Cellular phone and provider recommendations?

[TitoMorelli]

I may soon be in the market for both a new phone and new service provider. I'm fairly certain which provider I'm interested in switching to, but I'd like input from others both on their current phones and service.

TIF

[SoonerBBall]

Don't go with a post-paid contract agreement. Instead, buy a GSM phone outright (like the Galaxy Nexus for $350 straight from Google) and pick one of the growing number of pre-paid providers. You'll save a lot of money over the two year period and won't have to deal with paying a ETF if you want to switch providers.

[8timechamps]

I've used AT&T forever, and I've really never had any major issue.

I went with the Samsung Galaxy SII over the iPhone last winter, and I love it. The only thing I would rather have is the new Galaxy SIII.

What kind of things do you need your phone to do?

[MamaMia]

I've had an AT&T iPhone since they very first came out and have upgraded when the new ones are on the market. I haven't had any problems with dropped calls or mistakes on my bill. I have been very pleased with my service.

[TitoMorelli]

Thanks for the feedback.

I'm not a big power-user, but I've started texting more than I used to. I like to have a variety of ringtones (often cut my own from music files/CDs I have), like to check out an occasional YouTube video, and sometimes need to tap into the internet to get directions or the business hours/location of someplace that I forgot to check on before I left the house. Have also enjoyed listening to some streaming radio stations or programs I couldn't otherwise get (TuneIn Radio app), but with my current phone a WiFi connection is required.

(And an occasional game or two of Angry Birds, maybe when I'm on the can)

My current phone is a Galaxy S, and has been fine for the most part, but it has weathered a few tumbles and even though it's in a protective case, it's showing its age and wear after about 19 months.

My contract runs out early next year.

I'd never considered the pre-pay option, but it sounds like it's worth looking into - thanks for mentioning that, SoonerBBall.

[8timechamps]

Thanks for the feedback.

I'm not a big power-user, but I've started texting more than I used to. I like to have a variety of ringtones (often cut my own from music files/CDs I have), like to check out an occasional YouTube video, and sometimes need to tap into the internet to get directions or the business hours/location of someplace that I forgot to check on before I left the house. Have also enjoyed listening to some streaming radio stations or programs I couldn't otherwise get (TuneIn Radio app), but with my current phone a WiFi connection is required.

(And an occasional game or two of Angry Birds, maybe when I'm on the can)

My current phone is a Galaxy S, and has been fine for the most part, but it has weathered a few tumbles and even though it's in a protective case, it's showing its age and wear after about 19 months.

My contract runs out early next year.

I'd never considered the pre-pay option, but it sounds like it's worth looking into - thanks for mentioning that, SoonerBBall.

You probably can't go wrong with any of the smartphones (based on how you will use it). I have an app on my phone that lets me make my own ringtones from any song in my collection (there are several apps that do this in the Android marketplace). I don't know if there is a similar app for the iPhone, but I'd guess there is. Anyway, I can select which part of the song I want, and even add elements from other parts of the song...it's pretty cool.

My decision for not getting an iPhone boiled down to size. The Galaxy SII was a little bigger, which I liked. There is a rumor that the iPhone 5 will be about the same size as the Galaxy SIII, so I may reconsider.

Based on how you use your phone, and that you've owned a Samsung, you may want to look at the Galaxy III. You'd probably really like it.

[stonecoldsoonerfan]

i travel quite a bit in my work, especially to rural parts of the county. my wife and i had att. we HATED them. i sincerely can't say that enough. couldn't tell you how many times i've had NO cell reception with them, even here in oklahoma. we dumped them and finally went with u.s. cellular. we really weren't even considering them, but they were the best choice considering that sprint had 3 cell towers burn in n.w. oklahoma and they chose to not rebuild them this year. i've had MUCH better reception than with att. att's customer service was from HELL too. they sold us the sucky galaxy smartphone when it was brand new and it had NOTHING but problems. att wouldn't change it out with a new one, but only a "like-new" one, even thought it was only a month after we got them that it started messing up. we just dumped them and went on with another. the customer service and performance of our carrier (cingular) was great until att bought them out. they finally made me mad enough to do something about it. u.s. cellular has been great. i'd recommend them. i don't mean any disrespect to anyone that is still with or likes att, but my experiences have been COMPLETELY different with them.

[8timechamps]

i travel quite a bit in my work, especially to rural parts of the county. my wife and i had att. we HATED them. i sincerely can't say that enough. couldn't tell you how many times i've had NO cell reception with them, even here in oklahoma. we dumped them and finally went with u.s. cellular. we really weren't even considering them, but they were the best choice considering that sprint had 3 cell towers burn in n.w. oklahoma and they chose to not rebuild them this year. i've had MUCH better reception than with att. att's customer service was from HELL too. they sold us the sucky galaxy smartphone when it was brand new and it had NOTHING but problems. att wouldn't change it out with a new one, but only a "like-new" one, even thought it was only a month after we got them that it started messing up. we just dumped them and went on with another. the customer service and performance of our carrier (cingular) was great until att bought them out. they finally made me mad enough to do something about it. u.s. cellular has been great. i'd recommend them. i don't mean any disrespect to anyone that is still with or likes att, but my experiences have been COMPLETELY different with them.

Your're not alone, I've heard stories like that from family members. Sounds like you had a really bad experience. I feel fortunate that I've never had an issue. As for the Galaxy, not sure what kind you bought, but I've loved mine. I'm not saying this applies to you, but a lot of folks think their smartphone "sucks" because they don't really know how to use it. That's why I asked the OP how he was going to use his phone.

I travel a fair amount, but rarely (if ever) to remote areas. Never had an issue with no service/connectivity, but again, I've heard of that from others. So, it sounds like if you are going to stray from the larger metro areas, AT&T may not be the right carrier.

[yermom]

i have T-Mobile, and have had them for over 9 years now on basically the same plan.

i have just been using an iPhone for about 4 years now on their network that i got from somewhere else. i just about never deal with their customer service, but when i have it has been pretty painless.

they have a few different options for ~$50 a month with unlimited everything, just throttled data after a certain amount

[TitoMorelli]

NW Oklahoma is a dead area for a lot of carriers. One of the first to put towers out there was Dobson Cellular, which for years had provided regular telephone service to such communities as Cheyenne, OK. Because that part of the state is so sparsely populated, major service providers apparently don't have much incentive to develop there coverage there.

[soonerbrat]

I had sprint for a long time, and the cell service was OK, but the customer service SUCKED (and not in a good way). The last straw is when I bought a Palm Pre. The thing was a piece of crap, cheap plastic that broke and chipped off and then the thing just quit working one day - I had it about 6 months, maybe less. I took it in and they wouldn't even trade it out for a "like new" one, they wanted me to do an insurance claim, pay $100 for a used phone. As soon as possible, I switched to AT&T and got an iPhone. the one thing I don't like about the iPhone is that you can't remove music without plugging in to a computer, and it's a big hassle to create my own ringtones.

[SoonerBBall]

Thanks for the feedback.

I'm not a big power-user, but I've started texting more than I used to. I like to have a variety of ringtones (often cut my own from music files/CDs I have), like to check out an occasional YouTube video, and sometimes need to tap into the internet to get directions or the business hours/location of someplace that I forgot to check on before I left the house. Have also enjoyed listening to some streaming radio stations or programs I couldn't otherwise get (TuneIn Radio app), but with my current phone a WiFi connection is required.

(And an occasional game or two of Angry Birds, maybe when I'm on the can)

My current phone is a Galaxy S, and has been fine for the most part, but it has weathered a few tumbles and even though it's in a protective case, it's showing its age and wear after about 19 months.

My contract runs out early next year.

I'd never considered the pre-pay option, but it sounds like it's worth looking into - thanks for mentioning that, SoonerBBall.

You're welcome!

I got suckered into a Verizon contract that I am now seriously regretting. The service is good, but the price is out of control. That is when I started researching pre-paid services.

To be clear, if you do a lot of traveling to places with bad signals, pre-paid may not be your friend as there are limited roaming features for most plans. If you typically stay in well traveled (and thus well covered) areas, though, you will be just fine. Also, all pre-paid options (StraightTalk, ClearTalk, Cricket, etc) buy bandwidth off of the major providers so you'll be using their big towers anyways. I'd look into the T-mobile pre-paid plans ($60 for unlimited everything or $30 for 100 minutes and unlimited everything else with 10 cent a minute overage) if I were you as they are very reasonable. StraightTalk is $45 for unlimited everything as well and you can use either AT&T or T-mobile SIMs for them.

Let me know if you have any other questions.