Off-contract cell phones

[dmm5157]

Haven't posted about cell phones in ages (thank goodness, it's been nice and quiet around here), but did want to post this for some folks here that don't upgrade to the premium iPhones and Android devices that are climbing over $1,000 retail price now.

Looks like we're entering a new era of lower to mid tier devices that offer excellent performance and style just below the top tiered devices, but at a fraction of the cost. The latest of which is the Huawei (pronounced Wah-Way) Honor 7x. Not sure if anyone has seen this one, but it's got style form similar to bezzleless devices released recently, it's waterproof, has fingerprint scanner, fast charging, dual cameras, just about anything you could want, and it costs $200 MSRP from Amazon. Also, you can add damage protection for just $40 if you purchase device from Amazon. Best of all, it's off-contract so you can bring it over to any GSM plan and just pop in your sim card.

I opted to buy the cheaper little brother of this phone, the Huawei Honor 6x for $160 from Amazon (price varies by day, can find as low as $150 new with US warranty). Slightly older, smaller screen, not water proof and doesn't have NFC, but damn this thing works great, battery lasts forever, has expandable MicroSD memory card slot, and it doesn't slow down like my Galaxy S7 Edge used to. I took it with me to Puerto Rico for a recent trip. My Galaxy S7 did awful on my work trip to USVI, battery was constantly draining down and would randomly reset. Honor 6x did great, battery would last all day from 6AM to 8PM without having to charge, and photos (part of the reason for the trip) came out just fine. It doesn't have the low light camera of the Samsung high end phones, but in natural light, the camera does just fine. The UI is very familiar for those who use Samsung or iOS phones as well.

Never thought it would happen, but I'm done with Samsung devices. IMO they are guilty of the same thing Apple just admitted to doing: Slowing down their devices as they age. Samsung has also been slow to upgrade their devices to latest software lately and it's very disappointing for a device that often retails for over $700.


Huawei isn't the only game in town either, just happen to be my 2 favorites under $200 lately. I've heard good things about the Moto G5S, although I decided to pass on that device when doing my research and comparisons. Asus also just released their Zenfone V (works for Verizon), ZTE has some nicer offerings, and even Apple has a budget friendly SE version out for under $300.


Anyone own any of these devices? Any in particular that you like or dislike?

 

[Nole Lou]

I love this trend. It seems to me that we're approaching a point at which there are really only two "flagships", the iPhone and Galaxy, and the rest of the manufacturers are going to give up on the idea of making a dent in the $800 phone market. If they decide to move into this space, we could really see some great things.

I'm not a power user, but the absolute greatest value I ever got in a phone was the ZTE Zmax 2 Go Phone. It didn't have all the bells and whistles, but it was big, fast, reliable, felt solid, and worked awesome, and was $50 off contract at Best Buy for years. I might still be using it if I didn't drop it and smash the screen, and sometimes I just wish I'd gotten another. My daughter must be on 2+ years with hers at this point. It's arguably the best bargain phone of all time I think. I think it's finally been replaced, and I'm not sure the replacement has been as beloved.

I just picked up a Moto G XT or something like that factory refurbed for my son for a little over $100. He is really really happy with it. He's 14, he'd been using mostly bottom of the barrel Androids (because he loses/breaks them) that I can get at the Cricket store for $40 or less. Those generally seem to fill up and slow down pretty quickly.

My general approach for myself has always been to get a "flagship" type phone used about two generations past release, usually for between $100-175. Everything but Galaxy and iPhone drop pretty quickly after a couple new versions are released. I usually get about 18-24 months before I'm ready for a new one.

Last time around I splurged and got a Galaxy S6 just after the release of the S7, and dropped about $275. I have to admit it's been pretty good to me, and coming up on two years, I'm not feeling the need to replace it anytime soon. I'm probably not a big enough power user to notice any slowdowns, and it doesn't seem to have the general degradation of performance that usually drives me to another phone after a couple years. I guess that might be just because I bought it about a year earlier in my normal cycle.

When I'm ready again, I'll definitely be looking at some of these sub-flagship phones like you're talking about instead of an older used phone.

 

[GoNolesTX]

I'm coming up on the 24 month marker for my S7 Edge and it seems to be holding up. Been shopping already among the flagships vs just holding off until I get moved to FL and recouping the extra $30/month for the "lease" of this one. Work has me toting around an S8+ right now and it works fine, I do VERY little on it since they have been known to scrub company property occasionally.

Weighing S8+ and the LG comparable. I've just been on Samsung for so long that hopping in to a new one is seamless as far as setup and maintenance.

Des, you want to explain to some less-tech savvy folks the difference between "off contract" and "jail-broken"? I know there's getting to be more compatibility issues with jail-broken lately, so wondering if that's networks finally beating the curve on that one.

 

[BelemNole]

We're on Fi now. Wife has the flagship Pixel2 but I'm rocking an old Nexus 5x and my son just go the Moto x4 for Christmas. They all come without all the bloatware and are updated before any of the other carriers. Plus, if you travel overseas Fi has you covered - just take your phone.
Aside from an aging battery I still like the 5x. I'll probably just get a new battery this year and keep the phone as long as I can seeing as google keeps updating the OS.

 

[ericram]

We're on Fi now. Wife has the flagship Pixel2 but I'm rocking an old Nexus 5x and my son just go the Moto x4 for Christmas. They all come without all the bloatware and are updated before any of the other carriers. Plus, if you travel overseas Fi has you covered - just take your phone.
Aside from an aging battery I still like the 5x. I'll probably just get a new battery this year and keep the phone as long as I can seeing as google keeps updating the OS.

I was under the impression that you could only use a pixel with Google fi?

 

[ReliableOstrich]

On a related note regarding mobile carriers...

Sprint is offering one year of free service (unlim talk, text, & data) if you switch to them from Verizon, ATT, or T-Mobile post-paid plan (meaning not a month to month prepaid plan). You just pay the taxes, so like $4/month, which is about $76 less than I used to pay, so I'm saving about $912.

Sprint's service isn't impeccable for sure but free is tough to beat. I've been using it for about a month and a half and have no major complaints except some areas in the boonies/suburbia where the data is weak.

Seems like a great plan for the kids who are chewing through your data or parents who don't need a 50Mbps connection for all the Snapchats. I'm a heavy user and would even recommend it for folks like me who live in a major metro and don't spend time in the burbs.

More info:
http://www.hotdealsclub.com/deal/48b6f5f84bc620a7890d52c9c879bc37/
https://www.sprint.com/en/shop/offers/free-unlimited.html

 

[BelemNole]

I was under the impression that you could only use a pixel with Google fi?

No, it's on a few different carriers.

 

[Nole Lou]

On a related note regarding mobile carriers...

Sprint is offering one year of free service (unlim talk, text, & data) if you switch to them from Verizon, ATT, or T-Mobile post-paid plan (meaning not a month to month prepaid plan). You just pay the taxes, so like $4/month, which is about $76 less than I used to pay, so I'm saving about $912.

Sprint's service isn't impeccable for sure but free is tough to beat. I've been using it for about a month and a half and have no major complaints except some areas in the boonies/suburbia where the data is weak.

Seems like a great plan for the kids who are chewing through your data or parents who don't need a 50Mbps connection for all the Snapchats. I'm a heavy user and would even recommend it for folks like me who live in a major metro and don't spend time in the burbs.

More info:
http://www.hotdealsclub.com/deal/48b6f5f84bc620a7890d52c9c879bc37/
https://www.sprint.com/en/shop/offers/free-unlimited.html

My Cricket deal is insane (and so this one doesn't apply to me anyway), but Sprint has had some offerings lately that have gotten my attention. The main thing that catches me though it that they're all for a limited time. Even that could be ok, but Sprint's different tech would mean replacing five phones, and then doing it again potentially in a year or so.

I'm pretty much on this Cricket deal for as long as they'll honor it before kicking me off, or my kids start dropping off the plan, which is probably at least a few more years.

 

[ReliableOstrich]

My Cricket deal is insane (and so this one doesn't apply to me anyway), but Sprint has had some offerings lately that have gotten my attention. The main thing that catches me though it that they're all for a limited time. Even that could be ok, but Sprint's different tech would mean replacing five phones, and then doing it again potentially in a year or so.

I'm pretty much on this Cricket deal for as long as they'll honor it before kicking me off, or my kids start dropping off the plan, which is probably at least a few more years.

Not sure about replacing phones. My iPhone 6s from ATT works just fine on Sprint. Not sure what antennas your Cricket devices have (pun intended).

 

[GbrNole]

i boxed myself too tightly in to the apple eco system so will continue to use an iphone for the foreseeable future. i do like the devices huawei is introducing although my favorite non-apple mobile device is the LG V30. if google had introduced the V30 as the pixel 2 phone, i might have been swayed. of course, i just strayed a hundred miles from the impetus of your thread since none of those phones are $200 or less!

speaking of huawei though, i have a burning desire to buy a huawei matebook x. if they would release an updated version with a core I5-8250, 512gb pci SSD and 16gb of ram i'd be all over it. might even be able to have fun putting all kinds of junk on it to spoof the chinese spies!

 

[FSUdawg]

I was under the impression that you could only use a pixel with Google fi?

You can still use the old Google phones (5x and 6p). In addition, they introduced the Moto phone Belem mentioned above a little less than a year ago.

I have been on Fi for over 2 years now and I love it. Part of me wants to get a new phone, but the 6p I have works great so I can't justify the expense of a new device. I am hoping in the next year or two they add even more phones to the compatibility list so there are more options.

 

[GbrNole]

Even that could be ok, but Sprint's different tech would mean replacing five phones, and then doing it again potentially in a year or so

depends on how new your phones are? non-sprint iPhone 6 or older won't work on sprint but a 6s or newer is more universal and should. the bigger problem is for existing sprint customers who want to move service and sprint won't unlock the phones they bought (through sprint).

i had some cracking pricing through t-mobile that in most instances was fantastic - killer LTE speeds. unfortunately it was far less than fantastic on I-10 and in several spots on I-75. couldn't be having my kid drive back and forth to Tallahassee and have dead spots with no service.

 

[dmm5157]

Des, you want to explain to some less-tech savvy folks the difference between "off contract" and "jail-broken"? I know there's getting to be more compatibility issues with jail-broken lately, so wondering if that's networks finally beating the curve on that one.

Unlocked Off-contract means the phone is being purchased free and clear with no carrier limits (besides network compatibility limitations). Typically, most off-contract phones are GSM compatible (AT&T, T-Mobile). Verizon and Sprint are CDMA and there are not as many unlocked options for those carriers. These devices are brand-new and come with original manufacturer warranties.

Jailbroken phones are phones that were originally purchased from a carrier plan and then unlocked to work on other carriers. They generally do not come with a warranty and are not brand new (not always the case, but generally true).

I was under the impression that you could only use a pixel with Google fi?

Negative, available on many carriers.

 

[Nole Lou]

depends on how new your phones are? non-sprint iPhone 6 or older won't work on sprint but a 6s or newer is more universal and should. the bigger problem is for existing sprint customers who want to move service and sprint won't unlock the phones they bought (through sprint).

i had some cracking pricing through t-mobile that in most instances was fantastic - killer LTE speeds. unfortunately it was far less than fantastic on I-10 and in several spots on I-75. couldn't be having my kid drive back and forth to Tallahassee and have dead spots with no service.

Yeah, none of our phones are flagship enough to be universal. We only have one iPhone in the family, and I think it's a 5s or something.

I had T Mobile for a while, between the five of us, I think we've been on pretty much everything but Verizon, and maybe Metro PCS. I guess we haven't been on AT&T proper, but we've been on their network. TMobile was absolutely killer in town, but I noticed the same thing when travelling...it would drop to like nothing, and not that far out of town. And it wasn't just dead spots on the interstate...when we'd leave coverage we'd be out of coverage for an extended period of time.

I was almost blown away by the coverage on Cricket (AT&T) when we switched to that, even though I'm not on the phone much and it really isn't that big a deal breaker. But even if once a month I didn't have it when I wanted it...it still sticks in your mind. I was shocked at where I had coverage on Cricket.

And then, about 3-4 months ago, I lost coverage in my office. I literally have coverage everywhere I ever possibly would go, except where I spend eight hours a day and now can't have a conversation. I've got to run out to the parking lot if I really need to take a call. I'm assuming they moved a tower or something. It's really, really annoying, but at least for now it's not worth the $40+ more I'd need to do something else. I suppose I might be able to set up some kind of wifi calling, but my office probably would frown on that.

 

[SoddyNole]

Daughter was the last hold out in the family with iphone and traded it in for the $300.00 Pixel 2. We are free now.....FREE!

...well except for the ipads.

 

[ReliableOstrich]

And then, about 3-4 months ago, I lost coverage in my office. I literally have coverage everywhere I ever possibly would go, except where I spend eight hours a day and now can't have a conversation. I've got to run out to the parking lot if I really need to take a call. I'm assuming they moved a tower or something. It's really, really annoying, but at least for now it's not worth the $40+ more I'd need to do something else. I suppose I might be able to set up some kind of wifi calling, but my office probably would frown on that.

Do you normally connect your phone to your office's wifi, if so, set this up:
https://www.cricketwireless.com/support/apps-and-services/wifi-calling/customer/wifi-calling.html

 

[BelemNole]

It's weird to think that isn't automatic after living with Fi for a while. All my calls from home/office or any trusted source are wifi calls.

 

[RTM58]

Looks like we're entering a new era of lower to mid tier devices that offer excellent performance and style just below the top tiered devices, but at a fraction of the cost. The latest of which is the Huawei (pronounced Wah-Way) Honor 7x. Not sure if anyone has seen this one, but it's got style form similar to bezzleless devices released recently, it's waterproof, has fingerprint scanner, fast charging, dual cameras, just about anything you could want, and it costs $200 MSRP from Amazon. Also, you can add damage protection for just $40 if you purchase device from Amazon. Best of all, it's off-contract so you can bring it over to any GSM plan and just pop in your sim card.

Been looking at the HUAWEI Mate 10 Pro, but it's not a project Fi phone so I'm in a bit of a quandary.

 

[Nole Lou]

Do you normally connect your phone to your office's wifi, if so, set this up:
https://www.cricketwireless.com/support/apps-and-services/wifi-calling/customer/wifi-calling.html

Yeah, unfortunately I don't use a branded Cricket phone, I've got an AT&T branded (but unlocked) S6 on the Cricket network. Doesn't work, at least not yet.

 

[GbrNole]

Google just announced it's $1.1B stake in HTC. That's an interesting buy in. HTC have partnered with Google on the nexus projects in the past and HTC do make some very high quality devices. That said, the LG mobile phone business is not exactly killing it but they are a supplier of OLED screens - surprised Google didn't go in that direction? HTC and LG manufacture the current Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL respectively.

 

[TexSkills]

I hit the 2 year mark with my S7 Edge this month and I've been looking at a replacement. I want to go back to the Note and that may be what I end up getting.

 

[Nole Lou]

It's weird to think that isn't automatic after living with Fi for a while. All my calls from home/office or any trusted source are wifi calls.

Yeah. Unfortunately Fi is twice as expensive for a family of five, even without the cost of replacing all our phones with compatible phones, so switching to that is not even a consideration. I don't do enough calls for it to be a life changing issue, just super annoying when it happens, and that I'm virtually never without good service anywhere else but at my desk. I could probably get a super cheap pay by minute phone on another carrier and have my number forwarded while I'm in the office.

 

[Phinhead]

My S7 is still kicking. Verizon 4g, since they let everyone have a share, sucks. I was on the old grandfathered plan,and it was wonderful. Now, things are 8x slower in the city and dial up slow from 5-8pm rural. (Yes, I had to let go the old coverage and go to their upper tier to try not to get pushed behind traffic.)

I have considered just dumping them for cheap coverage and wifi.

 

[ReliableOstrich]

Yeah. Unfortunately Fi is twice as expensive for a family of five, even without the cost of replacing all our phones with compatible phones, so switching to that is not even a consideration. I don't do enough calls for it to be a life changing issue, just super annoying when it happens, and that I'm virtually never without good service anywhere else but at my desk. I could probably get a super cheap pay by minute phone on another carrier and have my number forwarded while I'm in the office.

Sign up with ATT, TMobile, or Verizon for one month, it'll be an expensive month, but then switch all your lines to Sprint using the year free.

That'll buy you 12 months to make your next decision, paying $3/month/line, whatever you drop in one month on ATT/Tmo/Vzw will be peanuts compared to your savings. A bit of hassle sure but you'll be saving a few thousand dollars in the process.

 

[squiffynole]

For baseball games I'd like to receive FM radio on my LG Android - why that is not a feature I don't know. Is there a way?

 

[ericram]

For baseball games I'd like to receive FM radio on my LG Android - why that is not a feature I don't know. Is there a way?

Tune in app?

 

[OrlandNole]

For baseball games I'd like to receive FM radio on my LG Android - why that is not a feature I don't know. Is there a way?

Download NextRadio. If your phone has an FM tuner it will detect and activate it for you.

 

[squiffynole]

Download NextRadio. If your phone has an FM tuner it will detect and activate it for you.

I tried NextRadio but disappointingly my model does not have a tuner. Something else I have never understood - the local baseball coverage on 106.1 FM is over the airwaves with no streaming. That mystery is right there with some home basketball games that are said to be blacked out locally but then they appear albeit unlisted on an obscure channel.

Sorry, I'm whining.

 

[Nole Lou]

Sign up with ATT, TMobile, or Verizon for one month, it'll be an expensive month, but then switch all your lines to Sprint using the year free.

That'll buy you 12 months to make your next decision, paying $3/month/line, whatever you drop in one month on ATT/Tmo/Vzw will be peanuts compared to your savings. A bit of hassle sure but you'll be saving a few thousand dollars in the process.

Yeah, thanks, but no. I think I've derailed the thread, but it's not something I'm going to switch over, I was just complaining that I wished I had better service in my office.

I'm paying $100/mo for five lines. Even if I did what you propose, I'd need to buy five new phones for sprint ( $750 conservatively to get something worth using for a year?), and pay a month at ATT ($200?). Which would be a savings of at most a few hundred bucks, not a few thousand, and be searching for another deal in a year, which probably wouldn't be as good as what I've got now.

I can't imagine paying so much that a free year would save "a few thousand dollars." That would be $250/mo. I guess you could get there with five phones.

 

[ReliableOstrich]

Yeah, thanks, but no. I think I've derailed the thread, but it's not something I'm going to switch over, I was just complaining that I wished I had better service in my office.

I'm paying $100/mo for five lines. Even if I did what you propose, I'd need to buy five new phones for sprint ( $750 conservatively to get something worth using for a year?), and pay a month at ATT ($200?). Which would be a savings of at most a few hundred bucks, not a few thousand, and be searching for another deal in a year, which probably wouldn't be as good as what I've got now.

I can't imagine paying so much that a free year would save "a few thousand dollars." That would be $250/mo. I guess you could get there with five phones.

To the contrary, not only do you not need to buy new phones (provided your existing devices have the right antennas), but the free year terms stipulate that a) you must bring your own device and b) you have to use it for at least 4 months before buying a new one.

I guess the question is if your devices have antennas that work with Sprint's bands.

Regardless, it was just a suggestion. $100 for 5 lines is a good deal.