Why buy an unlocked phone over a carrier phone?
- Thread starter Dillsnik
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galaxys
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Lumia 900, at&t, total cost something like $45 including pointless upgrade fee and tax.
I'm on the 450 month voice and getting it for $30 a month. $20 unlimited text. $20 300mb data. So that is $70h before the mystery taxes (<$5). It's a stiff bill but I'm thinking about ditching text. $55 is a lot saner.
If you've been on contract for a few months and you need to unlock your phone to go on a trip just call your carrier up. They will give you the unlock code. Don't do it in month two. Six months in should be fine. I guess they could make you wait until your contract is over... but in my experience they don't do that if you ask nicely and have a credible story.
It's not Braveheart. If you're in the US on contract just tell them you are going overseas for a couple of weeks and ask them for the unlock code. They've never turned me down.
Most Americans don't have a passport so I don't think unlocking their phone to put a foreign sim card in is a big priority. And you can't switch networks domestically because you are on contract. If you pay the break up fee I don't see why they wouldn't unlock for you.
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damn. solo plans are so expensive
It depends on how you look at it. The voice option is fine. It's 450 anytime minutes but ALL mobile to ANY mobile calls are free 24/7. Plus you get 5000 nights and weekends minutes for $30. That's not bad. I'm not sure how you would do better. I have roll over minutes accruing every month.
The text thing is a luxury. You don't need it. If you can make free phone calls to any mobile any time why text? It's just a mindset.
The data thing is okay. It's a little steep for 300mb. Considering for $10 more I can get unlimited data I feel $20 for 300mb is a bit much. I kind of like the idea of unlimited data but I don't need it.
I can get buy with $30 voice plan and $20 data. If someone really wants to type me a message they can email or IM. I'll get those just fine.
I currently own a Motorola Droid X2 via Verizon and I wish I was carrier-independent. I am so tired of Verizon's crap. The unlocked phones might be more expensive on the onset but it is probably worth it in the long run. I have never purchased an unlocked phone and tried to apply it to a network however, I am assuming it is not a difficult process? I'd love to eliminate my phone contract someday.
If you really need text, there are free ways to get text, such as using Google Voice or WhatsApp. Problem though is MMS, since they don't really support it, but I'm sure in the future they will get it sorted out.
Sent from my GT-N7000 Samsung Galaxy Note "Go big or go home" using XDA app
This isn't true. I've flashed ROMs onto multiple phones. It doesn't unlock them in my experience. You typically have to enter an unlock code or go through a specific unlocking procedure.
The thing is I don't NEED text messaging. It's nice but not for $20 a month particularly when I've got a data plan now for $20 a month as well. Only a few people consistently send me texts. I've explored both those options and decided it's less cumbersome to just use email. My work never communicates with me via text. I can live without it. And if there is an emergency I can receive texts for something like 20 cents a message. In any given month I will never get to $20 doing that. The bulk of my text messages are really pointless.
and how's this possible?
@topic. unlock phones + prepaid sim = savings. though you have to pay up front a huge amount of money for the phone.
carrier phones cost less to let you think you bought the phone for a cheaper price, but you'll be on contract for 2 years. alot can happen in 2 years.
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The machine can be installed because unlock third party ROM
The machine can be installed because unlock third party ROM
It's true. I have a SGS and $10 unlimited on ATT. $15 if I didn't have the family unlimited messaging plan. Going to get the sgs3 when it comes out
J
jianC
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my biggest reason, is the contract. Those huge discounts come with a huge termination fee if you want to bail in the future. Just my 2 cents.
I am using a T-Mobile SGS2 unlocked with Straight Talk using the BYOD AT&T sim. Got the phone cheap, no contract and service works great, plus i am saving a ton every month over a standard AT&T postpaid line.
I am using a T-Mobile SGS2 unlocked with Straight Talk using the BYOD AT&T sim. Got the phone cheap, no contract and service works great, plus i am saving a ton every month over a standard AT&T postpaid line.
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The unlocked international versions are often available before the US carriers release their modified versions. They also often have higher resale values for people who like to switch phones a lot.1Less bloatware is a big part of it, I think, but there are also contractual benefits. It's sometimes easier to cancel a plan without paying a hefty termination fee if you paid for the phone outright. Additionally, certain plans (e.g. T-Mobile's "best plan ever") do not provide subsidies for good phones (e.g. HTC Sensation). Basically, it's a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation. You can buy the phone outright and then get a cheaper plan or buy a subsidized phone with a more expensive plan. If you plan on keeping your phone more than 2 years and/or switching carriers, it's a good investment to get the cheaper plan.1•Unlocked to use anywhere
•More resale value
•No bloatware from carriers
•Faster / more direct updates without needing carrier approval
•Usually more dev support since carriers variants isolate models from one another
•Availability much before carrier versions (mostly, depends on exclusivity)1I should have modified my post up there
Anyway, a special thank to adelmundo and few others that help me to adjust my mindset about this. I never heard of StraightTalk plan b4.
Can you provide some info about the plan?
I've tried to search but very confuse about what it is? Is it a AT&T pre-paid plan? or is it a company that using other phone provider services?
Straight Talk is an MVNO that provides prepaid mobile plans in the USA. They sell the phones and refill cards at Walmart and online and they use either AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint depending on what phone you purchase. Before you wanted to to get your unlocked phone on Straight Talk, you would have to buy a phone from them such as the Nokia N71, and take the SIM card and put it into your unlocked phone.
However a few months ago, Straight Talk introduced a Bring Your Own Device option where you could purchase a SIM card from them for $15 and then put it into your phone and pay $45/month for their unlimited everything plan.
Keep in mind though that although they advertise as Unlimited everything, there are some caveats to what "unlimited" really means. The voice and texting for the most part is unlimited, but there is no roaming I believe. Where the problem lies is the data part of unlimited. In their TOS, you are not allowed to stream music or video (like YouTube, Netflix, Pandora, etc.) Some people have been given warnings and have even had their SIM deactivated when they used to much data. On the safe side, some people have gone by the under 100 MB/day or 2 GB/month of data use to be safe. No one knows exactly what Straight Talk's criteria is or how they can determine if you're streaming or not. Most times they will give you a warning or 2 before they cut you off. If you look in howardforums.com, there are threads about Straight Talk, but as I have said, know one knows their exact criteria.
Most of the time I am on WIFI at work or at home, so I use very little 3G data. Their speeds are good if you do use 3G. You can even get HSPA+ (aka Faux G) if you have a phone capable of it. I had gotten on average ~2 Mbps down and as high as 8-9 Mbps in some areas.
If you bring your own phone that is GSM capable, you can use both phones that are AT&T or T-Mobile compatible. If you choose a phone that is T-Mobile compatible, you can request a T-Mo SIM. If you choose a phone uses AT&T bands, you can request the AT&T compatible SIM. You can even bring an iPhone on their network and can request the mini-SIM as well. I have also heard they treat the T-Mo phones differently as well, allowing them to use more data since T-Mo's data is unlimited, but throttled after 2GB. Although I don't know for sure since I'm not using the T-Mo SIM.
Straight Talk's website is straighttalk.com btw.
