vB Easy Archive - Shopping for a new phone

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Shopping for a new phone - not sure where to start
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Posted by: Kellhus

This may be a topic that is rehashed constantly, and if it is, I apologize, and will take any public drubbing that seems necessary. I'll preface this by saying I'm a pretty big newb at this, so be gentle.

I'm trying to find some new phones for my wife and I, as the ones we have now are about 2.5 to 3 years old, and the reception is getting worse. They're LG C1300's, and were the cheapies at the time, and looking back I wished we'd gone with something other than LG, as I've not been too impressed with them. We're on ATT at the moment, and my contract is up with them. I'm thinking about re-upping on my contract, if it'll get me a decent phone at a not quite exorbitant price.

My question is basically what type of phone to look for? I need something that has good reception, as where I live tends to have patchy signal. I don't need a music player, or a full qwerty keyboard, as I don't text that much or need a PDA. It needs to be durable, and able to play whatever ringtones are out there. If it can do the blue tooth headsets or whatever, cool, but not required. Of course, there's always the "coolness" factor, as I don't want it to look like a piece of junk either.

So, I like the form factor of the slimmer phones, like the razr and other "zr" lines, and the new slider phones are nice looking to. I just don't know about durability, and whether they can stand heavy use (I'm fairly hard on phones). Someone told me I should get a 3G phone, as they get better reception, but, again, I know nothing about that. Anyway, are there any you'd recommend? If I re-up, I'd like to spend less than $150 a phone if possible, unless the phone is worth it, and then I'd probably be willing to go higher.

Also, is it stupid to get the phones through ATT, or would I be smarter to go through ebay, or some online retailer? (I'm sorry if some of these questions are simplistic or whatever, but I've never really had to look for new phones before, and I'm trying to do some research before I just pick a random phone, and hope for the best.)

I've read some reviews on here, and some of it I follow, and some of it I'm lost on, since I'm not up on the terminology. I gather that Nokia is a preferred brand, and I heard that the newest Razr, V9 I think, is pretty good, but other than that, I have no clue.

Anyway, if you all could help at all, or provide me a direction to look, I'd surely appreciate it. I don't know if there are other topics that discuss this in more detail, and would be what I need, but if there are, feel free to let me know. Hopefully I'm not taking up space with a useless post.

Thanks for all your help.

(Oh, and I'm in Louisville, Ky, if it makes any sort of difference.)

Posted by: DubDub

Pick the carrier first. I assume you are sticking with AT&T?

Then list your requirements for a new device - what features/functions do you really need and what would be nice to have.

What is your budget?

Do you want voice and data, or just voice?

Posted by: Kellhus

Let's see, I will be staying with ATT I think. Enough of my friends and family use it, which will make my mobile to mobile calls free. My decision is whether I'll sign up for another contract or not. If I can get some good phones that are somewhat affordable, without re-signing, that would be great. If not, I'm not hugely against the idea.

As far as features, my basics are good reception, good call quality, and to be rugged/durable. I want a phone that will last me for a while, and won't break when the wind blows too hard.

I'm not sure if I need 3G or not, unless that will help with my reception (again, I'm new at this, so don't exactly know what everything does). I don't currently use data much, since my current phone didn't handle it well, and I had no real need for it. So data is not high up on the list, and it would be primarily for voice. I would like it to be able to handle custom ringtones, and I wouldn't mind the whole bluetooth headset, but it's not required. I don't really need to listen to MP3's or anything, and I don't think I need a "smart" phone. Cameras are fine, but not necessary. So, basically, as long as I get the core requirements, all the extras or lack thereof can be dealt with.

The budget, if possible, would be $200 or less per phone, since I'm getting them for both my wife and I. That's why I was thinking I'd need to re-up with ATT, since I'd get a break on the phone price. If I can get something quality for that price without re-upping, all the better.

Also, being a complete newb at this, would I need to get a phone that can be unlocked or unbranded? Would that help with the reception, or give me features that I could use?

I'm in the Louisville, KY area, if that makes any difference on coverage, or options, or whatever. If any other info is needed, just let me know.

Posted by: Heavy Fluid

You can get unbranded or unlocked, just make sure that they are quad band, or if you insist on tri band, that it has the 850 band. You will need that. As for features, some of them have stuff that AT&T blocks or changes, depends on the phone.

Posted by: Kellhus

So, does anyone have some general suggestions on which phones I should be looking at?

Some of the upgrade options on the ATT website are free, and look pretty cheap, but I saw a few that look ok, and will see what you all think of them. They are:

Samsung A437 ($20)
Nokia 6555 (free after rebate)
Samsung A737 ($30)
Sony Ericsson w580i ($30)
Pantech Duo (refurb) ($80)
LG CU515 ($40)
Nokia N75 "tab top" ($100)
Sync ($130)
Razr V3xx ($130)
LG Shine ($100)
Samsung SLM ($50)
Sony Ericsson Z750a ($50)
Motorola V365 ($100)
LG CU405 ($150, get a 2nd free)
Razr2 V9 ($199)
Z9 ($199)

All the prices include any rebates that might come with it. The V9 and Z9 are a little expensive for me right now (199 after mail in rebate), and the rest go down (price wise) from there. If they're worth it, I'll consider them, but it'd still be stretching. I've heard a few good things about the 6555, and Nokia's in general, but don't know much about the others. So if anyone knows about any of these, and can narrow down the list for me to the good ones, I'd very much appreciate it.

Also, if there are better deals on phones than what the ATT site offers me, feel free to let me know.

Thanks.

Posted by: abcrndm

just get something cheap (or free if you get a new contract). pretty much every phone out there right now meets you're requirements. all the new phones try to advertise features like email, pda-like features, cameras, mp3 players, etc, but you don't seem to want any of that.

look at review websites and find a phone that has good reception, and choose a phone that looks nice. i'd advise looking at battery life too, if you get TOO powerful a phone w/ a bunch of features you won't use, the battery will not last as long.

Posted by: karnovaran

If you want rugged and durable, don't get the SE w580