Phone ideas?

Hey guys. I need an opinion.

For some reason, (cost haha) my parents won't get me a smartphone. That's fine, but I want to buy one myself. However, I've looked around and it's sooooo confusing so I thought I'd just ask for opinions on here.

I have about $500 to spend per year on a phone. So what would be the best prepaid plan with any smart phone, pretty much, as long as it runs android.

I would like unlimited text talk, I don't care about roaming and I don't care about data at all, as I can use wifi and it would only raise the price. So if there is anything cheap, please let me know.

Phone+Prepaid plane=<$500

Thanks

USAbro

No idea about plans... mine is about $80-90 a month.

As for the phone, I would hold off a bit until new versions of Samsung and HTC are released in March, after that I expect the prices on the Samsung S5 will fall and the HTC One M8. Both of them are excellent options... can't really go wrong buying a factory refurb, just need to make sure they function on the same band as your carrier of choice.

Yeah I don't care much about how "GREAT" the plan is. It just has to be able to run apps. And it all needs to be $500 or less.

I've always like virgin mobile for pre-paid. Samsung galaxy s3 is on sale ATM for $225 plan is $35 a month

smartphone breakdown you have more or less 3 choices:

Android: Samsung or HTC phones
IOS: IPhone (obviously)
Windows Phone: Nokia Lumia line

All 3 will have apps. Windows phone has the least amount of apps but has a lot of alternatives to major apps. Apple and android will have the most to offer.

But wouldn't I have to pay for the expensive phone because it's not part of the two year agreement?
I was thinking a $50-$100 phone with a plan like $300-$450 per year.

USAbro said:

But wouldn't I have to pay for the expensive phone because it's not part of the two year agreement?
I was thinking a $50-$100 phone with a plan like $300-$450 per year.

Click to expand...

No with virgin mobile it is no contracts. It would be $225 for the phone up front with the $35 a month plan

Not sure the S3 for $225 is a good deal. I mean you do get a new phone, but I don't see the downside in having a factory refurb, and I've seen very good deals on those.

The HTC M7 was for sale not long ago for $200 for example. On a budget I would consider buying a phone independently of the carrier altogether, just from a reputable source with warranty/return policy.

It's a very low priority, but I'm also in the market for a decent waterproof phone for travel, or as a backup in case mine dies.

GR3EN said:

No with virgin mobile it is no contracts. It would be $225 for the phone up front with the $35 a month plan

Click to expand...

Still over budget as I'd be working with $645 there and that's $145 over.

Idc if the phone is big or cool it can be like this.

They have a bit of options. This seems like more your price then LG Tribute 4G LTE Android Phone Specs | Virgin Mobile USA Best is to shop around though. Every large phone company has contract free plans.

I have had Virgin Mobile for a long time, they have Android phones as low as $50. Remember if you have the $35 plan or a more expensive one there is tax on that. When I go to 711 and buy a top up card I pay $35 + $3.08 tax + $1.00 911 tax = $39.08 a month so you are getting close to $500 a year on that plan. Where you live the tax will be different. Take a look online at the Virgin Mobile site, if it looks interesting then go to a Best Buy or other Virgin Mobile store and take a look at the phones before you decide.

Alan

Cellular service here costs an arm and a leg, but there's plenty of ways to do it cheaper.

Tablet data plans are reasonably priced. I went to the store, told them I had a tablet, got a SIM card and stuck it in my phone. Most places will not let you get a tablet plan for a phone, so don't bring that up.
For calling and texting I used voice over IP (VoIP).

The USA has loads more VoIP options than Canada, you should have no problem finding a service for $1 - $2 a month. I pay $2 a month for mine.

My phone bill comes out to about $25/month after tax. I get unlimited calls in North America, unlimited worldwide texting and I pay per gigabyte of data I use.

A plan with similar amounts of data to what I use, calling and texting would normally be $80/month.




Texting and calling cost very little for cellular companies to provide and they charge ridiculous amounts for it.
Tablet data plans and VoIP are the way to go, the price accurately reflects the service they are providing for you.


Plus, when you're on WiFi then you can turn off the cellular antenna and save battery.

I've personally never had a good time with a "cheap" android phone. They're always made of crappy plastic and are way under spec and not fun to use. I would personally go around to some pawn shops and try to find a top-end phone from a year or two ago. Odds are it will be more powerful and well made than a new budget phone and you can put it on whatever phone plan you want.

Blarg King said:

I've personally never had a good time with a "cheap" android phone. They're always made of crappy plastic and are way under spec and not fun to use. I would personally go around to some pawn shops and try to find a top-end phone from a year or two ago. Odds are it will be more powerful and well made than a new budget phone and you can put it on whatever phone plan you want.

Click to expand...

So I could buy an old iphone 5 and connect it to prepaid?

The problem is my dad is into cheap phones, he'll buy me a $15/month phone when I'm in 12th grade. I ain't gonna wait I'm gonna use money from cutting lawns to afford one.

This (Apple iPhone 5 32GB Black Slate Unlocked Previous at T 492550200441 | eBay) kind of phone I could buy and slap a $35/month plan on it?

What about the phone I linked earlier? Is that a crap phone or any good?

Yeah, if you buy the phone yourself you can, in theory, put any plan you want on it. I would double check because *some* carriers will try and sell you an "iPhone" or "Smartphone" plan, but if you just buy a sim card from the carrier you want, you should be able to choose whatever plan you want and put the sim into any phone thats unlocked or on the carrier you choose.

As for the phone you linked.. its Okay at best. It has decent reviews, but its specs weren't high when it came out, so theres the possibility of it being left behind fairly soon.

That iPhone 5 would be a better bet, its still fairly recent, and it will have its usable life extended because its internals are the same as the iPhone 5C, which came out only last year. I have an iPhone 5S and its the best phone I've owned in the last 8 years.

One thing you should know is that Virgin Mobile doesn't use SIM cards, you can only use one of their phones, so you would have to go with another provider than Virgin Mobile. So maybe not a $35 plan.

Alan

They do make non-sim variants of some phones. I know for sure theres non-sim iPhones. Harder to come by though.