NT - OT - Need a cheap cell phone

[BulldogTom]

I need to get a second cell phone that will work with my carrier MetroPCS.   It will be used for my office and will only have phone, text, search and 1 app (square).    I don't need fancy, I need cheap.   Any suggestions?   I looked online and all I get is the same ads that paid to get to the top of the google search engine.

Tom
Longview, TX

[Lynn EA USTCP in Louisiana]

look at Mint Mobil.

[Catherine]

Look on ebay for a 2 or 3 generation ago phone (android or iphone, as you prefer) that has the right type of SIM card.

[Lion EA]

Does MetroPCS have any "deals"?

[Lion EA]

Do you want my old iPhone 6 when I get a new phone?

[Gail in Virginia]

I have never used a trakPhone, but I am wondering if some pay as you go phone like that will work over Wi-Fi so that you don't need a phone plan if you are only going to use the phone in the office? 

[BulldogTom]

I have a 4 line plan that has been grandfathered on price.   We bought it in CA in 2007, and I don't have a local number.   My youngest son is changing carriers (because he needs to face-time his girlfriend and my plan does not have enough data for them to talk all night, every night, every week, all the time) so it opens up a line on my plan.   Son has a multi line phone that is not coming back to me, just the sim card for the MetroPCS line.  If I can put the sim card into a cheap phone, I can use it for my office line.   Just leave it in the office.  Metro will allow me to change the number to a local one, but I need to bring in the phone.

Tom
Longview, TX

[TAXMAN]

I would be interested in the phone that Lion has as I am in a similar situation.

[Lion EA]

I haven't gotten around to ordering myself a new phone, but it's high on my to-do list. I'll let you know on here when my old one is up for grabs. We used to pass them down to our "kids" who are now grown and have phones from their jobs.

[BulldogTom]

On 5/23/2022 at 7:39 PM, Lion EA said:

Do you want my old iPhone 6 when I get a new phone?

Thanks for the offer lion, but I have never used an iphone, even though I am sure it would work on my plan.   I have used Android for so long I would be lost trying to answer the iPhone.

Tom
Longview, TX

[ILLMAS]

Look into zoom for your office needs, you can have a office line on your current smart phone, the ring tone is different so there is no way you can confuse the calls.   FYI your current office phone can be ported to zoom.

[Gail in Virginia]

Have you looked on eBay?  I put in android phone and sorted from lowest price, and got some that were a couple bucks for the phone and ten dollars for shipping.  You might find something that will work for you from there. 

[BulldogTom]

1 minute ago, Gail in Virginia said:

Have you looked on eBay?  I put in android phone and sorted from lowest price, and got some that were a couple bucks for the phone and ten dollars for shipping.  You might find something that will work for you from there. 

you got better results than I did....I suck at searching online.

Tom
Longview, TX

[Gail in Virginia]

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=android+phone&_sacat=0&_sop=15

This is the page I was looking at - I don't know if you can get there through this link, and the first one listed doesn't seem like any kind of deal to me. 

[TAXMAN]

Can someone explain the diff between iphone and smart phone? What amount if gig should I be looking at? I am not up to speed on these things as I still use my old old flip trac phone.

[Abby Normal]

27 minutes ago, TAXMAN said:

Can someone explain the diff between iphone and smart phone? What amount if gig should I be looking at? I am not up to speed on these things as I still use my old old flip trac phone.

iPhone is an apple product. Androids or smart phones are the main competitor. In the US, market share is about 50/50, but worldwide, Android dominates.

With Apple, you only have access to their apps and it's not very customizable. With Android, you have access to apps from many companies and it's very customizable.

Both are easy to use. You can find cheaper Androids but iPhones are always expensive. Neither lasts much beyond 4 years. Both stop providing updates after just a few years.

My current Android (Pixel 2) is about 6 years old, so I'm no longer getting system updates, but I have a good antivirus and other security, so I'm not worried about safety. It cost me over $600 and new ones are about a grand. I like to have a phone with a good camera, and I prefer pure Android to the customized ones from Samsung, etc. I also want a fast processor. My fiancee has a cheap Samsung Tracphone and it's slow, has a crappy camera and the wifi speeds are a fraction of what I get, but she only paid about $100 for the phone and one year of service (no monthly bill).

How much memory you need depends on how you use your phone. I have thousands of songs on my phone so my 64GB phone is close to being full. Next time I want to get 128GB. But if you're not planning on using your phone as a music player, then a lot less memory will be fine, as long as you don't install too many apps.

[Lee B]

I bought a refurbished Samsung budget phone for $ 80  early last year.

While it worked OK, it kept prompting me to use and install Samsung Apps, which was annoying.

I recently replaced it with a Moto G Power which I like.

[KATHERINE]

On 5/27/2022 at 10:18 AM, TAXMAN said:

Can someone explain the diff between iphone and smart phone? What amount if gig should I be looking at? I am not up to speed on these things as I still use my old old flip trac phone.

WOW, really?  No one can teach you a little bit, Iphone is very convenient.   It is a little everything:  GPS, Banking, Shopping, order food, Contact books, email, Password Books.........