Advice required on basic smartphone

Not sure if there is such a thing as a “basic” smartphone, but what I mean is, the fewer bells and whistles, the better.

Running Bear is looking into using WorldPay Zinc for his business next year, and for that he needs a smartphone. They offer a list of compatible devices here: https://www.worldpayzinc.com/compatible-devices and I’d be grateful for recommendations. Cheap and reliable are the main considerations.

His current phone is on a network which has decent 2G coverage and no 3G or 4G. Ideally, he wants to keep the number, which (I presume) means he needs to stay with the same network. Our network choices are pretty limited here anyway; there is another with good 3G, but almost no 2G (and, of course, no 4G).

Apart from taking payments, he will only use the phone for texts and phone calls; he isn’t interested in using it as a camera, a health monitor or anything else, so all those things are irrelevant.

Any advice will be appreciated. Thanks.

My opinion would be either an iPhone (5s, probably) or a Galaxy (S3, S4).

They’re both well reviewed, tons of happy users. iOS is probably as simple to use as they come. If you don’t like apple, the Galaxy series has always been pretty reliable, in my experience. With either phone you should be able to turn off the LTE data radio to minimize your battery loss if you only have 2g/3g service.

If you should desire to switch carriers, most WILL let you transfer your number.

Good luck. I’m sure almost any of those devices (of the ones that are actually phones and not tablets, of course) would work just fine for what you need. There’s almost no debating to be had here. In fact, my recommendations, being on perhaps the steeper end of the curve, should be replaced with (which costs less?). I just hate that people buy old phones thinking they don’t need (other features) - what happens if you do? :smiley: But yeah, any of those will probably work fine for just voice and text, unless anyone has any experience with any of them having call drop issues or something.

Those telephones are too high for what she wants (although I would say that it is worth because they have higher processors which mean higher velocity as well) but LG or Xperia medium range will do just fine. They’re good phones, far cheaper and you can get a decent one for 150-200 Euro (Around 125-165 GPB)

My experience which cheaper phones is that it lasted 4 months so, it was expensive in the end.

I do know of certain Chinese phones that are very cheap and copy iPhone and Samsung Galaxy. The people I know are very happy with them. I know how to buy them here (it is through a web page) but I don’t have a clue of the name of the brand or how you can get them in UK. They’re not in regular stores, as far as I know

Thanks, guys.

[quote=“jeffreylees, post:2, topic:100980”]
If you should desire to switch carriers, most WILL let you transfer your number.
[/quote]OK - I looked into that, and it seems you’re right, which is good to know, thanks.

Perhaps instead of “cheap” I should have said “good value”. We’d rather pay a bit extra for something which will work better and last longer. We just don’t see any point in paying extra for features we will never use. (He’s had his current, basic phone for - I think - three years. Although it has a web browser, he has never used it to access the Internet - nor would he ever be likely to. As for using other apps…)

So recommendations for reliability would be welcome.

As far as reliability goes, I’ve had my Galaxy s3 for almost 2 years now and it still runs beautifully. Well worth the upgrade.

If you’re going with the Galaxy series, I’ve heard people say the S3 was a bit easier to use / more reliable than the S4. I personally didn’t use an S4, so I wouldn’t be confident in that, but there it is. Probably cheaper due to age, as well?

I was going to say that you may want an Galaxy S3. It is cheper now becuase the latest is the S5 and, although I’m very happy with my S4, it is true that battery lasted longer in S3

Thanks, guys. (I like that level of consensus. )

Off-hand, I can’t find the Galaxy S3 (I’ll keep looking), but the Galaxy S3 mini is available at a good price.

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Galaxy-i9300-16GB-International/dp/B0080DJ6CM#

@TechnoBear Since RB is asking you for advice, you should give the advice that best suits you. Encourage him to get whichever mobile device would be most useful to you for testing websites … and of course, encourage him to get a plan that allows internet access. :stuck_out_tongue:

Then you’ll also be able to keep posting here when you’re off on holidays. (That’s the advice I’m giving you, since you asked us.)

(My wife and I talk about all sorts of things at the cafe, and I always manage to get the discussion to a point where we need to check the web—say, for the spelling of a word. Then I can remind her that it really was a good thing that I got a smart phone. :smiley: )

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I confess that I use Google Maps a lot… but that’s something available for Galaxy S3

Anyway, I’m surprised that you’re mobile phone company doesn’t offer you “free” phones from time to time… any of them would do for your.

Yeah, depending on your carrier one of the contract-renewal phones are probably both free or very cheap and in that list. If money’s not the object though… same advice as collectively above, still :smiley:

[quote=“ralphm, post:10, topic:100980”]
Since RB is asking you for advice, you should give the advice that best suits you. Encourage him to get whichever mobile device would be most useful to you for testing websites … and of course, encourage him to get a plan that allows internet access.
[/quote]Hey - that’s sound advice, thank you. (After all, I let him use my new laptop. )

[quote=“ralphm, post:10, topic:100980”]
Then you’ll also be able to keep posting here when you’re off on holidays. (That’s the advice I’m giving you, since you asked us.)
[/quote]Oddly enough, I generally seem to have other things to do when I’m on holiday… - and unlike @guido2004, I don’t go away very often.

[quote=“ralphm, post:10, topic:100980”]
My wife and I talk about all sorts of things at the cafe, and I always manage to get the discussion to a point where we need to check the web—say, for the spelling of a word. Then I can remind her that it really was a good thing that I got a smart phone.
[/quote]My not-at-all smart phone is good enough for that already - and for checking the weather forecast/disruption to the ferry service, which is all I ever use it for while we’re away. (It’s not my fault that Discourse thinks my phone is too old and won’t talk to it. )

[quote=“jeffreylees, post:12, topic:100980”]
Yeah, depending on your carrier one of the contract-renewal phones are probably both free or very cheap
[/quote]Because of the nature of his business, RB gets a lot of incoming calls but makes very few outgoing calls, so he’s using a “pay-as-you-go” service. There are no contracts which make financial sense for the small number of calls he makes.

[quote=“jeffreylees, post:12, topic:100980”]
If money’s not the object though…
[/quote]It is, pretty much. Just that years of experience have taught me not to make false economies; it’s better in the long run to spend a bit extra on something which will last a lot longer. (That seems to be a very old-fashioned attitude these days, but then I’m a pretty old-fashioned bear. )

@cpradio - thanks for that. I went to amazon.co.uk to see what they were charging in real money and it’s much dearer than the mini - or several other phones on the list - so I guess he won’t be getting one of them.

The reason is that S3 it is bigger (sure you’re suprised with this comment :slight_smile: ) compared to S3 mini and has more possibilities. Someone half-blind like me can’t do with a S3 mini. The screen would be too small

Hey, I get paid in that assumed “imaginary” money! :stuck_out_tongue:

In all honesty, I’m not surprised that the S3 mini interests you more. From a pricing standpoint, it would interest me too.

[quote=“molona, post:14, topic:100980”]
The reason is that S3 it is bigger (sure you’re suprised with this comment
[/quote]Quite astounded

[quote=“molona, post:14, topic:100980”]
Someone half-blind like me can’t do with a S3 mini. The screen would be too small
[/quote]Currently, he has to hold his phone at arm’s length and squint to read texts - or do something really revolutionary like put his reading glasses on. (The reason he doesn’t always put his glasses on is, of course, that he keeps mislaying them. I, on the other hand, am short-sighted and wear my glasses all the time - except that I have to take them off to read incoming texts. )

It is one of the problems of living in the middle of nowhere, though - there’s nowhere we can go into to actually look at phones and compare them.

[quote=“cpradio, post:15, topic:100980”]
Hey, I get paid in that assumed “imaginary” money!
[/quote][ot]I was reading a (children’s) book by an American author recently. At one point the characters were in the UK and bought something for X pounds. There was a footnote for pounds which said something like “Like real money, but with pictures of the Queen”. I liked that. [/ot]

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I’d definitely not call that old fashioned, but just a good purchasing strategy :smiley: or common sense.
Too be fair, those are also not the most common so… yeah.

If you’re looking for a cheap phone, the Moto G is pretty nice and around $180 last time I looked. You can’t beat that price for that quality. The only problem I’ve seen with it is no 4G.

Thanks, @mawburn - I was just looking at that one. It’s also a very good price here, and I particularly like the “Gorilla” glass screen. (I’m not saying RB is ham-fisted… )

[quote=“mawburn, post:18, topic:100980”]
The only problem I’ve seen with it is no 4G.
[/quote]Not a problem here - we have no 4G coverage, and no likelihood of it any time soon.

If you do get it, don’t buy the back cover. This is the phone my wife has and we bought that thinking it was a case, it’s not… it just changes the color of the back panel… which is then covered up by a case. :expressionless: So an extra $30 (I think) down the drain. lol

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