Need to get a smart phone
 

It's finally time for me to retire my clam shell cell phone and upgrade to a smart phone (it's by necessity not choice I'm afraid). I'm not sure what type to get and I need your help.

The only problem I've had with my phone is that I cannot see the screen when I'm outside.

Family members have older Samsung phones, but the antennae does not work well in some rural areas. They have to go outside to use the phone; whereas my clam shell works fine inside.

I'd like the larger cell screen (not tablet) as my eyes aren't as sharp as they once were.

Does anyone have the newest Samsung Galaxy phone? Comments?

What about other brands?

I have Verizon.

Thank you for your assistance.

There's so much choice now for smartphones. It's probably best to go into a store and get some guidance from the sales staff.

I agree, you really need to go play with the phones and see which one you like.

ALSO, read reviews online! Verizon store has reviews for phones. Sometimes a phone seems great but then you read reviews and find out the battery stinks or that it breaks right away.

Wish I'd done that with my last phone, but I got in a rush and I trusted the sales guy. It's a hunk of junk and all the reviews say so. (If they're still selling them, don't get an LG "Enact", it's an awful phone - terrible battery life, terrible sound, terrible camera, drops calls...it's really not good at anything.) I'm using my DH's old Samsung now and it's not a very good phone either. (Not sure the model, it's an older phone now, I'm sure they aren't selling it anymore)

My DH has a Motorola Droid X that he really likes. My prior smartphone was also Motorola Droid 2 (older phone, now) and it was a great phone - I literally wore it out or I'd still be using it. Whenever my contract is up and I get a new phone I'm going back to Motorola. They seem to cost a little bit more but so far out of the 5-6 smart phones DH & I have gone through, Motorola has been the best quality and the most reliable.

DH uses a modern Samsung for work, one of the bigger/newer ones (might be the Galaxy). He says it's OK but it's slow; he likes his Droid X better.

I resisted getting a smart phone for a long time, but I just got a Moto X (2nd Generation) and I'm using the Republic Wireless carrier service because of the price. This company was recommended to me by a realtor who uses her phone all the time while showing clients around. Check them out - https://republicwireless.com/plans/

I'm very happy with the phone and the service so far, and I'm only paying $10/month for unlimited calls and text. I also get unlimited data if I have WiFi access and can upgrade the service if necessary at a reasonable cost. And there's no contract!!!

Thanks for your thoughts Sewnoma. I was looking at a Motorola but the reviews at Verizon threw me off a bit.


The last phone I got was through a local franchise. The sales agent was pushing a phone I knew I didn't want. I ended up with a Convoy (my choice). It cost more there than getting it online. Lesson learned. My DH's phone was purchased through Costco where the prices were more competitive. Sometimes you can get Verizon online deals too. I understand if you print them out and take them to a franchise they have to honor it; even if it is not a special in that store.

My SIL has an Apple that she likes, but she doesn't have a lot of experience with the online functions which I will eventually need.

I'll look into the models you suggest. I believe there is a model higher than the Droid X that Verizon isn't showing. Do you know if I got it at Best Buy...let's say...that Verizon would recognize it?

Wow! Dunster, that's a great buy. Thanks for the note.

Unfortunately I live in the boonies (in a hollow) and Verizon is the only company in the area that gives good service. (Republic only works on WiFi hotspots in my area.)

I have Verizon because it has coverage even AT&T doesn't have. I love my I-Phone 4. My husband has a Samsung because it has the bigger screen, but I don't like his because I have trouble seeing the screen outside. Both my daughters have the I-Phone 5.

In San Diego if you go to Best Buy they can help you activate your phone with Verizon. If you buy your phone at Verizon for a discount that is when you have the 2 year contract nonsense. If you buy the phone and activate it thru Verizon you don't have to do the long contract. My daughter went to Best Buy to get a "hot spot" and they told her that since we were with Verizon, that we should go thru them for a better deal. It was a better deal, my bill was reduced by $30.00.

Dh and I both have Samsung phones and are very happy with it. He has the S3 and
I have the S4. If I have to upgrade I'll get the S5 (instead of the latest S6). The S5
is waterproof and you can put an external sd card which the S6 cannot. We find the
iphones too limited and everything is $$$ with Apple. I'll give you an example. If you
lose your Samsung (assuming you have registered it online), you can disable your
phone wherever it is. With iPhones you have to pay for this service. With Samsung it's
free. Just compare the different features before you make a purchase. The only
disadvantage with smartphones is outside...can't see a darn thing in the sun. We need
little umbrellas for our phones. ;-)
One more thing they do make the large phones. I know Galaxy has what they call
phlabet or mega phones. Mine is a middle size. Good luck.

I have a Verizon pay-as-you-go plan and I just upgraded from a flip phone to a smartphone. I got the Motorola Moto E at Wal-Mart; it cost around $70. I've had it a few weeks and so far, I do like it. I mostly text with my cell phone and do very little calling. I have to charge it up about every 2-3 days or so. The screen is big enough so that I can see the text messages well. I even loaded a couple of games on it.

There is a cheaper phone which is very similar - I think that's the Moto G - the only difference being that this one has a slot for a memory card and the cheaper one doesn't. I wanted the card slot so I could also load some music on the phone.

Walmart and target sometimes have great sales on the iphone 5s -- DD has one and loves it. We just got DH an iphone 6 and he is learning how to use it quickly. We have Verizon -- great coverage nation wide in places no one else will touch.