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roomtone posted:I'm thinking about getting a dumb phone. The only thing is, it seems like it's either absolutely no apps or all the poo poo. Nope ! Only get a basic phone if you ONLY want call and text. Anything data based, even if it has it, will be a terrible experience.
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Nov 20, 2022 13:49
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seems like there really should be a phone that acknowledges some people don't want all the intrusions and distractions but would like the actually useful bits, rather than none or all
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Nov 20, 2022 14:00
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roomtone posted:seems like there really should be a phone that acknowledges some people don't want all the intrusions and distractions but would like the actually useful bits, rather than none or all The main issue you run into is the need for work related authenticators and banking apps.
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Nov 20, 2022 14:34
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roomtone posted:seems like there really should be a phone that acknowledges some people don't want all the intrusions and distractions but would like the actually useful bits, rather than none or all The above post is correct , the issue is that it really really sucks for those like, few times where you need to do x and it doesn’t do it. And as a result, any phone like that doesn’t sell. End of the day, phone manufacturers are putting out what has sold the best, which is a decent bit customer’s choosing. Also, the solution is do not disturb mode / focus.
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Nov 20, 2022 14:37
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deletebeepbeepbeep posted:The main issue you run into is the need for work related authenticators and banking apps. i hadn't considered that. phones themselves aren't a huge problem for me i just liked the idea of paring down specifically because i don't use it that much, but since it seems like it's going to be more of an annoyance than it's worth, forget it!
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Nov 20, 2022 15:04
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I have an iPhone SE that I use for work and I just keep it as barebones as possible. It’s mostly a psychological thing I guess, but having the bare minimum of apps and a plain background and as few services as possible enabled/running makes it feel close enough to a “dumb phone” that won’t pull my focus. And then ya when I actually do need something only a smart phone can do I can do it. It’s much better than having an actual super limited dumb phone. The only people who should have those are very old people or others who 100% can’t or won’t operate a touchscreen.
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Nov 22, 2022 21:37
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roomtone posted:i hadn't considered that. That's pretty much what I do with my phones, and even though I have a small number of apps installed I really only regularly use a few of them. I get notifications that Android has removed permissions because I haven't used an app in 3 months with some regularity, although at this point it's slowing down because so many apps have already had their permissions removed via this process.
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Nov 23, 2022 04:36
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I think that I'm going to need to pick a new phone. Currently have a Samsing Galaxy S7 Active, and it's in dire need of replacement. I absolutely loathe Samsung phones, and Touchwiz, and so I'd like to avoid buying another Samsung, but will do so if that's my best option. I don't do much with my phone - I pretty much only do text & email, play music, and read books. But! I really want to have an AMOLED screen; true black really helps out with that late-night novel-reading in bed. I have a preferred ebook reading app that is Android-only. I feel like I need a truly waterproof rugged phone, as I am clumsy as hell, and ride my bike all winter in Portland. Verizon coverage is terrible at my house. If I want an Android phone with AMOLED, IP68 or thereabouts, on Tmobile or AT&T, or maybe Google Fi, I dunno, then that leaves very few phones for me to choose from, right? Pixels are good, but are not really rugged, merely water-resistant (ask me how I know). Would love to never give Samsung money ever again, but since they make the AMOLED screens everybody uses, I might have to. How bad are Chinese brands like Blackview or Doogee? They make appropriately stupid-looking ugly-rear end 2008-gamer-aesthetic rugged phones with AMOLED screens.
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Nov 23, 2022 07:39
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Duckman2008 posted:The above post is correct , the issue is that it really really sucks for those like, few times where you need to do x and it doesn’t do it. And as a result, any phone like that doesn’t sell. Yeah, I used an old dumbphone for years, because I knew I'd always be on the internet if I had a smartphone. And then one day there was a family medical emergency and suddenly there were a million things I had to be doing and I couldn't communicate with anybody because I couldn't use whatsapp or modern group messages or check my email at the hospital, and I couldn't look up what stores were open at midnight on the way home from the hospital and there's just all sorts of poo poo that's utterly trivial with a modern smartphone and utterly impractical without one. And that's not even counting all the "Boy, it sure would be nice if I could talk to friends on Discord while I'm sitting around waiting" kind of bullshit. This made me decide to upgrade just to be able to reliably communicate with everybody, and I really could have done without that sudden big hassle and expense in the middle of a very busy week. marcelmouse posted:How bad are Chinese brands like Blackview or Doogee? They make appropriately stupid-looking ugly-rear end 2008-gamer-aesthetic rugged phones with AMOLED screens. Pretty loving bad. IMO get a good phone and a heavy duty case.
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Nov 23, 2022 09:34
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My 6+ year old OnePlus 3 is starting to slowly fall apart both physically and performance-wise so I'm long overdue for a replacement, but most of the phones I've been looking into have some kind of negative I'm not a fan of: the most common one is that I hate the look of non-symmetrical screens with bezels or holes in them, which it what basically 95% of the phones nowadays have. I know there's an option to restrict the display area so that the top of the screen is cut off/resized below the hole/bezel which is something I'd be fine with, but since it's done in software, I don't trust one of the Android updates to not remove the option or make it nonfunctional for some arbitrary reason, so it'd be preferable if the the screen was the holeless/bezel-less type. The other issue is the speakers: since I'm a weirdo who's never liked headphones of any kind, I'd like for the phone to have at least halfway decent speakers. I've been looking into the mid-range Sony Xperia 10 III/5 IV phones since they have the front camera outside the display area, but apparently both of them have lovely speakers and the former has a lovely CPU that makes it laggy even in basic use to boot. From what I can tell, OnePlus 7 would've been a pretty good match overall, but apparently it's not being sold anymore and all the newer models have the camera hole on the screen. So in summary, any suggestions for a phone with decent enough speakers and no holes or bezels on the screen that's somewhere in the 500€ range? I really don't give a poo poo about the cameras as a whole and being waterproof isn't really something that's a huge priority, I'd mostly be using it for games so I'd also like it to have a passable enough of a CPU.
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Nov 23, 2022 11:20
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roomtone posted:i hadn't considered that. modern smartphones are pretty good at giving you a lot of control over apps and notifications. To the extent where both iOS and Android are opt-in for notifications on everything. iOS also has focus modes that are pretty good - you and have all your apps just disappear from your homescreen when you're at work, or studying, or whatever. If you want to pare things down further, look into a cheaper Pixel, or a previous gen or SE iPhone, as you'll be able to delete most of the preinstalled apps too. Unless you have a really specific reason for a dumbphone - i.e. you work somewhere where a smartphone is a security risk, or you want something with an endless battery that you dont mind if you lose or wreck while travelling or at a music festival or whatever - then a dumbphone is a much more appealing idea in theory than in practice, for reasons other posters have said. edit: but also if a dumbphone is simply part of your aesthetic, then I understand completely and you just do what you gotta do The Grumbles fucked around with this message at 12:23 on Nov 23, 2022 |
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Nov 23, 2022 12:20
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marcelmouse posted:I think that I'm going to need to pick a new phone. Currently have a Samsing Galaxy S7 Active, and it's in dire need of replacement. I absolutely loathe Samsung phones, and Touchwiz, and so I'd like to avoid buying another Samsung, but will do so if that's my best option. I don't do much with my phone - I pretty much only do text & email, play music, and read books. Get a pixel 7 and get a durable case. There are few phones to choose from only because most android phones are terrible. I’m at the point where I only recommend Samsung or Google, although a bunch of manufacturers like LG thankfully stopped making (bad) android phones. If you do ATT or T-Mobile you’ll likely get a discount as a new customer on postpaid. You’ll want to compare postpaid and prepaid pricing and see whether it’s better to get discounted phone, or potentially cheaper prepaid plan. Duckman2008 fucked around with this message at 12:26 on Nov 23, 2022 |
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Nov 23, 2022 12:23
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No phone is waterproof, and so far (even with the advertising about how much water abuse they can take) no manufacturer is warranting against water damage. It's actually a pretty lovely thing to say "it's IP68 but if a seal fails and a water sensor gets tripped you can gently caress off".
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Nov 23, 2022 16:17
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Hey I've got a pixel 3a, what would be the best candidate for a similar experience on sale today? Main thing would be battery life and 3.5 mm jack.
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Nov 25, 2022 17:22
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thechosenone posted:Hey I've got a pixel 3a, what would be the best candidate for a similar experience on sale today? Main thing would be battery life and 3.5 mm jack. Pixel 6A and forget about the headphone Jack and just buy the $10 adapter. Headphone jacks are gone and not coming back.
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Nov 25, 2022 22:29
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I'd probably just take one of the Black Friday tradein deals for the Pixel 6a or 7, depending on budget. Neither of them have a headphone jack, but nothing worth getting has one of those because the 3.5mm jack is dead. They're just not included on any modern phone that I'd want to keep for a few years, and getting a worse phone just to avoid using a USBC->3.5 dongle just isn't worth it imo.
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Nov 25, 2022 23:17
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I actually bought a bunch of 3.5mm and USB-C stoppers since I use those ports so rarely that I am more concerned about them collecting dust/lint than I am having them in the first place. The phone I am using lives in my pocket, so the better it seals the more comfortable I feel. Of the 5 phones I interact with with any regularity none has an open USB or Lightning port, and of the 4 with 3.5mm jacks only 2 are open, mostly because one is my alarm clock and the other is my work iPhone and I hadn't thought about plugging them (but probably will now that the idea has occurred to me).
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Nov 25, 2022 23:51
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I've been looking at the Pixel 7 since its release and now my current phone (Galaxy S9) is showing it's age now and lurking this thread solidified my choice. It's been a long time since getting a new phone so hoping to get clarification. I'm currently on T-Mobile on my Mom's plan. She's probably changing her plan to the senior plan which does give an option for multiple lines. I always feel providers can get shady when it comes to seniors but on the website, it doesn't look like they bottleneck anything too much speed/data wise where it would affect us (We both use the phone for basics... nothing too advanced, maybe a Zoom call here or there). Or am I missing something? There would not be an issue if I went my own way... I just don't want my Mom to get screwed. The Pixel 7s (and Pros) that are on the T-mobile website are only the 126 GB versions. Does that mean the 256 GB version doesn't work on the T-Mobile network? Or can I buy an unlocked 256GB version from Google direct (or wherever) and it'll still work on the network? Thanks! Edit - I guess to add one more question, how is Google Fi as a service? TUS fucked around with this message at 00:43 on Nov 26, 2022 |
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Nov 26, 2022 00:02
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I bought a Samsung s21 FE because it was 50% off on Amazon. What's the thread's opinion of the phone or of Samsung in general
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Nov 26, 2022 00:32
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kalel posted:I bought a Samsung s21 FE because it was 50% off on Amazon. What's the thread's opinion of the phone or of Samsung in general That’s a good phone, if you got it for $350 I would say that’s a very good deal.
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Nov 26, 2022 02:04
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Duckman2008 posted:That’s a good phone, if you got it for $350 I would say that’s a very good deal. cool, thanks 
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Nov 26, 2022 20:40
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Just got my first new phone in about 11 years - Google Pixel 6 (based on recommendations from this thread) replacing my Samsung Galaxy S3. Questions: 1) Is there any way to make the "feed" of random news stories when you swipe right useful or stop giving me notifications? 2) Is there a way to make it so I can swipe left and use another page on the home screen for apps or is swiping left/other pages just not a thing? 3) Is there a way to use "forward" when browsing on chrome? There is a back swipe motion, but no forward that I can tell. 4) Is there anything worth doing with my old Samsung Galaxy S3 and partner's S4? Or are they so useless that they aren't worth selling or doing anything with except maybe throwing them in a recycling bin?
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Nov 27, 2022 06:54
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Leon Trotsky 2012 posted:Just got my first new phone in about 11 years - Google Pixel 6 (based on recommendations from this thread) replacing my Samsung Galaxy S3. 1. I just turned that off on my phone. 2. Not sure - haven't felt the need to try. 3. The forward arrow is available from the 3-dot menu in the upper right. 4. I use my old phones as media players, remote controls, alarm clocks, messing around with setting them up as IP cameras, stuff like that.
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Nov 27, 2022 06:59
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Leon Trotsky 2012 posted:Just got my first new phone in about 11 years - Google Pixel 6 (based on recommendations from this thread) replacing my Samsung Galaxy S3. 1) This is basically a shortcut to the Google app. It learns over time what you're interested in (or at least what you click on), but you can alter it through the "..." menu on any story and going to "Manage your interests". You can also block topics and sources in that menu. And if you go to the notification settings of the Google app, there is a very long list of them to enable/disable. 2) Hold and drag an app icon to the right until it goes to a new page. Not sure of the page limit, but you can do this a number of times. 3) There is the aforementioned button in the menu, but if you're just asking about a gesture, I don't think there is one. edit: Correction, you can actually use forward/back gestures in Chrome, but only if you disable the system-level Android gestures by switching to 3-button system navigation. runawayturtles fucked around with this message at 08:19 on Nov 27, 2022 |
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Nov 27, 2022 07:59
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My iphone battery just died suddenly and I'm in the market for a new phone. It might make sense to switch carriers at this point too since I'm moving on from a family plan. I'm in the Metro Detroit/Southeast Michigan area and currently with AT&T. Would prefer an unlocked iphone but I realize that probably won't be the case if the device comes with a plan. Can put the cash down up-front for the phone as long as it's reasonably priced. My boyfriend has Mint so he'll get a referral discount if I switch to them, but I'm not sure there's any other incentive to go with them. My data usage is pretty high (phone says 127 GB used during current period with 3.5 MB roaming). I'd appreciate any suggestions since I'm totally lost on where to even start looking.
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Nov 28, 2022 19:42
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Leon Trotsky 2012 posted:Just got my first new phone in about 11 years - Google Pixel 6 (based on recommendations from this thread) replacing my Samsung Galaxy S3. Order the pixel 7 with a pixel 6 trade in and it'll cost you twenty bucks today lmao.
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Nov 29, 2022 00:43
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runawayturtles posted:Ah, thanks, appreciate the confirmation. Indecisiveness wins again, rip. To follow up on where I landed with this, my family members set up a call with Verizon and myself to switch the lines over and clear up their confusion about costs. I ended up getting the Pixel 7 even though it's too big, and my wife kept her old phone with the bring your own device (BYOD) credit. Sadly, I didn't realize that I could have saved $285 by getting the phone through Google (unlocked) instead of Verizon. Verizon: $700 - $350 trade-in - $200 gift card = $150 Google: $500 - $275 trade-in - $360 BYOD credit = -$135 So, sucks for me I guess. I called them today for the hell of it but they would not let me return the phone and then get the BYOD credit, because the line is already switched. 
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Nov 29, 2022 01:49
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Is the person who works for Verizo still in this thread? I'm comparing plans and am not sure what I need or what specials im eligible for. Friendly thread phone expert - if you see this and have time for a quick consult, can you tell me how to drop you a line? e: or email me at gri41sa@gmail.com thanks gamer roomie is 41 fucked around with this message at 18:14 on Nov 29, 2022 |
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Nov 29, 2022 17:49
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gamer roomie is 41 posted:Is the person who works for Verizo still in this thread? I'm comparing plans and am not sure what I need or what specials im eligible for. Duckman2008 is who you're looking for. You can PM him.
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Nov 30, 2022 02:15
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gamer roomie is 41 posted:Is the person who works for Verizo still in this thread? I'm comparing plans and am not sure what I need or what specials im eligible for. Hi. Yes. I am here. PM me your cell if you could.
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Nov 30, 2022 03:32
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roomtone posted:I'm thinking about getting a dumb phone. The only thing is, it seems like it's either absolutely no apps or all the poo poo. What you could do is try getting single use devices for the extra purposes you want. There are still dedicated MP3 players getting made, I've been using a Sandisk Clip Jam for a long while. I know are dedicated GPS devices out there, they're probably still getting made, and they're probably not very good, but they're out there. I had also been relying on a dumb phone with a built in compass plus a big Rand McNally map book plus Google Maps printouts, which isn't really a great way of doing things, but it worked.
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Dec 6, 2022 18:01
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What is a reasonable price to pay monthly for a phone plan? My family wants to change to Verizon but it would be $60 a month and I don't know if that is reasonable or not.
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Dec 6, 2022 22:29
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CongoJack posted:What is a reasonable price to pay monthly for a phone plan? My family wants to change to Verizon but it would be $60 a month and I don't know if that is reasonable or not. It depends on a bunch of stuff. How many lines ? Do you need a phone or is it byod ? I’m the resident Verizon person here. Don’t feel any pressure, but I can offer to get you a quote , feel free to post here or PM. If you decided to go with verizon I can actually call you and help order. If it doesn’t work for you totally fine.
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Dec 6, 2022 22:52
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CongoJack posted:What is a reasonable price to pay monthly for a phone plan? My family wants to change to Verizon but it would be $60 a month and I don't know if that is reasonable or not. I think a lot of that depends on your needs and usage patterns. Personally I pay $26.25 per month for Verizon prepaid, with unlimited talk/text and 5GB of data. The caveat here being that Verizon doesn't have 5G in my town, so their high-speed 5G being unavailable on my plan means nothing to me. If you use a lot of data, or need the fastest throughput for data, then that will impact what plans and pricing make sense for you.
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Dec 6, 2022 22:55
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CongoJack posted:What is a reasonable price to pay monthly for a phone plan? My family wants to change to Verizon but it would be $60 a month and I don't know if that is reasonable or not. For one or two lines, depending on data usage, pre-paid or Google Fi are both good if you can deal with the lack of support on Google Fi. I have five lunes, and Verizon wound up being very affordable for that.
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Dec 6, 2022 23:06
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Thanks for the help, everyone, looks like it is just going to be 2 lines this time. Unlimited 5G data and I am pretty sure both of us will bring our own devices. I really don't care about 5G I just want the data. EDIT: the thing that is driving us to Verizon is that the other member on the plan lives in a rural area and believes that Verizon's coverage is better there, which may or may not be true I really don't know. CongoJack fucked around with this message at 23:22 on Dec 6, 2022 |
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Dec 6, 2022 23:19
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Ham Equity posted:For one or two lines, depending on data usage, pre-paid or Google Fi are both good if you can deal with the lack of support on Google Fi.
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Dec 7, 2022 00:22
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Duckman2008 posted:That’s a good phone, if you got it for $350 I would say that’s a very good deal. trip report: it's good I guess samsung cracked the code on bloatware because it's basically non-existent or otherwise unobtrusive. I applied a screen protector correctly for the 1st time and it's very pleasing to the touch, no touch feedback issues. my case feels great. battery life is decent. 120hz is a game changer. overall a happy customer
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Dec 7, 2022 00:30
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kalel posted:trip report: it's good Maybe they figured out spyware > bloatware?
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Dec 7, 2022 20:54
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CongoJack posted:Thanks for the help, everyone, looks like it is just going to be 2 lines this time. Unlimited 5G data and I am pretty sure both of us will bring our own devices. I really don't care about 5G I just want the data. Yeah, 2 lines on Verizon starts at $120 total, $95 if you happen to be military, teacher , nurse, first responder or student. So yeah, $60 a line. If you bring your own device is $50 a line for 3 years. Other carriers obviously can be cheaper , so depends a bit on coverage.
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Dec 8, 2022 00:04
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