Pop quiz: what do you get when a top phone carrier collaborates with a smart luggage brand? A super smart suitcase that’s designed to keep you connected. And, in this particular case, one that you can practically spot from 35,000 feet in the air.
T-Mobile has collaborated with New York-based luggage brand Samsara Luggage to design a suitcase loaded with most of the things you need to stay productive while traveling.
The result is Un-carrier On (opens in new tab), a smart carry-on that is packed to the brim with useful smart features. It’s now available for pre-order for $325 (without tax) in the US, and in true T-Mobile fashion, comes in one shade and one shade only: magenta.
As for its smart features, it does come with what you’d expect from smart luggage, which are a removable power bank and a USB-C port for charging. But, it also kicks it up a notch with a flat-top work surface to put your laptop on, Samsara’s Tag Smart luggage tracking, an adjustable aluminum telescopic handle, and oh yeah… wireless charging – because USB-C charging is so last year.
Of course, you’re also getting the basics, including a TSA-approved combination lock and 360-rotating spinner wheels. The brands even threw in a set of eight packing cubes to keep you organized.
Un-carrier On orders are expected to ship later in November, just in time for your holiday travels.
Opinion: it sort of makes sense
You might wonder why T-Mobile is now making its own suitcase. While this might be part of the carrier’s campaign to promote its latest Un-carrier move, Coverage Beyond (opens in new tab), which gives T-Mobile customers free Wi-Fi all flight long on the biggest U.S. airlines as well as 5GB of free high-speed data per month and free texting in 215+ destinations around the world (qualifying plans only), it’s not really as weird as it seems for a phone carrier to get into the travel accessories business.
Our phones and phone plans are just as much a big part of travel as other obvious travel accessories. Whether we’re traveling for business or going on holiday, we rely on our phones to find the best restaurants in which to try the local cuisine, call an Uber, check in for an upcoming flight, and even just navigate an unfamiliar place.
So, when you think about it, it kind of makes sense for a phone carrier to have its own line of travel accessories as well. Not that we’re saying T-Mobile is planning on doing that. At the moment, I’m told that it doesn’t have any plans to sell its own travel gadgets beyond this smart luggage.
Never say never, though. I’m already crushing on this one, even though I’m not sure if the color magenta is for me, as Samsara has become a well-known luggage brand, and I have admittedly been eyeing its suitcases for a while now. And, if it proves successful, a matching weekender or a checked suitcase is certainly not improbable.
To be fair, the Un-carrier On isn’t going to be the best luggage for everyone, not with that price. But, considering all the features it comes with – its wireless charging capability is a nice upgrade and its luggage tracking feature means that losing your luggage isn’t going to be as big of a headache as before – it sounds like it’s going to be one of the best value suitcases on the shelves.
