Just a day after Apple announced it would be bringing the iPad and iPad mini to Sprint, the carrier has announced a new set of data plans that it says will offer customers 20 percent more data that its US competitors for the same pricing.

Sprint is offering four flavors of the new no-contract plans, starting at $14.99 for 300MB of data per month, and ranging all the way up to 12GB of data for $79.99. Sprint has also said it won't be charging activation fees for new 3G or LTE tablet customers for the time being (no information was provided on how long that promotion will last). We're including a full run-down of the pricing plans below.

Customers that already have a smartphone on Sprint's network get an even better deal, with the carrier allowing them to add on to their current contract: a 1GB monthly plan is available for $15, while a 100MB plan will cost $10.

As for Sprint's claims about savings? If you're a Verizon or AT&T customer, the new plans might look rather appealing. Verizon's off-contract tablet plans charge $30 for 2GB of data, and $50 for 5GB. The high-end $80 plan will cover 10GB of usage; Sprint is indeed offering 20 percent more by providing users with 12GB for the same price. On AT&T the issue is a little less clear. AT&T does offer 3GB a month for $30, which is actually cheaper than Sprint's new offerings, but $50 will net you only 5GB of data — and for anything more than that, users have to look at overage charges.

The new plans go into effect on November 11th, and while they aren't tied to any particular brand or device, it comes as no surprise they're going live just a week after Apple's latest tablet is expected to ship.