What do use for a cell phone?

[RoamingFrancis]

Hey everyone,

I currently have an iPhone connected to a plan with a bunch of other family members. I'm considering switching to a flip phone, or even to no physical phone and just getting a Google Voice number.

How would one optimize this area for maximum ERE efficiency?

[Alphaville]

How would one optimize this area for maximum ERE efficiency?

breed and train homing pigeons: a true renaissance skill.

alternatively, milk that family plan for as long as you can without paying, and keep your iphone alive forever (free is good if you got it)

i have a google number and it works okay provided there’s good internet. i’m not sure if google listens in on calls but i assume they do.

but certain entities or whatever require a “real” phone number and will not accept google numbers (how do they know, i’ve no idea). so a google number is not sufficient for everything (but i forget what was that got rejected)

with no good internet, you need the cell network. i need that rarely though, so flip phones are a waste in my opinion, because you don’t need to “talk” much on the phone these days, what you need is a portable computer to send text messages, help find your way, take photos, pay at the supermarket, film police brutality, record voice memos, look at your shopping list, listen to music, etc. data. i don’t need a lot though.

i think even a plan-less cellphone will call 911? but last time i tried, that didn’t actually work

there’s a spotlight effect in your question though, which is we don’t see factors beyond what you mention, so it’s hard to say. what else is relevant for this decision that you haven’t told us? e.g., what do you actually use the iphone for and what does it cost you?

[Dream of Freedom]

It's a LG Rebel 4 with tracphone as the service provider. Not high end but it meets my needs. Some people are anti-smartphone but they would have to pry mine from my cold dead fingers. It's my watch, GPS system, flashlight, calendar, to-do list, bank teller, music player, audiobook player, library via the kindle app, and get this I can even call people with it!

[Alphaville]

It's a LG Rebel 4 with tracphone as the service provider. Not high end but it meets my needs. Some people are anti-smartphone but they can pry mine from my cold dead fingers. It's my watch, GPS system, flashlight, calendar, to-do list, bank teller, music player, audiobook player, library via the kindle app, and get this I can even call people with it!

le gold

[George the original one]

In our no-contact COVID-19 world, I'm finding the phone has to have web, texting, and a camera in order to electronically sign liability waivers for entry to autocross events. Yes, it's possible to sign the waivers if you bring your own pen, but...

[C40]

I don't know how available they are in the U.S. now, but for smartphones, the phones from the China companies are really good. The companies are Oppo, Vivo, Realme (these first three all belong to the same parent company but operate quite independently), and Xiaomi (which is an Indian company Edit - whoops, it's not Indian). If you want a high-end phone, the OnePlus phones are REALLY nice and the 90hz and 120hz sensing and refresh rates make them feel on another level than all the normal 60hz phones.

Many of the phones from these companies cost about as much as comparably spec'ed phones from Samsung or Apple. They have a full range from low end to high end (and the model names and specs can take a while to sort out). A mid-range phone can be bought for around $200 these days. Phones have now improved to the point where few people need a high-end model. $1,000 phones are for suckers (and phone nerds).

I'd avoid Huawei as they cannot use Google apps (or Android?)

[Alphaville]

i bought a $50 samsung for verizon prepaid once. plan was $30/mo. after 2 months of verizon i could have switched provider, but verizon was the only one that worked in my boonies. i did not love that phone but it did what was asked of it pretty much.

[Freedom_2018]

Google Pixel 3a XL ( AT&T prepaid)

Mainly purchased for kick ass camera and it certainly was an upgrade from the Lumia 640.

It has totally reignited my interest in photography and for that I am grateful as photography meshes well with a travel lifestyle. While good picture taking is mostly about developing your eye, a very limited camera can be a drag. Currently I can hold my own on photo groups where folks are taking pics with high end Canon DSLRs and the like.

[horsewoman]

Some people are anti-smartphone but they would have to pry mine from my cold dead fingers.

Haha, same here! I know it is a death trap to privacy but it is so useful!

I've got myself a gently used Nokia S7 recently and like it very much. The selling point was the good antenna - I actually need to make calls with the phone, and we have very bad service in our backwoods here.

[tonyedgecombe]

Some people are anti-smartphone but they would have to pry mine from my cold dead fingers.

It's definitely changed for me over the last couple of years. I have a ton of apps directly related to my business (including a couple I wrote myself) as well as personal stuff. I'll be upgrading when it stops receiving updates (luckily Apple is pretty good on this).

However I don't have a contract and only pay about £20 a year for service.

[rube]

... Oppo, Vivo, Realme... Xiaomi...
Many of the phones from these companies cost about as much as comparably spec'ed phones from Samsung or Apple. They have a full range from low end to high end (and the model names and specs can take a while to sort out). A mid-range phone can be bought for around $200 these days.

I used to have high end Samsungs for many years, paid for by employer. Because of certain reasons I bought my own last year. A Xiaomi for ~ 200 euro. The camera quality is slightly less as my previous high end Samgsung, apart from that is working great. I was afraid it would take me effort to switch from Samsung to another brand to learn about settings etc. but it's all android and was all very easy and 98% similar. DW and DD also have a Xiaomi and also working fine.

@C40: per my knowledge and Wikipedia, Xiaomi is also a Chinese company, not Indian?

[C40]

@C40: per my knowledge and Wikipedia, Xiaomi is also a Chinese company, not Indian?

Ah yes I was wrong about that. Xiaomi is Chinese. It's even a Chinese sounding name. I think perhaps I had been thinking about Redmi, which is owned by Xiaomi, but I'm not even sure now. All I can find is info about whether their phones sold in India are made in India (and they say most are).. I thought one of the big companies was entirely Indian, but I don't know right now

The noteable difference between Xiaomi and the others I listed (Oppo, Realme, Vivo, Oneplus) is that those others are all part of one conglomerate, and Xiaomi is separate. But,.. it doesn't really matter much for a consumer.

[ThriftyRob]

I currently have a used BlackBerry KeyOne android. Chosen for its excellent security, plus the wi-fi and bluetooth perform really well. I can stream music from anywhere in my home!

[Matt3121]

I have a One Plus 6. I got it for $425 a little over a year ago brand new. Great phone, I love it

[Hristo Botev]

I have an iPhone SE (the original one; looks like a iPhone 5), and DW and I share an Xfinity plan that comes in at about $25 if we manage our data usage. HOWEVER, for our daughter we'd gotten a DORO 7050 flip phone with Consumer Cellular, because we needed her to be able to get in touch with us, but we definitely are NOT ready for her to have a smartphone. It hasn't gone well. No doubt she was very rough with the phone, but it only lasted a handful of months before the phone stopped working, and it had had all sorts of little glitchy problems along the way. I spent gobs of time researching flip phone options last year, and the Consumer Cellular thing seemed to be the best option out there for the price; but I definitely wouldn't recommend it. In the US it's surprisingly difficult/complex to get a flip/feature phone on a cheap plan.

[wolf]

Nokia 105

[Seppia]

I have an iPhone XR and would recommend it.
It has the longest battery life of any smartphone I’ve ever seen.
I would not under any circumstance use a phone with either a Google OS or coming from a Chinese company, out of privacy concerns.
Of course any smartphone is a privacy concern, but I try to limit it as much as possible

[Miss Lonelyhearts]

I’m iPhone XR as well. Might recommend the new SE to those wanting less expensive Apple option, but have not tried it personally. I was anti smartphone for years but increasingly (wholly?) view them as part of “headtax.” E.g., I freelance and my average response time to new client inquiries is prominently displayed down to the minute on my profile.

ETA: I use google voice and it sucks. I would only recommend it under extreme duress. Google barely supports it and it won’t surprise me if they sunset it at some point. Assess your own situation, but the hassle of updating your number with friends/family/colleagues and then potentially switching again at some point is worth negative several hundred bucks to me.

[Kriegsspiel]

I got an iPhone 3 in 2010 and used it for several years, then a used iPhone 4 when the 3 broke. I switched to Android when the 4 crapped out because I wanted to be able to pull songs over to it like a USB drive instead of using iTunes.

I bought a Xiaomi that I shattered a couple weeks after buying it (didn't like it). I think I read about it on the Soylent guy's blog and I asked him which one he had. I never figured out how to set it up like he did done. I got a Moto G6 which I like, but I wish there was a smaller version of it that I could easily use with one hand like I could with the iPhones. Skipping several generations of technology when you upgrade makes you feel like you are on the goddamn cutting edge, even if you're using current day budget-tech.

[catpepper]

I'm currently using a Huawei Mate 20 Pro. It's an old phone. It still works well, and I don't think I'd change it anytime soon. I also have a spare OnePlus phone which is at least 3-4 years old that I use for work stuff. I used to use iPhone, but I found that I very much prefer Android phones. I have also use entry level phones like Redmi, which is fine for me actually. I feel that hardware has progressed a lot more than software and there's no need to get the latest. Maybe next year when I feel like I have spare cash lying around. I have no desire to switch back to iPhone and might just stay with Huawei to use with my Huawei smartwatch.