Help me pick my first Smartphone with a no-contract plan. Low price, decent phone.

[chanchan05]

I just have to tell you guys: tomorrow's the anniversary and the phone never came as it was supposed to Friday or Saturday. Had to chat to find out there's something wrong with my payment. I didn't because we're traveling and I don't want it to show up this week.

So now at 10pm, my husband tells me our minutes never showed up on our cheapy Tracfones. As I'm trying to work it out with a guy from India and it's taking FOREVER as usual, my husband says, "The next phone we get, let's make sure it's not a Tracfone!"

So now I'm wondering if I should cancel the order on the S7. If I wanted to still get an S7 but use a different carrier, I'd have to get from someone other than Tracfone right?

You could look into the bring your own device deals I guess. Not really sure how that works in the US.

 

[pkcable]

I just have to tell you guys: tomorrow's the anniversary and the phone never came as it was supposed to Friday or Saturday. Had to chat to find out there's something wrong with my payment. I didn't because we're traveling and I don't want it to show up this week.

So now at 10pm, my husband tells me our minutes never showed up on our cheapy Tracfones. As I'm trying to work it out with a guy from India and it's taking FOREVER as usual, my husband says, "The next phone we get, let's make sure it's not a Tracfone!"

So now I'm wondering if I should cancel the order on the S7. If I wanted to still get an S7 but use a different carrier, I'd have to get from someone other than Tracfone right?

Seems they are probably locked to Tracfone, BUT they should be able to give you an unlock code AFTER you register it, so that might mean 1 more month with them depending on the timing of things. Here's the page I found.....

https://www.wikihow.com/Unlock-a-Samsung-Tracfone

 

[DPN712]

Hi,

I just saw this, don't know if it's too late to chime in or not, but I have Straight Talk wireless (through Walmart, part of tracphone), and purchased the Samsung Galaxy J7 Sky Pro last cyber Monday for $50. I had an LG Optimus Fuel, a very competent, but low-end display entry level phone from a few years ago. I thought, for $50, how far wrong can I go. I now see wal mart has them for $100. (The regular price has been $150). 3 and 1/2 months later, if I needed a phone in your situation, would I pay $100 range for a Samsung J7 Sky Pro? Absolutely, without hesitation. Granted, I haven't had a high end phone to compare it with in the past, but I really cant imagine needing more.

I bought a 'For Samsung Galaxy J7 V /J7 Perx Case Shockproof Armor Hybrid Rubber Hard Cover ' on ebay for $6, and '2x Galaxy J7 2017 / J7 Perx / J7 V / J7 Sky Pro Tempered Glass Screen Protector' on ebay for $3.29. With these 2 items, it seems indestructible and unscratchable with casual pocket and sitting in car console use.

It's worked flawlessly, and it doesn't feel second rate in any way (at least not to me) - fully satisfied

 

[DPN712]

I switched from Verizon, to Straight talk (a tracphone brand sold through wal mart) 3 and 1/2 years ago. It was my first smartphone, and I thought it was too good to be true, that I would go from flip phone limited prime time minutes voice/text only phone to smart phone with unlimited voice/text and generous data plan, and have my bill go way DOWN with no contract, still backed by Verizon towers.

3 and 1/2 years later, if there was a 'catch', I haven't figured out what it would be.

My Samsung Galaxy J7 Sky Pro on tracphone's 'Straight talk' plan is superb, no buyers remorse about any of it

 

[DPN712]

I purchased the Samsung Galaxy J7 Sky Pro last cyber Monday for $50. I had an LG Optimus Fuel, a very competent, but low-end display entry level phone from a few years ago. I thought, for $50, how far wrong can I go. I now see wal mart has them for $100. (The regular price has been $150). 3 and 1/2 months later, if I needed a phone in your situation, would I pay $100 range for a Samsung J7 Sky Pro? Absolutely, without hesitation. Granted, I haven't had a high end phone to compare it with in the past, but I really cant imagine needing more.

I bought a hard rubber case on ebay for $6, and 2 Tempered Glass screen protectors on ebay for 3 bucks. With these 2 items, it seems indestructible and unscratchable with casual pocket and sitting in car console use.

It's worked flawlessly, and it doesn't feel second rate in any way (at least not to me) - fully satisfied

 

[CJ Mac]

Hey everyone, we're back from our trip and have decided to do the T-Mobile 55+ deal at $60 per month.

Edit: Took out a lot since I learned we could bring our own phones. From the little exploration I've done, I'm presently between getting 2 low-priced Moto E 4th gens. Reviews are very good for a $129 phone from Best Buy.

OR chatting with hard sell T-Mobile rep, he says LG G6 is BOGO free. Reviews are excellent. Would be $550 for the 2. That's about as much as we'd want to spend.

Any thoughts? (No V20s anywhere.)

 

[Mooncatt]

The G6 I'm sure performs well for what it is. Being glass bodied, sealed battery, and no IR Blaster, I'd never get it. If those aren't must haves for you, then I'm sure it'll be a great phone.

 

[CJ Mac]

Why do they make these things glass? And do you mean that with other phones you can change the battery? Didn't know that was ever necessary. No idea what the blaster is, but I'll bet we don't need one. ;-)

 

[chanchan05]

It's glass because since 2010, reviewers have been calling these Android flagships out for feeling cheap because they used plastics back then. So it became either glass or metal. You can't use wireless charging with metal, so glass it became.

Depending on usage you may need to get the battery replaced.

The blaster is basically an infrared emitter similar to a TV remote. It allows your phone to control your TV or other appliances that use IR remotes.

 

[Mooncatt]

And do you mean that with other phones you can change the battery?

It use to be a standard feature, and a big reason I chose the V20 and plan to stick with it. Heck, I just bought an extended battery to almost double its capacity. Li-ion batteries can be finicky and most people don't know how (or just don't care) to charge them properly. This abuse causes them to wear out relatively quickly, but manufacturers have started sealing the batteries in. So instead of just buying a new replacement battery on the cheap, you either have to also pay a service charge for a shop to do it or try it yourself and risk damaging the phone.

I have tried phones with sealed batteries before, and most every time there was a problem that was attributed to the battery itself (I.e. Shorting out). Twice it was a weak USB port that stopped working and thus rendering the phone a brick because I couldn't use an external charging cradle and extra batteries. A sealed battery may have some benefits for the manufacturer because it's cheaper to produce, but it's almost nothing but downsides to the everyday user.

 

[CJ Mac]

So if we can protect it well enough, hopefully the glass won't be a problem. (But what else is metal other than the V20 that's not too expensive?)

Can a battery be replaced on a sealed battery phone? I mean can you send it in somewhere?

Edit for Mooncatt: Would you trust either of these sources? (Not sure if I'm allowed to post or not.)

http://www.cell2get.com/lg-v20-64-g...oQU0KrArBeSHQ3rHPNLEc5CJFaOmQU2IaAjmaEALw_wcB

https://www.electronicsforce.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=61941

So little info for that 2nd one. Just can't find new unlocked elsewhere. Lots of refurbished.

 

[Mooncatt]

So if we can protect it well enough, hopefully the glass won't be a problem. (But what else is metal other than the V20 that's not too expensive?)

Can a battery be replaced on a sealed battery phone? I mean can you send it in somewhere?

I'm not sure what else out there is metal or plastic (I personally have no issue with plastic bodied phones).

Sealed batteries can be replaced as I said. If it's a popular phone like something from Samsung, a local repair shop should be able to do it. Other brands and models may be hit or miss. You can also send it to the manufacturer, but that would be more expensive and most likely leave you without a phone for weeks.

 

[CJ Mac]

Did you see my edit?

 

[Mooncatt]

Did you see my edit?

I think I posted before you edited it, so I didn't until now. I haven't heard of either of those sites before, so I don't have an opinion on them either way.

 

[chanchan05]

I think a Moto Z is metal. They should be cheaper than a G6 now I think. They're same generation flagship as the S7.

 

[pkcable]

So if we can protect it well enough, hopefully the glass won't be a problem. (But what else is metal other than the V20 that's not too expensive?)

Can a battery be replaced on a sealed battery phone? I mean can you send it in somewhere?

Edit for Mooncatt: Would you trust either of these sources? (Not sure if I'm allowed to post or not.)

LG V20 - 64 GB - Titan Gray - Unlocked - CDMA/GSM [LGUS996] - $332.99 : Unlocked Cell Phones, GSM, CDMA, No-Contracts! | Cell2Get

https://www.electronicsforce.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=61941

So little info for that 2nd one. Just can't find new unlocked elsewhere. Lots of refurbished.

You could also try both the Market Place sub forum here AND a place called Swappa....

https://forums.androidcentral.com/marketplace-buy-sell-trade/

https://swappa.com/?ref=mobilenations&data1=UUacUvbUpU6187378

 

[CJ Mac]

Okay we've done it: ordered two Moto E4s from Best Buy and signed up with T-Mobile for the 55+ Plan that gives us two lines for $60/month. Phones come tomorrow.

Decided on the E4s because we have 2 tablets that we'll use most of the time. The phones are mainly for my husband's work and if we're traveling. Or if I'm out for the day and need to call him. So no sense in buying something expensive even though it was very tempting.

Thanks for all your help, everyone! I'm sure I'll be back when I don't understand how to use the phone. ;-)

 

[pkcable]

I remember reading somewhere that the E4 was a recommended budget phone.

 

[lorenzo3988]

I may be too late,but the J7 by Virgin Mobil can stand it's ground with ANY high-priced phone.At roughly $150 dollars,and excellent,EXCELLENT battery life you can't go wrong.Add a 16g (or more) SD card and you're set.Switch some apps to SD,and you should be good.Oh! And Virgin's $35 a month deal isn't bad either.