I’ve been contemplating getting my first smartphone. It would be nice to have internet access where ever I am. But I don’t really need a smartphone. Right now I have a basic flip phone. I have a pay-as-you-go plan that I spend $26 every two months on.
I think if I were to get a smartphone I would switch to Koodo. They have a pay-as-you-go plan that is $15 a month and then you buy a data tab and a talk tab. I estimate that I would only have to top that up every few months. So it would be about $50 every three months and then $15 every month. So that would work out to about $30-40 a month. That means I would be paying $15+ more than I currently pay, just for the convenience of having internet on the go.
I’m still trying to convince myself that it’s worth the money. But even if I did decide to go through with the purchase, I haven’t figured out what kind of phone to get. I posed the question on my Facebook page but it was not helpful at all. I asked them to tell me what kind of phone they would recommend and WHY. Most people just posted the kind of phone they have without any explanation as to why it was good. Other people posted saying that before picking a phone, you have to decide what kind of operating system you want on your phone. It’s a valid point but I wish they would have told me which OS they think is best and why.
Currently, besides my phone that I rarely use, I spend a lot of time on my iPod. I like the apps that are available and would love to be able to transfer them to my new phone. But I know the only way to do that would be to buy an iPhone. I’m told that Android is a better way to go. While I could probably get most of my favourite apps on an android phone as well, I would have to pay for a couple of them again that I have already bought on the iPod.
Assuming I do go with an Android phone, my boyfriend says I should go with a Samsung phone. I like that if I got a Samsung phone I could also get the Samsung Gear Fit to track my steps. I would have to make sure that it would display the time as a watch does too though.
I don’t want a big chunky phone so the Note is out of the running right away. I think I have narrowed it down to the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini or the Samsung Galaxy Alpha.
What kind of advice do you have for me? Why kind of phone do you have? What phone plan are you on? Have you used any phones that you just hate? Should I even get a smart phone?
bradydaniels
October 27, 2014 at 6:17 pm@StubbornOXnet Having owned a Samsung and a Nexus 5 (both android), the Nexus 5 blows the Samsung Galaxy out of the water.
bradydaniels
October 27, 2014 at 6:18 pm@StubbornOXnet Samsung put a lot of their extra apps on the phone and you can’t remove them. The Nexus 5 doesn’t have that.
Kirsten
October 30, 2014 at 9:27 pmWow reading your first few paragraphs really makes me amazed at how much I am paying for my and my boyfriends cell phones, $160 a month. We both have smartphones though and data plans and all that. I have a iPhone 5c and he has a Samsung galaxy something or other. It’s more then internet and cable combined (actually I do not have cable but if I did it would be). I have never used pay as you go. I just use my phone way too much.
I don’t know what kind of iPod you have but if you spend a lot of time on it and it is a iPod touch I suggest an iPhone. I have had a 2,3,4 and 5 and loved them all. Not sure what the 6 is like but I love iOS and Apple.
I do have a Android tablet and honest Android is not bad either and more cost effective as there is so many more phones to choose from and price points as opposed to iPhones. They are more customizable as well, which can be a downside sometimes as they are much easier to “break” or mess up if you are trying to customize them, they can be a bit more confusing too sometimes when something is not working right. Both OS’s are great and have tons of pros and cons.
One thing I do NOT recommend is a Windows 8 phone. The OS just sucks period. I have a computer with it and I have played a lot with tablets and phones with it, the interface is easy enough and even appealing especially with the touch features on computers and laptops it is kinda cool but I still don’t like the overall use of the OS or the instability of it. Phone wise I have not really used them (windows 8 phones) as much as Android or iOS phones.
Christa
November 12, 2014 at 6:41 pmI have never had a real smartphone either. The last phone I had was kind of like a blackberry but I couldn’t download apps or anything.
With that said I am getting a Nexus. A friend is upgrading his phone so I get his old one. I’m kind of excited because it seems like a great phone.
I do have to say Samsung phones have always been great. I don’t shop Apple products at all, so I would never suggest one of their products. The Nexus does run Android and I’m used to it since I have a tablet that runs Android.
Simply Precious
November 13, 2014 at 10:06 pmI’ve never had a smartphone either because of the cost of data. I’ve only had experiences with Samsung Galaxy S3 and S5. So neither of the phones you’ve listed. But I do have to say that I LOVE the S5, and if I were to get a smartphone, that’d be the phone I’d get.