What's the best Verizon basic/ non-smart phone?

Discussion in 'Technology' started by AKS, Feb 15, 2013.

  1. I don't want to buy one of these ridiculously expensive data plans, as I do not want to use a phone for those features in the first place. I'm not going to be surfing or shopping via a phone. But finding a decent basic phone has been a bigger pain in the ass than expected. I have a basic national phone plan with an expired contract that's ~$45/ month, but my phone is close to shot. I do NOT want a data plan despite numerous attempts by Verizon to convince me that I need one. I need a new basic phone, but most of what I see on sale now are Smartphones that require a data plan. Looking for a good quality phone that sounds good and is durable.

    I admit I'm not that into cell phones and am way out of touch with recent phones. I think it's because some of my relatives are phone nuts and compulsively check it for messages or whatever every 30 seconds, which drives me insane. I turn my phone to silent most of the day and leave it in my coat pocket while I meet with patients. However, I really need a good quality and crystal clear phone when I use it for business purposes. I've been asked to repeat things and even occasionally spell them lately, which tells me this thing is degenerating fast and needs replaced ASAP.
     
  2. I don't think phone experts can even answer this question in this day and age now. I find it most amusing.
     
  3. Is there no way to avoid the Smartphone, then? I don't want one.
     
  4. Nah, there's still plenty of basic phones out there. It's just that no one will really be able to answer your question. You really won't be able to find reviews of them online either.
     
  5. You have the sensibilities of a 90 year old man when it comes to phones. Who doesn't have a smartphone these days? I'm not even sure how to answer this question. It's like asking what's the best rotary phone. Even the biggest Luddites I know have smartphones.

    I can't believe you've never needed to be able to get directions or needed to look something up on the go. I'm not sure I could ever go back to not having a smartphone. It's a life changing device that's like having an internet connected computer on you at all times, and I feel like I'm a much better informed person because of it.

    Get an iPhone 5 and join the rest of us in the 21st century. I guarantee you'll like it. It also has really good call quality and is sturdy, since you said those were priorities.
     
  6. I've always found non-data phones a bit of a crap shoot. I had two identical phones on the same carrier and one was a POS that dropped calls and the other worked perfectly. So I say just pick one and go with it. I'm sure most of them will be free with a contract renewal.

    I always thought the Casio Gzone was interesting.

    Technical Details
    No data plan required
    waterproof
    shockproof
    dustproof
    Very Durable


    [​IMG]
     
  7. My youngest brother had a phone that looked like that one awhile back. I'll check it out.
     
  8. Virgin Mobile has pay-go plans where you get a smartphone, but can pay as low as $35 per month and unlimited data (which is not going to work as well as AT&T or Verizon, but it's free). You do have to pay for the hardware up front, but it ends up being significantly cheaper than contract smartphones. iPhone 4S = $450 (up front hardware cost) + $840 (24 months at $35), which works out to $1290 vs. $1080 for your old $45 per month non-smartphone contract.
     
  9. I'm not sure what is considered a smartphone by Verizon. But in your case I would go with something like the Moto Q. I used to have one when it was a poor mans Blackberry, but nowadays you could just use a Blackberry because they are not smartphones.

    Can you just use a iPhone/Android without data, just on wifi?
     
  10. You are charged an additional $30 per month or more if you have a phone that uses a data plan. If it's a "smartphone," Verizion requires a data plan. I would not use those features, as I'm usually near a computer/laptop, and I think that's an absurdly high price per month.
     
  11. It sure seems like it is different in the US, but over here it's a better idea to just buy a phone outright and get pre-paid, either with or without data. Plans make sense for business use or if you make a lot of calls or use a lot of data. I'm on one but don't use anywhere near enough of it. The phone I wanted in 2011 was locked into one carrier for the first 2 months of its availability also.

    The way no one ever mentions the actual price of a phone in the US makes me think that buying a phone outright doesn't work because the pre-paid plans aren't competitive or not realistic. Over here you can either get an expensive plan and still pay nothing for the phone, or pay $5-10 a month for 24 months and get a mid-teir plan. After a few months you can get most phones (not iPhones) free with any plan. If you are like me however and want a new phone but don't make a lot of calls/use a lot of data buying outright and getting pre-paid is the way to go. For your situation, I'd buy a 6month+ old Android phone for cheap online and get a pre-paid plan with no data and just use wi-fi. Is that possible/viable in the US?
     
  12. It's not that great here in the US especially with the carrier AKS is using. They're the most expensive carrier in the US in their postpaid and prepaid options. They're able to pull this off successfully since they have the best coverage in the US for their voice and LTE data.

    They have only one plan for prepaid and it's an unlimited voice/text/basic web plan for $50 a month. Otherwise you have to choose their pay as you plans which end up being more expensive if you actually use your phone.

    The US does have a ton of MVNO's though. But there is only Verizon MVNO and that's page plus cellular. They have much better price plans than verizon does.