Which smartphone should I buy?

I switched from a Samsung galaxy to iPhone last year. Didn't care for it at first but after a short time I really liked it.

If you're on wifi you won't use your data from your cell plan.

 

What do you want out of the phone? May be able to get by on a non-'flagship' model?

I haven't noticed much change in performance in my last three phones over the last half decade or so. Memory and camera quality are really the only notable advances.

If you are connected to wifi, you should not be incurring data charges from your service provider.

Edit: A removable mini SD card slot is nice to have, and I am a believer in removable SIM cards also...not options on all phones, like they should and used to be along with removable battery.

 

I personally like the iPhone. The user interface is more intuitive.

Mum bought an android phone and I can't stand the thing when she has a problem, it's so hard to sort out.

I have the iPhone SE because I like the smaller more compact size.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I'm an android guy, still running a galaxy S5, which was the phone that put Samsung on the top of the android pile and ahead of the iPhone.
Apple has been playing catch up ever since.
The latest Samsung S series is where I would go if I was buying a contract.
I buy my phones used on digicircle.com, then activate them on the tracfone network.
Tracfone.com sells me a year of service for $100. With 800 minutes of talk time , 800 texts, and 800 mb of data included.
If you are normally in places with wifi, and don't use the phone that often, tracfone is the best deal out there at a cost of $7/month for service.

Being a pastor, everyone in my church communicates with us by text. My wife and I reload our texting bank at $10/ 1,000 texts as needed.
We rarely use data, but I use it sometimes for work, when traveling. It costs $10 for 1 gig of data.

As long as I keep my account activated , any unused talk, text or data is retained.
I've been a customer since 2001. I joined the BYOP (bring your own phone) program about 6 years ago, the activation kit is $10 at any Walmart.

I've had friends who were loyal iPhone users that found that updates to the system left their old phones obsolete. I'm not sure what the interval is, but I don't see you as the type to stand in line for the next model every time.

 

The biggest seller of Android is the removable SD card. You like pics I know and will take them. An Iphone only has the internal memory built in. Until recently this has been a big problem and every iphone person would have to delete pics off their phone to take new ones. I saw this all the time. There backed up to cloud so it's not like there lost. I like pics on phone cause it's faster to look through then than on the cloud, plus searching the cloud takes data, which counts against your plan which matters if you don't have a high one or unlimited. Samsung has features that Iphone is just putting in the new iPhone x. I don't use it and you probably won't either but I have a Samsung S5 (there now coming out with like the 9) and it is water proof, iphone just advertised that last year on their new model. We have had wireless charging for years , they just got it. My point is they all have cool things. Iphone has a different text app that they all use that allows you to text long movies that are clear and viewable . That does not exist on google/android yet but will come out this year I have read. This is a big deal. All your iPhone folks text long videos, when they send them to me there often so blurry and downgraded I can't tell who or barely what it is of.

Back to the micro SD card. This makes swapping cards and stuff on them easy , but I never take mine out. It's like a 32gb card. This allows a smaller internal memory phone which means hundreds less dollars. Like if your going from the base model iphone to like a 32 or 64gb.

If you don't need the flagship models try cheaper ones, iphone is coming out with the new SE which is an iphone SE which is alot like their 5. Samsung makes a few. The problem with these is that they have less internal memory and when that's full the phone almost stops working as a smart phone. Apps not sync up and work and then what's the point?? It's not as easy as deleting pics, where on an Android they should be on SD card to save space. The apps grow and grow, some is saved data to allow it to customize to uou other is just updates that make the whole base app larger. The cheap phones they made for years at 8gb last a year till there full, even with minimal apps they fill up and are useless till factory reset. They slow way down and shut down too. The operating system is over half the phone itself.

And finially I will say I can't understand an iphone. Lack of buttons and stuff I just don't understand how to maneuver one?? I'm sure if I had one long enough I could figure it out but both my wife and I don't like them. She can at least partly use one. But I have to have it handed to me with the browser to use it.

Apple I think is the cool thing and everyone gets one cause their friend has one. In the phones they cost about the same so the price of the flagship phoes is about a mute point where other apple stuff is high. Look at the access , apple uses propietary stuff and has the apple store. Pretty much any app you want is on both. I don't use apple like I said but think google stuff is easier on android cause it's all google. PLUS 2 words EXTERNAL BATTERY!! When they get old and weak it's easy to swap on most androids as most have externals.

Lastly I am not a techy guy really (look I am useing a 3 year old phone!) but go 98% of computer stuff on a phone, posting and editing pics is so easy and fast to post. I love it.

I know this does not read well probably but is how it comes to me as I think and type. Specific questions I will answer just ask!

Oh one more thing. You don't have to buy the newest one! Just over 2 years ago I bought mine off ebay. The next model was out and supposedly this one was bought and returned the next day or something and was selling online. There was no wear anywhere on it, so I can beleive the story, NONE, no pocket lint no marks. I keep mine in a case and it still gets dirt in it that takes off the finish on edges etc. This one was brand new looking everywhere. I paid just over $200 for it maybe it was $250? But it was a last year's model way better than what I had and less than half of what the current one cost!

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

Tracfone.com uses the big carrier networks, I'm a verizon user, because it's the only network worth anything in rural areas of new England.
You can also get at&t service with them, which is more an apple iPhone thing.
They now offer a third network, I don't remember which one

 

The way our phones work is your mobile data needs to be turned off when using wifi in your house or you will use your minutes.

 

I have wondered about this and was second guessing my previous post. I'm on an 8 year old 'legacy' unlimited plan from when unlimited was more....unlimited (no throttling, 23gb monthly) so I've never really paid any attention as to whether data needs to be set to off.

 

Pretty sure as long as I have wi-fi turned on in our iphone7, that's what it uses for data. You can also set it to do wi-fi calling, but I've never done that.
As far as pictures go, that was really bugging me, so I found a USB dongle thing made by Sandisk called iXpand flash drive https://www.amazon.com/iXpand-Flash-Drive/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=i:aps,k:iXpand Flash Drive that has the connector for the iphone and a usb connector for the computer. Easy offloading of pics via that little bugger, to free up space on the phone.
I got the 32 GB. Mine looks like the 2nd and 3rd devices.

 

They call those MVNO or like mobile virtual network owners. There great if you dont want super high speed. Verizon throttles their third party networks to either 5 or 8mbs i cant remember which one. When i am in the small town near me i have over like 30mbs down with verizon.

I did the virgin mobil thing for a few years. They use sorints network. There cheap, but their network sucks. And over the years they cut plans for new customers and did. Ot get mang new phones, and last i checked they only offered the iphone?

But yea if you just want to be a smart user and don't gobble lots of data up fast and do several things at once like stream music, use the map feature and check emails tracphone is the best deal out there for like $45 or 50 a month it's unlimited data. Now they will throttle you at a certain point but they all do now a days.

 

?????? WHAT? I guess your minutes are not unlimited? And that makes no sense how does data equate to minutes?

My phone once it knows a wifi network will automatically go onto wifi and not use my mobile data. So I don't have to manually select or unchecked something g when I enter and exit my house, my parents house, the restaurant I have saved, lowes, the doctor, wherever you have entered a wifi network in your phone. Every Android I have del with does it like this(which is over 6 phones at least from probably 5 different makers), not sure what phone you may have though.

 

I think kindle is android (unless it's on some amazon proprietary software)? I am positive it's not apple since it's not an apple product.

Now a days you have windows phones too in the market.

 

My phones automatically switch over to wifi and the minutes or data dont count against the plan.

I also have both an iPhone for work, and a Galaxy s9 for personal use. I personally dont like the iPhone. You really need to play with them and see what you like best.

 

Wow! Then your provider or cellphone maker is gouging you on purpose.
My smartphones (I'm on my 4th or fifth ) always used only WiFi if it was available, and data only if I had it on and there was no wifi

 

Kindle is a dumbed down android, and only certain models can be used with a cellphone network. Not the cheap $50 one for sure.
My kids got some for Christmas, after a few months we sold them and bought them galaxy tab A tablets instead, the parental controls were lousy

 

What are you doing to use it for? There are several good options for less $ than an apple or samsung.

No. WiFi data doesn't count against your mobile plan. You do need to be sure your actually on your WiFi though.

 

One of my customers hearing aids are bluetooth. There's a pendant that hangs around his neck under his shirt. He pushes it to answer the phone, and the phone works through the hearing aids