Help Vinny buy a new phone

[VinnyVideo]

I've had a low-end smart phone for over three years. While it gets the job done, it barely has enough space to handle routine app updates, even after I've offloaded a truckload of photos and apps to the SD card. Since I need more space for some new apps I need for work, I finally have a good excuse to buy a new phone - the phone I have now is practically indestructible.

The only real requirements are...

1. It has to be compatible with T-Mobile networks (switching to another carrier would be a complex undertaking)
2. It has to have at least 32 GB of storage (having 8 GB is not a lot of fun)
3. I'd rather not get a super high-end phone (so no four-figure iPhone 17s Deluxe Triple Grande++ for me)

I'm a "mobile last" person, so it's not going to be my primary Web surfing device - it's mostly for texting, checking my mail, taking impromptu pictures, making short phone calls, and listening to the occasional bloated conference call.

I have a pretty good idea of what I want, but I wouldn't mind getting a few more opinions on this topic. Also, feel free to discuss phones in general.

[Mariotroid]

I have a Samsung Galaxy S7 Android. Its decent I guess. It cant run N64 games but it does SNES and Gameboy Advance pretty well. I have also read some books on this little device. Oh and of course I have spotify premium. Pretty happy with it to be honest.

A phone for you may be an older one that can use an SD card. I'm not aware of many phones that use SD cards and are modern. Mine doesnt.

I had a cool iPhone 4 awhile ago that was pretty good. Something like that might be nice for you.

(I have bought the games I've played)

[Great Destination Tracks 3]

Just get a Grocery Store Phone XD

Hullo there, I am Great Destination Tracks 3, but you can call me JC The Slug. I am a Slug.

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[Yakibomb]

Reddit might be a better place to find advice on a phone, though I'm not sure which Subreddit you'd want to ask that to.

Sorry Vinny, I too have a low-end phone from like 2013. I wouldn't be able to help.

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[HylianDev]

My family has had good experiences with getting cheaper Samsung Galaxy J-series phones. I had one at one point, I think.

There's also the Moto G6. It's one of the phones Google selected to be compatible with Project Fi, so I assume it's one of the nicer phones you can get for its relatively low price tag.

If you're willing to go a little higher in price, check out the first model of the Google Pixel on Amazon.

Hylian's day job, little did we know, was saying controversial things on the internet.

you fool!!!! you fixed it wrong!!!!

Bibby Team

[Hyper]

Smartphone guru here! Not really lol.

Any smartphone that uses GSM band 12 (700 MHz) should be compatible with T-Mobile (either unlocked or locked to MetroPCS/T-Mobile) and you shouldn't have any issues with band 12. (I use T-Mobile too.)

I would recommend brands like Samsung or LG. Be aware that some older LG phones has boot looping issues if the update is not properly installed (like interrupted updates). I heard LG Stylo would be pretty decent mid end phone. A Google Pixel phone would be a great choice since these phones normally get better support from Google themselves. I wouldn't recommend Galaxy S7 in 2018 since there's a lot of latency the last time I used it back in 2017. S8 is a decent device but the display is fragile, replacing the shattered display may cost a fortune. However the S8 Active is a better alternatives to the S8 and it's more durable.

I had bad experiences with brands like Huawei and ZTE. These phones tend to brick on me quite often. Some of my words are based from my experiences, some people may have different experiences at their end.

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[HylianDev]

Speaking to Nova's point about Huawei: their customer service is a nightmare. I say avoid that brand.

Hylian's day job, little did we know, was saying controversial things on the internet.

you fool!!!! you fixed it wrong!!!!

Bibby Team

[VinnyVideo]

Thanks for the advice everyone. @HylianDev successfully named the three phones I was considering most closely, so there's a good chance I'll get one of those three.

It's kind of hard to find midrange smart phones - there's a bunch of lower-end smart phones in the $150-$250 range, as well as an abundance of premium models in the $600-$1,000 range, but not a lot of options in the middle.

Course clear! You got a card.

[Pea]

The Samsung Galaxy S8 is the sweet spot for a lot of things, but most of all, it has a headphone jack. 64GB, great performance and that curved screen that's just fun to have, for some reason. Oh, and that heartbeat sensor.

This is more of a joke than anything else, but if you don't mind the slightly higher priced phones, I'd definitely recommend it.

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[Great Destination Tracks 3]

Maybe Get a Flip-Phone

Hullo there, I am Great Destination Tracks 3, but you can call me JC The Slug. I am a Slug.

•  I draw
  
•  I model
  
•  I animate
  
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Favourite cartoon:

Spoiler

other favourite cartoon:

Spoiler

[Mario]

I have an iPhone 7. There's nothing the newer phones out there offer that this doesn't that's a must-have feature. The lack of a headphone jack doesn't matter much (it comes with the adapter cable for that anyway, unlike newer iPhones), and the waterproofing is nice. If you don't care for water-proofing, the recently discontinued iPhone SE or iPhone 6 is probably totally fine too.

iPhone is my #1 recommendation for a smart phone as it is solid on the security front and being secure with it is dead simple for any level of user.

If you want to go Android you'll have to be more careful with it, and I wouldn't recommend any Android phone other than what Google offers directly (I think right now their offering is the Pixel line?). Every other vendor loves to load their phones up with junk and more importantly you're on a delayed timeline with updates. Not great as Android is the most popular and targeted OS in the world right now.

Nokia is back on the market making feature phones too if you don't want to go smartphone. Really the only thing I think that makes smartphones a -must have- is built in GPS, though it looks like you can get Google Maps working on the Nokia feature phones if you try hard enough.

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[Beatrice]

Although I rarely change phones (my old iPhone 5 survived for +/- 3 years before finally giving up last September), and I'm actually looking for a new phone at the moment to replace my 6; I've looked around and found some options.

Motorola's line of smartphones, preferably the G and Z (I recommend Z3) lines, are pretty mid-range in pricing, though I don't really know about networks since I'm non-US. As far as I know, the default storage space is ~32 GB, though I think they have an option for more when you buy it.

Another option is Samsung Z3, which is (again) a pretty mid-range phone, and I'd say it's got the main criteria covered.

Beatrice Today at 3:13 PM
its brian the skinny legend you fool
Beatrice Today at 1:21 PM
hey wtf thats mymoms feckin name wtf

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[Syaxamaphone]

I just get whatever phone is free with a contract. I'm not too picky.

Is that a thing you can do in Vinnyville?

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[VinnyVideo]

@Pea I've considered splurging and getting one of the higher-end smart phones because I'll be using it quite a bit, including for work. (Also, if I decide that I want/need a different phone in a couple of years, there's a better chance it'll have some semblance of trade-in value.)

@Slug101 A little part of me wants to be a total hipster and get a flip phone. (I won't, though.)

@Mario I've always been more of an Android person than an Apple person, but I agree that newer iPhones offer pretty strong security. I have to get some kind of smart phone, though, since I need certain apps for my job.

@Beatrice I rarely change phones, too. (My manager is trying to keep her iPhone 6 running forever - she actually got her broken screen fixed instead of buying a new one! I can totally understand if you're ready to upgrade, though.)

@Syaxamaphone Similar deals exist for many people, but I'm on a no-contract plan. I set that up years ago when I hadn't had a smart phone before and wasn't sure if I even needed one!

Course clear! You got a card.

[jas]

Bananaphone

[Clobbah]

My family has had good experiences with getting cheaper Samsung Galaxy J-series phones. I had one at one point, I think.

There's also the Moto G6. It's one of the phones Google selected to be compatible with Project Fi, so I assume it's one of the nicer phones you can get for its relatively low price tag.

If you're willing to go a little higher in price, check out the first model of the Google Pixel on Amazon.

I have a Samsung J3, it's pretty great considering it's low price.

Beware the mighty Wariphant.

[VinnyVideo]

The verdict is in! After a few weeks of careful analysis (also known as procrastination and indecision), I bought a Samsung Galaxy J7 Star. I thought it would give me some good bang for my buck, and I'm liking it so far. It cost only $250 and offers quality comparable to other models that are considerably more expensive.

I gave some thought to getting the new iPhone XR. It's a newer, less expensive version of the iPhone X. It's still rather pricey, though, and while it's powerful and has a great camera, I'm iffy on some of Apple's recent design decisions (like eliminating the headphone jack). I've always been more of an Android person than an iOS person, so I'll be staying in Android Land for a while longer.

(Now someone needs to help Vinny buy a new laptop, but I have a good idea what I want for that.)

Course clear! You got a card.