My parents just got back to the states after being away for a year and they desperately need a cell phone. They are bugging me everyday now. I'm on the Sprint Family plan already so I'll be adding line/phones for them this week.

I want 4G, Good Reliability, Good Battery, Good Usability, Good screen size (they old).
And it has to be FREE.

These are the free ones being offered:
Apple iPhone 4 (not 4S)
HTC Evo
Samsung Galaxy S® II
Samsung Conquer™ 4G
Samsung Transform Ultra
Samsung Conquer 4G
LG Optimus Elite
LG Viper
LG Rumor Reflex
LG Optimus S

I've had good experience with HTC and Samsung. I've never had an iPhone.
I'm leaning towards Apple iPhone 4 and Samsung Galaxy S II.

What do you think?

10/29/2012 11:44:40 PM

I might be mistaken but Iphone4 is not 4G, and the Galaxy S II may or may not be depending on the model. I dont think any of those LG phones are. Which leaves you with the EVO. I cant speak to its reliability but its an older 4g phone so its battery life is not going to be great. I have the galaxy blaze (4G), very similar to the Galaxy S II 4G and it does not have good battery life unless I shut everything off, but the S II is a better phone and may have better battery life too, much more so if it is only 3G.

I used to have an Optimus V (identical to the Optimus S but for virgin mobile) and my only complaint about it was its 3G speed. Though this coupled with the small screen is probably a deal breaker for you, it was a very rugged phone though its defense mechanism when dropped was to fly apart it never broke even though I dropped it almost daily for over 2 years. (Im pretty clumsy with my electronics)

tldnr: looks like an EVO is probably best based on your criteria (double check thats it's 4G)

10/30/2012 1:28:59 AM

Pay a little and get a 4s if they need 4G

10/30/2012 8:10:21 AM

I had no idea iPhone 4 was not 4G.
I guess I will stick with the Samsung Galaxy S II.
Looks like a nice thin decent phone.

Only prob is I didn't realize add a line for Sprint was $19.99 + $10 (mandatory for 4G smartphones).

I could have sworn when I signed my initial contract for my current second line, it was only $19.99 total ($9.99 add a line + $10 data).

Did Sprint increase their add a line price recently!?

10/30/2012 10:54:41 AM

They did. Now they are only marginally cheaper than the other carriers... but still cheaper.

Your confusion with the iPhone 4 not being 4G is definitely typical for most people, you're not alone. Great branding on their part.

Also, the Galaxy S II is an outstanding phone.

10/30/2012 11:17:01 AM

Damn! I knew I wasn't smoking when I thought the add-a-lines at Sprint were cheaper.
Darn Sprint raising rates. Darn Apple causing confusion.

Hopefully this Softbank purchase of Sprint brings more competition and lower rates for consumers!!

I think I will go with two Galaxy S II phones. Last night on Sprint.com it was free. Today I checked and it's $99!

Sprint sticking it to me again !


[Edited on October 30, 2012 at 11:23 AM. Reason : k]

10/30/2012 11:21:49 AM

Try both your and your parents zip codes if different, sometimes pricing can change

Also, look around at different indirect reps online (wirefly, etc...) and amazon, they usually have better deals

10/30/2012 11:55:07 AM

Your parents need 4G about as much as they need a car with 650 horsepower.

I'm just sayin'

10/30/2012 11:57:49 AM

Not to mention, the fauxG on the evo and epic 4g touch with Sprint is pretty much a lost cause with them switching to LTE.

10/30/2012 12:18:40 PM

Fuck sprint.

Seriously, fuck sprint.

Put em on straight talk phones. Cheaper monthly cost, unlimited everything, no contracts, no bullshit.

10/30/2012 1:40:38 PM

Yeah they told me they don't need internet/data access but they want a large screen phone.
I don't know any large screen phones that don't require the data plan.

So shit I'm going to have to eat $29.99/month per phone.
Maybe I'll see if I can convince them of those straight talk phones.

10/30/2012 2:33:29 PM

If they don't think they need any data at all, why are you limiting yourself to 4G? Get a free 3G, large-screen phone and call it a day. If the iPhone 4 is big enough for them, it is very old-people friendly.

(no one is saying don't get data, they were saying they probably don't need 4G)

[Edited on October 30, 2012 at 2:38 PM. Reason : why are you paying for this?]

10/30/2012 2:38:00 PM

I am paying for this since they live with me. I am taking care of them. They are old and retired and need physical help. I didn't know they still made large screen 3G phones. These are non data usage phones?

So I can get a larger screen 3G phone without paying the extra $10 for data at Sprint?
I need to go back to the Sprint store then. B/c all I recall seeing were large screen data mandatory phones or non data flip phones.

10/30/2012 3:33:29 PM

If they can wait until Black Friday you can get the Samsung S3 for 49.99 and not commit for 22 months for a phone that's end of life.

http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/27/sprint-black-friday-ad-galaxy-s-iii-sale/

10/30/2012 3:39:56 PM

3G=data

The iPhone 4, a data phone, has 3G instead of 4G. If that is big enough for your parents its a great option, old people do well with the iPhone.


[Edited on October 30, 2012 at 3:46 PM. Reason : 3G is "premium" data for spring, so you have to have it]

10/30/2012 3:40:13 PM

^good luck. They do everything possible to prevent you from finding a smartphone that is exempt from that stupid 10$ data fee.

It used to be just for 4G devices, now it seems to cover ANY smartphone. I was on a sprint family plan with just two phones, unlimited plan. I got a 23% discount through my employer on the plan itself.

Even with that, we are saving 30 dollars a month on straight talk, with MUCH better data speeds. The price savings means we can buy a new unlocked phone every two years without getting locked into contracts, or we can buy "new to us" phones every year (which is what we do).

10/30/2012 3:44:46 PM

If they can wait until Black Friday you can get the Samsung S3 for 49.99 and not commit for 22 months for a phone that's end of life.

http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/27/sprint-black-friday-ad-galaxy-s-iii-sale/

You can add feature phones and save the 10.00 fee. There are even some android phones that you can possibly have the fee waived still. 4G with Sprint is as good as useless unless you're within LTE coverage. Do not waste money on a WiMax device.

[Edited on October 30, 2012 at 3:47 PM. Reason : Weird edit/post scenario there.]

10/30/2012 3:47:02 PM

I don't think they can wait. They can't even get in touch with me or their friends/relatives when I'm not at home with them or while they are not out and about. If S3 has a black friday sale, doesn't sprint do some kind of 30 day phone return policy?

So seems like if they want a large screen, they have to get a smartphone, with is $10 extra. So I'm back to where I started...which is eat it and get them the S2 Galaxy today.

Why would I get the iPhone 4 (3G only) instead of the S2 Galaxy (4G) when I have to pay for $10 extra a month on both phones anyways?

10/30/2012 3:51:12 PM

iOS is old people friendly, and if they don't even care about data they won't notice the speed difference of 3G/4G (and depending on where you are, it might be 3G anyways).

10/30/2012 3:59:01 PM

For one, you could look at the resale value of each device. iPhones hold their value well and the Galaxy devices usually drop rather quickly. If I'm going to be locked into a contract for 22 months, I'd want to maximize my savings/assets and not simply get a less value phone because it's free.

4G should not be a factor because the S2 is not LTE (Sprint's new Network Vision) but the old and crappy Clear WiMax 4G. If you even have coverage you're going to see speeds comparable to VZW 3G service and your parents would probably never know the difference. And it destroys battery life.

Out of those that you listed the one with the largest ROI is probably the iPhone 4. I would consider trying to find a 4S for 49.99 but if it has to be free I would go with the 4.
-----

That's not to say that the S2 is a bad phone by any stretch. And it looks like completed listings on ebay do favor the Samsung. So I'll go with the iOS old people argument. If you pay 49.99 for an 8GB 4S then it may be a different story, I dunno.

[Edited on October 30, 2012 at 4:05 PM. Reason : .]

10/30/2012 3:59:50 PM

Just go to Walmart and get them straighttalk phones today. You will be in and out in 30 minutes.

And if they want to get the s3 on Black Friday, you can do that. Free phone + one month of service gives you nothing to lose.

10/30/2012 4:00:12 PM

^

Or get them one straight talk phone to share and setup magic jack or some other super low cost VoIP solution at home.

[Edited on October 30, 2012 at 4:07 PM. Reason : ]

10/30/2012 4:06:19 PM

I'm probably going to regret this but I ended up getting my mom an iPhone 4 and my dad the Galaxy S2....both free.....but $30 a month/per line and they prob won't ever use internet/data

[Edited on October 31, 2012 at 12:30 AM. Reason : k]

10/31/2012 12:08:58 AM

30/month is cheaper than anything else out there. even straight talk is 48.80/month after tax

10/31/2012 8:41:51 AM

This thread just proves how much marketing bullshit works on clueless consumers. The first thing listed under "must haves" was 4G even though it's now obvious that they didn't need it, won't use it, and you don't even fully understand what it is. But, like a good consumer, it was something you had to have.

Also curious why you decided to get them two different phones. If them not being able to fully figure out how to use them was a concern then at least getting them matching phones would allow them to learn from and teach each other. Now if one of them figures out how to do something on one phone and its not done the same way on the other, it will make learning that much harder and double the amount of time you have to spend doing tech support.

I'd also be really interested to see which phone they end up preferring of the two after a month or so using them.

10/31/2012 10:18:49 AM

And where did you get the 30/mo?

10/31/2012 10:49:16 AM

El Nachó - You are right. They don't need 4G. They never cared for 4G or data access. They will probably hardly ever use data (unless I teach them how to surf the web, check email, etc). What they DID want was a large screen phone, and my only route available was a smartphone, which by default I have to pay for the extra smartphone monthly fee whether 3G or 4G.

I got them two different phones to see who likes what better and based on some recommendations here that iPhone 4 is pretty decent. I am curious to see which one they like as well.


gs7 - I have the Sprint 1500 family plan. To add another phone is $19.99. The phones they want are smartphones, so another $10 smartphone fee. Total $29.99/extra phone/month.

10/31/2012 3:45:43 PM

Should've just bought them Jitterbugs.

10/31/2012 3:54:16 PM

^Hah.

^^Ah, yeah, that's me too, sorry I read that as you got them a new plan for that price.

10/31/2012 4:19:26 PM

It's actually going to cost you 65-70 a month after the extra fees and taxes they will ram on to your bill.

10/31/2012 6:30:36 PM

krazedgirl, take the smartphones back to Sprint and get them like LG Rumor Reflex (No data required for it).

If they don't need data, it is stupid to buy them a phone that requires it. There are quite a few "basic" phones that have large screens (sliders for instance) that don't require data plans. Just because they want a large screen (I assume for their eyes), doesn't mean a smartphone is even the best option.

10/31/2012 7:12:12 PM

All very good suggestions here. Maybe I'll take my parents to the Sprint store this weekend and see if they have a non smartphone that doesn't require data plan that has a large screen that would satisfy them like the Rumor Reflex mentioned here.

Drawback is they may think I'm cheap now after they tasted nice smartphones and want to downgrade them. LOL.

11/1/2012 3:04:24 PM

You're paying for their god damned phones. They are in no position to think you are "cheap."

11/1/2012 6:15:55 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpAOwJvTOio

11/2/2012 10:38:30 PM

iphone 4 8gb

11/15/2012 7:25:59 PM