Help me find a smart phone for dh

[Lady Florida.]

Dh had his phone in a shirt pocket while doing some hurricane repairs. It fell out onto the driveway and the screen shattered. He already kicked himself for having it in that pocket so I didn't need to kick him. :) He thought he was doing the right thing by keeping it on him at all times in case his dad or other family needed to contact us (our families are local so everyone is dealing with post-hurricane stuff).

 

He doesn't use it a lot though he does want a smart phone, so a regular phone won't do. He also doesn't want to get into a monthly cost of "buying" a phone. He had a Galaxy S4, and was happy with it, so that tells you he doesn't need the latest and greatest. 

It's a little hard to read through all the spidery glass shatter but otherwise seems okay. We just don't know how long it will continue to work like that.

 

Requirements are -

-Android only. No iPhone

-basic smart phone capabilities

-AT&T compatible

-decent (though not high end) camera

 

Reasonable storage or sd card slot a bonus but not required.

 

Alternatively, does anyone think it's worth getting the screen fixed on a phone that old?

 

 

Edited September 15, 2017 by Lady Florida.

[Tree Frog]

I'm gong to follow along because I will need an AT&T phone and would like to hear some recs. My need are essentially the same as your husband's.

 

As far as the shattered screen, many here have said that repairing it yourself is fairly easy, especially if you use YouTube as a tutor. We have a U Break it I Fix It store nearby who has fixed dumb phones for us at a reasonable cost. Perhaps there is something like that near you.

 

 

[JustEm]

No advice on phone but replacing the glass yourself is really easy. YouTube it and watch to see if that would be a better option

[PeterPan]

No clue on the phone, but you might want a case for his next one. I have a Tech21 case for my phone, and it careens to concrete and floors a little too regularly and survives.

 

If you're willing to go older like that, maybe your cell provider will give you a phone? Did you contact them? Sometimes older phones (a year old, haha) are much cheaper. On our plan, the Samsung phones are free.

[gardenmom5]

not just a case (always a good idea)

but a plexi-glass/tempered-glass screen protector.  they're hard, thin, but will protect the screen.  they're designed to break so your screen doesn't.   I've replaced mine once.  <$10 vs a new screen.  you need to order according to the phone to make sure they fit properly.

[Guest]

iPhone with screen protector. The 6s and 6s Plus are really inexpensive because they're an older generation, but have a ton of support and features still without the hefty price.

 

Camera and storage are fantastic, by the way :)

Edited September 15, 2017 by Arctic Mama

[gardenmom5]

he could probably go online and find another galaxy s4 used.  there are sites (my son's use them so I dont' remember the names, but they've had good luck) that sell older used phones - that are in good condition.

 

I have a note, which is huge, but I won't go back to a smaller screen. my sons bought notes, and now both have note edges.

[Lady Florida.]

I've been trying to talk him into a newer phone. There was something he complained about recently. While I don't remember what it was I know it was due to his older phone and older os. He doesn't have the room to update to the latest Android version. 

 

I was thinking of a go phone and just putting his sim card in it, but the ATT go phones have mixed reviews. 

 

Has anyone used a BLU phone?

 

It has to be android (I'll update the OP). We aren't interested in Apple.

[Scarlett]

iPhone with screen protector. The 6s and 6s Plus are really inexpensive because they're an older generation, but have a ton of support and features still without the hefty price.

 

Camera and storage are fantastic, by the way :)

I have an IPhone 6 and I love it still. I have had it close to 2 years I think.

[Lady Florida.]

he could probably go online and find another galaxy s4 used.  there are sites (my son's use them so I dont' remember the names, but they've had good luck) that sell older used phones - that are in good condition.

 

I have a note, which is huge, but I won't go back to a smaller screen. my sons bought notes, and now both have note edges.

 

 I might end up doing that. I actually bought this one on eBay several years ago because it was what he's used to. The man launches rockets into space for a living but is lost when it comes to using personal technology.  :lol:  :smilielol5:

[Corraleno]

The Moto G5+ has gotten great reviews and seems to be considered the best of the "budget" smart phones.  An unlocked Moto G5+ is $220 at both Costco and Amazon. DS just got one to replace his old phone (which was having the same problems your DH complained about  â€” really slow, couldn't upgrade to the newest software, plus the camera really sucked). He likes the Moto G5+ a lot. 

[Lady Florida.]

The Moto G5+ has gotten great reviews and seems to be considered the best of the "budget" smart phones.  An unlocked Moto G5+ is $220 at both Costco and Amazon. DS just got one to replace his old phone (which was having the same problems your DH complained about  â€” really slow, couldn't upgrade to the newest software, plus the camera really sucked). He likes the Moto G5+ a lot. 

 

Ooh that looks good, and the price is reasonable. Thanks. Adding to the possibilities.

[gardenmom5]

 I might end up doing that. I actually bought this one on eBay several years ago because it was what he's used to. The man launches rockets into space for a living but is lost when it comes to using personal technology.  :lol:  :smilielol5:

 

I should pm you.   ds wants to do astronautics.  he'll be a jr (in a week.)

he's thinking about a masters - but isn't sure in what.

 

dh's cousin was at nasa in the 60s/70s - he was a mathematician.

[Lizzie in Ma]

This phone

http://a.co/hDoyT60

 

This case

http://a.co/ghvr5nX

 

Dh and both kids have this combo and it is perfect for all their various needs.

[City Mouse]

Getting the screen replaced should not cost more that $100 and probably less. If there is nothing else wrong with the phone, that is what I would do.

I have had to replace the screen on my iPhone 5 twice.

We have bought used iPhones from gazelle with good results. They do carry other brands of phones.

[Lanny]

The Moto G5+ has gotten great reviews and seems to be considered the best of the "budget" smart phones.  An unlocked Moto G5+ is $220 at both Costco and Amazon. DS just got one to replace his old phone (which was having the same problems your DH complained about  â€” really slow, couldn't upgrade to the newest software, plus the camera really sucked). He likes the Moto G5+ a lot. 

 

That is what I recommended to a woman here on WTM (she's in Nebraska) some months ago.  I suggested that she purchase it, Unbranded and Unlocked, directly from the Motorola USA web site (Motorola.com) to avoid any possible issues with the provider she wanted to use.

 

The phones we buy in a superstore here are Unbranded and Unlocked when they leave the factory and have a one year manufacturers warranty. That is THE best kind of phone to buy.

 

If the OP or her DH do buy a new phone I would suggest limiting the consideration to models from Samsung, Motorola and Lenovo (Lenovo owns Motorola Mobility).  Our neighbor (E.E. for a major provider for 20+ years) told me that the Samsung's and Motorola's connect best to their towers.  He buys those. The phone he bought earlier this year is a Motorola. There is "more bang for the buck" if you buy a Motorola or a Lenovo. If you buy a Samsung, it will cost more, for the same specifications...

 

We have 3 recent Motorola's in the house, plus a Lenovo my wife bought for my Stepson last year for his birthday. He says it is exactly like her Motorola phone, but a little less money.   I am using a 2014 low-end Samsung which works fine and when it dies, I will go to Motorola or Lenovo, because they have a more pure installation of the Android OS. Samsung changes a lot of things. And, more bang for the buck with a Motorola or a Lenovo.

 

In my Dummies book for Android users (that's not the exact title) on just about every page, he shows how to do something, and then writes, "but if you have a Samsung, do this..."

[Lady Florida.]

Moto seems to be the way to go if we don't get the screen fixed. 

[Forget-Me-Not]

If he's prone to dropping phones, you might invest in an Otterbox or Lifeproof case for him too 😉

[Lady Florida.]

If he's prone to dropping phones, you might invest in an Otterbox or Lifeproof case for him too 😉

 

He's actually pretty good mostly because he barely remembers to even have it with him. However, we didn't have power and we still had family without power or water and everyone was communicating by text, so he thought he was doing good by keeping it on his person while outside cleaning up.

 

Dss is the one who needs a Lifeproof case. He's famous (infamous?) for going swimming with a phone in his pocket. I think instead of continuing to tell him he needs that case, we should just buy him one. :D

Edited September 16, 2017 by Lady Florida.

[Lanny]

He's actually pretty good mostly because he barely remembers to even have it with him. However, we didn't have power and we still had family without power or water and everyone was communicating by text, so he thought he was doing good by keeping it on his person while outside cleaning up.

 

Dss is the one who needs a Lifeproof case. He's famous (infamous?) for going swimming with a phone in his pocket. I think instead of continuing to tell him he needs that case, we should just buy him one. :D

 

I keep my cell phone in a Front pocket in my jeans.  A shirt pocket is much more risky. And those Holsters that clip onto a belt, or that a belt slips through, are very risky.  I had a holster, with an almost new phone drop and I didn't hear it and someone got an almost new phone that worked perfectly.

 

One of my childhood friends told me that he bought several (expensive) cell phone holsters and NONE of them was secure.

 

So, I think for a man, keeping it in a Front Pants pocket is the safest place,  with regards to losing a phone or having one stolen.  

[Lady Florida.]

I keep my cell phone in a Front pocket in my jeans.  A shirt pocket is much more risky. And those Holsters that clip onto a belt, or that a belt slips through, are very risky. 

 

 

Ha! Those are the two things dh does. He puts it in his front pocket or uses a holster. I guess he's lucky something like this didn't happen sooner.

[LifeLovePassion]

https://www.kyoceramobile.com/duraforce-pro/

 

My FIL has been unable to break this one yet!

[Lanny]

Ha! Those are the two things dh does. He puts it in his front pocket or uses a holster. I guess he's lucky something like this didn't happen sooner.

 

I will not use a Holster for a Cell phone again.  The phone I lost was almost new. It was Unlocked. Someone got a Holster with a phone in it.  My childhood friend bought several of those, expensive ones, and he found that none of them was secure.

 

The only place that seems reasonably secure for a man to carry a cell phone is in a Front Pocket of Jeans. Not to say that one cannot lose a phone from there, but less likely.  I keep mine in the pocket where I put my Wallet.

 

I do have a "Holster" that is on my belt for my sunglasses, but those are  inexpensive non-prescription that I bought on the street years ago, and if I lose them it isn't a big deal, but so far, they are still with me...

 

Many years ago, when we had low end Nokia dumb phones, I remember that sometimes I wore a phone on sort of a necklace type thing. It had a cord that went around my neck and it had a Holster for the phone to go into. The obvious problem with that was if you were on the street and a thief saw that, it was extremely obvious where your phone was, so I didn't use it on the street. Around the house, that would work fine...

 

OT: My old (2014) low end Samsung has a 4.5" display. After it dies, a larger display (5 or 5.5") would be very nice. However, the larger phones are harder to stick into your pocket. Stepsons company gave him a Lenovo Phablet 2 or 3 months ago. Very nice. But, where do you put it?  A woman would put it into her purse. For a man, to get that into a pants pocket would be very problematic....  Additionally, it is uncomfortable to hold something that large up to your ear, to talk for more than a minute or two.    When I see my phone on the kitchen table, next to my wife's phone and DDs phone, they are bigger than mine (5 and 5.5" displays) and it could be that I select a smaller Motorola or Lenovo phone, when the old Samsung dies. As much as the larger displays are nice, the dimensions of the phone also come into consideration.  

[Lanny]

https://www.kyoceramobile.com/duraforce-pro/

 

My FIL has been unable to break this one yet!

 

Many years ago, when our provider used CDMA technology, our neighbor, an E.E. for them, told me that he thought Kyoceras were the best CDMA phones at that time.   I'm glad to see they are still in business.  I know they make MIL-SPEC laptops and possibly they also make MIL-SPEC phones? But that will really increase the cost of a phone.