Sea change in buying a cellphone: What should I expect when I upgrade phones this Fall? (1 Viewer)

[DaveF]

Does AT&T do Corp discount on m2m?

m2m?

 

[schan1269]

Month to month, i.e....no contract.

 

[Clinton McClure]

I'm not sure if they discount (or even offer) month to month. I always did a 2-year contract with subsidized phones then went to the NEXT plan last time I upgraded because my discount made it cheaper than a standard 2-year agreement.

 

[DaveF]

Month to month, i.e....no contract.

As far as I can tell, AT&T does..

Verizon does not, based on website pricing

 

[DaveF]

I added T-Mobile to my spreadsheet (in simplified form, since they have straightforward but multi variate plans). Basically, AT&T and verizon matched their prices, unless you want unlimited, and really use it (ie, 15GB pool isn't enough.) their prices might be cheap for a family, like four or five smartphones each with a few GB plan. But two phones, upgrade every two years, 3-6gb plan, T-Mobile is not likely the best choice

 

[Alf S]

I have no desire to pay the crazy prices they want for these phones (I'm AT&T) and don't want to make $20++ a month added payment PER line if we want new phones using NEXT etc.


I've opted to buy my first unlocked phone and I got it this weekend and let me tell you, it is a pretty amazing phone. Best of all..It's only $300!! And is way more powerful than most of the subsidized phone choices that are out there.


Spec sample: 5.5" LTE support for AT&T 4GB RAM , 64 GB storage, MicroSD card, Dual SIM card support, Lollipop with a bunch of tweak abilities.Li-Po 3000 mAh battery...and a lot more.


It's an amazing phone for a fraction of the price of anything else AT&T etc offers.


https://www.asus.com/Phone/ZenFone_2_ZE551ML/

 

[DaveF]

How's the battery life? I see it uses an Intel CPU, which rather than an ARM chip.

 

[Alf S]

Fine so far. I get a full day with some to spare with a fair amount of usage. It's on par with my G2. But still too early to decide since I'm still in the process of tweaking and getting my apps in order etc.


Overall though, I'm really glad I made the switch. If these kinds of phone stick around, I'm never going to buy from a carrier again.

 

[DaveF]

Another pricing question popped up, if anyone knows: if buying a non-subsidized phone from the carrier, paid for monthly, how is it taxed? Is it just local sales tax? Or is it taxed at all the federal telecommunications rates?

 

[Alf S]

Speaking of battery on the Zenfone. Just saw this posted online:


http://www.theverge.com/2015/8/24/9200817/asus-zenfone-2-galaxy-s6-fastest-charging-smartphones

But Tom's Guide rounded up a few recent flagships and found that it's actually the Asus ZenFone 2 that ranks best in the pack — depending on how you look at it, anyway. The Galaxy S6 ultimately hit 100 percent faster than the ZenFone, but it's got a smaller battery to top off. Asus also fared really well in the 15-minute test, so even a quick charge at your local Starbucks should buy you a decent amount of time.

 

[McPaul]

Did you know there is a cat on your shoulder?

Here in canada, phones would have Tax charged on pst and gst.

5% plus 7% for us here in BC.

 

[DaveF]

Did you know there is a cat on your shoulder?

To paraphrase the classic New Yorker comic: On the internet, no one knows you're a cat

 

[Alf S]

FYI.


Here's some untouched pics I took with my Zenfone 2 this past weekend while in Colorado.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Wow, Alf, those are some VERY impressive pictures.

 

[Alf S]

Thanks.

 

[Sam Posten]

Bunch of sites trying to help you make sense of this mess:
http://arstechnica.com/apple/2015/09/apples-iphone-upgrade-program-vs-the-big-four-carriers-payment-plans/

 

[Alf S]

As long as I can get top notch and powerful phones like my Zenfone2 for a fraction of the cost of the ones offered by carriers, I will never get sucked into a "monthly payment plan" nor will I invest the high costs they want for "unlocked" phones like Galaxy, iphones etc.


There are so many better options out now or soon to be out that it's silly to throw away money.

 

[DaveF]

Bunch of sites trying to help you make sense of this mess:http://arstechnica.com/apple/2015/09/apples-iphone-upgrade-program-vs-the-big-four-carriers-payment-plans/

Thanks. I like reading their interpretation of the new plans. It me see if I missed something.

 

[DaveF]

Pricing just got more confusing. I found that I've currently got $30 discounts with AT&T from "Mobile Data Share", from when they were doing their data-plan price revisions last Fall. These go away with a new contract. I need to talk with an AT&T rep, because it appears that getting new phones will increase my bill by more than 30%!

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Dave,


I am sure I am not alone when I say I hate the phone companies.


People get nickel-and-dimed for everything. In your case, when you want to get into a new contract, you risk losing perks that the phone company would rather you not have.


I am paying $950 for a new phone, but I would rather do that every year (with a $400 sale on my old iPhone) than get into contracts and have to worry about my plan changing.


The Apple Payment plan is great, but as I noted, you have to go into the store and make an appointment and most likely not even walk out with a phone. If in the future, one could apply online in advance of a new phone sale, it would really be a huge hit!