What phone now?

[El Chupacabra]

Thanks. Interesting...

Mrs C really wants a better camera, so wants the Pixel 7, which is $150 more than the 6a. Other specs are better, esp 6 gb RAM vs 4, but I think I'd be pretty content with the 6a.

Under that Visible deal, the 6a is $350 with $300 back in gift card (Amazon, Home Depot, Lowe's are all on the available card list, so I'm happy with those). The Pixel 7 is $500 with $300 GC back.

[riser4]

Camera isn't important for me. Do I get Moto g 5G for $80 or Moto g Power (2022) for $30? Battery life, processor, memory, connectivity are more important to me. Both have the 5000mah battery. 5G has NFC. And it has 5G. Anyone finding issues where there's no 5G service in the area and so a newer phone doesn't connect as much? Or is that a non-issue?

[El Chupacabra]

I assume all 5G phones work fine on 4G networks - do they not? Is there ever a scenario where a 4G (no 5G at all) phone gets better coverage than a 5G enabled phone?

Riser - I was looking at the Moto 5G Stylus 2022 as an option, partly because it still has a headphone jack and SD card slot - at least I think it does. The Pixel phones don't anymore, and that's not ideal for what I want.

[RShea]

Camera isn't important for me. Do I get Moto g 5G for $80 or Moto g Power (2022) for $30? Battery life, processor, memory, connectivity are more important to me. Both have the 5000mah battery. 5G has NFC. And it has 5G. Anyone finding issues where there's no 5G service in the area and so a newer phone doesn't connect as much? Or is that a non-issue?

The phones that are 5G mostly across the lines also have and support 4G LTE. Most all the carriers no longer do have any 3G (AT&T already) and Verizon saying the end of this year, not 100% sure on T-Mobile or US Cellular progress. But there are a few towers around the areas I end up that are Verizon and still 1X voice only and basic SMS text, no high speed data at all. Not sure what is going to happen to those in the next month or so and if they will be 4G at a minimum or not as the 3G shutdown is finished- may still only be 1X??... (Visible ends up with no service in those areas because they only support 4G LTE or 5G cellular.)

Of the 2 you picked- the Moto G Power is 4 G only, not any 5G so probably a shorter life. It does have a pretty high 50 Megapixel camera though (but it is not just about the highest megapixel either...

[riser4]

The phones that are 5G mostly across the lines also have and support 4G LTE. Most all the carriers no longer do have any 3G (AT&T already) and Verizon saying the end of this year, not 100% sure on T-Mobile or US Cellular progress. But there are a few towers around the areas I end up that are Verizon and still 1X voice only and basic SMS text, no high speed data at all. Not sure what is going to happen to those in the next month or so and if they will be 4G at a minimum or not as the 3G shutdown is finished- may still only be 1X??... (Visible ends up with no service in those areas because they only support 4G LTE or 5G cellular.)

Of the 2 you picked- the Moto G Power is 4 G only, not any 5G so probably a shorter life. It does have a pretty high 50 Megapixel camera though (but it is not just about the highest megapixel either...

Picked those two because the Power is $29.99. Power is all about the battery life. I need battery life. I have a previous year Power, not sure if mine is 2020 or 2021. Probably getting the 5G.

[liv2ski]

Camera isn't important for me. Do I get Moto g 5G for $80 or Moto g Power (2022) for $30? Battery life, processor, memory, connectivity are more important to me. Both have the 5000mah battery. 5G has NFC. And it has 5G. Anyone finding issues where there's no 5G service in the area and so a newer phone doesn't connect as much? Or is that a non-issue?

I have had 0 issues as it switches to the lower 3/2 G speed that is available.

[RShea]

I assume all 5G phones work fine on 4G networks - do they not? Is there ever a scenario where a 4G (no 5G at all) phone gets better coverage than a 5G enabled phone?

Riser - I was looking at the Moto 5G Stylus 2022 as an option, partly because it still has a headphone jack and SD card slot - at least I think it does. The Pixel phones don't anymore, and that's not ideal for what I want.

Some phones are 5G (and yes most all are also 4G LTE) and allow you to turn off the 5G if there are issues with the 5G. Not all do though.

The Motorola G 5G (2022) model (non-stylus) has both headphone jack and an microSD card slot for sure. It is $50 cheaper than the Stylus model right now. The Stylus though does claim 2 days of battery (vs the "Up" to 2 days on the G 5G) even though they both are 5000 mAh batteries. The Stylus also has 8 Gb of internal memory vs only 6 Gb

[riser4]

PalmPilot called, they want their stylus back. Seriously, this is the year 2022.

[::: :::]

Solving the problem of gloves & touch screens until you’re foiled by trying to pick up a stylus in gloves…

[riser4]

Solving the problem of gloves & touch screens until you’re foiled by trying to pick up a stylus in gloves…

Um, I have gloves that work just fine with a touch screen. Granted, they are those Head running gloves from Costco and not my ski gloves. However, I have used liner gloves at times that were touch compatible.

[El Chupacabra]

PalmPilot called, they want their stylus back. Seriously, this is the year 2022.

I didn't care about the actual stylus in the Moto 5G Stylus phone. More about the specs and features.

[RShea]

Thanks. Interesting...

Mrs C really wants a better camera, so wants the Pixel 7, which is $150 more than the 6a. Other specs are better, esp 6 gb RAM vs 4, but I think I'd be pretty content with the 6a.

Under that Visible deal, the 6a is $350 with $300 back in gift card (Amazon, Home Depot, Lowe's are all on the available card list, so I'm happy with those). The Pixel 7 is $500 with $300 GC back.

If you are moving to Visible, I have a code that can get you the first month service at a discounted rate. $20 off the $30 or $45 rate now. They also have a newer Paypal payment discount of $5 per month that you do the renewal via Paypal.

[El Chupacabra]

If you are moving to Visible, I have a code that can get you the first month service at a discounted rate. $20 off the $30 or $45 rate now. They also have a newer Paypal payment discount of $5 per month that you do the renewal via Paypal.

I'm pretty sure we're going to go with the Pixel deals at Visible - will PM you for a code. Thanks.

[riser4]

I didn't care about the actual stylus in the Moto 5G Stylus phone. More about the specs and features.

Sewer rat might taste like pumpkin pie, but I'll never know.

[MarcusBrody]

I'm curious about people's experiences with Visible. I have considered it as Verizon has better coverage out in the desert near where I live. When I looked it up though, I saw a lot of complaints about recent changes Verizon had made. How is working for you all?

[RShea]

I'm curious about people's experiences with Visible. I have considered it as Verizon has better coverage out in the desert near where I live. When I looked it up though, I saw a lot of complaints about recent changes Verizon had made. How is working for you all?

The Visible transition from being a "cloud" based MVNO to now on their main network as had some pains for sure. The new plans are possibly more money ($5 swing) unless you do their new $30 per month plan and sign up and use Paypal to renew each month which is a $5 discount on either of the plans.

They started that maybe end of August or so with the announcement that Party Pay was going to go away, and anyone that wanted to stay on their original plan had to lock in their party pay group and come October would not be allowed to change to another group. They also claimed that come the first of the year that party pay was going away and that they would want everyone to move over to the new options in the new year. They have been overwhelmed with long support chat waits, and some report that they switched - need a new sim since it is a "Different" network and some even need a new phone and their phone that they have been using on Visible now would no longer work... It is getting better for the chats from what I've read over on the Facebook groups discussions, but remember they have no telephone support and customer service available. So hours of delays

So someone that needs to have a bunch of hand holding then Visible is maybe not the best choice. They have added some roaming and international calling with the new higher end $45 plan also. The $45 plan has support for Ultra 5G speeds too if you have Ultra 5G towers and of course a 5G phone also.

Visible transition to the new plans and setup made for drama and their support reps just probably over worked as they transitioned to the new activations and all. I believe they have announced that come the first of the year, that those that want to stay on the old plan will not be forced to switch over. And I am not certain that they are also going to stop the Party Pay discounts, but have not seen any official communication on that either....

[MarcusBrody]

Thanks, Rashes, that's really helpful.

[dan_pdx]

I bought a 6a recently, which I don't really recommend: the fingerprint scanner sucks, though everything else is fine. Anyway, Google sent me a buddy coupon code: You and a friend both get a $100 Google Store coupon code when they buy a Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, or Pixel 7 Pro with the code below by 6/30/2023. So basically, buy a new Pixel and get $100 for accessories.

If anyone's planning to buy a Pixel, DM me and I'll send you the code.

[huckbucket]

I'm with big V and probably will stay that way. Latest deal allows me to trade in two out of contract iphones for two new ones (14) at no hardware cost (essentially puts me back in contract although I won't pay for the phones). To qualify they are requiring an upgrade to one of the more expensive unlimited accounts. That was the T-giving deal. I have the entry level unlimited account and don't want to change that if I don't have to. ANyone have any experience with this?

[phatty]

I'm with big V and probably will stay that way. Latest deal allows me to trade in two out of contract iphones for two new ones (14) at no hardware cost (essentially puts me back in contract although I won't pay for the phones). To qualify they are requiring an upgrade to one of the more expensive unlimited accounts. That was the T-giving deal. I have the entry level unlimited account and don't want to change that if I don't have to. ANyone have any experience with this?

All the phone companies are moving that way. If you want the best phone deals, you need to be on their high end plans. T-mobile is the same. I'm not a fan either.

[ghosthop]

I'm with big V and probably will stay that way. Latest deal allows me to trade in two out of contract iphones for two new ones (14) at no hardware cost (essentially puts me back in contract although I won't pay for the phones). To qualify they are requiring an upgrade to one of the more expensive unlimited accounts. That was the T-giving deal. I have the entry level unlimited account and don't want to change that if I don't have to. ANyone have any experience with this?

Yes, they pulled a total bait and switch when I upgraded from a pixel 3 to 14. I went down the rabbit hole with customer service and basically was told to get fucked in the end. The great upgrade deal worked out to be ~40 in credit after being advertised as 200.

I needed a new phone because the pixel antenna was in the process of shitting the bed. I don’t pay for my own service plan or I would be looking at switching to a different provider.

[huckbucket]

Yes, they pulled a total bait and switch when I upgraded from a pixel 3 to 14. I went down the rabbit hole with customer service and basically was told to get fucked in the end. The great upgrade deal worked out to be ~40 in credit after being advertised as 200.

I needed a new phone because the pixel antenna was in the process of shitting the bed. I don’t pay for my own service plan or I would be looking at switching to a different provider.

I'm going to hold out and see if the deal changes at Xmas. I think we're talking an extra $10/mo for a qualifying unlimited plan (vs what I pay now) which isn't the end of the world. I'll have three unlimited lines with essentially all new iphones (a 13 and two 14s) for $170/mo. Could be worse.

Every two years when I have to do this it's like getting a rectal exam.

[riser4]

So, after bagging on the Moto G Stylus 5G for having a stylus, I have one on order, should arrive today. The specs are what did it for me. The two kids on my Fi plan are getting refreshed with the Moto G 5Gs. Daddy gets the Stylus. So, since I'm a known battery killer, what are the tips, tricks, and apps I need to make sure my battery doesn't wear out prematurely. That's my primary goal. I'll carry a juice pack or plug it in instead of worrying that my phone is full all the time. I am even willing to give up overnight charging.

[liv2ski]

Try it in "battery saver mode" and see what you think? When not in use, I turn it off and it lasts for 2 days easy.

[riser4]

Try it in "battery saver mode" and see what you think? When not in use, I turn it off and it lasts for 2 days easy.

Right, so, I actually do run some battery saving mode items, without being in full battery saver mode. That's not my issue. I am guessing it is my charging habits. When to charge and how long.