tl;dr the internet cut out and I was in the dark for 3+ hours. My phone with just voip rn isn’t cutting it for emergencies I need an actual plan with talk,text and data. Do y’all recommend anything I could look into?
I’ve been on Visible (one of Verizon’s in-house MVNOs) for a couple weeks and it’s been good so far. Of course, the value of any phone plan is heavily dependent on which network is strongest in your location, so use https://coveragemap.com/cell-phone-coverage to check, and maybe ask around with your neighbors about their experiences. You can use https://www.bestphoneplans.net/plans to filter plans based on your criteria (price, network, data), though pretty much everything under the sun will offer unlimited talk and text. I would be wary of US Mobile as they’ve got a reputation for silly conditions on promotions and “unlimited” plans that aren’t really unlimited. Certainly worth considering, but just make sure you know what you’re getting into with any given plan of theirs.
As for phone, if you’re an iOS Andy then of course get a slightly older iPhone, specifics depend on your price range and whether you’re comfortable with refurbished or not. For Android I strongly recommend a Google Pixel, despite the obvious concerns with Google–they have super long support windows and robust custom ROM support if that interests you. The 9a can be had for $400 currently, even less if you’re trading in your current phone.
I’ve been on US Mobile for a few years after having issues with Verizon no longer delivering texts for a week+ and haven’t had any problems, but I don’t do any of their promotions. I just signed up for one the cheaper plans and have kept it since. They’re an MVNO, but if you’re on their Verizon network, they somehow have the same network priority as prepaid Verizon phones (the pay-per-month, cancel anytime kind) instead of lower priority like on the T-Mobile one and what most other MVNOs have.
A Pixel is good if they want to install GrapheneOS specifically, since that’s still currently the only phone line they support. Though they have a secret unannounced hardware partnership coming up. If not though, Pixels are objectively worse in hardware specs (except the cameras) than almost any other Android phone at similar prices. Every single model has heat dispersion and battery issues, no matter how many times /r/GooglePixel tries to convince people “it’s fixed this time!” I had them from the 4a up through the 8, with the 4a being the only one I was actually happy with before I stopped buying them. They just have the US market by the balls. So something from like the OnePlus R series would be good too and most models have compatibility with LineageOS at the least, if not other projects.
Maybe I just got lucky but my 8a has given me no issues. I do prioritize GrapheneOS support over other custom ROMs because it’s got the most consistent support, whereas on LineageOS you have to hope one of the volunteer maintainers will care (and continue to care) about your device in particular.
The 9s/10s are significantly better but you’re right to be sceptical. I’d recommend Nothing (the brand)if you don’t want a Samsung.
Depending on where you live, prepaid services can be pretty solid. I’m using the annoying Ryan Reynolds ad one and the service has been pretty decent for the cost.
Mint Mobile and a 1-2 gen old iPhone, can’t really go wrong.
For other phone options, Chinese manufacturers are miles ahead of any other Android phone makers. Maybe look into one plus, oppo, etc. decent value even buying brand new.
The problem with the super budget phones like the $200 Samsung a68 or whatever are that they very quickly degrade into an unusable experience and you have to get the latest slop and probably spend more money than just getting a solid phone in the first place.
Just one thing to caution with this if if they’re in the US, then many Chinese phones you have to import and that are not sold domestically do not have all of the signal bands used by US carriers, so you can have something like no 5G and half strength 4G signals or almost no connectivity at all in the worst case. Last time I said this, someone thought I was saying Chinese phones are bad, but I use a OnePlus, so that’s not it. A OnePlus 12R sold in the US is going to have different hardware than one sold in China. There’s a few sites to check this on like 1, 2, or 3. This is less of a problem in Europe and India, but still worth checking.
In Australia, there’s a solid chance they won’t work at all because they won’t support the frequencies used in Aus to make emergency calls, meaning the government will block them.
This has been fixed in the latest Xiaomi and Huawei flagships but budget models and smaller providers still have issues
Lots of MVNOs are good for service, but not a lot of deals on new phones through them. If you have something you can bring with you, that would be the way to go.
Google spits Fi has pretty reasonable service prices, and some pretty good phone deals too. If you can bring your own there, you can often get a pretty hefty discount on service too - I’m on their mid-tier unlimited plan for 25/mo that way for another year and a half.
I use Mint and it works pretty well for me
Yep, depends on if you have good T Mobile coverage in your area
Honestly, landline if it’s doable.
Honestly, it seems hard to get a real landline these days. It’s all VOIP stuff that goes out with the power.
I know, and a lot of times when power goes out for extended periods, the cell phone won’t charge. It stinks bc you need a mobile for emergencies out and about and work, and a landline for grid and cellular failure, but who needs an extra bill?
Look into getting a UPS instead, and connect modem/router/switch to it. They use up a small amount of power, and can go on an average battery for like 4hrs. As long as the internet lines aren’t also down during a power outage.
Tello.com has some cheap plans and tiers. I do $15 per month to get 5gb of data plus unlimited text and talk. The most I use my phone for is text, calls, and GPS. Your mileage with that 5gb may vary. Setup is easy. They quickly mailed me a sim card. I put it in my phone and did the setup online.
I buy phones that are several years out of production so they cost $100-150 and there are a lot of 3rd party cell services like Mint that use networks of the big telecom companies and are generally under $20 if you aren’t using it off wifi much.
