Phones

[John Terefenko]

Looks like I need a new phone by Dec. Verizon sent me a letter that my old cell phone will not be usable any more. They will not support 3G or 4G phones that do not support HD voice. Let me first say I have no idea what that means and even if you explain it I probably will not understand it. So it looks like I will have to finally get rid of my flip phone and step up to one of these flat screen phones. Thanks in advance.

OK with that said here is what I am asking. A few things I want is
not expensive
Ease of use( have big hands)
good camera
not too large
good quality
be able to view in daylight

Now things you think I should have and hould ask about.

Thanks

[bill godber]

What ever phone you choose it will have a touch screen, couple that with a tiny screen, even smaller keyboards and large fingers the damn thing will drive you mad. Do a search for "phone stylus" they're cheap and they will make that tiny touch screen usable.

[Ed Aumiller]

BEWARE... We are on the AT&T network that just went to 5G.. Our Samsung phones, A10e & A11 DO NOT WORK ON 5G even though they supposedly should.
The phones are less than a year old... AT&T does not have a solution... We had to go to Apple phones to keep service (iPhone XR, iPhone SE, iphone 6)...
Luckily we had them available....
There has been a problem with Samsung phones on 5G networks... some work, some don't... from researching this for our Samsung's it appears it it not just AT&T problem but other networks also (Sprint, etc)

Make sure what you get WILL work on a 5G network and do not just take the salesman word for it...

Seriously, this is a BIG problem....

[Bill Dufour]

Make sure it has onboard charging so a charging mat will work. We got my wife's new one down to two models one had no way to charge from a mat. You see a lot of replacement charge jacks for phones. Easy to foul up that tiny little jack if you have to use it every day, at night, in the dark.
BillD

[Curt Harms]

BEWARE... We are on the AT&T network that just went to 5G.. Our Samsung phones, A10e & A11 DO NOT WORK ON 5G even though they supposedly should.
The phones are less than a year old... AT&T does not have a solution... We had to go to Apple phones to keep service (iPhone XR, iPhone SE, iphone 6)...
Luckily we had them available....
There has been a problem with Samsung phones on 5G networks... some work, some don't... from researching this for our Samsung's it appears it it not just AT&T problem but other networks also (Sprint, etc)

Make sure what you get WILL work on a 5G network and do not just take the salesman word for it...

Seriously, this is a BIG problem....

Not exactly in my experience. What changed is that AT&T pulled the plug on their 3G network, at least in my area. 4G still works. SWMBO and I both have phones that used 3G and 4G. I assumed because our phones were capable of 4G we'd be okay. Not so, no service as of 8 days ago. The fix was simply to get new SIMS.

I needed to get my phone working ASAP so switched carriers which is something I was considering anyway. Mint Mobile (uses T-mobile infrastructure) has some pretty attractive plans, just beware their coverage seems to be a little spotty especially in sparsely populated areas west of the Mississippi.

[Jerome Stanek]

How much time do you use. I don't use much so a Tracfone works well for me and I get a new phone every year for HSN or QVC as they come with a plan and the phone and plan are cheaper than just the plan

[roger wiegand]

The new iPhone SE is a relative bargain (among iphones ) at $429. Has almost all the functionality of their super-expensive phones.

[Stan Calow]

I have the iPhone SE and its perfect for me. I dont do video or games, just basic stuff. Its the smaller size so it still fits in my pocket. But OP has big hands so maybe not for him.

[Andrew More]

I mostly agree with Bill, wireless charging is a very important feature to have.

That having been said, you can buy after market wireless chargers that go into your USB port. That what I've currently got on my old Pixel 2, and it's been working great, were as prior to this I had had to replace two (once a year) at Google's expense (warranty), when the ports got messed up. Bonus: it plugs the USB port so nothing gets in unless I really need it to, which is about 99% of the time.

The other thing I'd pay attention to is battery life. You don't want it to die on you in the middle of the day, and if you're like me, you might occasionally forget to plug it in at night. A large battery is very helpful, but you really need to pay attention to the battery life, because a more demanding phone will discharge even a large battery quickly.

Personally preference - If you want a bargain, stay away from Apple. We've been buying my wife bargain Android phones for a while, and can usually find her something decent in the $200 range, brand new.

[Jim Becker]

Yes, 3G is completely going away and early 4G phone is what it is. VZ is the last of the majors to shut down the old technology, so at least you have time to consider what's best for you.

My advice? Stick with a major phone brand. Don't buy "bottom dollar" devices and do select a phone that supports 5G in addition to 4G. While you may not "benefit" from the 5G a lot right now, depending on where you live, it does give you more future-proofing since you clearly keep your devices for a long time. (I upgrade about every four years)

I'm an iPhone person and certainly can recommend them from a usability standpoint. The new iPhone SE that was just announced and will be shipping very soon can be quite cost effective for a non-heavy user. The singular downside is it's not a "large" phone so your eyes come into play. But it's a lot larger than the flip phone you're used to! Samsung has similar, value priced but very capable Android devices on the market, too. (again, stay away from the low end versions) Google Pixel is also nice and it's "pure" Android. Honestly, those are the only three phone brands I'd personally consider without a huge amount of research.

You can likely get a price break buying via VZ because they can sell you a phone locked to their network and spread the cost out, but for many years now, I've chosen to buy unlocked devices so I have the option to move to any carrier I want at anytime if I suddenly become unhappy with cost, etc. There's more up-front cost with buying unlocked devices, but the barrier to carrier choice is removed.

[Bruce Page]

I have the iPhone SE and its perfect for me. I dont do video or games, just basic stuff. Its the smaller size so it still fits in my pocket. But OP has big hands so maybe not for him.

Ditto.
I have the iPhone SE 2020. I bought the SE model expressly for its smaller size. From what I have read, the new SE2022 has the same physical size as the SE2020. I have fairly large hands and can manipulate the screen without too much problem.

[Brian Elfert]

You can get a new flip phone that will still work with Verizon.

[Bill Dufour]

At bedtime my phone lives on the night stand on top of the charging mat. A charging mat can be had for under $10 with wall wart and cord.
Bill D.

[John Ziebron]

I recently purchased a new Samsung phone and it is my first phone that has cordless charging. But even if they supplied a charging mat with the phone I wouldn't use it. Inductive charging is always slower and uses more power. Years ago I discovered magnetic USB cables and that is what I'm still using on my new phone. You simply plug a small adapter into your phone and the magnetic mating end of the cable snaps right to it; no wear and tear on your phone's charging connector.

I don't know if this is still a problem on cell phones but I used to keep my phone connected to my charger overnight. The issue is that when it reaches 100% the charging circuit turns off. But while you are sleeping your phone may still be getting various updates or data submissions that then drains the battery down and when it reaches about 97% the charging circuit turns back on. This cycle may happen more than once overnight and it degrades the batteries life. Ever since I learned this I only plug my phone in for about an hour before I go to bed and most of the time that gets it fully charged.

[Tom M King]

I use the largest one that fits comfortably in my pocket. My fingers have a hard time with the touch screen keyboard on the small ones. I don't feel put out by using a cord for charging. Out of habit, when I take my pants off at night, the phone gets plugged in, and goes back in a pocket in the morning.