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The Essential Phone PH-1 is now certified for the MVNO Google FI (formerly known as Project FI), although full network switching is not guaranteed. What is, is access to at a minimum T-mobile's network, and add'l international options and perks by Google.
It personally doesn't work for me as far as pricing goes, but if you are a light data user, it may be worth checking into.
If it's on the T-mobile network, prepare for the same issues this phone has had with that network in general. Take that into consideration as well.
Actually, Fi seems like the perfect solution for this -- at least so long as you can get the phone to switch to Sprint. After all, if you're having issues with T-Mobile, Fi is designed to latch onto the stronger signal, so it should switch over to either Sprint or US Cellular. Additionally, there are ways to "force" the phone to change networks; including apps (such as Signal Spy) that make it easy for you to manually switch between networks.
Was there confirmation that the network switching was working on Essential?
The FI website says the PH-1 is "tested and certified" to work with FI but won't have the network switching.
Just left Verizon after 10+ years. Got the pixel 3xl on the black Friday deal. Loving it so far. My bill is 44 dollars for the month. I use very little data, always on wifi.
Project Fi (then) was great overseas (T-Mobile service), but the data bill was too high in the US. While Verizon doesn't have the everywhere-coverage it touts, Total Wireless (on VZW) is a good choice. Buy the base service (no data) with auto-pay, and add data as needed for $10 for 5GB. The added data doesn't expire, but that attached to a monthly plan does. If you've got more than one phone to cover, another option may be better. My PH-1 is on the base/no data plan now, and I add 5GB of data when I need to. When I'm around home, I'm on wifi a great deal of the time, but need more data when I'm travelling.
When I was on Project Fi, I was using one of their Moto x4 phones. In central Ohio, it often would not switch well, even on their phone.