What kind of phone should I get?

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Artemis
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What kind of phone should I get?

#1 Post by Artemis » Sat May 21, 2016 4:42 pm

So, I've decided to finally get a cell phone.

What are important things/features to consider?

Is it better to buy a phone or do one of those contract plans with a mobile phone company?

I'm looking for a larger screen because I'm getting old and can't see as well as I used to.

I want to be able to use email and other social media such as Facebook, Instagram, etc.

I don't plan to listen to music on my device because I like to be able to hear what's going on around me.

I'm still going to keep my land line.

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Re: What kind of phone should I get?

#2 Post by creep » Sat May 21, 2016 5:11 pm

i always buy my phone outright. i don't like to be tied to a carrier. i can switch whenever i want to which is nice. i have owned the google phones since they have come out. i am cheap and i always get the old model after a new one comes out and i usually buy refurb phones. the google nexus 6 just came out so i recently bought a nexus 5 for $150. one nice thing about the google phones is that they don't have all the unnecessary software and restrictions that you might get with a phone locked to a carrier.

the nexus 5x is a nicely featured phone for $350 US. it has a 5.2 inch display.

https://store.google.com/product/nexus_5x

if you want a bigger screen the nexus 6 is $500 with a 5.7 inch screen.

https://store.google.com/product/nexus_6p

this is what i have. $185 new. it has a 5 inch screen

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Unlocked-LG ... SwstxVHveN

i wouldn't worry about memory. i don't use my phone for music either and i could never fill up a 16g phone.

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kv
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Re: What kind of phone should I get?

#3 Post by kv » Sat May 21, 2016 7:30 pm

Moto g....Android so you can get good apps and cheap and easy for starters

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Pandemonium
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Re: What kind of phone should I get?

#4 Post by Pandemonium » Sun May 22, 2016 7:28 pm

I have a Samsung Galaxy Mega (SGH-1527) which is a 6.3 inch screen and about as big as it gets for a phone. I've had it for a few years and I still really like it even though it's huge and fairly heavy for a phone. The only downside is I think the camera isn't very good in poor light situations. I charge mine about every other day so it gets decent battery life. Regardless of what phone you go with, I'd add go with an Android OS phone no matter what. My wife has stuck with iPhones for the past 6+ years and she always has Apple OS-related problems.

I think they retail now about $300 but I'm sure you can do better - it's been around for a few years.

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mockbee
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Re: What kind of phone should I get?

#5 Post by mockbee » Sun May 22, 2016 8:48 pm

I was a long hold out on any mobile phone and didn't get a smart phone until a year or two ago. I have a LG L21G whatever that means , Android OS with a big screen and a good camera.
It takes great photos and you can add notes easily to them.
:banana:

It cost like $65 and have used TracFone for the service (prepaid minutes) for the last several years. It's great, I only pay about $30 a month for all the minutes and data that I need, and the reception hasn't really ever been a problem... :noclue:

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Re: What kind of phone should I get?

#6 Post by JOEinPHX » Sun May 22, 2016 11:29 pm

iPhone.

Because it's the best one.

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Re: What kind of phone should I get?

#7 Post by nausearockpig » Tue May 24, 2016 2:10 am

Six7Six7 wrote:iPhone.

Because it's the best one.
Yup. So this ^^^^^^^^^^^


Android phones are so meh. Who gives a fuck that you can choose one of five hundred MP3 players....

Get the 6 or 6S, the Plus is just too big.

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perkana
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Re: What kind of phone should I get?

#8 Post by perkana » Tue May 24, 2016 6:32 am

In my opinion, any other phone but iPhone. They're too expensive and I feel it's more a status thing like "Look, I'm cool" (I'm not saying everyone, but some people here in my country do). I would look online for one with the characteristics you're looking for and go for the cheapest one.

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Romeo
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Re: What kind of phone should I get?

#9 Post by Romeo » Tue May 24, 2016 7:31 am

I liked my Android. But I had so many issues with the charging port which seemed to be a common issue on Samsung

I'm back with team I-phone.

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Artemis
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Re: What kind of phone should I get?

#10 Post by Artemis » Tue May 24, 2016 12:01 pm

Thanks for all the great feedback! :tiphat:

I'll post what I end up getting.

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nausearockpig
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Re: What kind of phone should I get?

#11 Post by nausearockpig » Tue May 24, 2016 3:55 pm

Image

hehhehhe

Bluetooth? Meh
Portable Storage - Yeah conceded
Free Music - what is this?
Split Screen Multitasking - Useful I'm sure but what do you need to multitask on a phone?
Installing Apps from Anywhere - Conceded but a LOT of apps are shit and having App Store veto them ain't so bad.
Custom Home Launchers - I guess that would be OK....

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Hype
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Re: What kind of phone should I get?

#12 Post by Hype » Wed May 25, 2016 11:42 am

You'd be surprised how useful that bluetooth file sending thing is. For less tech-y people, it allows easy sending of photos or video or music or whatever from phone to phone. Apple of course has a similar feature (Air-drop) but it only works iPhone-to-iPhone, which is lame (literally -- if Grandma has an LG, you have to explain some convoluted way of getting the pictures...).

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Re: What kind of phone should I get?

#13 Post by JOEinPHX » Wed May 25, 2016 2:33 pm

Hype wrote:You'd be surprised how useful that bluetooth file sending thing is. For less tech-y people, it allows easy sending of photos or video or music or whatever from phone to phone. Apple of course has a similar feature (Air-drop) but it only works iPhone-to-iPhone, which is lame (literally -- if Grandma has an LG, you have to explain some convoluted way of getting the pictures...).
Yeah, it's so convoluted to select the pictures you want to send, and then press the "message" button to send a text message.

And then it's super hard to press the button on the text message called "Save all photos"

3 steps: convoluted.

Meanwhile you can just select the photos you want to send, press the bluetooth button, the other person can accept the connection and receive the photos.

3 steps: not convoluted

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Re: What kind of phone should I get?

#14 Post by JOEinPHX » Wed May 25, 2016 2:37 pm

perkana wrote:In my opinion, any other phone but iPhone. They're too expensive
They literally cost the exact same as the premium phones by every other phone maker.
and I feel it's more a status thing like "Look, I'm cool" (I'm not saying everyone, but some people here in my country do).
So you get to be cool for the same price as having a phone that doesn't work? Sounds like a sweet deal to me.
I would look online for one with the characteristics you're looking for and go for the cheapest one.
They all do the exact same thing. No smartphone is any different than any other. The only difference with Android is that you get extra features you won't use, you can change the color scheme with ROMs some kid made in his basement, and you don't get security updates.

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Hype
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Re: What kind of phone should I get?

#15 Post by Hype » Wed May 25, 2016 3:24 pm

You have to have a data plan / have data turned on on the phone to send photos via text message... :neutral: You might be lucky, but you might also have to explain all those extra things.

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Re: What kind of phone should I get?

#16 Post by JOEinPHX » Wed May 25, 2016 4:18 pm

It's 2016. Who doesn't have a data plan?

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perkana
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Re: What kind of phone should I get?

#17 Post by perkana » Wed May 25, 2016 9:13 pm

Romeo wrote:I liked my Android. But I had so many issues with the charging port which seemed to be a common issue on Samsung

I'm back with team I-phone.
I'm having a problem like that with mine. My phone just died and won't turn on. I've already taken it to two places and I'm waiting for a reply from the last one. It's not the battery, though but I guess it has to do with that. I might not get a Samsung, but definitely a phone with android system.

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Re: What kind of phone should I get?

#18 Post by perkana » Wed May 25, 2016 9:16 pm

Six7Six7 wrote:It's 2016. Who doesn't have a data plan?
I don't... :noclue:
I use wifi when I need to use internet. I hardly use it for calls. Mostly texts.

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Hype
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Re: What kind of phone should I get?

#19 Post by Hype » Thu May 26, 2016 6:59 am

They all do the exact same thing. No smartphone is any different than any other. The only difference with Android is that you get extra features you won't use, you can change the color scheme with ROMs some kid made in his basement, and you don't get security updates.
This is inaccurate, but not totally wrong. You do get security updates with Android, you just don't get major updates to the OS that include UI changes because each company needs time to update their shitty overlay. Of course if you compare flagship models from the top companies a comparison will sometimes come down to minor differences -- most people won't notice or care about the difference between Apple's continued use of lower-resolution, lower-contrast IPS screens versus Samsung's use of higher res, higher contrast AMOLED. There might be modest battery gains from one or the other, but these tend to come out in the wash of ordinary usage -- Android allows more fine-grained control of what's using up the battery, which is why they added a low-battery mode to iOS.

Most new models have fingerprint scanners, which allow the use of proprietary payment apps (apple pay, samsung pay, android/google's stock version of this). In Canada this is less of a selling point still because of low market uptake of the new tech (Apple Pay has only JUST started to become a thing people can actually use in a few major retailers). There's some evidence that Apple's fingerprint sensor/processing is faster than Android's.

For some people the specific camera differences may matter (Google's Nexus phones tend to have relatively poor cameras by comparison to Samsung or Apple, where the differences are more difficult to pin down).

iPhones are far less user friendly about getting files onto and off of the phone, especially if you want to do anything manually. You're stuck with iTunes, or using iCloud, which sucks by comparison to Google's cloud services, which everyone already uses to some degree anyway. Some of these are usable on iPhones anyway (my default mail app is Inbox rather than "Mail").

But it can also be important to know about flaws with specific models. The iPhone 4, for example, had a serious problem with the wifi antenna coming loose over time due to heat, almost always long after the warranty period was over. My iPhone 5 has a broken volume button because it's a little rubber gasket inside that has a tendency to come loose, and is almost impossible to replace. Earlier models of the Samsung Galaxy had very thin plastic parts (especially the back of the casing) that tend to get scratched or broken easily. The design of pre-S6 Galaxies meant it was easier to crack a screen than it is on an iPhone --- but this can be solved with a good case.

It's true that most major apps are available for both iOS and Android, so this isn't likely to be a problem.

It might just come down to playing with a bunch of different phones in the store and just going for it.

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Re: What kind of phone should I get?

#20 Post by perkana » Thu May 26, 2016 3:21 pm

Hype wrote:You have to have a data plan / have data turned on on the phone to send photos via text message... :neutral: You might be lucky, but you might also have to explain all those extra things.
My sister who has a data plan has to disconnect her internet data when she visits as my parents and I do when we are in the US because it costs a lot. We have AT&T here so I don't know if it would make any difference since I use a national company. You have to buy an internet/message plan when abroad. I think this is stupid. I just connect to wifi and more since there are a lot of places in the US that have free wifi, unlike here.
It's been a while since I've sent a photo via text message, I use whatsapp since it's included for free, even if you don't have a data plan.

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Re: What kind of phone should I get?

#21 Post by nausearockpig » Thu May 26, 2016 3:37 pm

Here's an article about a stupid gross Android phone: http://www.howtogeek.com/256354/how-sam ... galaxy-s7/

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Hype
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Re: What kind of phone should I get?

#22 Post by Hype » Fri May 27, 2016 4:47 am

perkana wrote:
Hype wrote:You have to have a data plan / have data turned on on the phone to send photos via text message... :neutral: You might be lucky, but you might also have to explain all those extra things.
My sister who has a data plan has to disconnect her internet data when she visits as my parents and I do when we are in the US because it costs a lot. We have AT&T here so I don't know if it would make any difference since I use a national company. You have to buy an internet/message plan when abroad. I think this is stupid. I just connect to wifi and more since there are a lot of places in the US that have free wifi, unlike here.
It's been a while since I've sent a photo via text message, I use whatsapp since it's included for free, even if you don't have a data plan.
Yeah, but try to get your mother to use Whatsapp, and Skype, and Google Hangouts and know the difference between those and regular text messaging!

I still can't get my parents to "call" me using Skype (over wifi)... even for long distance. :lol:

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Re: What kind of phone should I get?

#23 Post by SR » Fri May 27, 2016 8:23 am

I would leave this thread more confused than when I came....if I had read everything written here. :wiggle:

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Re: What kind of phone should I get?

#24 Post by Larry B. » Fri May 27, 2016 12:11 pm

iPhone, whatever model.

They really are incredibly simple to use. Android makes no sense and needs a bit of teaching. There are way too many screens and changing the most basic of settings sends you into a maze of confusion.

With an iPhone everything is simple and everything is fast. You don't need to mess around with stuff and it really is no-nonsense. It's light and stylish, and won't let you down with bullshit updates that fuck something up. Oh, and keep in mind the app stores: Android's has like 10 or 100 times the amount of apps available, but that means that there's a big load of shit cluttering up the app store. There are even anti-viruses (which I guess means that Android devices can be infected) that you have to pay for and that has been proven don't do anything. That type of thing doesn't happen in Apple's app store. If you want to keep it simple and download an app, you won't be bombarded with a hundred other copycats confusing you ("which one is the one I should download? :nyrexall: ")

I've only ever had two iPhones: 4S and 6S, and they've both been wonderful. Extremely useful. Most members of my family use Android devices and whenever they need help I genuinely have a hard time trying to help them. It took me about 9 minutes to figure out how to edit a contact's phone number, or how to copy a phone number to paste it on a contact, or even how to attach pictures to a message. My mom had to write down a 7-step process for that on a big piece of paper. I also remember struggling a bit trying to change my dad's phone's time. And on my sister's Android tablet I never managed to help her with a couple of things that are incredibly easy to do on the iPhone or iPad.

So yeah, my vote: iPhone.

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Re: What kind of phone should I get?

#25 Post by kv » Fri May 27, 2016 2:34 pm

Ya know I had a cell phone before all my friends...I cut my home line and paid 300 bucks a month in the 90's....all my friends thought I was stupid...then after a couple years I got so tired of getting called where ever I was I went back to home landline. Before long everyone i knew had a cell but me..all my same friends again thought I was stupid. A few years ago I couldn't get over that cell phone adds were cheaper then my landline...so I got a cell again.

Since I was so outa the loop figured I'd just get a cheap cell...didn't see the need for a new 300 dollar phone every year or two...so I mistakenly got a Windows phone because hey I know windows....windows store blows..phone was fine other then that...so next phone I got a moto great camera, good video, Android store...around 100 bucks...I don't understand what I am missing over an I phone..even my friends with iPhones are surprised what this phone does for 100 bucks...I really don't understand why people need 300 dollar phones...you text, make calls, set alarms, voicemail, use the web and take pics and video....wtf else is needed? And this Android phone was easy as fuck to use from a never used android in my life person...I really think the iPhone people are just hypebeasts now.

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