New cell phone for beginner !!!

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Well, I have to purchase a cell phone. Cant take the haggling from my GF any longer. What is the best route to go for someone who is a new user for a cell phone and basically would just be calling and texting and possibly taking pictures from time to time. Also, best bang for the buck -- dont need a real expensive phone neither.
 
I am partial to an iphone. iphones are very user friendly for a beginner. Just get an iphone 6 or better, whatever you can justify according to your budge. The camera is great on all of them.
 
My friend just moved from his old flip phone to an iphone. He's technically challenged and he's doing fine. I'd recommend an older Iphone Maybe an iphone 8.

You say you'll just be calling and texting but you'll probably do more with it.
 
Well after having our old Samsung S4's for five and a half year the wife and I got new phones. The Samsung A50 unlocked. Not many of the carriers have this phone. We got the phones at Best Buy ($274) on sale along with a 128 G SD card on sale for under $15 and took them to T-Mobile. $70 a month for both of us on a family line. T- Mobile only offered the A20 and A30 at their stores go figure. The phone works fine and its a lot better than paying an outrageous price of 700 to 900 dollars for a phone with a lessor camera. Everything seems to be working well and these are way more phone than we are ever going to use.
 
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You can get a older model iPhone for a lot less than the latest versions. Check the Apple website or go to their store if you have one nearby.
 
I would get a cheap Android.

First check out what carrier gives good reception where you live and hang out. Ask GF or friends.

Don't get a 2 yr phone contract. Buy the phone you want and get a month to month contract.

What does GF have? iPhone? An iPhone 8 would be reasonable in price and she can help you out. You do not need the latest $1000 iPhone.

I have one of each. I like my Pixel better. iPhone is strictly for work.
 
ATT prepaid has a plan $25/month if you pay upfront for the entire year at $300+tax, comes with 8gb high speed data that carries over and still get data but throttled after the 8gb. Some choices of free phones or discounted phones available, like a iphone 6s for $99. https://www.att.com/prepaid/
 
the first thing i would do is find out which 4 of the carriers work best in your area. ask your friends and family in the area what service they have and how well it works in your area.

android or apple s a personal preference. usually one can get get android phone with the same feature as iphones for less. motorola makes great budget phones
 
You can get a Moto G6 on Amazon for about $130. Very capable and cheap. You don't need to spend a lot to get a good phone but don't get to cheap.
 
Teachable moment regardless or not if it applies to the OP.

Pay attention to the details. Like if your carrier is TMobile or Metro PCS, you want a phone which will utilize all the bands/channels they use.
An iPhone 8 and the iPhone X doesn't have TMoblie's band 71 while the iPhone XR has it. Band 71 has a longer range. There are areas where people can
only connect to TMobile on band 71, and those with older phones cant connect to TMobile.
 
I bought new cheap unlocked Android Phone for just under $200.00. For cell service I went with Mint Mobile. They are on the T-Mobile Network and offer a $15.00 a month plan with unlimited talk & text with 3 Gigs of data. Have used it for well over 1 1/2 years without any issues. As an alternative Red Pocket Mobile on eBay has a holiday special right now. 5 Gigs of data and unlimited talk and text for a total of $16.25 a month when you buy a yearly plan.

Red Pocket Mobile offers coverage on Verizon, T-Mobile, AT-T, and Sprint. We have it another phone on AT&T and again no issues.

You can find more info on the Internet/You Tube, etc.
 
I would go with an older iPhone - solid phones and easy to use. I myself have an unlocked Huawei but wouldn't recommend it - they make amazing phones but there is always the fear of the government bricking it until they come up with their own OS.
 
GoogleFi uses Tmobile, Sprint, and US Cellular, plus has the same cost data roaming as in the US ($10/gig) worldwide. They also have a cap on price if you use a lot of data. Also, very low overseas calling costs.

Get a google branded phone (sold on their web site) for best results. It has to be Android. iPhones work, but won't seamlessly switch networks.


Ting is another good bet, $6/mo for the number, then they charge you for your actual usage.A light user will cost $15 or less per mo.

Comcast (Xfinity) gives your free service if you have internet through them. You pay for data.

iPhones are more compatibite with multiple carriers, but older ones do not have the latest frequency bands. Swappa.com is good used source.
 
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Very happy with my Galaxy S10e on Xfinity Mobile which is rebranded Verizon. Previously I had T-Mobile and they sucked. I almost went with Google Project Fi but decided to go with Verizon instead.
 
Well after doing some research and getting great feedback from use all -- I decided to go with a Moto G7 Play. Gonna be pairing it with T-Mobile. Originally $179.00 on Amazon but $50.00 off. My GF uses a Samsung Galaxy S10 linked with T-Mobile also. Hopefully the Moto G7 Play will be sufice for a beginner phone.



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