Microsoft Surface 3 LTE goes on sale “unlocked” in the U.S., AT&T gets carrier preference for now

Three weeks after first revealing that the Surface 3 (4G LTE) device was launching in a handful of European countries, Microsoft has finally announced when it’s going to arrive for U.S. consumers — and that day is today.

The 4G Surface 3 is available through AT&T today. Business customers can get one at T-Mobile @Work starting July 31. An unlocked version will be available in the U.S. through Microsoft’s retail stores, as well as through partner outlets and other third-party sellers.

The tablet comes in two “unlocked” versions — 64GB and 128GB. However, Microsoft is reminding consumers that they’ll need SIM cards to use the 4G, and thus the computing giant is also offering AT&T and T-Mobile SIMs through its own retail stores across the U.S.

Additionally, AT&T will have exclusive access (among network carriers) to sell the device under contract until July 31, after which T-Mobile will also be offering the tablet to its business customers. It’s also expected to land on Verizon at some point in the future.

Priced at $500 (2GB RAM, 64GB storage) and $600 (4GB RAM, 128GB storage), the Microsoft Surface 3 was announced in March of this year, and launched two months later. The two-in-one tablet/laptop device was a follow-up to the Surface Pro 3 that was introduced in 2014 — though at $800, that was a pricier contraption than its successor, due in large part to its more powerful processor and larger, high-res screen.

Microsoft hasn’t yet announced an official price for the LTE version for the Surface 3, which doesn’t yet appear to be available through its online store, but we’re told it should cost around $100 more than the non-LTE version. That means this device will set you back around $600, but we’ll update here when we can confirm a specific figure.

Today’s news means the Surface 3 LTE is now available in Japan, where it first launched back in June, as well as Germany, the U.K., France, and Spain.

Update

Microsoft has confirmed the pricing for the unlocked version of the Surface 3 LTE — it will set you back $599 for the version with 2GB RAM and 64GB of storage, and $699 for 4GB RAM and 128GB of storage.

Elsewhere, AT&T has also confirmed that its customers can procure the 64GB version for $0 upfront, and then monthly instalments of $30 for 20 months. The carrier is also letting you obtain one for a knockdown £400, when you buy any Lumia smartphone.

Microsoft has issued a correction about the availability of the Surface 3. We have amended this post accordingly.