Smartphones - prices are getting crazy

[KevGuy]

I’ve been rocking an iPhone 6 since 2015. To make a long story short, the phone is done.

Went looking at the new iPhones and my jaw almost hit the floor. To get a new iPhone is over $1000 now. The new Samsung’s are no better. The top of the line models are $1400 - $1500 bucks.

Maybe I should go back to using a flip phone...

[buckbrush]

Not many people look at the price when buying a phone these days, the payment is the focus.

Lots of people are swayed by having the newest and the "it only costs $*** per month" mentality.

[mooseknuckle]

Crazy hey? I'm going through bills these days and have to make some cutbacks to feed the kids, I need to switch carriers, but not sure if I can keep my same Ph#? As its for work and has been for 16 years, kind of want to keep the same number.

Apologies, bit of a highjack.

[260 Rem]

You may find price for a “flip” has also escalated. To replace mine three years ago cost $60.00 but it was one of the top shelf models; not just limited to talk, but also has a camera and can text (if you know how). Telus rate has also skyrocket’d ... now $30.00 / month.

[Dean2]

Originally Posted by mooseknuckle

Crazy hey? I'm going through bills these days and have to make some cutbacks to feed the kids, I need to switch carriers, but not sure if I can keep my same Ph#? As its for work and has been for 16 years, kind of want to keep the same number.

Apologies, bit of a highjack.

You can move your phone number to any carrier, it is the law.

Couple of things on phone prices, it is often cheaper to buy the phone on Koodo Tab plan then pay it off after 6 months than you can find it for sale anywhere to buy it outright for cash. Buying an S8 rather than the latest S11 will save you huge dollars and unless you are a heavy gamer or something you will see ZERO difference in functionality. I recently picked up 3 A8 Samsung for $240 each, plus $150 gift card from London Drugs, so net $110, brand new on Koodo tab compared to $1300 for an S11. It really does pay to shop around.

[mooseknuckle]

Originally Posted by Dean2

You can move your phone number to any carrier, it is the law.

Couple of things on phone prices, it is often cheaper to buy the phone on Koodo Tab plan then pay it off after 6 months than you can find it for sale anywhere to buy it outright for cash. Buying an S8 rather than the latest S11 will save you huge dollars and unless you are a heavy gamer or something you will see ZERO difference in functionality. I recently picked up 3 A8 Samsung for $240 each, plus $150 gift card from London Drugs, so net $110, brand new on Koodo tab compared to $1300 for an S11. It really does pay to shop around.

Appreciate that!! It's me, wife, daughter on a plan. Over $500 a month now!! We all have decent phones, I usually do that when the latest comes out I buy a year or 2 older. Phones are good, and paid for. Time to start searching for an overall better price.

[Dean2]

Originally Posted by mooseknuckle

Appreciate that!! It's me, wife, daughter on a plan. Over $500 a month now!! We all have decent phones, I usually do that when the latest comes out I buy a year or 2 older. Phones are good, and paid for. Time to start searching for an overall better price.

You could get three separate 10G data and unlimited talk plans for half that ($75 each on Koodo), so unless you are paying for phones, then for sure it is time to shop.

[mooseknuckle]

Originally Posted by Dean2

You could get three separate 10G data and unlimited talk plans for half that ($75 each on Koodo), so unless you are paying for phones, then for sure it is time to shop.

Indeed!! Just got lazy and comfortable over the years, company pays the bill. But business these days in alberta...... well needless to say, time to trim some fat. I'm going to look into it, thanks Dean for the help.

OP sorry again for the highjack. I'll check my drawers at work I may have an older phone that works just fine for you.

[CNP]

Originally Posted by mooseknuckle

Crazy hey? I'm going through bills these days and have to make some cutbacks to feed the kids, I need to switch carriers, but not sure if I can keep my same Ph#? As its for work and has been for 16 years, kind of want to keep the same number.

Apologies, bit of a highjack.

Public Mobile. You can keep your same number...it's called porting. http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showt...+mobile&page=2

[CNP]

Amazon sells refurb smart phones. I don't feel compelled to buy the latest phone on the market. Last one I bought was an iPhone 6s and paid $125 for it. It operates and looks as new. FB Buy & Sell pages are full of used smart phones. One thing to always ask before buying a used smartphone is the battery health. Settings > battery > battery health > maximum capacity 93% (my current iPhone SE)

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by Dean2

You can move your phone number to any carrier, it is the law.

Couple of things on phone prices, it is often cheaper to buy the phone on Koodo Tab plan then pay it off after 6 months than you can find it for sale anywhere to buy it outright for cash. Buying an S8 rather than the latest S11 will save you huge dollars and unless you are a heavy gamer or something you will see ZERO difference in functionality. I recently picked up 3 A8 Samsung for $240 each, plus $150 gift card from London Drugs, so net $110, brand new on Koodo tab compared to $1300 for an S11. It really does pay to shop around.

Exactly, get a phone from Koodo that isn't the latest version, and buy it on a tab. My phone was submerged , and a new one cost me $12 per month for 24 months.

[HuyFishin]

I always buy my phones out right. You just end up paying for it in the end anyways. I just my one phone and use it for as long as I can.
Its crazy considering a 60 inch flat screen 4k television you can get for like 600 dollars and a tiny iphone11 is 1500 dollars. I got my wife the iphone because she wanted it because it had a big screen and features for a graphics artist.

I been using Android phones since many of them are atleast half the price.

I refuse to convert due to the cost difference.

[Dynamic]

I’m still rocking my iPhone SE and plan to unless it no longer functions. And no, that doesn’t mean I get a new one because the battery is not what it used to be. You can buy new batteries for pretty much all phones.

When I bought my IPhone SE it was the cheapest phone I could buy, already a few generations behind the newest phones at the time. Much cheaper than the latest and greatest but still does everything I need it too.

[Selkirk]

.

I know two people who have recently gone back to using Flip Phones. And so far, their lives still seem to be compete ❗

As one of them said to me ... 👉 "Just because you have a 'Smart' Phone, doesn't mean You are."

Selkirk

[Trochu]

I suspect alot of people want the latest and greatest and then proceed to use about 50% of it's capabilities. I usually go with some variant of Samsung's A line, works great for me and are only about $200.00.

[HuyFishin]

i cant go back to a flip phone, i use to many apps lol

[spurly]

You could probably get an iPhone 8 for $500 buy out, or free on a 2 year contract.
It will do most everything the new phones do.
Or buy used for half that.

[Selkirk]

Originally Posted by HuyFishin

i cant go back to a flip phone, i use to many apps lol

Isn't there an App for that ^ problem ❓

Selkirk

[Ken07AOVette]

I got a 512gb Samsung Galaxy s10+ in August, full retail was $1940.00.

They gave me a $970 doscount, then deducted $490, then charged me $20.40 for 24 months.

I do not mind paying $500 over a term for a phone, but the prices are nothing short of stupid at full retail. I bet full cost to TELUS is likely $200.00 at max. (I used to work for TELUS)

[Dean2]

Originally Posted by HuyFishin

I always buy my phones out right. You just end up paying for it in the end anyways. I just my one phone and use it for as long as I can.
Its crazy considering a 60 inch flat screen 4k television you can get for like 600 dollars and a tiny iphone11 is 1500 dollars. I got my wife the iphone because she wanted it because it had a big screen and features for a graphics artist.

I been using Android phones since many of them are atleast half the price.

I refuse to convert due to the cost difference.

What I was trying to explain is it is cheaper by far to buy it on a tab. New Samsung A8 $110 net. $10/mx24 less 150 gift card from London drugs, on Koodo, to buy outright cheapest price I could find was $625

[32-40win]

My issue with my cell phone, is how much of a data plan do I really need, I have Last Pass, which has a bunch of bookmarks in it, I hunter, Strelok on it. I hardly use it outside of hunting season, I don't carry it unless I have a reason to, such as going out of town to spot, don't take it to work. Almost never use it for internet, don't do gaming. May use Strelok this summer for a bit of shooting, if I have the time.
I bought a 100.00 Pay n talk phone, it functions pretty well, converted to a monthly plan, the plan I have has 4GB of data, and is 65.00/mo, which I am pretty sure is way too much for what I use it for. I look round at the various plans from the other companies, but, will they work in 90% of the places I am likely to go, when I need them to, and what will I get dinged for roaming.
I don't know for sure how to evaluate what there is out there vs the services they offer and where the boundaries are for where the true overall costs or penalties really lie. There again too, not even sure how to use a cell phone out of town when I want to use something on the internet to avoid data penalties.
Not even sure which way to phrase questions on it.

[Dean2]

Originally Posted by 32-40win

My issue with my cell phone, is how much of a data plan do I really need, I have Last Pass, which has a bunch of bookmarks in it, I hunter, Strelok on it. I hardly use it outside of hunting season, I don't carry it unless I have a reason to, such as going out of town to spot, don't take it to work. Almost never use it for internet, don't do gaming. May use Strelok this summer for a bit of shooting, if I have the time.
I bought a 100.00 Pay n talk phone, it functions pretty well, converted to a monthly plan, the plan I have has 4GB of data, and is 65.00/mo, which I am pretty sure is way too much for what I use it for. I look round at the various plans from the other companies, but, will they work in 90% of the places I am likely to go, when I need them to, and what will I get dinged for roaming.
I don't know for sure how to evaluate what there is out there vs the services they offer and where the boundaries are for where the true overall costs or penalties really lie. There again too, not even sure how to use a cell phone out of town when I want to use something on the internet to avoid data penalties.
Not even sure which way to phrase questions on it.

Telus, which is also Koodo and Public (Prepaid only) have the best coverage in Alberta. For what you are using 1-2 G of data is more than lots. You can easily get a plan through Koodo that will save you $240 a year.

Koodo

$45 per month $50 - 2G of data
+ applicable monthly tab charge
1 GB of Shock-Free™ data.2,3
Unlimited Canada-wide anytime minutes
Unlimited messaging (text & picture)4
Call Display, Voicemail, Call Waiting and Conference Calling
Additional data $10/100 MB
$40 connection fee (including SIM card) applies when purchased in store
$0 connection fee (including SIM card) when you order online!

[AndrewM]

Originally Posted by Dean2

Telus, which is also Koodo and Public (Prepaid only) have the best coverage in Alberta. For what you are using 1-2 G of data is more than lots. You can easily get a plan through Koodo that will save you $240 a year.

Koodo

$45 per month $50 - 2G of data
+ applicable monthly tab charge
1 GB of Shock-Free™ data.2,3
Unlimited Canada-wide anytime minutes
Unlimited messaging (text & picture)4
Call Display, Voicemail, Call Waiting and Conference Calling
Additional data $10/100 MB
$40 connection fee (including SIM card) applies when purchased in store
$0 connection fee (including SIM card) when you order online!

Completely agree. Tab plan with koodo and the London Drugs gift cards sealed the deal with me in December based on Dean's advice. Easy to change plans and monitor on koodo website as well so if you don't use the data you drop down. Or if a better deal comes along, you switch plans.

[Prairiekid]

I don't disagree that the cost of phones is becoming cost prohibitive. If you're someone who can throw it in your glove box and leave it there only for emergencies or occasional communication then the cost is crazy for one of the new phones. I have a 11Pro, the photos and videos of family and friends are unbelievable. I frequently use Facetime to talk to my parents and family at distance. I can use it tons to mark ways points and as a GPS when hunting. I use it for Nav. I use it to watch Netflix when I'm on the treadmill at the gym. I'm not saying it's affordable, but I have a few other items around the house that are worth $1500 that see much less than daily use.

[CNP]

Public Mobile plans are the most economical......just bring your own phone

$25 will get you 1GB data (with auto pay), unlimited talk nation wide, unlimited international text and picture messaging. 1 GB is good for most people who use wifi connections and any app that a hunter or angler needs when they are doing their thing outdoors.

$40 gets you 5GB data with auto pay....

No connection fee. $10 for the sim card

the gift that keeps on giving...…….you get a promo code after you subscribe that gives new members signing up $10 off their first bill and anyone that uses your code you get $1 off your bill every month for every person that uses your code.

Use this code to start yourself off: PQ8Y8O

[pinelakeperch]

Just buy a used, unlocked phone. Heck, I'm selling my old iPhone 5S for $50!

[Red Bullets]

So glad I don't even have to think about it. 10 bucks a month for a hard line.
My cell got too old.

(I couldn't resist some humor)

[waldedw]

Got 2 new samsung galaxy S10e phones on black friday week, each has 10gb data, unlimited talk and text north america wide, all in out the door $75 per month each, have been with bell for years, telus had the same deal but saw no reason to change.

[jstubbs]

I'm in the same boat as you OP. I am using an iPhone 5S from 2014 currently. Old girl still works well and the battery still lasts surprisingly long, but the 16 gb storage on it is driving me nuts.

Don't even know what to upgrade to, would love to get maybe just an iPhone 7 or something dirt cheap.

[Dean2]

Originally Posted by jstubbs

I'm in the same boat as you OP. I am using an iPhone 5S from 2014 currently. Old girl still works well and the battery still lasts surprisingly long, but the 16 gb storage on it is driving me nuts.

Don't even know what to upgrade to, would love to get maybe just an iPhone 7 or something dirt cheap.

Put a storage chip in it and u can expand to whatever storage u want.