Ipod Touch / Iphone

[Dusty Chalk]

American dollars are bordering on fake, too, don't take it personally/nationalistically/continentally.

[MexicanDragon]

I meant it nationalistically and continentally.

**BRENT**

[Dusty Chalk]

Yeah, like our economy is doing that much better.  Dollars are going to be fake Yen or Yuan soon.

[grawk]

China's a LONG way from being ready to be the dominant economy.  They have to recover from decades of artificial infrastructure building and corruption.  It's China that's currently fucking the rest of the world as they correct...

[shellylh]

I was going to wait for the iphone 7 to come out but my niece needs a new phone and so I'm going to get a new iphone and send her my iphone 5s.  

I think the iphone 6s plus is probably a bit big for my hands/pockets but having the screen real estate and long battery life seems nice.  These have been out since last September.  Have these (and the 6s) been sitting on a shelf at the Apple Store for 9-10 months or do you think they are getting new shipments in all the time?  I would be concerned that the battery life wouldn't be as good if they were sitting unused for that long. 

iphone 6s has a nice/bigger screen than the 5s/se but will still fit in my pockets. 

iphone se is the same size as the 5s which works well for my small hands and pockets.  Also, cheap ($400/16GB $499/64GB)!!!  I'm using 9.9GB on my current phone since I don't save much on it but would probably still go with 64GB. 

Any opinions?   I guess I could get the se for now and wait to see what happens with the 7 in September if I don't like it.   Have there been any problems with battery or bending or something like that that I should know about (on any of the models)? What about sounds quality and speaker quality (for hands free) on the SE vs 6s?

Edited July 18, 2016 by shellylh

[shellylh]

The other option is that I keep my iphone 5s until the 7 comes out and buy my niece a non-iphone (she has a crappy windows phone right now - like a google nexus???)

[MexicanDragon]

Which carrier is your niece on?

There are some android options that are decent at 200$.

http://www.androidcentral.com/nexus-5x-project-fi-best-199-android-phone-you-can-get
https://oneplus.net/x

Neither are going to be flagship phones, but they are both newer than a 2013 iPhone, and I'm sure the battery life is going to be better.

For you, I'd probably wait for the iPhone 7, then keep your 5S as a backup, or trade it in (probably at least 100$) towards the new phone. I don't think you have to worry about an iPhone sitting on a shelf for 10 months, but there is no way I'd pay full retail on a 10 month old phone when it will be reasonably discounted in 2 months, and for the same $$$ you could get a new one.

**BRENT**

[shellylh]

My niece is on my parents' carrier, I don't remember the name... it's some small company that I had never heard of so i don't think she could use the Nexus.  

Who is this oneplus.net company?

I'm kind of leaning towards getting an SE especially since the 7 is not going to have a headphone jack...

Edited July 18, 2016 by shellylh

[grawk]

if the 5S is already a good size for you, there's no reason not to get an SE, other than incremental improvements that may come out in september.

[shellylh]

If I buy a "Verizon iphone" from the Apple store, will it be unlocked to use with other carriers if I switch out the sim or will it be locked to Verizon?  I will be paying full price. 

I want to switch to Verizon but don't have a sim card. I want to port my number to Verizon. 

[grawk]

you can use a verizon iphone on any carrier except sprint, tho you may not get optimal spectrum coverage on t-mobile (not that I think you'd use t-mobile)

 

[shellylh]

OK.  I tried ordering a Verizon iphone from the Apple store and it won't let me get it without a Verizon phone plan already.   

Right now I am on sprint and want to switch to verizon for better/faster coverage.  It seems I cannot get an SE without SIM, use it on sprint and then switch to verizon with it.  Not sure how to go about doing this without buying going to the Verizon store and getting an iphone from them.   To do this, I'd have to get an 6s or 6s plus. 

Also, now I am worried that my old iphone 5s won't work on my niece's plan since she is not on sprint. 

Edited July 18, 2016 by shellylh

[grawk]

you can't use a sprint phone on verizon ever, unfortunately.

[shellylh]

Oh.   Do you think my niece will not be able to use my sprint iphone 5s on her plan.   It is not verizon - use some GSM sims.  I'll have to find out the name. 

So for my new phone, if I want to get a SE, I need to switch to verizon at the same time.  Is there a way that I can open a new verizon account and port my number at the Apple store? 

Edited July 18, 2016 by shellylh

[grawk]

Since the 5, all iphones can do most GSM networks.

 

I don't know if they can port at the apple store,b ut you can buy it, then call verizon and port the number over.

[shellylh]

Thanks Dan. I found out they have Cricket and the website says or should be able to use the 5s from Sprnot.

[shellylh]

On 7/18/2016 at 0:21 AM, MexicanDragon said:

Which carrier is your niece on?

There are some android options that are decent at 200$.

http://www.androidcentral.com/nexus-5x-project-fi-best-199-android-phone-you-can-get
https://oneplus.net/x

Neither are going to be flagship phones, but they are both newer than a 2013 iPhone, and I'm sure the battery life is going to be better.

For you, I'd probably wait for the iPhone 7, then keep your 5S as a backup, or trade it in (probably at least 100$) towards the new phone. I don't think you have to worry about an iPhone sitting on a shelf for 10 months, but there is no way I'd pay full retail on a 10 month old phone when it will be reasonably discounted in 2 months, and for the same $$$ you could get a new one.

**BRENT**

Brent and others:  What other Android phones are good?  They are on Cricket (they run on AT&Ts GSM network) so I don't think she can get the 199 Nexus 5X.  Also, there seems to be a lot of cases where the Nexus 6 batteries swelled up so I am not sure I am happy buying a current Nexus phone.  I didn't read good thing about Oneplus the company.  

http://www.gsmarena.com/google_nexus_6_battery_swells_and_explodes-news-12120.php

Do you know anything about this phone: Samsung Galaxy Amp Prime?

https://www.cricketwireless.com/content/aio/en/cell-phones/smartphones/samsung-galaxy-amp-prime.html

Edited July 27, 2016 by shellylh

[MexicanDragon]

I've had a OnePlus One for a year and a half and it has been my favorite phone I've ever had. It's held up without a case, with a handful of drops and 2-3 cracked screen protectors, but no cracked screens. I'm seriously considering the OnePlus 3.

The Project Fi 5x deal, if it's still going on, I believe you just need someone who has Project-Fi to buy it for you. *pages @dsavitsk* It's on sale right now at a few places, however, for 249$.

http://slickdeals.net/f/8548219-project-fi-service-lg-google-nexus-5x-4g-lte-smartphone-32gb-250-16gb-200-activation-req?src=SiteSearch

The Moto X PE (Pure Edition) should be similar to the Nexus 5x spec wise, but perhaps a more trusted-to-you brand, and is on sale through midnight tomorrow for 249$. http://slickdeals.net/f/8960255-32gb-motorola-moto-x-pure-unlocked-smartphone-selfie-stick-or-32gb-microsd-card-249-99-free-shipping

**BRENT**

[shellylh]

I read here that the OnePlus X doesn't work with a lot of AT&T LTE bands.  What do you know about the OnePlus 2?

http://www.theverge.com/2015/11/12/9725208/oneplus-x-lte-att-tmobile-us  

Also, I think my niece doesn't want a giant phone.  

Edited July 27, 2016 by shellylh

[grawk]

6 minutes ago, shellylh said:

 

Also, I think my niece doesn't want a giant phone.  

This is key.  Don't listen to brent's advice on phones, he likes giant nerdphones.

[Dusty Chalk]

Unless she's going to play Poke Mongo -- she may want a giant nerdphone for that.

Shelly -- I will remind you that a couple years ago, you tried my Note 2, and decided you didn't like it, so I would draw the line on something like the S6 or S7, which are slightly narrower (in terms of size).

[MexicanDragon]

I don't consider AT&T a company that matters, so I never think of them. I think Sprint matters more than AT&T.
 

OnePlus X is out, so that's OK. The Nexus 5x works on the T-Mo and AT&T bands you want, though.

FWIW, the OnePlus One doesn't work on the main T-Mo LTE band, so I switch between HSPA and LTE, and I stream FLAC from Tidal all day long. The OnePlus X has the same processor as mine, which is a little dated.

There are people who had issues with the OnePlus 2 (mostly nerd stuff,) but it should be fine for a lot of people, especially at 299$ for 64GB.

Have you asked your niece if she wants a small phone? Most people don't use phones for phones, and kids tend to be on their phones more. I've seen a ton of women with huge phones (Galaxy Note and larger.) The thing with Android phones is they typically have a better screen to body ratio than iPhones, so 5.2" phones are similar or barely larger than a 6S, and 5.5" phones are smaller than a 6S+. (I actually almost got a 6+ a while back, but when I played with one and noticed how horribly proportioned they were, I couldn't do it.)

Zoe (13) uses a Galaxy S5, which is barely larger than the iPhone 6S, but has 17% more screen real estate on a phone that is just a few mm larger. She loves the size of that phone.

There are still some good options out there, and the OnePlus 2 does cover all the bands. That being said, for 1/6th less, I'd probably go with the Moto X Pure Edition, that is on sale for 11 more hours. It has all the right bands, it's powerful enough (more so than the OnePlus X and my current phone,) and looks like it has some great reviews. It does have a large screen, but 1) a LOT of people really like that and 2) it's a free phone; if she bitches about it, she probably doesn't deserve it. 2a) if she does bitch about it, give her your iPhone that's 2 years older and has a battery that needs replacing.

TL;DR, buy the Moto X Pure Edition that's on sale today, (but Shelly should read it.) The best deal is the 32GB for 249$. It comes with a 32GB memory card to bring it to 64. The 64 is 150$ more, and the 16GB is 50$ more. There is a White/Bamboo (back) that looks pretty sweet.

**BRENT**

 

Edited July 27, 2016 by MexicanDragon

[shellylh]

The problem is that I probably won't buy today since I will need to get a hold of her and check to see if there are reports of bulging batteries or other defects.  WIth the non-sale price, is it still worth getting? 

Edited July 27, 2016 by shellylh

[MexicanDragon]

Buy it today and if the other phone works out, return it. It's an OK phone at normal price, it's a great deal at this price.

I think the iPhone 5s battery replacement cost will be 79$ at an Apple Store, unless it's still covered under Apple Care.

I can always find you a deal, but the Moto X is the best thing out there at the moment, though the OnePlus 2 is probably worth the 300$ normal price, even with its quirks.

**BRENT**

[shellylh]

I've seen a number of bulging batteries with the Moto X but not sure if they mean the pure edition or the original.  Do you know anything about this?  Other than that, it seems like a good deal.