My son is turning 18 soon, and going to college in the fall. We were thinking about getting him a smartphone for his birthday. We’re not sure what that would entail. Can you get one without a data plan, that just uses WiFi? There’s WiFi all over the place anymore, and all over his campus. We were also wondering if an Ipad to use in addition to his current phone, instead of in place of it, would make more sense.
We’re on Verizon, on the family plan. He currently has a cellphone, though I can’t tell you which one. It’s not a flip phone, the two halves slide to reveal a small qwerty keyboard. It’s almost two years old now. His is the most recent phone to be upgraded, so we could change plans soon, but I don’t think we would, so maybe that doesn’t matter.
Which smartphones are good? I’m leaning towards Android, rather than Apple. But there are a lot of models.
I guess I feel like I don’t know enough to even ask good questions.
If he already has a cell phone, it makes more sense to me to supplement that with a tablet of some sort than to replace it with a WiFi-only smartphone—but I’m hardly an expert.
Can you get a smartphone without a data plan and just use wifi:
Yes, but not on contract with any US carriers. And on verizon you are doubly screwed because you are now on “family sharing” data plans, which basically charge you an arm and a leg for virtually zero data. If you want to do a smartphone without data plan, you need to buy a GSM unlocked Android phone like the Nexus 4, Galaxy Nexus, or many others (as long as they are unlocked). Then sign up for a prepaid plan, but not one with data, that uses a sim card, like T-Mobile, and put the sim card in your smartphone.
A tablet and a smartphone are very different use cases - does he want something to carry around everywhere and pull out at lunch, in class to check facebook, etc, etc, or does he want something to surf the internet in his room, read books, etc, but probably not take everywhere ?
That said, I think an 18 year old going off to college would far prefer an iPad (or similar device)…he can use it to make calls (regular or face-to-face Skype calls) on WiFi without a data plan or phone hookup…just on local WiFi. Plus he would use it for Facebook and searching the Internet, reading books (many textbooks are even eBooks now).
A normal smartphone, with an “unlimited” data plan and unlimited texts and talk usually runs about $50/month charges…you might get a bit cheaper, but that is about standard now.
So consider the one time expense of an iPad (without the phone connection) vs. monthly payments to keep the smartphone active. Also, most kids that age don’t really chat much on phones anyway…
As others have said, the big carriers won’t activate a smartphone without a data plan. I’d try T-Mobile or StraightTalk if you want a data plan. As far as iPhone vs Android, it partly depends on the carrier. If your son is a non-technical type iPhone is probably better because it “just works” for the most part. iPhones require iTunes software to move music to and from the phone. Android is much more flexible, almost any part of the OS can be modified or customized if you wish. Android also allows you to plug your phone into your computer with a USB cord and freely move files/music/whatever to and from it. iPhone does not. Really he’s 18, I’d ask him which he prefers. Some people have strong feelings one way or the other.
There is a carrier called PagePlus that will activate pretty much any Verizon phone. Used Verizon smartphones in excellent condition on eBay can be had for $100 or so. Their network is Verizon towers, but not Verizon “partner” towers so they don’t have quite the coverage Verizon does in fringe areas. The best thing about PagePlus is the price, I pay $12 a month and get 250 min talk and 250 texts, plenty for me. No data is included (well 10MB but that rounds off to “no data” in my view), I use WiFi for Internet.
T-Mobile has a non-contract data plan for $30. With unlimited data and text, but only 100 minutes of talk (also, the reverse, 1000 minutes of talk but only 250 megs of data or so?). However, you can use an app such as GrooveIP to do free calls through Google Voice whenever he’s on wifi, effectively avoiding minute use and skirting the issue. So it’s possible to do smartphones “cheap” (“cheap” being compared to the usual $60-$80 plans).
This does entail you buying the phone outright though, so don’t get too sticker-shocked when you see smartphones can be up to $600 off-contract. It’s actually cheaper than going on a contract plan in the long run though (long run being about 2 years or more). I got my phone off of ebay, but it’s up to you if you want to take the risk. You can’t get phones off ebay (or very rarely can you get a properly working one) for CDMA carriers like Verizon that don’t use SIM cards, so don’t bother with that. GSM phones use SIM cards, and you just swap a sim card out to change ownership. They can also be unlocked for use on other GSM carriers if you ask politely. Downside is their network presence in the USA isn’t so hot.
Anyway, it’s mostly about what he wants. Does he make sounds about wanting a smartphone? Has he talked about how much he likes his current phone? Has he talked about tablets at all? Personally I don’t see the use in tablets as I can either do the same thing on my phone or I need to graduate to a full-blown computer to do something - the tablet is not a useful middle ground for me. Evidently a lot of people like them though, so what do I know? Maybe test the waters with him to see what his opinions are.
If he doesn’t have a laptop, I’d say get him a laptop rather than anything else. Using school computer labs is a pain.
A smartphone without a data plan is kind of useless as a smartphone. There are lots of data centric things kids do while mobile and out of wifi range. If his phone does not have this capability he will be missing a lot of on the fly social interaction and big chunk of search and navigation functionality. It’s 's likely he will be the only one in his peer group with a crippled phone.
It’s not life or death but having data centric features out of wifi range is a big deal to me and most other smart phone users.
I have the Samsung Galaxy 3. It’s a fantastic phone. The Samsung Galaxy 4 is the latest version. Whatever phone you get him you MUST get him an Otterbox case. It’s cheap insurance.
The Galaxy S line is arguably near the top for android phones. I’ve heard that the battery life for the S4 is worse than the S3 without a huge noticeable return on speed/power (disclaimer: I own an S3 on the T-Mobile $30 plan). You don’t necessarily have to get him the newest phone on the market to get the best return for you money. The Nexus is also a good phone.
I mean, it sounds as though your family is open to being money-conscious in gift giving and it doesn’t have to be the absolute best and brightest. If I were being given a smartphone, I’d be thrilled to get even a used S3 even though it’s last year’s model.
To avoid expensive tariffs, the social anxiety of having the wrong model shiny thing, and to be the absolute envy of all the hipsters, buy him a fax machine.
My nephew went off to college last year with a prepaid smartphone that he uses with the school’s WiFi network. I believe it works well for him. On most campuses, there is WiFi coverage throughout so he doesn’t really need a data plan. He also has a laptop that I provided.
Apart from the phone part, do smartphones do anything that Ipods don’t do? Are there other brands of Ipod-like devices, apart from actual Ipod? Like an Android “Ipod”?
I took a quick look at Galaxy S3 on Amazon, and a couple said “Factory unlocked”, “International Version”. What do those terms mean?
No, not really. But college is a whole different life from high school. He does have a laptop, and has made some noise about it not meeting the recommended specs for incoming freshman, but I’m thinking a new one of those at Christmas time. So he can get some practice not losing it./
I was going to regift him our dot matrix printer, but it turns out you can’t get replacement printer ribbons for it.
As long as he has WiFi all over the place, an Android or some such will be very useful with no data AND no voice plan; no carrier connection at all. Just buy one on eBay or Craigslist. You can even get a year old model and save big bucks. It will basically be a tiny little internet device.
Unlocked (and anything with that), mean the phone can be used with any carrier. As opposed to a “locked” phone, which if it were GSM, would be stuck on one specific carrier, ie in the us one of either AT&T or T-Mobile without unlocking it somehow
International version probably just means it is grey market/imported - so no or hard to access manufacturers warranty.
If you want to do the prepaid GSM route, Nexus 4 (https://www.google.com/nexus/4/), is generally the most affordable android phone off contract that is both high end, and can be bought 100% legit straight from the source.
The Apple Ipod Touch vs Iphone, the touch is not quite as fast of hardware and has a worse camera. There are android based devices that are non-phone mp3/video, etc players but it is easier and you get better hardware if you just buy an android phone like the nexus 4 (or just about any old phone - and formerly high end phones from last year from CDMA carriers like Verizon and Sprint can get really cheap). Then just don’t put a sim card in/sign up for phone service. Which you can also do with an iphone, they just have more resale value so you only see people do that with really old ones.
Money is the biggest determining factor. The big companies (AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon) are about contracts and constant upgrades, which mean more money. In the FWIW category, Android is coming out with an all-new OS this fall – ‘Key Lime Pie’ and two things are going to happen, first is that all the techies are going to want the new stuff, causing scarcity and higher prices but it will mean any ‘Jelly Bean’ phones will be deeply discounted.
I’m not an Android fan but have no desire to get into a pissing contest over what, why and “are you an idiot?” when I say having both, the Apple OS is more user friendly, there are more apps to chose from and the OS upgrades without having to be a techie genius. $99.00 for the 4S at Verizon and AT&T with a 2 yr contract.
I thought this thread was going to be for a teen or pre-teen. Not an 18-year-old adult. I can’t comprehend why, if the 18-year-old adult wants a smartphone, he can’t just go get one. But then again, I started working when I was 16 so I always had my own money for things my parents wouldn’t pay for.
But still, the OP reads like Mommy treats Son as if he’s a young child. I guess the kid doesn’t mind being infantilized, but I would find it intolerable. (In fact, I did find it intolerable when I was 18… that’s why I moved out and put myself through school. Different strokes, I suppose.)
This is an eighteen-year-old college student, so presumably his income is minimal, if there is any. And his expenses are great. So I think it’s hard to justify the fifty bucks or so a month that a smartphone costs with a two-year contract and data plan. For that reason, my nephew only has a prepaid smartphone and no data plan.
By the way, “infantilized” seems a bit much. Many kids are still supported by their parents through their undergraduate years, even if they are legally adults.
I get that and I also realize it would be less expensive if the kid is added to the Family Plan. I also get that some people pay for their kids’ tuition and do not expect them to work. But I also knew an awful lot of people who made this sort of decision for themselves and who also worked, either starting in high school, or starting in college. Even at minimum wage, one would not have to work many hours to be able to afford a smartphone.
Re: “Infantilized” Your hyperbole is my accuracy. Different strokes…