|
So my HTC one m8 is all but dead at this point after an unfortunate fall into a puddle. I can still use the keyboard but basically everything else is broken. My question for you guys is, aside from bells and whistles like 2k res, is there any functional reason to drop $600+ for a latest gen phone? Slickdeals has a galaxy s5 for $200 right now, Verizon dropped my bill by $40 a month for being off contract and I'd like to keep it that way. Thoughts?
|
#
?
Sep 19, 2015 14:02
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 26, 2024 17:58 |
|
|
mang posted:So my HTC one m8 is all but dead at this point after an unfortunate fall into a puddle. I can still use the keyboard but basically everything else is broken. My question for you guys is, aside from bells and whistles like 2k res, is there any functional reason to drop $600+ for a latest gen phone? Slickdeals has a galaxy s5 for $200 right now, Verizon dropped my bill by $40 a month for being off contract and I'd like to keep it that way. Thoughts? I'd say no, there isn't a compelling reason to be on the bleeding edge for $600 but being on Verizon changes the math somewhat due to the there being fewer options. It's really a matter of whether you'd be happy with a device from the era you had rather than the current one.
|
|
#
?
Sep 19, 2015 18:04
|
|
|
http://slickdeals.net/f/8111910-16g...SiteSearchTest2 That's the deal, and I never felt like I needed better hardware than the stuff I currently have in my m8. Just for full clarity, I can purchase that phone and have them activate it and not have to change my current plan, right?
|
|
#
?
Sep 19, 2015 18:12
|
|
|
mang posted:http://slickdeals.net/f/8111910-16g...SiteSearchTest2 I know little about the vagaries of Verizon, hopefully someone else can assure you that that is the case but I would assume so.
|
|
#
?
Sep 19, 2015 18:50
|
|
|
You should be able to just swap your SIM from your current phone to the new one assuming they're the same size.
|
|
#
?
Sep 19, 2015 19:31
|
|
|
Country/Provider: United States/T-Mobile Current contract status: It's the 1 year prepaid plan, so it's not really a contract. Budget (phone/plan): I can afford to whale out on this one, no particular preference. But less money spent is always nice. <$800 if I really need to just make up a number. Features I know I want: My main intention is to surf the Internet and play mobile games while out and about. I'm currently using an Android phone, but I'm willing to go iOS if it serves my needs better. I do not want to be on contract, and I absolutely want an unlocked phone. I'd preferably like something with 2 Gb of RAM or better, removable battery and the ability to use external memory. I'd like something with a long battery life if I can get it. A decent camera is a plus, but not a deal-breaker. I currently live in Idaho (yes, we're still on fire), so I would like to go with a carrier that offers at least decent coverage (T-Mobile's is pretty much nil if I travel outside of my city). I don't camp or go out in the boonies at all, just need coverage while I travel along the freeways. I'm a bit of a cell phone virgin, as my current one (an old Galaxy Nexus) was a hand-me-down that I just slapped my SIM card into, so I'm still trying to pick up on all the fine details that goes into smartphones.
|
|
#
?
Sep 19, 2015 20:50
|
|
|
mang posted:http://slickdeals.net/f/8111910-16g...SiteSearchTest2 Correct. You are bringing your own phone, so it doesn't change anything. I forget if the M8 has a micro or nano SIM, if the SIM card sizes are different any Verizon Corp store will swap it for free.
|
|
#
?
Sep 19, 2015 21:09
|
|
|
FeralWraith posted:Country/Provider: United States/T-Mobile With that kind of budget you can afford to go top of the line (iPhone 6S, 6S or Galaxy S6, Note 5 for Android) neither one supports expandable storage though. If you want expandable storage the LG G4 and the new Moto X are both solid choices.
|
|
#
?
Sep 19, 2015 23:59
|
|
|
Is the Moto X Pure Edition an international phone? Going to Italy and want to make sure it'd automatically work with the SIM cards there.
|
|
#
?
Sep 22, 2015 14:16
|
|
|
Rurutia posted:Is the Moto X Pure Edition an international phone? Going to Italy and want to make sure it'd automatically work with the SIM cards there. Yes it handles global bands.
|
|
#
?
Sep 22, 2015 14:55
|
|
|
Can someone walk me through these new device payment plans that AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, and Verizon have now? Is it even possible to just upgrade normally with a 2-year contract? Are they good ideas? I'm supremely non-plussed. I was hoping to preorder the iPhone 6s at Apple and the Apple employee mentioned that keeping my AT&T grandfathered Unlimited plan would be more expensive than switching to an AT&T Next plan. We crunched a few numbers and all of the AT&T Next plans seemed to be less expensive, as stated. I was told to preorder the phone on the AT&T website but when I went to do so, I wasn't able to preorder an iPhone 6s without removing the grandfathered plan from my HTC One, so I switched that to Mobile Shared Value 5GB. When preordering the 6s, AT&Ts website automatically added a second data plane (LTE for iPhone) in addition to the Mobile Shared Value, which would bring my bill more expensive than it was under the Unlimited plan. I haven't preordered the phone and I'm unable to remove the Mobile Shared Value 5GB plan from my account. I've called AT&T a few times about this and they insist that it's perfectly normal to have a Mobile Shared Value plan in addition to this (LTE for iPhone) charge, as well. However, this, combined with the device repayment free, makes my plan more expensive that it was under the Unlimited plan. Not really sure how to move forward without paying more money than I was....Should I just buy the device unlocked? The money isn't a problem, I just don't want to increase my monthly payments.
|
|
#
?
Sep 22, 2015 15:01
|
|
|
deadlyrhetoric posted:Can someone walk me through these new device payment plans that AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, and Verizon have now? Is it even possible to just upgrade normally with a 2-year contract? Are they good ideas? I'm supremely non-plussed. Ok, let's break this down: So basically, Next isn't a plan. Its just buying the phone outright. Whether that's a bad thing or not depends on how the numbers roll. So Next: Buy phone outright Two year contract: discounted phone (offered in most of the country, but there are a few areas that stopped already, and you can only do them at ATT corp stores). Your Old plan: your old plan was based around two year contracts. You could do Next on it, but it will just add a payment on top of it. So your plan was extremely likely something like this: every two years you get a discounted phone. Assume $200 for iPhone 6S, $45 upgrade fee. $40 for 450 mins $20 for unlimited texts $30 for unlimited data =$90 a month plus tax. If you had a discount let me know and i can factor that in. $90 * 24 months + $200 + $45 = $2405 New plans: mobile share plan options are built around purchasing a phone full price. So instead of buying phone at a discount, you buy the full phone over 24 months and you get a discount on the plan instead. Mobile Share Value 5GB Plan: The phone is $27.06 (over 24 month = $650) $50 for call, text, 5GB of data $25 for line access (in this case you have one line) =$75 a month plus tax So basically, instead of $450 off the phone, you get $15 off a month. Math: $75 * 24 months + $650 = $2,450 Note: if you buy the phone outright, it equals the same as Next over 24 months So its very close for you. Points to consider: -if you don't upgrade often, the Mobile Share plans will keep that $15 discount after the phone is paid off' -how much data do you use? if the answer is "over 5GB," uhhh....try and get your plan back -All carriers function this way now: non-discounted phone, discounted plan. Def feel free to shop around, but that's how you would compare -If you are willing to buy outright, prepaid like Cricket (which uses ATT towers) can be $45-50 a month instead of $75. The difference is you don't get roaming coverage and LTE speeds are capped at 8ish MB speeds (normal speeds are 10-30MB) -TMobile can be cheaper, especially the $30 plan for 100 mins, unlimited text and 5GB of data (that plan you also have to buy phone up front), but def check coverage -ATT offers two years contracts, but only in company stores. There are certain areas of the country that it appears they already stopped altogether. I stop by an ATT store if you still want to do two year Basically, it looks like multiple people did a poo poo job explaining it to you, which is not uncommon. Digest the info, make the decision you want to make.
|
|
#
?
Sep 22, 2015 15:27
|
|
|
Duckman2008 posted:New plans: mobile share plan options are built around purchasing a phone full price. So instead of buying phone at a discount, you buy the full phone over 24 months and you get a discount on the plan instead. Thank you for an amazing explanation. Does it make more sense to amortize the cost of the phone over the Next period instead of adding it lump-sum, since I'd be making monthly payments against the device, as well? My order summary screen on AT&T looks like this: Device = $25/mo Mobile Share Value = $50 - $1.50 Discount/mo "For iPhone on LTE" = $40 - $15/mo Total = $98.50/mo I was previously paying $88ish/mo including my service discount, so I'm trying to see if I can keep that $120/yr.
|
|
#
?
Sep 22, 2015 15:58
|
|
|
deadlyrhetoric posted:Thank you for an amazing explanation. Does it make more sense to amortize the cost of the phone over the Next period instead of adding it lump-sum, since I'd be making monthly payments against the device, as well? My order summary screen on AT&T looks like this: Its a matter of preference, $25 * 30 months (your installment plan is 30 months total, you can trade in to upgrade early at 24 months) = $750. ATT does charge a $15 upgrade fee to do next as well, so its basically $15 to have financing free. So it isn't just the monthly plan, with Next its higher because you aren't paying much up front for the phone. Without Next its lower because you're paying the whole thing up front. It evens out in the end.
|
|
#
?
Sep 22, 2015 16:14
|
|
|
Country/Provider: US/ Verizon, could change Current contract status: No contract and elivable for an upgrade Budget (phone/plan): Cant say I have one, I was fine with spending $100 on my current phone, but I can go higher for a good reason Features I know I want: Good gaming hardware, thing like emulators mostly. A good battery life is also useful. Second priority would be a good camera, 4k video would be cool. I currently have a LG G2 and don't mind it. I'm open for any Android phone though. I recall complaints about the software, but I thought it was good enough and never rooted the phone. Rooting is an option if it helps in meeting my requests.
|
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2015 05:14
|
|
|
I've seen a t-mobile $30 plan that has a lot of data mentioned here multiple times, but I am not seeing it on their website.Can someone give me the name of this plan or link me to it?
|
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2015 17:27
|
|
|
NotWearingPants posted:I've seen a t-mobile $30 plan that has a lot of data mentioned here multiple times, but I am not seeing it on their website.Can someone give me the name of this plan or link me to it? As mentioned in the T-mobile thread, the hidden "nerd plan" is listed as a prepaid plan and not available in T-Mobile stores. It's only for new customers and can only be found online or at Wal-mart. Edit: Also you may not be able to use the Chrome browser to sign up for the nerd plan? Walmart is the best way to get on it, strangely enough.
|
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2015 17:29
|
|
|
I'm currently a Verizon customer in a contract for another 2 months. I have 2 separate lines, a personal line and a dedicated business number. I have an Android Samsung Galazy III for my personal and a crappy flip phone for my business line. I'm satisfied with the call quality and coverage, but between the lines I'm paying almost $130/mo. I'm using about 2.5 GB of data, about 1200 minutes of talking and 1000 to 1500 messages. I want to convert the Galazy III to my business line, get a newer, mid range Android for my personal line. Mostly I want to pay less money but I don't want to be on some barebones crappy network that will stop working the moment I leave a metro area. I'm OK with signing up for a plan or spending a couple hundred for a used Android and bringing it with me if that is cheaper. It looks like Cricket is AT&T. I was thinking Net10 Wireless might be an option too. It looks like they have deals with all the major carriers but their customer service is crap. Since I care less about the latest cutting edge phone, and more an affordable way to have access to a great network, what should I be looking for or considering?
|
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2015 17:42
|
|
|
Twerk from Home posted:As mentioned in the T-mobile thread, the hidden "nerd plan" is listed as a prepaid plan and not available in T-Mobile stores. It's only for new customers and can only be found online or at Wal-mart. thanks!
|
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2015 17:58
|
|
|
Zeta Taskforce posted:I'm currently a Verizon customer in a contract for another 2 months. I have 2 separate lines, a personal line and a dedicated business number. I have an Android Samsung Galazy III for my personal and a crappy flip phone for my business line. I'm satisfied with the call quality and coverage, but between the lines I'm paying almost $130/mo. I'm using about 2.5 GB of data, about 1200 minutes of talking and 1000 to 1500 messages. The Cricket idea isn't terrible, either. Looks like it would be $70 for two phones each with 2.5 GB. If you go that route, get a Moto G and a Moto E or two Moto G's, I guess. I don't think your Samsung will work on AT&T/Cricket. Endless Mike fucked around with this message at 18:12 on Sep 23, 2015 |
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2015 18:08
|
|
|
What's the opinion on the Nexus 6? I read it could be going on sale soon
|
|
#
?
Sep 24, 2015 07:28
|
|
|
Drunk Badger posted:What's the opinion on the Nexus 6? I read it could be going on sale soon It's large. Good but large.
|
|
#
?
Sep 24, 2015 11:35
|
|
|
I use Verizon, currently a Note 2 fully rooted. I need: - Great quality camera - great sound output, bluetooth apt-x preferebly - microsd - removable battery - rootable or at least wifi tetherable Not much to pick from anymore :/
|
|
#
?
Sep 25, 2015 16:05
|
|
|
redeyes posted:I use Verizon, currently a Note 2 fully rooted. S5 is the closest match I can think of. Give up the removable battery, buy a $20 backup charger and you get a lot more options. Turbo/Quick charging has removed my need for removable batteries.
|
|
#
?
Sep 25, 2015 16:13
|
|
|
If you're on a modern plan, any phone should be able to tether.
|
|
#
?
Sep 25, 2015 16:24
|
|
|
Calidus posted:S5 is the closest match I can think of. Give up the removable battery, buy a $20 backup charger and you get a lot more options. Turbo/Quick charging has removed my need for removable batteries. But can the S5 be rooted or tethered? quote:If you're on a modern plan, any phone should be able to tether.
|
|
#
?
Sep 26, 2015 16:32
|
|
|
I'm in the UK and coming to the end of my contract and I'm due an upgrade. I'm currently using a Moto G 4G (2014). I'm finding it laggy and I'm having bother with the call function, so I definitely want to upgrade. At the moment, the phones available at my price point are the following: - Microsoft: Lumia 640 - Android: Samsung Galaxy A3, J5, A5, or possibly the Galaxy S5 Neo but that's stretching it quite a bit. - iPhone: just the 5c, the 5s doesn't seem to have dropped much in price. I'm really just looking for reliability. I don't use much beyond email, browsing, and maps. I need 4G, but that's about it. What I don't want is the constant hanging and crashing I'm getting on my Moto G, or the seemingly random issues I'm having with calls and the speaker. Alternatively, I could pick up a sim-free phone and pop my current sim in it, but I can't find much to write home about that fits my £100-£150 budget. Any thoughts?
|
|
#
?
Sep 26, 2015 18:10
|
|
|
nefarias bredd posted:I'm in the UK and coming to the end of my contract and I'm due an upgrade. I'm currently using a Moto G 4G (2014). I'm finding it laggy and I'm having bother with the call function, so I definitely want to upgrade. At the moment, the phones available at my price point are the following: Heard about http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/09/08/review_wileyfox_swift_android_smartphone/ ? feedmegin fucked around with this message at 13:35 on Sep 27, 2015 |
|
#
?
Sep 27, 2015 13:32
|
|
|
USA looking for suggestions on providers, not really phones.... My family is moving to a new area that doesn't have decent coverage with our current provider (AT&T), my understanding is that our options are T-Mobile and Verizon. We have been on AT&T forever, I have an old grandfathered "unlimited" data plan and use it quite a lot but I mean I'd be willing to cut it down if I had to to save money. We have iPhones and will probably continue to have them so we're more concerned with which provider to choose and what kind of plan would be best for us. We can bring our own phones or buy on contract doesn't really matter whatever is cheaper. We have 2 kids too but they're years away from needing phones or anything, but I guess having the ability to add one to our plan would be good going forward.
|
|
#
?
Sep 27, 2015 17:25
|
|
|
FishBulb posted:USA looking for suggestions on providers, not really phones.... Really just depends on where you are. T-Mobile always tends to be a little bit cheaper than Verizon, but Verizon will usually have better coverage, and certainly better coverage nationwide. I would start by checking T-Mobile coverage online.
|
|
#
?
Sep 28, 2015 04:21
|
|
|
I have a Nexus 4 (2012) that's been fine for the last 3 years, but it is rapidly showing it's age and I'm thinking now would be a good time to grab a newer phone. The Nexus 6 seems nice and relatively cheap for an unlocked phone, http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-Unlo...eywords=nexus+6 Though I wonder if I should maybe just wait a day and see if whatever Google announces ends up on Project FI and I can possibly just snag it off of there instead. I have T-Mobile for service right now, but Fi's service and perks sound interesting to me and I see no reason to not make the change if I decide to get a newer phone. Any thoughts? Is there something better I could be looking at?
|
|
#
?
Sep 28, 2015 16:02
|
|
|
There's close to zero chance whatever they announce WON'T be on Project Fi. I imagine the Nexus 6P will be priced close to what the N6 was at launch, and if all the rumors turn out to be true, I'd personally get an N6 over an N6P, especially for half the price. In any case, it doesn't make sense not to wait a whole day to see what comes up.
|
|
#
?
Sep 28, 2015 16:17
|
|
|
Endless Mike posted:There's close to zero chance whatever they announce WON'T be on Project Fi. I imagine the Nexus 6P will be priced close to what the N6 was at launch, and if all the rumors turn out to be true, I'd personally get an N6 over an N6P, especially for half the price. In any case, it doesn't make sense not to wait a whole day to see what comes up. Out of curiosity, why would you rather go with a 6 over a 6P? I'm guessing the jump in tech or upgrades isn't nearly worth the estimate price tag?
|
|
#
?
Sep 28, 2015 16:35
|
|
|
1) I wouldn't buy a Huawei. 2) I wouldn't buy anything with a Snapdragon 810.
|
|
#
?
Sep 28, 2015 16:51
|
|
|
Endless Mike posted:1) I wouldn't buy a Huawei. Huawei phones are fine. Snapdragon 810 IS hot garbage though
|
|
#
?
Sep 28, 2015 18:43
|
|
|
Captain Yossarian posted:Snapdragon 810 IS hot garbage though As I'm completely uninformed about this kind of thing, what's wrong with it, and what's a good chipset to have?
|
|
#
?
Sep 28, 2015 20:07
|
|
|
His use of "hot" is not metaphorical. It runs very hot and has to throttle doing anything strenuous, meaning it also doesn't have particularly good battery life. The Snapdragon 808 is not quite as theoretically powerful, but runs about the same in reality and doesn't have the negatives. Last year's Nexus 6 has an 805 which is also good.
|
|
#
?
Sep 28, 2015 20:16
|
|
|
Drunk Badger posted:As I'm completely uninformed about this kind of thing, what's wrong with it, and what's a good chipset to have? Haha yeah I should have said "hot garbage pun intended". It's not BAD per-se, it just runs really hot and throttles itself aggressively.
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2015 00:28
|
|
|
I dunno if this is the right place, but how is Project Fi. I've been debating on whether or not to get a nexus phone and switch over to using it. Currently on T-Mobile.
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2015 00:57
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 26, 2024 17:58 |
|
|
The prepaid or Android threads are probably better places to ask. Gizmodo posted about it a couple days ago, and it sounds like it's not *great* but better than being on either T-Mobile or Sprint.
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2015 01:03
|
|