Suggestions for new mobile phone sought

blue.peter

Yesterday, I received an e-mail from my network (Talkmobile) telling me that the 3G network is to be taken down next year, and that I will therefore need to buy a new phone. I'd appreciate a bit of help choosing a new phone, please. The lady in Currys/Carphone Warehouse tried to help, but didn't really know her subject. (Yes, I know that I shouldn't really expect more, but the gentleman I saw there last time was very helpful.)

My current phone is a Samsung A40 (bought September 2019 for £220), and I'm sure that would continue serve me well for a long time to come if it weren't for the fact that it apparently only runs on 3G. I'm not a demanding user: I rarely use the camera, only run a few fairly basic apps (phone, text messaging, WhatsApp, banks, weather forecast and suchlike), and never use it for playing music or video. The current phone has 64GB of storage, of which only 27GB is used.

So what phone should I buy?

Requirements for new phone:

• Android, not iOS
  
• small screen preferred - I want it to fit in my trouser pocket with my wallet (current phone has 5.9" screen, and I'd like to get as close to that as I can - or smaller if possible!)
• as light as possible (current phone is 140g)
• Samsung preferred, but will consider others
  
• 64GB storage is sufficient
• SIM-free: I have a SIM-only contract with Talkmobile
  
• price around £200; £300 absolute maximum

A couple of phones have caught my eye so far: the Samsung A13 at £179 and the A13 5G at £199. The £20 difference seems (AFAICT) to be down to the former having 4G only and the latter having 5G. Would one of these be sufficient for me? If so, my natural inclination would be to go for the 5G version for a bit more future-proofing. I'd like to keep the phone in use as long as I can. But will the 5G phone work with Talkmobile if I buy it immediately? Is there any downside to getting it now? Is there any reason to go for anything more expensive?

D924

But your phone does support 4G...

https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_a40-9642.php (click "Expand" on the "Network Technology" heading.

blue.peter

D924 said:

But your phone does support 4G...

https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_a40-9642.php (click "Expand" on the "Network Technology" heading.

It does? I'm not doubting you, but I don't see anything on the page to which you linked that says that. Perhaps it's in some code that I don't understand? All I see that looks as if it might be relevant is

Network     Technology     GSM / HSPA / LTE   

but I don't know what that means.

Perhaps I'm a bit naïve, but I'd assumed that when Talkmobile said

Your current phone uses our 3G network for calls and data. After our network is switched off, you will still be able to send texts and make calls, but your data service will be significantly affected. You’ll get a better connection if you switch to a phone which has 4G.

they knew what they were talking about.

D924

Try this. It may just not be turned on:

https://www.helpforsmartphone.com/public/en/samsung/galaxy-a40/android-9-0/guides/24/Switch-between-3G-4G-Samsung-Galaxy-A40

blue.peter

Thank you. When I do that, the options available aren't quite as shown in the help page to which you linked. I get this:

Now, I don't know what "LTE" means. Is that the same as 4G?

400ixl

How long have you had your sim card? Is it a 4G compatible SIM, some of the older ones aren't and need to be replaced, rather than the handset itself. Maybe try someone else's SIM that does work on 4G in your phone.

Also, are you in an area that gets a 4G signal? It may need to detect that signal before it gives you the option.

There are some posts on the internet that sometimes a soft reset is required to get the 4G functionality working.

virgo17

This page might help explain the terms 4G and LTE:-

https://www.itpro.co.uk/mobile/28690/lte-vs-4g

blue.peter

400ixl said:

How long have you had your sim card? Is it a 4G compatible SIM, some of the older ones aren't and need to be replaced, rather than the handset itself. Maybe try someone else's SIM that does work on 4G in your phone.

Also, are you in an area that gets a 4G signal? It may need to detect that signal before it gives you the option.

There are some posts on the internet that sometimes a soft reset is required to get the 4G functionality working.

I've had the SIM just over three years: I had to get a new one from Talkmobile then because the (then new) A40 required a different size SIM from the one that I already had. I've no idea whether it's 4G compatible, or whether there's a 4G signal here.

I had to reboot the phone a few weeks ago (for an unrelated reason), so I doubt if a reset is all that's needed.

blue.peter

virgo17 said:

This page might help explain the terms 4G and LTE:-

https://www.itpro.co.uk/mobile/28690/lte-vs-4g

Thank you. It sounds as if LTE runs off the 4G network, and will therefore continue to work for me after the 3G switchoff. I'm not bothered by the slower data speed - my data usage is low (~100MB/month, according to my bills).

It's definitely sounding as if I don't need to buy another phone. It'd be great if that's so.

jimjames

For most practical purposes you can read 4G and LTE to be the same thing in layman's terms. As per that link there are differences in technology but the networks use the terms interchangeably so it looks like you're in luck and can keep your phone. Great moneysaving!

blue.peter

jimjames said:

For most practical purposes you can read 4G and LTE to be the same thing in layman's terms.

Thank you. I'm definitely a layman in this context!

jimjames said:

Great moneysaving!

Yes, definitely - £200 isn't to be sniffed at.  

Many thanks to everyone for the very helpful replies. They're much appreciated.