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Grand Fromage posted:My phone has decided its time is up. I don't play games or watch TV or anything on my phone, so I don't need much. Android, unlocked, decent camera, SD card slot, and a headphone jack are my requirements. I'm looking at a Samsung Galaxy A13 5G since it's cheap and seems to fit my needs. Is this a piece of poo poo? Any other suggestions? Pixel 5A seemed to be popular but Google isn't selling them anymore as far as I can tell. The A13 is a piece of poo poo. Bad news: most decent phones don’t have headphone jacks. Turns out the manufacturers were courageous and removed them. What’s your current phone and plan ? Verizon is running some aggressive promos until end of the month , albeit it depends on your plan especially and they’ll require a 3 year contract. You may also have a retention offer too.
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Sep 28, 2022 20:24
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I'm getting my own phone, not one through Verizon. I have a Moto G Power which has been good until the battery got an inflation fetish. I could just buy another one I guess. Can you go into some detail on why it's a piece of poo poo? Most of the stuff people care about in phones are things that I do not. My phone is basically a podcast player with a camera attached. Grand Fromage fucked around with this message at 20:31 on Sep 28, 2022 |
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Sep 28, 2022 20:27
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I bought a Moto G Power in 2021 and have been extremely happy with it, yeah. Do be aware the newer model is actually a downgrade because the chip shortage pushed them to change internal components. Still, my so got one when her old phone broke and it's still a decent phone for not much money.
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Sep 28, 2022 20:33
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Give up on the headphone jack, imo. Kinda sucks that they're dead, but it's not worth getting a shittier phone just to avoid using a USB-C<>Aux dongle.
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Sep 28, 2022 20:33
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Is there a specific date for when the Nexus 6a price might be expected to go down? I just broke my 2021 Moto G Power and am trying to choose between the 6a or just the updated G power.Jack B Nimble posted:I bought a Moto G Power in 2021 and have been extremely happy with it, yeah. Do be aware the newer model is actually a downgrade because the chip shortage pushed them to change internal components. Still, my so got one when her old phone broke and it's still a decent phone for not much money. It was a really good phone for relatively little money, I'm so annoyed.
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Sep 28, 2022 20:42
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Nocturtle posted:Is there a specific date for when the Nexus 6a price might be expected to go down? I just broke my 2021 Moto G Power and am trying to choose between the 6a or just the updated G power. FWIW she uses hers basically like Grand Fromage says, general media and browsing, and it still seems completely competent. If I hadn't found a review specifically of the new year "just to be sure" I'd probably never have known.
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Sep 28, 2022 20:49
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Lawson posted:fwiw i just checked and saw the 6a for $450 with a trade in offer for my 4a (no 5g) for 295. so i did it because hey new phone for ~150 plus taxes and the battery of the 4a just started showing serious signs of decline. Well if it sounds too good to be true... Went from "deliver by 9/1-9/7" with no updates for weeks, and support saying nothing of substance to "oops your order couldn't be fulfilled, so sad" today. Now my 4a is suddenly not worth anything. whoop dee loving do. battery repair here we go.
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Sep 28, 2022 22:04
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Khizan posted:Give up on the headphone jack, imo. Kinda sucks that they're dead, but it's not worth getting a shittier phone just to avoid using a USB-C<>Aux dongle. Absolutely - and if you’re worried about being able to charge while using the port for headphones, most newer phones should be able to wirelessly charge while you’re donglin it up. But yeah. I appreciate making a stand and all, but the ship has absolutely sailed on that one. (tbh the amount of times I’d caught myself on a headphone cable, yanked the device onto the floor etc etc… my clumsy self is happy to see the back of them .)
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Sep 28, 2022 23:40
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Where: US/Tmob (north bay if that matters) Plan: an old plan that is 2 lines, unlimited everything, 100/mo. No 5G I think. Current phones: s9+ for me, s10 for spouse Phone interest: I dunno. I'm mostly looking because apparently the s9 is no longer getting security updates. Considering the Pixel but not sure if I want a 6 for deals or 7 for newness (and maybe deals anyway). Kinda want to keep my s9+ as a "home/backup" 2-factor token authenticator, although I also have an old s6 that might work for that (although maybe it's too out of date for that). Last iphone I had was a 3gs and I have an iPad (plus work makes me carry an S) and I'm not too big on them. Could always get another s-series but I'd like something with more than 3.5 years of security updates, assuming I got the latest one. Wife likes photos and my understanding is Pixels are good for that - the specs on the 7 indicate that the base model will have ultrawide selfie which my wife would find attractive. One question is if moving to one of the newer Tmob plans (magenta or max or whatever) would count as "new line" for bogo/discount promotions?
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Sep 29, 2022 05:24
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Jack B Nimble posted:Hey, Overwatch 2 requires a "real" cell phone attached to their client. I have used an app called burner that lets you generate temporary/limited phone numbers. Be aware that a lot of two-factor authentication does not work with these numbers; people doing the authentication block them, they probably claim for security reasons, but in reality they almost certainly want that sweet, sweet data.
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Sep 29, 2022 06:13
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Jack B Nimble posted:FWIW she uses hers basically like Grand Fromage says, general media and browsing, and it still seems completely competent. If I hadn't found a review specifically of the new year "just to be sure" I'd probably never have known. Thanks for the response. As a light user so the 2022 G Power is likely more than enough, and it being less than $200 is definitely a big plus. I was mainly wondering if there was a major imminent price drop expected for the Pixel 6a with the 7 coming out soon, but maybe it doesn't matter.
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Sep 29, 2022 16:04
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Ham Equity posted:I have used an app called burner that lets you generate temporary/limited phone numbers. Be aware that a lot of two-factor authentication does not work with these numbers; people doing the authentication block them, they probably claim for security reasons, but in reality they almost certainly want that sweet, sweet data. Yeah my specific concern is that while I want to deny them that data  otoh I'll need to actually be able to use SMS confirmation so I can't just give them a one off number and never keep it: I can't guarantee that I won't need a password reset at some point or just be arbitrarily required to reconfirm.
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Sep 29, 2022 16:13
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Not looking for a phone or plan but this seemed like the best place for this question. If I port a voip number to a mobile provider, will the number still forever be flagged as a voip number by websites that care about that sort of thing?
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Oct 3, 2022 00:19
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Shofixti posted:Not looking for a phone or plan but this seemed like the best place for this question. If I port a voip number to a mobile provider, will the number still forever be flagged as a voip number by websites that care about that sort of thing? In theory no, they should see where it’s now coming from. Disclaimer that I’ve never actually done it, but I think it would be ok.
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Oct 3, 2022 02:01
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Duckman2008 posted:In theory no, they should see where it’s now coming from. Disclaimer that I’ve never actually done it, but I think it would be ok. Yeah, I don't know for sure, but it seems like differentiation by phone number is way less a thing than it used to be. How many landline phone numbers got ported to VoIP, for instance? And with number portability the differentiation between carriers got watered way down, too. My personal phone number started off as a Verizon number, then went through Cricket, Boost, and AT&T before coming back to Verizon. Like, around here if I saw 541-915-XXXX I used to know it was an AT&T cellphone, but now I can't be sure. Hell, even area codes are less meaningful than they used to be.
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Oct 3, 2022 04:09
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Yeah I assumed differentiation by the number itself would be pretty inaccurate and not used these days given portability these days. However Steam has been rejecting a voip number I ported a week ago because their system still identifies it as voip. Maybe there is some sort of back end database that is only periodically updated.
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Oct 3, 2022 05:47
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I'm able to use my GVoice number more often as I think places are giving fewer fucks so long as the verification passes.
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Oct 3, 2022 12:29
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Last time I got a gadget based on forum recommendation it wasn't particularly great. But what the hell, let's give this another try. I live in Israel. AFAIK, the providers \ plans here aren't actually tied to the physical phone, just the sim card. Thinking of buying a new phone online \ next time I travel abroad - import duties in Israel are fairly steep. Features: Good to great camera (all my touristy photos are taken with the phone), decent amount of memory space (I kind use the phone as a substitute flash drive for moving stuff between computers) and... whatever it is that ensures that all the programs are reasonably fast. Or at least not infuriatingly slow. It should also come with a case, because I an old man at heart and keep dropping my phones. Budget - ~1000$ tops.
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Oct 5, 2022 12:41
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I don’t see a general chat/questions thread so I’m asking here When did cell phones start getting voice recorder/voice memo functionality?
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Oct 5, 2022 23:49
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Steve Yun posted:I don’t see a general chat/questions thread so I’m asking here There have been recorder apps for over 10 years ?
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Oct 6, 2022 02:45
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I mean pre smart phone Those flimsy plastic flip phones with an antenna Star stuck out and a dedicated button for recording a ten second memo
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Oct 6, 2022 04:18
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Hello thread. I am not wealthy and hitherto my available phone options have been "whatever is cheap". Fortunately I have a job with good employee benefits and I just discovered that they will reimburse a phone purchase for up to $700 once every 3 years. With this budget in mind, I would appreciate some recommendations for a phone with an android operating system. Requirements: newer than 3 years old per my workplace. SD card slot is a must (which I believe rules out google pixels), I'm often in areas with little/no cell service and can't stream my music and audiobooks. Something that isn't notoriously breakable because I have butterfingers. Obviously will be using a good protective case, but I've watched phone screens wrapped in an OtterBox shatter the first time they get dropped so ideally not one of those. Preferences: I would like to have a headphone jack but I'm willing to give it up if I really must as I don't know if those exist anymore. Decent camera. Don't need any crazy bells or whistles as I'm not likely to use the phone for more than its basic function and as an mp3 player. Thank you in advance.
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Oct 6, 2022 18:05
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pandy fackler posted:Hello thread. I am not wealthy and hitherto my available phone options have been "whatever is cheap". Fortunately I have a job with good employee benefits and I just discovered that they will reimburse a phone purchase for up to $700 once every 3 years. With this budget in mind, I would appreciate some recommendations for a phone with an android operating system. What market are you in? If you're in Europe or Asia you'll have much, much better options for phones that have an SD card slot and headphone jack. Those things are basically completely gone from nice phones in the US.
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Oct 6, 2022 18:13
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Twerk from Home posted:What market are you in? If you're in Europe or Asia you'll have much, much better options for phones that have an SD card slot and headphone jack. I'm in the US unfortunately. The headphone jack is whatever but I might need to stick to budget phones if SD card slots don't exist in the nicer ones because streaming anything often isn't an option for me.
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Oct 6, 2022 18:26
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pandy fackler posted:Hello thread. I am not wealthy and hitherto my available phone options have been "whatever is cheap". Fortunately I have a job with good employee benefits and I just discovered that they will reimburse a phone purchase for up to $700 once every 3 years. With this budget in mind, I would appreciate some recommendations for a phone with an android operating system. Honestly, if work only pays for a new phone every 3 years then you probably want to go higher in the product stack for longevity of both performance and updates, which does indeed usually mean no headphone jack and no SD card. Newer phones come with more onboard storage space, so are you really sure you need the SD card slot? My Pixel 6 has 128GB onboard and so far I'm not even close to that limit. You can go up to 256GB or 512GB on storage space on a lot of phones. If you really want secondary storage you could get low-profile USB-C thumb drives, or a USB-C to USB-A adapter and use whatever, just with less convenience. They also make wireless storage devices - I have a thumb drive around here with its own wireless transmitter so I can access it using wifi, and a much larger portable drive that does the same (but needs external power to work). Headphone jacks can be added using USB-C adapters as well, or you can do what I did and dehumanize yourself and face to Bluetooth.
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Oct 6, 2022 18:41
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CaptainSarcastic posted:Honestly, if work only pays for a new phone every 3 years then you probably want to go higher in the product stack for longevity of both performance and updates, which does indeed usually mean no headphone jack and no SD card. Thank you. I'm willing to give up the headphone jack if there's an adapter option. I did bite the bullet and switch over to Bluetooth headphones, but the thing is that my friends and family are often using pretty old audio production equipment and I would still like to have the option to use my phone for music in those situations. I didn't know there was so much storage space on phones these days. I'm trying to think of any scenario that couldn't be solved with the workarounds you suggested but I can't think of any. It is nice to be able to pop out my SD card and hand it to somebody for them to plug into their laptop and load stuff on it (these are situations with no cell service and no wifi) for me to put straight onto my phone or vis versa but I think the USB-C to USB-A adapter would solve that? e: apologies for ignorance, I can figure tech stuff out okay when the occasion arises but I'm no computer toucher pandy fackler fucked around with this message at 19:50 on Oct 6, 2022 |
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Oct 6, 2022 19:15
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I was gonna hold out for reviews, but Verizon is offering me $700 on a trade-in of my Pixel 3XL for a Pixel 7 Pro. Is that likely to go down in the next couple of weeks, or can I safely wait until late this month? Also, can that be juiced at all (it seems ridiculously high for a phone that old, but I may as well ask), or is that the most I'll be able to get out of them (after taxes and upgrade fee, works out to $360 for the 128GB Pixel 7 Pro).
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Oct 7, 2022 00:01
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Ham Equity posted:I was gonna hold out for reviews, but Verizon is offering me $700 on a trade-in of my Pixel 3XL for a Pixel 7 Pro. Is that likely to go down in the next couple of weeks, or can I safely wait until late this month? I can re check tomorrow , but I believe it goes all month. No higher promo than $700. Feel free to PM me, I work Mon-Fri and could help you order it.
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Oct 7, 2022 00:09
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Duckman2008 posted:I can re check tomorrow , but I believe it goes all month. I will probably hit you up in a couple weeks, get you that commission. Honestly, I can't imagine I'm not gonna get it; I like large phones, I hate bloatware, most of the pre-release reviews say it's not much different than the 6, and I'd rather pay a little more for another six months of security patching.
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Oct 7, 2022 00:18
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pandy fackler posted:Thank you. I'm willing to give up the headphone jack if there's an adapter option. I did bite the bullet and switch over to Bluetooth headphones, but the thing is that my friends and family are often using pretty old audio production equipment and I would still like to have the option to use my phone for music in those situations. I have several thumb drives that have both USB-C and USB-A plugs on them. It seems like they would work well for your transferring needs - plug into the laptop with the USB-A side, copy whatever you need, then plug it into the phone using the USB-C side and copy it onto your phone. I have both of these thumb drives, for instance, which sound like they would accomplish what you describe: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/pny-64...p?skuId=6335301 https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sandis...oductVariations
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Oct 7, 2022 00:45
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Ham Equity posted:I will probably hit you up in a couple weeks, get you that commission. Fyi I re checked, the pixel trade in promo goes until end of October. It can always change early , but as of now month long. Feel free to PM anytime.
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Oct 7, 2022 14:22
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pandy fackler posted:Thank you. I'm willing to give up the headphone jack if there's an adapter option. I did bite the bullet and switch over to Bluetooth headphones, but the thing is that my friends and family are often using pretty old audio production equipment and I would still like to have the option to use my phone for music in those situations. Yeah you can just plug the phone into the laptop directly for that and drag the files over. I'm still mad that USA phones come with no sd card slots though because the manufacturers all charge way more than the cost of an sdcard to upgrade the internal storage. Like Google charges $100 to upgrade the Pixel 6 from the 128gb to 256gb model, meanwhile can buy a 512gb microsd card for $50 on amazon or a 128gb one for less than $20. Though yeah, 128gb with no sdcard will still be able to carry a few thousand hours of music or audiobooks, so it's only really an issue if you start filling it with high-res photos or HD movies.
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Oct 8, 2022 20:36
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Duckman2008 posted:Fyi I re checked, the pixel trade in promo goes until end of October. It can always change early , but as of now month long. Big thanks again for helping me out with this. Potentially faster than going through the online portal even - definitely faster for my circumstances. I can be clumsy and normally buy a generation behind on Swappa but this was too good to pass up... trading an old cheapo swappa 4xl.
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Oct 9, 2022 21:27
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joeshmoetogo posted:Big thanks again for helping me out with this. Potentially faster than going through the online portal even - definitely faster for my circumstances. Not a problem , happy to help !
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Oct 9, 2022 22:40
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Ok, I have been putting off upgrading my 5+ year old smartphone, I even popped in here a month ago for advice but never pulled the trigger. But now we are headed to Japan in a few weeks (from the US) and my lovely but beloved little LG K20V will not cut it. The old otterbox case is even falling apart, so I need to replace it within the next week or so before we head over. Husband has a Samsung Galaxy A20. My phone appears to be too old for a nice trade-in anywhere, we already have 4 lines on our family plan so adding another line for a deal isn't really an option. My husband is also looking to upgrade before the trip, so any BOGO deals might be nice. We are Verizon, Android users not looking for anything fancy. Just affordable, semi-durable and something we can buy and get used to in the next few weeks. Thanks in advance!
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Oct 11, 2022 18:58
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Just FYI if you were planning on using local SIMs in Japan, anything you buy from Verizon will be locked for the first 60 days after purchase. With that in mind, Google Pixel 6A direct from Google is probably your best bet.
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Oct 11, 2022 19:46
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Does this look like a good deal for a Pixel 6? This seems like a steal! https://www.amazon.com/Google-Pixel...7e17e03685&th=1 I just buy this from Amazon, pop over to the Verizon store and have them activate it and move my card over? Can it really be that easy?
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Oct 11, 2022 20:04
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the 6a is even less expensive https://store.google.com/product/pixel_6a?hl=en-US what the 6 has over the 6a: extra camera lens wireless charging 90Hz screen vs 60Hz 8GB ram vs 6GB ram otherwise they have the same processor, screen size and resolution. the 6a also gets 6 more months of updates. if your current phone has the right type of sim card in it already, you can just move it yourself and avoid the hassle of going to the verizon store but yours is so old you'll probably need a new one
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Oct 11, 2022 20:16
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I'd personally spend the extra $20, but I don't think you'd be unhappy with the 6A. As noted, you may* need to get a new SIM. *Almost certainly as your current one probably won't work with 5G.
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Oct 11, 2022 20:23
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Endless Mike posted:I'd personally spend the extra $20, but I don't think you'd be unhappy with the 6A. As noted, you may* need to get a new SIM. But can't I just toggle off the 5g access and use my current SIM card for 4g access? https://screenrant.com/google-pixel-6-turn-off-5g-how-why/
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Oct 11, 2022 20:29
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