Huh, I don't know how to buy a cellphone anymore

neo_mao

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I think I'm having a Gregn moment here. So the last time I bought phones for my wife and I it seemed pretty straightforward. We had a provider and every 2 years or so we'd be eligible for an upgrade. Between the discounted cost on the phone (by renewing with the carrrier) and activation charges maybe I'd spend like $200 up front or so.

Do companies no longer sell phones like that anymore? It seems like you either have to do some dumb ass installment plan where you pay $30 to $40 a month for like 2 years or you buy the phone outright for like $700. Whether up front or spread out overtime the idea of spending $700 on a phone rubs me the wrong way.

I like the old way of doing things. Is that not an option anymore?
 

Rot

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I think I'm having a Gregn moment here. So the last time I bought phones for my wife and I it seemed pretty straightforward. We had a provider and every 2 years or so we'd be eligible for an upgrade. Between the discounted cost on the phone (by renewing with the carrrier) and activation charges maybe I'd spend like $200 up front or so.

Do companies no longer sell phones like that anymore? It seems like you either have to do some dumb ass installment plan where you pay $30 to $40 a month for like 2 years or you buy the phone outright for like $700. Whether up front or spread out overtime the idea of spending $700 on a phone rubs me the wrong way.

I like the old way of doing things. Is that not an option anymore?

BOTH...

You can buy the phone outright.... and have it on a sim only type deal... Works out less per month...

OR...

You can pay more each month and the phone is usually discounted down or even free... BUT... you end up paying a LOT for the phone in the long run.... much more than if you brought it outright...

It just depends on the Type of phone and your usage needs...

xROTx

PS. Obviously the more expensive shit like the iphone X will cost you a LOT... either way you choose....
 

BanishingFlatsAC

formerly DZ
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Basically the model of subsidized phones with a 2 year contract was replaced with a contract free plan that includes either a 24 month installment plan on a phone or a bring your own phone. Essentially the phone is the contract now.

Keep in mind that you have to pay all the taxes up front for the full price of the phone here in MA.
 
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Kid Panda

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Yea the subsidies are gone now. Blame people with shit credit and the inability to pay their bill.
 

BanishingFlatsAC

formerly DZ
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Yea the subsidies are gone now. Blame people with shit credit and the inability to pay their bill.

I think it has more to do with greed. A company like Samsung, who makes a new phone every 8-12 months, would rather that you pay per month on a new phone. That way when the new one drops, you trade that one in, pay off the balance owed and can get their new phone. Providers like this model too because they can then resell the traded in phone in Mexico/Latin America.
 

GohanX

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If you don't want to drop a ton of cash and you want to buy a phone outright, look up the various Moto models. They're generally the best bang for the buck. I've got a G5 and got my wife a E4, although I think they're about to release some newer models.
 

ggallegos1

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Google's Pixel line is surprisingly good also, and they are coming out with a Pixel 3 and 3 XL. I have the 2XL and it works well for me.

Contracts are gone, keeping you in a constant loop of paying off your phone is how they get you locked in these days.
 

BanishingFlatsAC

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Google's Pixel line is surprisingly good also, and they are coming out with a Pixel 3 and 3 XL. I have the 2XL and it works well for me.

Contracts are gone, keeping you in a constant loop of paying off your phone is how they get you locked in these days.

I have a Pixel 2XL and it's an amazing phone. I've been a Nexus user since the G1 and it's the only way to go with Android phones imo. The one disappointing thing is that with the ushering in of the Pixel Line, the low price point has gone out the window.
 

madman

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I was going to come in here to troll, but I agree. Last time I bought a phone it was the iphone 6 or 6s, i have no idea, and I could either do the pay for the phone monthly thing or I could buy it outright for a discount since it had been a few years since my last upgrade. AT&T texted me about an upgrade recently and it was all that pay per month horse shit. So dumb. I don't need to upgrade this on the regular.
 

SpamYouToDeath

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It's always been this way - the phones you got from the carrier were subsidized by your monthly bill. They've just made it explicit now - your bill would show, separately, your service and your installments on the phone.
 

CrazyDean

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I use Virgin Mobile now. I buy last generation phones at ~$200 and pay $35 per month for the service with no contract. It’s half the cost I was paying at Verizon and there’s no contract.
 

Tech&Music

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If you don't want to drop a ton of cash and you want to buy a phone outright, look up the various Moto models. They're generally the best bang for the buck. I've got a G5 and got my wife a E4, although I think they're about to release some newer models.

Can vouch for them. My sister has the G4, and it's been the phone I've had to provide the least tech support for with her, and she can do her average use-case stuff just fine. Stock Android really makes the phone quite snappy, and the price is very good. Might actually go for a Moto myself when my ASUS ZenFone 2 finally dies for good.

As for buying phones, I've never bothered with getting a phone as part of a subscription, I'd rather pay the regular price upfront and go SIM only, than end up paying more over a longer period of time with a subscription, especially given the fact I never go for phones over 200 bucks or so, making the upfront payment not too steep.
 

norton9478

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It's always been this way - the phones you got from the carrier were subsidized by your monthly bill. They've just made it explicit now - your bill would show, separately, your service and your installments on the phone.

That is pretty much it with Verizon. The end result is about the same, but the accounting is a bit different.

Before, you would buy a $700 phone for $340 and sign a 2 year contract (meaning a $360 subsidy).

Now, you put down a $100 deposit, and pay the rest ($600) over two years as monthly installments. Verizon then credits you $10 every month as a subsidy.
 

neo_mao

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Fuck this shit. Here is another problem I have. The iCloud is a bit fat lie.

Right now I have tiny 16 gb phones for my wife and I and they are loaded up with pics and videos. Well I needed more space so I was like okay I can use iCloud and store my pics there. But from my understanding of you delete pics from your phone then it delete it them from the cloud. What is the point of that? Just some syncing crap? Fuck that.

I want a 256 gb phone. But this are like $40 a month for an iPhone 8 or X. I could go with a 7 but I think those only go up to 128 gb. I could switch from Apple altogether but then I have a MacBook Air and iPad. I don't know what I'd die with my pics then. I dunno maybe the Amazon cloud or Google? Fuck this shit too complicated. I hope the new Nintendo Switch has a built in phone.
 

BanishingFlatsAC

formerly DZ
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Fuck this shit. Here is another problem I have. The iCloud is a bit fat lie.

Right now I have tiny 16 gb phones for my wife and I and they are loaded up with pics and videos. Well I needed more space so I was like okay I can use iCloud and store my pics there. But from my understanding of you delete pics from your phone then it delete it them from the cloud. What is the point of that? Just some syncing crap? Fuck that.

I want a 256 gb phone. But this are like $40 a month for an iPhone 8 or X. I could go with a 7 but I think those only go up to 128 gb. I could switch from Apple altogether but then I have a MacBook Air and iPad. I don't know what I'd die with my pics then. I dunno maybe the Amazon cloud or Google? Fuck this shit too complicated. I hope the new Nintendo Switch has a built in phone.

Simple solution there is to stop buying iPhones!
 

Damulta

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I'm waiting around for this Galaxy X foldable phone to appear. With the s7 line I fixed the screens 3 times...hell right now I have an otter box with otter glass on it and the glass is cracked now... I hate the per month, and I really hate the screen busting so easy. I'm sick of fixing phones...paying it off would be no big deal if they held up like the old phones did.
 

GregN

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I'm on a family share plan with my Dad on Verizon. He has a flip phone, I have a slide out keyboard phone circa 2004 for texting and it seems to work for us although I want to get a iPhone SE. We're thinking of using the old people Consumer Cellular which would be cheap enough for us. I fear if we switch, it would fuck shit up and we would have to get a new number. Neither of our phones have SIM cards.

Honestly, texting is enough for me. If I want to use the Internet, I use a computer or if I had a smartphone, a wifi hotspot. There is little need for a data plan for me. I'd only use it on my breaks at work. Or if I'm traveling on vacation, which isn't that often.

Anybody else use old person Consumer Cellular?? What's your experience with it?
 
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wyo

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I'm on a family share plan with my Dad on Verizon. He has a flip phone, I have a slide out keyboard phone circa 2004 for texting and it seems to work for us although I want to get a iPhone SE. We're thinking of using the old people Consumer Cellular which would be cheap enough for us. I fear if we switch, it would fuck shit up and we would have to get a new number. Neither of our phones have SIM cards.

Honestly, texting is enough for me. If I want to use the Internet, I use a computer or if I had a smartphone, a wifi hotspot. There is little need for a data plan for me. I'd only use it on my breaks at work. Or if I'm traveling on vacation, which isn't that often.

Anybody else use old person Consumer Cellular?? What's your experience with it?

You'd probably be better off getting something like this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/282914428443
 

Neo Alec

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moe, it sounds like you might be looking at more expensive models of phones this time than you were in the past. Having the latest and greatest is pricey, but for most people a mid range model will do fine.
 

Heinz

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Moe... that's how it has worked here for decades, you either buy it outright or sign up for a 2 year contract and your monthly charge covers it.

Spoiler:
maybe you forgot
Spoiler:
old man :keke:
 

ForeverSublime

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I've wanted to strangle Greg every time he creates a cell thread over the years - he seems to be paying outrageous fees for lack of features and bragging about it - but are there just not a variety of providers in some areas? Couldn't people just hop online to some provider and order a phone from their website if there's not a brick and mortar store near them?

I've been using MetroPCS ("GhettoPCS") for years. Pay about $50 for a phone whenever I need one (not buying the newest thing, but last year's thing is fine), and pay $30/mo. Includes data, and whatever else you pay for but may not use. . . figured by this time, much less a handful of years ago, these cheaper services would have flooded all areas.
 

HeavyMachineGoob

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Fuck this shit. Here is another problem I have. The iCloud is a bit fat lie.

Right now I have tiny 16 gb phones for my wife and I and they are loaded up with pics and videos. Well I needed more space so I was like okay I can use iCloud and store my pics there. But from my understanding of you delete pics from your phone then it delete it them from the cloud. What is the point of that? Just some syncing crap? Fuck that.

I want a 256 gb phone. But this are like $40 a month for an iPhone 8 or X. I could go with a 7 but I think those only go up to 128 gb. I could switch from Apple altogether but then I have a MacBook Air and iPad. I don't know what I'd die with my pics then. I dunno maybe the Amazon cloud or Google? Fuck this shit too complicated. I hope the new Nintendo Switch has a built in phone.

Why do you need so much space? You keeping your porn collection on your iPhone? I can work with as little as a 16GB iPhone, that's enough room for all my music, some games, lots of pictures, some videos in VLC and even retroarch and scummvm content. I have a 64GB iPhone I can move up to at some point and I know I'll never use up all that space.
 

Heinz

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Why do you need so much space? You keeping your porn collection on your iPhone? I can work with as little as a 16GB iPhone, that's enough room for all my music, some games, lots of pictures, some videos in VLC and even retroarch and scummvm content. I have a 64GB iPhone I can move up to at some point and I know I'll never use up all that space.

The fact that Apple even offers a 16gb model anymore is ludicrous. We're talking 128gb minimum for PC's nowadays and when you're spending $1000+ on a new iPhone you fucking expect at least 128gb as the minimum.

It's a fucking joke.
 
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