Deutsche Telekom launches new 5G tablet for €1

Operator Deutsche Telekom has bolstered its low-cost T Phone range with a the T Tablet courtesy of a collaboration with Google.

The T Tablet is being sold for €1 when purchased with the operator’s Magenta Mobile or Data plans –  or on its own for €219 –  and will be available from August 24th. It’s already got a range of own-branded phones, but this is its first tablet.

It will be launching in Germany, Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Montenegro, northern Macedonia, Poland, Slovakia and the US where it’s subsidiary T-Mobile seems to have opted to brand it REVVL.

Specs wise, the T Tablet has a 10.4-inch screen, dual SIM, an 8-megapixel front-facing camera, and an option to expand the 128 GB internal storage to 2 TB via micro-SD card. There’s also 100 GB of Google One cloud storage bundled in for three months.

In terms of the collaboration with Google, the release states: “With the T Tablet and T Phone, the two companies are combining their strengths. By seamlessly combining hardware, software and network, this cooperation enables 5G access for all.”

It ‘offers a digital experience for young users in particular’ apparently, by which it seems to mean access to Google Kids Space which is available on selected Android devices. While this isn’t exclusive to this tablet, the release makes much of the importance of ‘digital learning’ and ‘the availability of affordable end devices for all students’ – so that’s where it’s being pitched, as well as the more general promise that the device ‘enables 5G access for all.’

“With the new T Tablet, we are taking another important step toward making the network of the future accessible to everyone – and at a very affordable price,” said Dr Christian Loefert, Head of Marketing Communications, Training and Mobile Devices, Telekom Deutschland. “Our goal is for even more people to benefit from the possibilities of our ever-growing 5G network. We are particularly pleased that we can use our devices to drive digitization in the education sector. A digital, connected life is the future and Telekom wants to play an active role in shaping it.”

Alongside the tablet, new models of the T Phone are also being dropped with a new colour, more ROM memory, NFC, an updated front camera, and the Android 13 operating system. Similarly, this will also be available from August 24th for €1 with certain plans.

Selling hardware essentially as a loss leader happens elsewhere in the world of tech, such as with games consoles, and this very low-cost tablet could well help DT gain some customers.

In these times of economic strife, we’re increasingly hearing from governments about the need for low-cost access to the internet, usually communicated alongside terms like the ‘digital divide’ – so the move may also benefit from being in synch with that messaging.

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