I recently got a Nexus 4 to replace an original Droid Incredible. I'm currently using it on the T-Mobile $30 prepaid plan. Not surprisingly, I'm enjoying the upgrade since I had the Droid Incredible for nearly 3 years and have been missing out on the many updates to the Android OS. My wife also has a Droid Incredible and I'd like to get her off Verizon Wireless so that we can cut our total monthly cell service costs in half. I don't mind being without true 4G service, since I'm usually near WiFi and don't mind frugally adopting new tech.
Unfortunately, the upgrade to a new phone doesn't have the same appeal to her as it does to me (an IT guy). Specifically, she doesn't want a phone with a huge screen (the Nexus 4 screen feels a little big for me even) and she doesn't need something super powerful, since I know she never even tapped the full power of the Incredible when it was new. I don't want to get one of the underpowered versions of flagship phones that a lot of manufacturers make, plus I also want to buy it unlocked and out of contract. Closer to a 4" screen, is better than closer to 4.5" screen. She really likes the size of the Droid Incredible just fine and she has a tablet and laptop for when a larger screen is in order.
I've searched around online and the current ideas that I have are HTC One S, Samsung Galaxy SII or Samsung Galaxy SIII Mini. It looks like the later two are available on Amazon.com for decent prices, but the HTC One S looks like it may be trickier to find new. Has anyone else found themself in this this situation? Any recommendations?
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I love my evo, however I can no longer afford sprint. Bottom line is I'll be joining the T-mo family. I'm going to be picking up a Touch 4G off of craigslist. I'm looking at spending between about 250. The Sensation is out of my cost range. I'm going on the family value plan for 99.89 for two lines. Any suggestions on this phone or any other. What pitfalls could i get into with buying one off craigslist, can these phones be blacklisted like sprint(I.E. bad ESN), I know they take sim cards. Any other tips . My I going to be disappointed because I can’t get my flash on…
Thx
First of all welcome to the GSM world and temporary TMo as soon to be part of the Death Star. So technically if you have the phones IMEI on the network the operator can block it from connecting to the tower, but however its not fully enforced by any GSM TelecoOperator in USA. Far as the plan goes the value plan is ok I guess in attempt to lock in user in to contract so they are stuck after the merge.
Sent from my HTC Glacier
godgib said:
I love my evo, however I can no longer afford sprint. Bottom line is I'll be joining the T-mo family. I'm going to be picking up a Touch 4G off of craigslist. I'm looking at spending between about 250. The Sensation is out of my cost range. I'm going on the family value plan for 99.89 for two lines. Any suggestions on this phone or any other. What pitfalls could i get into with buying one off craigslist, can these phones be blacklisted like sprint(I.E. bad ESN), I know they take sim cards. Any other tips . My I going to be disappointed because I can’t get my flash on…
Thx
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The MT4G is a very good phone. Even though it has a smaller screen than the Evo's the 2nd Generation Snapdragon makes it so much faster and better on games than the Evo.
Plus the S-LCD screen is nice.
BUT
Things to check before buying it from a guy of CL is that the MT4G comes with 2 different types of screens. The nice Super LCD that I already mentioned, or a washed out TFT screen. Now the TFT screen is pretty similar to the Evo's so I'm sure you know what that looks like. Easy way to tell is that a S-LCD doesn't change colors on angles, TFT does. It's a dead giveaway.
ALSO
The MT4G comes with two different types of eMMC chips where having the so called "bad" CAN cause a permanent brick to your phone shortly after rooting and flashing.
Now it's not a definite brick because I used to have the "bad" chip and was perfectly fine for months, but many weren't as lucky as me. So to be on the safe side make sure you get the one with the good chip.
Easiest way to check is once you get a chance to test the one you're about to buy, download Terminal Emulator from the market.
Then open it and type int he following:
Code:
cat /sys/class/block/mmcblk0/device/name
Then press enter.
If it says SEM04G then that's the good chip. So that's a green light.
BUT, if you see M4G2DE then that's the "bad" chip and I would stay away from purchasing that one and look for another seller.
Anyways, hoped I helped. This is a very powerful phone and I'm sure you'll love it if you can disregard the fact that it's a tad bit smaller than the Evo when it comes to the screen size.
If you want to read more information about the eMMC chips then take a look at this thread.
Thanks for that info on good/bad chips. Thinking about getting one for my wife off CL so I dont have to worry about contracts. Still hoping deal with the Deathstar will be killed.
why dont you use amazonwireless.com ? you can get the phones dirt cheap, i played 7 bucks for new mytouch 4g and a cent for droid 1 a year or so before the mytouch4g
Fellow ex sprint here too, albeit an ex epic user... Left tmobile about a year ago. Missed it and came back.Got two free mt4g on tmobile.com
All kinds of neat benefits after the switch, like tmobiles ” fake” 4g that usually nets me over 10+ down, where as sprint would only get around 3. And you can surf the net while on the phone while texting while driving (using the genius button and dragon dictation of course)
Sent from my HTC Glacier using Tapatalk
Yes, I also switched to the tmobile Value Plan last month, AT&T was getting too expensive, anyways I was using my Xperia X10 until yesterday where I got a MT4G dirt cheap on craigslist, for only $175! It has the good emmc chip and the slcd screen! Also came with the carrying case thingie I consider myself lucky. This phone is seriously SOOOO much faster than my X10 it's not even funny!
Welcome to t-mobile. 9 year customer. I've had every android phone that t-mobile has had since the g1 out of all of them HTC built the best. They all were sturdy build with class. Still going to get the sensation soon. But the mytouch u will enjoy. Might want to root. The espresso bubbled sense I don't care for. I'm on the sensation Rom through Virtuous Unity with absolutely no problems in my book
Sent from my HTC Glacier using xda premium
So i want 2 Touch Slide 4G, but on the value plan tmo whats you to pay retail for the phone and that's like $1000. Here's my work around.... No not craigslist, Go to best buy get the the classic family 1000 with data and txting it's comes out to $119 a month for the two lines. Pay $0 for the 4G touch slide. Wait a month and pay tmo 400 for changing my plan to the value family 1000 that $79 a and re-up my conteract for two yrs.
The differance in the two plans is $40X24=960
I gave tmo 0 for the phones and 400 for the EFT so I'm out 400.
So i either got two NEW phones for 300, Maybe even cheaper then craiglist.
Or I save 560 over 24 months.
The Very Simple Math
960-400=560
What Am I missing.
So, after Christmas I should have $400-$450, and I'm looking for a new phone.
I'll probably get it off Kogan, so I'll list the prices for the phones I'm considering.
Galaxy Nexus - $349
One X - $399 (Sold out, not sure when it'll restock. I like this phone)
Galaxy Note - $449
Galaxy S3 - $499
Galaxy Note 2 - $569
Now, half of these are above my price range, but I could possibly get my mum to lend me money, I'm not sure.
I wanted to get the Nexus 4 originally, it's amazing, but it keeps selling out and I don't know how long it'll be until it comes back in stock. I'm sort of sick of waiting. I'm in Australia by the way.
I currently have a Nokia N8.
The most important things in a phone to me are:
Wi-fi Tethering (I have no home internet)
Listening to music
Facebook
Texting with Swype (So no WP8 phone)
And I want it to look nice. (I'd get the LG 4X but I don't like the look)
Really want a big screen with 720p display.
Preferably a phone with a quad core, this is what turns me off about the galaxy nexus, don't want an old phone. I like my shiny new hardware haha.
hxc_pokecore said:
So, after Christmas I should have $400-$450, and I'm looking for a new phone.
I'll probably get it off Kogan, so I'll list the prices for the phones I'm considering.
Galaxy Nexus - $349
One X - $399 (Sold out, not sure when it'll restock. I like this phone)
Galaxy Note - $449
Galaxy S3 - $499
Galaxy Note 2 - $569
Now, half of these are above my price range, but I could possibly get my mum to lend me money, I'm not sure.
I wanted to get the Nexus 4 originally, it's amazing, but it keeps selling out and I don't know how long it'll be until it comes back in stock. I'm sort of sick of waiting. I'm in Australia by the way.
I currently have a Nokia N8.
The most important things in a phone to me are:
Wi-fi Tethering (I have no home internet)
Listening to music
Facebook
Texting with Swype (So no WP8 phone)
And I want it to look nice. (I'd get the LG 4X but I don't like the look)
Really want a big screen with 720p display.
Preferably a phone with a quad core, this is what turns me off about the galaxy nexus, don't want an old phone. I like my shiny new hardware haha.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think if youre adamant about quad core then that rules out the galaxy note. The main upside about the nexus devices is that they receive the latest and greatest updates first directly from google.
With the one X im assuming that its the international quad core version (in the US it is dual core). Thats probably what I would go with in terms of not giving up much functionality while still getting the most bang for your buck. You probably dont need me to tell you this but if youre willing to wait it out the nexus 4 is the clear cut choice.
My family's AT&T contact is eligible for upgrade this October and I wondering what we should we get. Right now the 4 of us each have a Samsung Galaxy S4 and like them, but they are our only smart phone we have so we like to upgrade so we can have our S4s as good backup phones if anything happens. We don't want an iPhone or metal phone. I was interested in the Nexus 6 but I feel it might be too big for me (and I know it is to big for my sister, she needs a phone that be used one handed because of a physical disability, so I think nothing bigger than 5.2 at the maximum for her). We would like to try and wll have the same phone model, but not required as long as it is android.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4 nicknamed "Gilliam". I am a co-host on the "Fragments of Silicon" podcast
Hello
Ive had my Note 5 for 10 days now, coming from an HTC One M7 of 2 years 8 months and felt it was finally time for an upgrade. Ive been a long supporter of HTC products since the EVO 4G days but lately have felt differently about the company so it was time to move on and finally make a change
One of the companies i looked to naturally was HTC's main competitor Samsung. In the past i have said negative things about Samsung. Ive always thought their products were overhyped, overpriced, gimmicky and sometimes unoriginal and that they were lucky to be successful because of their marketing budget. Never liked the bloatiness, not customizable friendly and bland UI of Touchwiz. However i cannot knock Samsung for their displays, has always been the best in its class.
The only product i thought about buying from Samsung at one time was the Galaxy S3, but Touchwiz was the main reason i stayed away. Ive always taken an interest to the Note series but wasnt ready to handle a screen of that size. the phablet idea was ahead of its time though. While i have been critical of Samsung and said their marketing is the reason they are the #1, i will be fair and say they have been more forward thinking in their ideas lately
I actually was more interested in getting a Nexus 6P than a Note 5. However the Note 5 was more convenient and affordable for me without having to switch carriers so the next best thing after the 6P is the Note 5. Also considered getting a S6Edge/Edge+ but thats where the gimmicky and overpriced mantra comes into play.
The camera was the main draw for me, followed by the S-pen functionality. I will miss the front stereo speakers of my M7 though and some of the friendly customizations of Sense. Still trying to get used to Touchwiz but i like it or hate it the Note 5 will be my phone for the next 2 years hopefully i will mostly like it. Its about time i give Samsung a shot so i can fairly criticize it!
Right now i mostly love it but the battery life is a bit of a letdown, hoping Marshmallow update fixes this! The screen, camera, multitask window and s-pen is all what i expected and makes it a nice upgrade over the m7
I had a Nexus 5, i broke the screen. Was replaced with this device for $100 insurance deductible (not bad). Phone rocks but i'm living in touchwiz hell.
SketchyStunts said:
I had a Nexus 5, i broke the screen. Was replaced with this device for $100 insurance deductible (not bad). Phone rocks but i'm living in touchwiz hell.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope not bad at all.
I hate how the app drawer is on the right but can't find a way to move it to the middle of the dock. Is there any way to rearrange it without having to find a replacement UI and therefore drain my battery more? Lol.
had the note 2 time for a upgrade
plus I got some cool gifts
these were the cool gifts
I've been sitting a year out of contract because the SD810 disaster and a garbage generation of phones.
Sprints LTE band2 has always been garbage in Phoenix AZ, so I was getting fed up with 3Mbit at best with full signal).
I was very close to getting a cheaper older phone at T-Mobile until this deal happened.
It was $50 at best buy, and their insurance is great. Also the $100 Samsung pay gift code to get a gear vr for free. The holiday gift pack is just a surprise bonus I'm also trying to take advantage of.
The deal was too good to pass up and I stuck with Sprint, I'm happy I did because the two extra LTE bands that I didn't have with my Optimus G make a world of difference. I will miss rooting though.
[Edits]
Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk
MikeEx said:
I've been sitting a year out of contract because the SD810 disaster and a garbage generation of phones.
Sprints LTE band2 has always been garbage in Phoenix AZ, so I was getting fed up with 3Mbit at best with full signal).
I was very close to getting a cheaper older phone at T-Mobile until this deal happened.
It was $50 at best buy, and their insurance is great. Also the $100 Samsung pay gift code to get a gear vr for free. The holiday gift pack is just a surprise bonus I'm also trying to take advantage of.
The deal was too good to pass up and I stuck with Sprint, I'm happy I did because the two extra LTE bands that I didn't have with my Optimus G make a world of difference. I will miss rooting though.
[Edits]
Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you got the link for the vr gear cause I didn't see that part
gronimo21 said:
you got the link for the vr gear cause I didn't see that part
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It might be too late to get the $100 coupon code, but if you do actually have it, here's the gear vr link.
http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/wearable-tech/SM-R322NZWAXAR
After dealing with an increasingly slow s3 i finally had had enough of that phone. I was ready to throw it against the wall. I had that phone for two years plus it was already 2 years old by that time i think. Love the note 5. I hate the predictive text, mainly because i type fast and it doesn't always hey the word right and i have to stop and delete and retype...sometimes often. Otherwise I'm loving the phone, no complaints and not even rooted.
Hello guys!
Do you have the problem like I do that I really would like to buy a fresh, new, fast phone with a new original battery, but looking at the current market I can not find any that suits to me? I am not talking about poor performance or lack of choice, but size... I'm really not interested in those enourmous 6"-6.5" phones because that big size is not comfortable for me, even though I have big hands.
Where is the era of 5"-5.8" phones gone? Do you think the large phones trend will ever stop?
In my situation I'm trying to look at used phones market, but this is also super problematic. If I find a used 5.5" device that suits me, it's battery is pretty much dead. I could buy a new battery and replace it without a problem, but there is no way I can find an original/genuine battery that will have a reasonable and solid life time. This is pathetic I think the dying 2-years batteries is the main trick that corporations use today to force us to change phone every 2-3 years ?
Do you feel me?
Well the way I've decided to combat this is by subscribing to Samsungs access program where I pay like 40 a month and in 9 months I can upgrade to the note 21 or S21 (if I choose to switch). I had the note 9 for 2 years and what I've noticed is I refuse to outright sell my phones for cheap rates after dropping 1200 plus on it. So now I've accumulated phones over the years since Samsung switched up and stopped allowing the early upgrade program with carriers. I got stuck with an s7 plus and 2 note 9s that are just collecting dust. I'm not selling either one for a few hundred dollars. And with insurance from Verizon, if anything happens to my phone I can just get a refurbished one sent to me and then I'll just trade that one back in when I'm ready to upgrade next year. This way I get the fresh new flagships every year and stop accumulating phones. The only downside is the fact that I wanted a phone with dual sim capabilities but Samsung only sells single sim in the US. I guess you can't have it all. Hopefully they eventually fix this issue and provide esim and/or dual sim capable phones in the future.
Now as far as smaller phones, I am not too sure. I believe all the major brands now have been offering smaller variations like the s20 e or fe or whatever its called. The only downside to this is I believe although they are cheaper then the full size flagships, they sadly do have less features and/or tech such as the cameras.
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