I really do not follow phones closely and need to replace an antiquated Samsung Galaxy S6, but I'm not keen on Verizon's suggestions that I hand over +$800 when I don't use my phone for much other than occasional calls and texts and navigation to unfamiliar destinations. Is there a killer value king more in the range of $250 to $400? I don't want a piece of garbage that is even worse than the phone I have, but I also have zero interest in whatever top of the line $1200 nonsense technology I'm not going to use. The current norm of what is a reasonable price for a phone is pretty ridiculous in my view, but again I'm not that into getting the latest phone the day it hits the market and don't use it much. Mine is old enough that support is being dropped on some of the apps I use. I thought I'd get this problem dealt with if I can spot a great Black Friday deal.
I think the Samsung S6 is the only smartphone I've had. I had a Dare phone prior to this one. Probably any brand that works with Verizon would be fine as long as I'm not getting priced gouged and ripped off for brand popularity.
The SE fits your budget at $400. Apple basically took a powerful A13 CPU and put it in the body of a 4.7 inch iPhone 6/6S/7/8, which was a form factor a lot of people liked. It will give you something fast with a good OS. It’s probably the best bang for the buck phone out right now.
I agree, the iPhone SE is the best option in your budget. What sucks is it's almost 2 years old and hasn't been discounted accordingly (in my opinion). It's a bit pricey at $400 for 2 year old tech. Just a FYI, you're almost always better off carrier hopping for promo deals vs upgrading with your current carrier. Edit: VZ trade in is on slickdeals... you might be able to get $400-$650 for your Galaxy S6 towards a iPhone13... that's only $400 extra cash to you. https://slickdeals.net/f/15412324-y...ting-unlimited-plan-with-an-iphone-6-or-newer
One option I hadn't considered until researching the current state of the carriers is swapping to Xfinity. I've read they're pretty decent in value if you're already a Xfinity customer and use Verizon's network. I already have an Xfinity 1200 Mbps internet plan. I wonder if I can get the same phone for cheap through them. Has anyone else used Xfinity's cell phone service? I don't remember that being much of an option years ago when I got the previous phone but from what I'm reading is a decent value option now.
That’s just a Verizon MVNO. It should be fine as long as you’re okay with the drawbacks of being on a MVNO. Deprioritization over direct customers and no carrier roaming agreements. I have a secondary phones on an MVNO. No issues and saves a ton of money. If you find a prepaid MVNO you can even save tax buying gift card reloads.
I think the roaming issue isn't a problem with Xfinity as long as you're in the US: I'm probably going to give Xfinity a try as long as I can keep my number and am given a decent deal on a phone. I should be one less bill to keep track of, too.
I guess I forgot to reply to this after I swapped phone plans. Ended up getting the iPhone SE after I swapped to Xfinity. The phone bill is cheap, and they just throw in the phone for free for a 2-year contract. Thanks for the suggestions.