HP laptop subscriptions are a great thing for HP

There’s been some buzz around HP’s laptop subscription service, which has been in the spotlight recently A Linus technical tips video. And for good reason: it seems so Everything is a subscription these days. But it’s not just the miserable feeling that companies are happy to sell you access to movies, music, games and phones; PrintersAnd now even laptops without actually owning them. HP’s subscriptions for its consumer and gaming laptop lines are just a bad deal.

HP is offering subscriptions for four productivity laptops and four gaming laptops, starting at $34.99 per month and $49.99 per month, respectively. There are no initial fees or down payment, just a soft credit check. Every laptop subscription includes a coverage plan with 24/7 support from a live dealer, and you can upgrade to a new model after 12 months. This last part is the most attractive feature of the service. You’ll never own that laptop (you can’t even buy out your lease), but you can get ahead of the curve with a new computer every year, if that’s important to you.

HP has a good trial period, allowing you to cancel in the first 30 days with a full refund. But beyond that, you pay for a full year even if you cancel. End your $130 per month subscription for the Omen Max 16-inch on day 31, and you’ll be charged more than $1,429. (If you cancel after a full year, there’s no fee, although you’ll have to pay for the rest of the month you’re in.) And canceling, whether early or after the year, still leaves you without a laptop. Failure to return devices after cancellation will result in a failure Non-return fees From about the full MSRP of the model, regardless of how much you actually paid. And you Still Don’t have it. According to Terms and ConditionsHP can Lock laptop remotely And pass any late payments on to a collection agency – damaging your credit score.

The harsh consequences of not paying are nothing new, but these subscriptions are still bad deals if you do everything right. the Linus technical tips The video discussed the value of a one-year subscription to the Elitebook 6 G1q they rented, which is about a third of the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $3,206. LTTThe video is only a minor criticism of the subscription value, but by focusing on only the first year’s costs, and quoting the MSRP rather than the retail price, they’re giving HP more freedom than it deserves.

HP laptops rarely sell for MSRP, either in HP.com Or at sites like Best Buy. I I just reviewed an HP laptop With an MSRP of around $4700 I have yet to see it sell for more than $3500. At press time, HP is selling the exact Elitebook configuration for $1,763.30. So, if you rent it for $84.99 a month, you’ll spend more after 21 months than if you bought it outright.

I checked retail prices on all of HP’s subscription laptops (or the closest configuration still available), and the cost of leasing each of them for two years was greater than the cost of purchasing them. Two of them are more expensive for 14-month rentals. You’ll be able to upgrade to any earlier than that, after just 12 months, but this will keep you in service for another year, and the price may change. HP Terms Say: “If you choose to get a laptop upgrade, your fees may change in subsequent months.”

Much like loan-and-lease or buy-now-pay-later agreements, these programs attract people with low incomes but are willing to take advantage of them. I’ll admit, the low bar of entry for a laptop subscription can be tempting for someone who doesn’t have the money to pay for a laptop up front. But if purchasing a new laptop isn’t possible, you’re better off shopping for a used or refurbished model from a few years ago. In fact, you’ll own any laptop you get.

HP wants to entice you with an “affordable” way to stay ahead. But you’ll end up paying more in the long run, and you’ll be at the mercy of HP’s terms, the availability of its hardware, and any part of the software that may change over time. Plus, there’s no point in getting a new laptop every year. By the time your old laptop slows down or a new generation of GPUs arrive, you’ll have spent much more than the price of a new machine.

Edge I reached out to HP with questions about the laptop’s subscription program, but company representatives did not respond by press time.