Looking to get very 1st Smartphone. Low user. Don't want PAYG.

Scrounger

cookie365 wrote: »

Might be worth buying the phone outright, then getting one of the payg sims where you can buy its-not-a-contract bundles, run that for a couple of months and see how your usage has changed.

E.g. giffgaff do 200 mins, 250Mb, unlimited texts for £7.50 a month, you can leave any time.
https://giffgaff.com/goodybags

E.g. Sainsburys do 800 mins, 2GB, unlimited texts for £2 a month (includes a free box of cornflakes), you can leave any time.
http://www.phoneshopbysainsburys.co.uk/Kellogs

chaucer

My reason for thinking I don't want PAYG is we are currently on an old Virgin PAYG that is expensive per minute & per text.
Are the new PAYG better value?

My reason for wanting 'smart' is to be a little more up to date, to be able to access internet by -wi-fi etc.

Does wi-fi in a free wi-fi place or at home count towards data usage?

I have found the Tesco Motorola E package:

• 250 minutes
• 5000 texts
• 3G data - 500MB
• £7.50 Usage Contract (24 months)

and the G package:

• 250 minutes
• 5000 texts
• 4G data - 500MB
• £4.50 Device Credit Agreement (24 months)
• £9 Usage Contract (24 months)

These 'look' good for the needs.
Are there any drawbacks? Coverage? Obsolescence? Other?

(See my question above about data too)

chaucer

For £7.50 - the same as the Motorola E are:

Samsung Galaxy Young 2 + free gift

LG L50

Are these contenders or is the Motorola much better?

grumbler

http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=6480&idPhone2=6376
http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=6546&idPhone2=6376

The main (only?) drawbacks of Moto E/G are lack of a micro SD card slot and a non-removable battery.

chaucer

chaucer wrote: »

Does wi-fi in a free wi-fi place or at home count towards data usage?

@grumbler
how 'big' are those drawbacks?
what effects will they have long term?
or will the 2-year contract with likely upgrade after negate them?

balletshoes

chaucer can I ask - do you use £7.50 a month on your mobile phone usage just now?

If you don't, even on your "expensive" current payg rates with Virgin, and you don't envisage needing to use a lot of data on your new smartphones, I don't see the logic in buying into a 2-year contract at £7.50 per month for 2 years?

Buy a smartphone handset, unlocked, then you can play around with the various payg companies until you find one which suits your usage needs.

chaucer

balletshoes wrote: »

chaucer can I ask - do you use £7.50 a month on your mobile phone usage just now?

Yes, up to £10 I would say.

grumbler

chaucer wrote: »

@grumbler
how 'big' are those drawbacks?

You can do without a SD card if you don't install loads of apps and don't store a lot of music in the phone.
The battery is unlikely to last more than 2 years, and you'll have to pay to have it replaced unless you are very good at DIY.

or will the 2-year contract with likely upgrade after negate them?

It's a delusion that you get a 'free' phone when upgrading.

chaucer

grumbler wrote: »

You can do without a SD card if you don't install loads of apps and don't store a lot of music in the phone.

No probs there then.

The battery is unlikely to last more than 2 years, and you'll have to pay to have it replaced unless you are very good in DIY.

Oh dear. Not so good.

It's a delusion that you get a 'free' phone when upgrading.

Would it be a case of buy a new phone?

grumbler

chaucer wrote: »

Would it be a case of buy a new phone?

If you upgrade you pay for the phone via higher monthly cost as against a similar sim-only contract.
Alternatively you can pay for a new battery and switch to sim-only contract or PAYG.

If you want a new phone, it can be cheaper to buy a new sim-free or PAYG phone and use on a sim-only contract or on PAYG. Simialrly, now you can buy Moto E for £60 (i.e. £2.25 p.m. in terms of a 24-months' contract) at Argos and use it, say, on '3' PAYG. You were asked why you wanted a contract, not PAYG, but you didn't answer this question.