Affiliate links on Android Authority may earn us a commission. Learn more.
On the coattails of T-Mobile, Sprint also launches a (dubious) 'unlimited' plan
It looks like T-Mobile isn’t the only carrier making the bet that consumers can’t stand data caps. Hot on the heels of Magenta’s Uncarrier move number 12 initiative to end tiered data plans, Sprint has just announced that it too will refine its unlimited offering. The new plan is dubbed Unlimited Freedom and it will hit the streets tomorrow, Aug. 19th.
This is a chance for Sprint to capitalize on the shortcomings of the T-Mobile ONE assault. Are they taking advantage of it? Unfortunately, not necessarily. The pricing certainly looks promising, at $60/month for the first line, $40 for the 2nd, and $30 for subsequent lines up to 10. But caveats are abound when you dive into the details of what Sprint considers unlimited.
Note: Sprint’s chart (above) states that T-Mobile’s new unlimited plan is called Simple Choice, while it is actually called T-Mobile ONE.
For instance, not only will video be “optimized” (limited to 480p) but so too will music quality (up to 500kbps) and even gaming (up to 2mbps). To compare, T-Mobile ONE also caps video at 480p, but doesn’t go as far as to limit other media. However, regarding mobile hotspot use, Unlimited Freedom does include 5GB of 4GB LTE tethering, whereas T-Mobile charges $15/month extra for that.
Depending on how you use your smartphone data and how many lines, Sprint could have the more cost effective deal. Two Unlimited Freedom lines add up to only $100/month, whereas the Uncarrier’s comparable plan would be $20 more. It’s just tricky, because someone who values no limits likely consumes a lot of media on the go, and Sprint’s restrictions may be too much.
Sprint will beat T-Mobile out of the gate by launching Unlimited Freedom tomorrow, close to three weeks ahead of T-Mobile ONE. It will include unlimited talk and text, and it’s also said that Boost (a prepaid subsidiary of Sprint) will also get a comparable unlimited plan, dubbed Unlimited Unhook’d.
Are any Sprint users enticed by the carrier’s new move? How do we feel about the carriers attaching strings to the term “unlimited”? Let’s hear it in the comments below!