US provides services through its subsidiaries and operates its flagship brands, T-Mobile and MetroPCS. It currently serves approximately 44 million wireless subscribers and provides products and services through 70,000 points of distribution. For more information, please visit http://www.t-mobile.com.

Source: T-Mobile.com; Apple.com; Bestbuy.com; play.google.com;