I will be moving to the states for college soon and need to get a phone. I don't want to spend much on it because prices of books and tuition are already kind og high for me but I am a but clueless about it all. I need a phone or company I can ideally get a plan on to call my family too. If the phone had a relatively good camera too that'd be awesome since I will be living in New York. Any ideas?
If you are international, and away from family, your best bet for talking to THEM is going to be through the Internet. I like iPhones, personally, but the start up cost is expensive. Skyppe is pretty easy. So is Google Voice, for video and phone calls - both free, internationally, I believe. If you can find a USED iPhone that is in good condition, you should look into month-to-month pre-paid plans, that do not require you to have a subscription. I'm currently using Page Plus wireless on my iPhone. It runs off Verizon towers, so the coverage is great, and it is $30 a month for all the talk, text, and data I'd ever need. Consider that on campus you will have wifi where ever you go, so you might not need a big data plan.
I think iphones are a bit over priced personally. I think a Google Nexxus or Samsung Galaxy might be a good choice. Honestly, I am not sure what these phones are like in terms of international coverage,,but some are probably fine. I once had a friend who was calling me from Australia from some cheap phone he picked up at Aldi;s and he could have been in the next room. So, I think the phone is not as important as what you feel comfortable with.
Your best bet for getting a decent phone with a good call plan that is not overly expensive is going with a Samsung Galaxy from a prepaid company like Straight Talk or Net 10. I currently have a Samsung Galaxy Core Prime phone through Straight Talk and it gets excellent service and has a great camera. For unlimited calling, texting and data, I only pay $45 a month. I know they have an international plan too and I believe it may be $55-$65 a month for unlimited everything. The phone cost around $100 if I remember correctly, but Straight Talk also has Android phones that are free when you purchase minutes.
You're best waiting until you get there and looking around as there are always student deals. Best Buy has a student discount program you sign up for. It does depend on where you want to call, but whatsapp is free so you don't really need a plan if the other parties have the app too. You can get a contract, PAYG, or a rolling month contract, so it depends on what you want to spend, because in New York the reception is not an issue.
I buy phones used and then sign up for PagePlus. They have some great calling plans and they do not have contracts. I like them because they use the Verizon towers so I have never had any static or dropped calls. I had Verizon before I switched and I was paying almost $70 a month for the same service.
I think you make a great suggestion Theo, and you are right, there are always phone plans aimed directly at students, and some have some great discounts. However, it would probably help her to compare plans now, so what is being advertised as a good deal, is in fact one. You know how companies are, they will promote anything to get you to buy their product or plan.
Okay, you guys are really helpful! An iphone is definitely out of my budget but I will look up phone prices from here first and then look at best buy like Theo said. I wasn't aware they had a student program! Then I most likely will get a Samsung like Ke Gordon said, that might be more in my price range. I am still debating a plan since I know most of the school has wifi.
Buy a decent Chinese made smartphone. I recommend a Huawei phone. They usually are somewhat cheaper [than Samsung's phones, iPhones and others] but are almost as good as those more expensive phone. Since you may need the phone for only four years, I'm sure by the time then if want a new phone you'll have the money to spare to buy a better phone.
How How long do you think that phone could last me? I also do some online freelancing I might use it for so I would probably use it a lot,not just for calls and stuff. On the other hand though, you're also right, after four years I could get a better phone once I'm not having to make constant payments to college.
Huawei makes quality phones. I bought one of their phones back in 2010 and it's still working today. That's six years and it could live on for another six more years. I'm sure that if you buy a Huawei or ZTE phone they'll last for a really long time.
I am going to try this out I think! I will be going to the states soon ish so I will start looking for options. I am a very clumsy person so durability is deffintely an important consideration for me. My last phone was an Iphone 4 and, while it lasted ages, a poor fall completely shattered both sides and left it dead.
I have been looking into the FreedomPop service to lower my phone bill. I have been paying $50 a month for service which is way to much for the amount of time I really use the phone. I think FreedomPop has a free or $10 a month service that seems to be good for me right now.
I do think Samsung smartphones are rather affordable, particularly those that belong to the J series. My own phone is a J7 model. It's a lot cheaper than the S series but it's got pretty much everything you need, not to mention an octacore processor. J7 has the biggest screen and the most comprehensive specs in the J series (including a 13x zoom camera). However, if you prefer a lesser priced model then you can always go for J1 to J5 models. They won't cost much but screen resolution and specs would be a little limited. They can give you a great communication experience, though.
If your budget is that low, I guess I have to agree with a used phone. However, make sure that you get a good warranty period and buy from a reputable store. It would be best if you have a friend who is selling his phone, at least you know the owner. And if there is a Samsung, that has a good camera resolution and fast processor like an iPhone so that is recommended.
I keep hearing that the moot phones are the best bang for the buck although I haven't had experience with them personally so that's all I can provide in terms of a review. Still, from the looks of it I do think the reviews can be trusted because it does look a lot sturdier than most other phone designs and since it's a brand that's now owned by Google to the best of my knowledge then I would guess that it is one of the better ones out there right now. Also a few other China brand phones that have made waves probably can also be considered trustworthy like the oneplus or Oppo.
My mom offered to sell her old iphone for me as well recently. I am not sure how long those last though, i've only used them once and, like I said, I am super clumsy. And 10$ a month sounds amazing! I know I sound kind of cheap, just realized that... It's just I am going to pay for college myself so I won't have that much left over from that. Samsungs sound like really good options too! I have friends who only get that because of how reliable they supposedly are.
If you want the phone to perform well, but still acquire it at a discount price, I would suggest going with a Motorola Moto G 3rd Generation (1gb). It functions very well for day to day use and is less than $200. I personally had this phone throughout college and it worked wonders. If you pair that with a pay as you go contract (T-Mobile, Cricket), then you should be able to have a very low cost of ownership for your phone.
I will take that phone i to account as well,thank you! So far I am still not sure if I will get a mobile plan though. School was wifi almost all around and it is in NY which I am guessing has wifi almost everywhere either way ( I think?). My student visa finally arrives this week so I will be going to the states and looking around I think.
I suppose a college student should be living on the lower side of expenditure to see him through the semester. This means that touchscreen phones which tend to be generally dear in the short and long term in terms of data usage and replaceament of broken parts. I use a Nokia C2 which has excellent functions for its cost. For smartphones, going secondhand is a good decision, only make sure you buy from trusted associates or relatives.
