by "Grindintosecond" (Grindintosecond)
Published 10/10/2017 at 12:34
by "Grindintosecond" (Grindintosecond)
Published 10/10/2017 at 12:34
No Tags
STARS: 2
I’m thoroughly convinced my ‘service provider’ leases phones so they can push unwanted/unwarranted adverts and notifications and app installations upon us
we aren’t aware of. I’m thinking If I bought the thing, I wouldn’t have that problem. I’m wanting to know about your decision to go unlocked and what phone you would pick differently if you made the decision all over again.
My carrier will let me bring my own phone and I intend to explore this option. Their offerings are only the best and newest and of course don’t all have the replaceable battery option, or screens that aren’t a billion space credits to replace. Were you alarmed at such a bad decision? Was it the best decision of your life? What did you miss most over your previous carrier-tied phone? How much did it cost to repair that screen all on your own?
Did you feel in any way you were missing out on a better phone through deals your carrier offered? That perhaps you were...using a dated device?
Gimme the dirt!
"bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
10/10/2017 at 12:57, STARS: 0
I’m of the opinion that with Android, sticking with Pixels, and ideally Pixel 2s (longer update cycle, and unlike the Pixel 1s, they’re not already a year into their cycle), is the only way to go, due to the update situation on other hardware.
Google offers their own financing on the Pixel line, though, which I’ve used for my Pixel XL.
"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
10/10/2017 at 13:04, STARS: 0
Seems silly to rent a phone or to pay more in a contract for it. I’ve always been BYOD but I have also always been no contract. I’m also not a power user so any cheap android phone will fit the bill for me. I have standards though so my requirements have been 2GB of RAM, SD slot, good battery, and less than 5 inches; I HATE giant phones. It has become harder and harder to find phones that are both small and dont suck. Current phone is a Sony Xperia Z3 compact but I’ve grown tired of the super fragile screen and that I havent been able to get the new screens to fit perfectly right. Looking to upgrade but most of my options out there are honestly a downgrade in features.
"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
10/10/2017 at 13:09, STARS: 0
I mean updates are really not all that necessary though. I’m pretty sure all apps still support anything 2.3+ which is ancient at this point. Sure some of the newer stuff is nice to have, but really anything 5.0+ is perfectly modern and will work for 90%+ of people. I never understand the update cycle argument unless you really need the latest and greatest. But then you are probably buying a new phone anyways to get the new hardware.
"Stapleface" (patrickgruden)
10/10/2017 at 13:11, STARS: 0
I can’t even tell you the last time I’ve had a phone on contract, it’s been that long ago. I’ve also been using prepaid for a number of years because it’s the cheapest around. Much cheaper than contracts in my experience.
Anyway, phones. I don’t see the point in really buying a high-end unit. I did for a couple of cycles, then I realized I was just wasting my money. I tend to buy something pretty cheap, as long as it has decent storage space. I usually end up breaking the phone within a year and a half anyway as the screen will inevitably crack, the ONE time I drop the phone.
Right now I’m using a Moto G4 I bought through Amazon with ads. The ads are only on the lock screen, and then they go away when you unlock. It’s very unobtrusive. If you have Amazon Prime, there are certainly some decent deals to be had on some phones with decent specs for the price.
https://www.amazon.com/Prime-Exclusive-Phones/b?ie=UTF8&node=14613304011
"Azrek" (azrek)
10/10/2017 at 13:11, STARS: 0
I recently, yesterday, got an unlocked Nokia 6 in Copper. It only works with Tmobile and Sprint’s network. It was cheap, it is faster than my circa 2012 Nexus 5 and works well so far. I spent 40 minutes getting my data transferred at Tmobile and I was good to go.
I also got a LTE antenna for my house as it is apparently a Faraday cage.
"Kailand09" (kailand09)
10/10/2017 at 13:15, STARS: 0
Just bought a Moto G5S plus. $300.
A reasonable price for good performance and decent camera capabilities. I used to buy the high end stuff but then realized I don’t use 50% of that performance. I guarantee 99% of smart phone users never use the hardware to its fullest capabilities.
In terms of unlocked, I started only buying unlocked a few years ago and haven’t looked back. There’s literally nothing to miss, and it’s significantly cheaper.
"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
10/10/2017 at 13:28, STARS: 0
I am firmly on the unlocked bandwagon. I’m also on the cheap prepaid plan bandwagon.
The carrier “deals” are always tied to expensive plans, or monthly payments where the total cost really isn’t a deal at all.
I pay $60/month for my 2-line, 15 GB, unlimited talk & text plan with Total Wireless. For both my phone and my wife’s. $60. Dollars. Per. Month.
I don’t like the assorted T-Mobile plans, or the cheapie prepaid ones that ride on the T-Mobile network, because by default they throttle your video quality down to 480p.
Total Wireless and Straight Talk are both part of Tracfone. Total Wireless uses the Verizon network, Straight Talk uses AT&T. No video streaming restrictions, no hotspot restrictions, nothing. The downsides are:
You need a third-party service like YouMail for visual voicemail.
The internet service uses the Verizon or AT&T network, but it routes through Tracfone servers, and their ping times are kinda slow. Speeds are fine. I routinely see 25-30 Mbps down and 10-15 up.
Total Wireless still doesn’t support simultaneous voice & data. Straight Talk does.
International roaming for travel is a non-starter. But you can always just get a local SIM card for where you’re going.
Which one makes the most sense depends on which brand has a plan that works well for you, and whether the Verizon or AT&T network is better in your area, and whether you care about simultaneous voice & data. Not having it is kinda annoying but where I live Verizon still has a noticeable coverage advantage, and $60 for 15 GB on 2 lines is a crazy deal. As Verizon switches over the prepaid brands that ride on their network to VoLTE, the voice/data will happen at some point.
As for phones, I have a Galaxy S7 Edge and my wife has a Moto G5 Plus. We’re each happy with our respective phone. You can pop for this year’s flagship if you want, but personally I try to keep the phone cost under $500 at the very most because it’s a one-off purchase. (I just got my S7E recently, for $475.)
"syaieya" (syaieya)
10/10/2017 at 13:31, STARS: 0
After having my “free” upgrade swiped for the third time I went for unlocked.
Its definately helped as I want a phone thats not huge, not as much as my last car, and has expandable memory. Big points as well for a good camera for taking car pics.
With that I settled on a Sony Xperia X not long ago. 64 gigs with an sd card slot, 23 mp phone, and out the door for 260 since i wasn color picky.
If i need more battery i carry around a battery charging pack. And once i got away from swiftkey I am plenty pleased.
"Rico" (ricorich)
10/10/2017 at 13:48, STARS: 1
I’m thoroughly convinced my ‘service provider’ leases phones so they can push unwanted/unwarranted adverts and notifications and app installations upon us we aren’t aware of.
"Grindintosecond" (Grindintosecond)
10/10/2017 at 13:49, STARS: 0
Ive stumbled on the Motorolas; Moto G5 plus and the E4. G5+ checks my boxes and has a big battery life so im really looking hard at that one. review here
BUT, it’s battery isn’t officially replaceable...which is really close to a deal killer for me.
"Grindintosecond" (Grindintosecond)
10/10/2017 at 13:52, STARS: 0
I wake up and it’s suddenly showing an app telling me im using thirteen programs that are draining and overheating my battery. Never once did this app appear in the previous two years of ownership. That’s not just it, but it’s the most recent case.
"Rico" (ricorich)
10/10/2017 at 13:53, STARS: 0
Hmmmmm sounds like an Android thing.
"Grindintosecond" (Grindintosecond)
10/10/2017 at 13:55, STARS: 0
in part, but honestly i think there’s a lot of service provider leeway since its leased and not owned.
"Rico" (ricorich)
10/10/2017 at 13:59, STARS: 0
Idk if that’s how Androids operate but I’ve never in my life had messages from my carrier appear that way and all my iPhones since the 4S have been leased. The only message I get from my carrier is that the autopayment of my bill went through and that’s via text message.
"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
10/10/2017 at 14:27, STARS: 0
Hmm good suggestion! I dont like the idea of that large of a phone, but I feel like that is where I will have to compromise to get everything else that I want. My current phone is a 4.6inch screen and that feels just right. +/- a couple tenths wouldnt matter to me but I am sure I would notice 0.8 added.
Ive accepted nonremovable batteries already and just require my battery last a day or two with light usage instead. My Sony will last for weeks if I never turned the screen on and left it in airplane mode. Probably a month in power saving mode! But normal usage I will still be at 40% by the end of a day and just about dead with some google maps and lots of screen use. On camping trips where I just use the camera and make a few phone calls, I easily get 2 full days before charging. That 20,000 mAh battery pack I carry around could also get me through a few weeks of normal usage easily.
"404 - User No Longer Available" (toni-cipriani)
10/10/2017 at 14:41, STARS: 0
My last 2 phones were both unlocked, a BlackBerry Classic and a BlackBerry Priv. Moved from a BYOD monthly to a BYOD prepaid and reducing my monthly cost.
Still using the Priv.
"KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs" (kusabisensei)
10/10/2017 at 16:23, STARS: 0
Best decision ever. It meant in my case that the service provider had to give me additional incentives to stay with them. This meant that with my 7GB plan has an additional 5GB of bonus data, so I actually get 12GB plus rollover data.
The initial cost is ridiculous, but if you keep your phone for three years, it’s not bad. I’m still rocking a 2014 Moto X Pure Edition until my Pixel 2 XL comes in.
"Grindintosecond" (Grindintosecond)
10/10/2017 at 17:24, STARS: 0
The battery issue for me isn’t from running out of power through the day, but after two years the battery stops holding charges or starts having trouble maintaining proper current, I should easily be able to replace it and keep going another 2 years if i own the darn thing. Amazon has that G5+ for $260 with 4gig memory, sd slot and its a pretty nice thing...and that’s just over $10/month in the end over those 2 years. Nice.
My Galaxy S3 was the size you’re talking about and that battery is now kaput but it was starting to loose durability affter 3.5 years and i had to go bacck to it after smashing my s6 glass for a few months. the battery was lying about charge and would randomally restart the phone on me. I never got it replaced becuase my s6 was getting fixed but it was and still is a great phone, especially when i need a backup in the future but with the size of webpages now and data transfer of today, it’s behind.
The S6 is indeed bigger and borderline unwieldy but manageable and overall a nice phone to use, but that battery issue....if i owned the thing....would be nice. But its time to turn it in on the lease and get, what, another phone i don’t really own with bloatware/promotional stuff? The screen on the Motos are cheaper to fix, its cheaper to buy, perhaps ill weigh the E4+ option but thats pretty slow...
"Grindintosecond" (Grindintosecond)
10/10/2017 at 17:26, STARS: 0
how is the unlocked phone only working with sprint/t-mobile? it should work with whoever you want. but, you can take it wherever if you don’t like them i suppose.
"Grindintosecond" (Grindintosecond)
10/10/2017 at 17:27, STARS: 0
That’s exactly the phone im looking at now, but the non-replaceable battery is kind of an issue for me. I hope it has long life.
"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
10/11/2017 at 07:39, STARS: 0
I saw that the international version of the G5 still has the removable battery since it is dual sim but it also only has the 2GB RAM and slower processor like the G4. I also noted that it is a 5.0 inch phone and is around $200. I’ll definitely be looking into that to find out if the G5+ is worth the upgrade and additional $60. I’ve never been too fond of the Samsungs, they tend to be bloaty with the touchwiz crap and reliability issues with batteries are definitely a thing.
Im hoping I can get the Sony to not break again for at least a few more months so that I dont have to invest in a new piece of hardware a little bit longer.
"Azrek" (azrek)
10/11/2017 at 08:08, STARS: 0
It works great and is super fast. However, it is a GSM/LTE service only which means I can’t goto Verizon or AT&T. I can only be on Sprint or TMobile as they have the same antenna as my phone. So ensure you know what services you can use.
"bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
10/11/2017 at 09:42, STARS: 0
It’s not just feature updates, which I agree, are a nice to have.
It’s also security updates - and Android malware, exploiting those vulnerabilities, is a thing in the wild.
"Grindintosecond" (Grindintosecond)
10/11/2017 at 11:02, STARS: 0
Ah! I get it, your bandwidth limited in your phone. Thank you for that heads up.
"Kailand09" (kailand09)
10/11/2017 at 12:04, STARS: 0
My wife uses it and isn’t a super heavy user. Currently it gets charged every other night.
I wouldn’t be concerned with a non replaceable battery, if you take proper care of it, new phone batteries last until the phone itself needs replacement.
So far it’s a great phone especially at the price.