Topic: The Cell Phone Thread

[JohnnyMac]

Okay people, it's been a great run of not paying for a cell phone, I finally think it's time for my wife to get a cell phone.  I recently took on a higher role at work and am clearing about $70 more per pay, so I'm allocating $120 per month for a phone and service.  I'm thinking about waiting until black friday to get anything as that's typically a decent time to get into a plan (or so I've heard). 

Now the cell phone has to be an iPhone, we are definitely Apple people and all her family are Apple users so it's just easier.  So considering I'd like her to keep the phone for at least 3 years, I think it might be best to just pony up for the new iPhone 14.  I don't think she needs anything like the Max or Pro or whatever they are called, but also not the mini.  Her iPad is 3ish years old and she has been complaining about it's performance.  So I'm hoping a phone can at least keep her tied over for a year or two until we replace that for her.  Her iPad is a 64g version and it seems to be pretty much full. 

So taking all that into account, I'm thinking an iPhone 14 Plus 256g.  Do you think that should be good enough to keep her going for 3 years?

Also, we get our internet, home phone, and cable through Rogers, but I'm hesitant to go through them for cell phone service.  It seems like the big two are the most expensive, and I'm thinking about going with one of the other players.  So my next question is, how much data?  For the most part she will be either at home with wifi or at work with wifi.  She isn't one to be out and about watching videos or doing facetime, but of course having enough to do that stuff if she wanted is also something that she should be able to do.  I'm thinking 20GB plan should be enough, what do you think?

As I said, I'm new to this, so your input and experience is appreciated.

Why not just get an iPhone SE cash and get a lower data plan? If you have a costco membership it's $500, and will for easily last 3 years. I ended up with the 13 through a corporate deal, but really beyond the camera no real advantages day-to-day. If you buy AppleCare monthly from apple it is valid for longer than the 2 years, and if you break the screen or something on year 3 they'll just ship you a refurbished one.
 
Another thing to consider is outside of Fredericton where Rogers has 5g the rest of the coverage in the maritimes isn't as good as with Bell/Telus. Koodo right now has 6gb for $45/month, which is more than enough. If you wait for black friday oftentimes there's like 20 gb for $50 or so. You can change your plan whenever you want if you buy a phone outright which is another advantage.


Costco iPhone SE: https://www.costco.ca/apple-iphone-se-256gb-unlocked.product.100709360.html

I get the thinking, but you have to also realize I want this to supplement her iPad and I worry the SE is just a bit too small and definitely the first to get outdated.

If it was me, I would 100% get the cheapest new iPhone and likely rock that until the wheels fall off.  But this will also kind of be a Christmas gift, so don’t want to look cheap either.

[PJungnitsch]

You have Amazon Prime? Unlimited full resolution cloud storage for photos comes with it free, as well as a pretty good music service

[JohnnyMac]

You have Amazon Prime? Unlimited full resolution cloud storage for photos comes with it free, as well as a pretty good music service

I am not techie so was not aware of the storage service.  The Amazon music just got updated and it’s HORRIBLE.  Basically unusable now.  So bad that I now just tell my Alexa to stream the local radio station.

[OliverD]

I'd take a 14 Pro over a 14 Plus (in fact, I did) but I prefer the smaller form factor. The primary reason to go with the Pro are the better cameras. The 14 doesn't have optical zoom either.

When the 14 Pro was announced people made fun of the Dynamic Island feature but honestly, it's awesome. I really didn't give it a second thought when I got the phone but now that I've had it for a bit I definitely appreciate the extra context it gives you of what's going on. The Pro also has the always on display but I disabled that because I found it distracting.

I went with the 128 GB model. 256 is overkill unless you insist on not having your music or photos in the cloud, or have some other specific use case that requires extra storage.

She will not use or appreciate the upgraded phone.  You have to remember, she is coming from a 3+ year old basic iPad that she usually for most photo taking.  This will be a major step up in that department regardless.  The bigger screen is just so it's a little closer to replacing or supplementing her iPad use.

She doesn't use the cloud for anything.  Hence why she is almost full on her iPad at 64GB, mind you that is after 3+ years of usage.

There's really no reason not to use iCloud. Are her photos backed up anywhere right now?

Does Facebook count?  That's about it.

Eh, not really. Those wouldn't be high resolution.

Like I said, no reason not to use iCloud.

Am I wrong to say iCloud cost money monthly?  I was actually considering getting her the Apple bundle of services for iCloud 50GB, Apple TV, Apple Music, and the game thing, all for $18.99 per month.  So maybe I can opt for less internal storage.  She will use the Apple Music a lot more, if it’s remotely close to as good as Spotify.

There's a basic free tier but that's only 5 GB. They have three paid tiers: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201238

[pi314]

<snip>

I get the thinking, but you have to also realize I want this to supplement her iPad and I worry the SE is just a bit too small and definitely the first to get outdated.

If it was me, I would 100% get the cheapest new iPhone and likely rock that until the wheels fall off.  But this will also kind of be a Christmas gift, so don’t want to look cheap either.

Fair enough, you do you - though I am not sure a phone will properly replace a tablet, unless you're considering the plus? I feel like an SE and an iPad is probably a better combination.

The first iPhone SE was released in 2016 and received support until this year, so I am not sure longevity is something you will need to worry about with this one either. A 9 yr support cycle is pretty good. The new SE has the same chipset as the iPhone 14 so support will be similar. Battery life will be worse though.

Seriously would suggest going with Telus/Bell for the service coverage though if you travel within the maritimes.

[JohnnyMac]

<snip>

I get the thinking, but you have to also realize I want this to supplement her iPad and I worry the SE is just a bit too small and definitely the first to get outdated.

If it was me, I would 100% get the cheapest new iPhone and likely rock that until the wheels fall off.  But this will also kind of be a Christmas gift, so don’t want to look cheap either.

Fair enough, you do you - though I am not sure a phone will properly replace a tablet, unless you're considering the plus? I feel like an SE and an iPad is probably a better combination.

The first iPhone SE was released in 2016 and received support until this year, so I am not sure longevity is something you will need to worry about with this one either. A 9 yr support cycle is pretty good. The new SE has the same chipset as the iPhone 14 so support will be similar. Battery life will be worse though.

Seriously would suggest going with Telus/Bell for the service coverage though if you travel within the maritimes.

It would the the 14 plus, and of course the iPad will stick around and hope it’ll keep her tied over for a year or two before replacing that.

I totally get that Bell/Telus coverage in the Maritimes is extremely good and significantly better than Rogers or Eastlink.  But, remember that basically 95% of the time she will be in the city or on wifi.  The only place that she spends any really time in a spotty coverage location is when she visits her parents in NL.  That’s about a week a year, and her parents have wifi.  So is it worth paying $25+ more per month for coverage she never uses?

[blur911]

You have Amazon Prime? Unlimited full resolution cloud storage for photos comes with it free, as well as a pretty good music service

I am not techie so was not aware of the storage service.  The Amazon music just got updated and it’s HORRIBLE.  Basically unusable now.  So bad that I now just tell my Alexa to stream the local radio station.

Try this for radio:   http://radio.garden/listen/cjlx-fm-91-3/kOhcefjl
There's an android app as well, dunno about Apple.   

[JohnnyMac]

You have Amazon Prime? Unlimited full resolution cloud storage for photos comes with it free, as well as a pretty good music service

I am not techie so was not aware of the storage service.  The Amazon music just got updated and it’s HORRIBLE.  Basically unusable now.  So bad that I now just tell my Alexa to stream the local radio station.

Try this for radio:   http://radio.garden/listen/cjlx-fm-91-3/kOhcefjl
There's an android app as well, dunno about Apple.

I'm cool with just the local radio station streaming on my amazon speaker.  I think I'll be getting my wife the Apple One subscription, that way she and I will have Apple Music, Apple TV, the Apple Arcade, and she will get 50gb of cloud storage.  All for $18.99 plus tax per month.  So I'll just put a bit more down payment on her phone to get the monthly charges closer to $120 per month including the Apple One subscription.

[blur911]

You have Amazon Prime? Unlimited full resolution cloud storage for photos comes with it free, as well as a pretty good music service

I am not techie so was not aware of the storage service.  The Amazon music just got updated and it’s HORRIBLE.  Basically unusable now.  So bad that I now just tell my Alexa to stream the local radio station.

Try this for radio:   http://radio.garden/listen/cjlx-fm-91-3/kOhcefjl
There's an android app as well, dunno about Apple.

I'm cool with just the local radio station streaming on my amazon speaker.  I think I'll be getting my wife the Apple One subscription, that way she and I will have Apple Music, Apple TV, the Apple Arcade, and she will get 50gb of cloud storage.  All for $18.99 plus tax per month.  So I'll just put a bit more down payment on her phone to get the monthly charges closer to $120 per month including the Apple One subscription.

Which radio station in Fredericton is good?
When I was in northern NB in Sept-Oct all I could get was CBC or the local french radio, CBC was mostly from Quebec as well, hard to get the NB stations.   Also, only CBC Radio 1, no music.

[Great_Big_Abyss]

You have Amazon Prime? Unlimited full resolution cloud storage for photos comes with it free, as well as a pretty good music service

I am not techie so was not aware of the storage service.  The Amazon music just got updated and it’s HORRIBLE.  Basically unusable now.  So bad that I now just tell my Alexa to stream the local radio station.

Try this for radio:   http://radio.garden/listen/cjlx-fm-91-3/kOhcefjl
There's an android app as well, dunno about Apple.

I'm cool with just the local radio station streaming on my amazon speaker.  I think I'll be getting my wife the Apple One subscription, that way she and I will have Apple Music, Apple TV, the Apple Arcade, and she will get 50gb of cloud storage.  All for $18.99 plus tax per month.  So I'll just put a bit more down payment on her phone to get the monthly charges closer to $120 per month including the Apple One subscription.

Jay-sus.  I'm at $60/month including phone payment, which is up in a couple of months, then my payment drops to $40/month.  I was done years ago paying a large amount for a cellphone, x3 or x4 for all members in our household. 

[JohnnyMac]

You have Amazon Prime? Unlimited full resolution cloud storage for photos comes with it free, as well as a pretty good music service

I am not techie so was not aware of the storage service.  The Amazon music just got updated and it’s HORRIBLE.  Basically unusable now.  So bad that I now just tell my Alexa to stream the local radio station.

Try this for radio:   http://radio.garden/listen/cjlx-fm-91-3/kOhcefjl
There's an android app as well, dunno about Apple.

I'm cool with just the local radio station streaming on my amazon speaker.  I think I'll be getting my wife the Apple One subscription, that way she and I will have Apple Music, Apple TV, the Apple Arcade, and she will get 50gb of cloud storage.  All for $18.99 plus tax per month.  So I'll just put a bit more down payment on her phone to get the monthly charges closer to $120 per month including the Apple One subscription.

Which radio station in Fredericton is good?
When I was in northern NB in Sept-Oct all I could get was CBC or the local french radio, CBC was mostly from Quebec as well, hard to get the NB stations.   Also, only CBC Radio 1, no music.

You have to be closer to Fredericton or Saint John to get decent non-French stations.  The one I like is 93.1 Rewind (FM of course) as it plays 60's-00's, but mainly focuses on the 70-90's rock music.

[JohnnyMac]

You have Amazon Prime? Unlimited full resolution cloud storage for photos comes with it free, as well as a pretty good music service

I am not techie so was not aware of the storage service.  The Amazon music just got updated and it’s HORRIBLE.  Basically unusable now.  So bad that I now just tell my Alexa to stream the local radio station.

Try this for radio:   http://radio.garden/listen/cjlx-fm-91-3/kOhcefjl
There's an android app as well, dunno about Apple.

I'm cool with just the local radio station streaming on my amazon speaker.  I think I'll be getting my wife the Apple One subscription, that way she and I will have Apple Music, Apple TV, the Apple Arcade, and she will get 50gb of cloud storage.  All for $18.99 plus tax per month.  So I'll just put a bit more down payment on her phone to get the monthly charges closer to $120 per month including the Apple One subscription.

Jay-sus.  I'm at $60/month including phone payment, which is up in a couple of months, then my payment drops to $40/month.  I was done years ago paying a large amount for a cellphone, x3 or x4 for all members in our household.

Well if you want any amount of data you are basically forced to pay $60 per month, then add in another $30/month on a cellphone (which really is only $720 for a new phone).  Remember all those prices are without taxes or things like 911 coverage and other little fee's.  Not to mention the $18.99 for Apple One subscription, which also has taxes added to it.  Are you seeing why I avoided this until my 40's to start paying for it.

[Great_Big_Abyss]

You have Amazon Prime? Unlimited full resolution cloud storage for photos comes with it free, as well as a pretty good music service

I am not techie so was not aware of the storage service.  The Amazon music just got updated and it’s HORRIBLE.  Basically unusable now.  So bad that I now just tell my Alexa to stream the local radio station.

Try this for radio:   http://radio.garden/listen/cjlx-fm-91-3/kOhcefjl
There's an android app as well, dunno about Apple.

I'm cool with just the local radio station streaming on my amazon speaker.  I think I'll be getting my wife the Apple One subscription, that way she and I will have Apple Music, Apple TV, the Apple Arcade, and she will get 50gb of cloud storage.  All for $18.99 plus tax per month.  So I'll just put a bit more down payment on her phone to get the monthly charges closer to $120 per month including the Apple One subscription.

Jay-sus.  I'm at $60/month including phone payment, which is up in a couple of months, then my payment drops to $40/month.  I was done years ago paying a large amount for a cellphone, x3 or x4 for all members in our household.

Well if you want any amount of data you are basically forced to pay $60 per month, then add in another $30/month on a cellphone (which really is only $720 for a new phone).  Remember all those prices are without taxes or things like 911 coverage and other little fee's.  Not to mention the $18.99 for Apple One subscription, which also has taxes added to it.  Are you seeing why I avoided this until my 40's to start paying for it.

5-6 years ago I was right there with you, paying $80-90/month per line for modern devices, 10-15GB of data, etc, multiplied by 2 for my spouse and I.  Then about 4 years ago I got tired of paying that much, stopped all the upgrades, and went back to basics, keeping phones for a few years without upgrading, and going with the minimum amount of data I could get by with.  Today, our cellphone bill for my wife and I combined, is just under $120/month, taxes and fees in.  Once our phones are both paid off, that drops down to about $75/month. 

I have to do a bit of data management, but honestly, it hasn't been too much of an issue.

[PJungnitsch]

No corporate deals available through work? I've been on one with Telus through the GoA for years, and my wife similarly with Rogers from back when she was with Enbridge

The catch with both is they don't provide a subsidized phone, but the plans are cheap (under $40/month for me with unlimited data) and grandfather in. A used iPhone 6 from Ebay did me for years

[quadzilla]

I'm very cheap. PAYG for $20 + tax/month and I have no problem living without data.

[blur911]

I'm very cheap. PAYG for $20 + tax/month and I have no problem living without data.

I'm nearly as cheap, $30 PAYG with 2G of data.  Three year old  $250 Motorola that works fine, even has a decent camera.

[tortoise]

I'm paying $40/mo for 6 GB.

When I last updgraded my phone it came with a $400 best buy gift card, and only costs me $5/month.  The net to me for getting a new phone was ~$250.

[JohnnyMac]

Believe me, if it was my phone I was paying for it would be the cheapest iPhone out there and likely only 4gb of data.  Considering we have never paid for a cell phone, I'm still WAAAAY ahead of pretty much everyone our age.  Getting her a nice newest phone, plus a reasonable amount of data, will give me the best shot of her being happy with the phone and plan and not worrying about having to pay data overages or having to upgrade her phone (or current iPad) sooner.  To me it's learning and maybe in a year or two we end up going with a lesser data plan and maybe she is happy with the iPhone 14 for longer than my preferred 3 year rate of turnover. 

[Bubba]

5-6 years ago I was right there with you, paying $80-90/month per line for modern devices, 10-15GB of data, etc, multiplied by 2 for my spouse and I.  Then about 4 years ago I got tired of paying that much, stopped all the upgrades, and went back to basics, keeping phones for a few years without upgrading, and going with the minimum amount of data I could get by with.  Today, our cellphone bill for my wife and I combined, is just under $120/month, taxes and fees in.  Once our phones are both paid off, that drops down to about $75/month. 

I have to do a bit of data management, but honestly, it hasn't been too much of an issue.

Are you still with Public Mobile?

[Great_Big_Abyss]

5-6 years ago I was right there with you, paying $80-90/month per line for modern devices, 10-15GB of data, etc, multiplied by 2 for my spouse and I.  Then about 4 years ago I got tired of paying that much, stopped all the upgrades, and went back to basics, keeping phones for a few years without upgrading, and going with the minimum amount of data I could get by with.  Today, our cellphone bill for my wife and I combined, is just under $120/month, taxes and fees in.  Once our phones are both paid off, that drops down to about $75/month. 

I have to do a bit of data management, but honestly, it hasn't been too much of an issue.

Are you still with Public Mobile?

We moved to Koodo a year and a half ago.