So I am about to change our Verizon plan from 2 phones to 4, using the BYO option. That means I need two more Verizon/CDMA phones. These are for our young teens, who finally need real phones better than Tracfoneys.
I am finding it surprisingly hard to shop for good, reasonably inexpensive phones from reliable sellers. Some help appreciated.
[ol]
[li]They have to be Verizon-compatible (CDMA), which are needles in the unlocked-GSM-phone haystack. Even the listings are sometimes untrustworthy and while the boilerplate says Verizon, the model number is a GSM phone.[/li][li]Android smartphones. Best performance I can get, with good durability. Smaller form factor preferred.[/li][li]Outright unlocked purchase. A vast number of choices in searching only give contract prices.[/li][li]$200 or under, $150 or under preferred.[/li][li]Pre-owned or refurb is okay if from a reliable vendor with some guarantee or return privileges.[/li][li]Seller that doesn’t have reviews making repeated use of the words SCAM and RIPOFF.[/li][/ol]
I’d like Galaxy S4 minis, but I can’t seem to find good ones at a reasonable price from a reliable vendor. But I’ll take lesser brands with equivalent chops. Verizon has used ones for about $280, I might see if I can get a deal.
Thanks.
I’m not that much of a phone-techy even for my own gear, and these are for teens who don’t much care what’s under the hood. Does Nexus even make a small form-factor phone? My impression is that they start large and get bigger. (Which would be fine for me; I carry a Note II. But the kids want something more pocketable than even the Mrs’s S3.)
Yeah, and we have to sit in the back of the bus while the first-class citizens flash their reflective logos at each other. Sucks, I tell ya.
I’m happy with my Samsung Galaxy S4, does whatever I need it to do, plus more.
It can do CDMA and GSM (I believe) as I can see from the phone’s settings. I don’t use either - I use WCDMA/UMTS or LTE (however LTE is slow to rollout in the UK).
Yes, I’ve been very happy with several Galaxy models over the past few years. I am leaning toward the S4 Minis, which are a little less powerful than the S4 but still quite good, and the size preferred.
Dual-band phones are rare in the US. It’s either-or, and the unlocked/full price market seems to be overwhelmingly GSM. Verizon is CDMA, so I have to sift through the haystacks.
Think I found what I want at Swappa, though. It’s been educational - I didn’t realize how hard it was to get a good price on a good phone outside of contract-bound pricing.
OOOOOOOOOoooohhhh…White…Clear…Silver…shiny…must purchase two and own before anyone else in my area code…must…purchase…two…
( yeah. that was Comic Sans. Because, you know. All the cool kids. )
Oh wait, a real reply? I’m an ardent Mac user for computing. Die-hard Android cell phone user. Love the Apps, really respect the open-source approach. Have had a Motorola Droid-X, then Droid-X2, and now for the last few years the Samsung Galaxy S-4. Just perfect for my needs. I already have a backup phone for when this one is lost/stolen/demolished.
I bought a few of the Moto G prepaids from Best buy on sale for about $30 each to use as micro tablets around the house and they’re great! The screen on the phone is much better (IMO) than the Moto X’s.
I am curious if it’s a Verizon family account you can get Galaxy S5s for $ 100 each or S4minis free with new 2 year plans. If it’s for young teens aren’t you going to be using them for at least 2 years? This would seem to be one of the situations where the discounted phones for taking on 2 year plans would make some sense.
I think they’ve stopped selling the Nexus 5, and I don’t know if you want to wait until the next version if you want to buy new. That said, I really like mine and it comes with every band you’re likely to ever need, GSM and CDMA both in a range of frequencies. Nice to have a completely stock version of the OS without a bunch of carrier crap.
