Help choosing phone/carrier through Straight Talk

[Choirgirl21]

Hi all - I've been with Verizon for a very long time. I love the coverage I get here in the DC metro area, when I visit family in Pgh and when I travel, but I am tired of paying their prices. Additionally, I cracked the screen on my phone and when I upgrade I will lose my unlimited data so I am looking at Straight Talk.

My current phone, purchased about 2 1/2 years ago, an HTC Incredible 2 was my first smart phone. Aside from dropping it directly on its face and cracking the screen, I have been mostly happy with it. My big complaint is the camera. I really love to take photos and while I have nice cameras I tend to use my phone a lot. I don't want an iPhone, but would like a phone that takes photos of similar quality. Otherwise, I don't have much in the way of criteria aside from decent battery life.

Are there phones offered for Straight Talk that meet that criteria and don't cost an arm and a leg, particularly ones that use the Verizon network? I would prefer to stay with the Verizon network if possible, but if people in my area have suggestions for other networks that offer good coverage and are reasonably priced either through ST or the carrier itself, I would welcome that as well.

In case it's useful, my current plan outside of unlimited data (I do tend to stay around the 2 Gb usage level) is 450 talk minutes and a $5 text plan - both tend to be more than adequate for me.

Thank you! I admit I feel a bit overwhelmed. When I looked on ST's site, I couldn't even tell which phones went with which carriers to try to narrow my choices down.

 

[Rukbat]

Okay, first you've gone about it the right way. Find the carrier that gives you the coverage you need, then make the rest of the decisions.

Verizon on ST, AFAIK, means a 3G phone and it has to be a ST or Verizon (not bought on a monthly plan) phone, so that limits your choice of phone. The camera and your budget just about complete the picture. (Not knowing your budget, no one can make a sensible recommendation.)

ST gives you (reasonable) unlimited talk and text (that means you can't be on the phone 20 hours a day or be on a 3 hour call) and 2.5GB/month of data. (MMS, even if it's long texts, is data.) That's $45/month plus fees and taxes. Depending on what DC charges, that could be around $50/month.

Check the Verizon phones in your price range as far as the camera and phone quality go. (Talk to people using the phone, don't depend on the write-ups on the web, which may be just PR pieces put out by Verizon and copied by lazy bloggers.)

If the phone has less than 1.5GB of RAM, you're going to experience lag with some apps - that's just the way it is. Also, internal storage determines how much you can put on the phone,in the way of apps. Some parts of some apps can be moved to the external SD card, but don't count on it. If you use apps that can be, fine, you're lucky.

If you decide to change carriers (and ST can put you on Verizon, AT&T, Sprint or TMobile), check the coverage where you need it with people using those carriers in those places. The best phone in the world that isn't getting coverage is a paper weight. (That's why your choice of Verizon - you know it gives you the coverage you need - is a good first step.)

 

[ThatonedudexP]

I just wanted to add, look at the ST phone boxes when you're at Walmart. If the box has a RED map of the USA on the front, it uses Verizon networks. Also, I could be wrong on this, but I don't think ST offers any phones using Verizon networks that have over 1.5gb RAM and an 8mp+ camera (which is what your last phone had).

 

[Rukbat]

Also, I could be wrong on this, but I don't think ST offers any phones using Verizon networks that have over 1.5gb RAM and an 8mp+ camera

I don't think you're wrong. But ST's intended market isn't phone geeks who want to save a few bucks a month on the plan. It's the "I want a phone, I want it cheap and I want it to talk, text and take (even crappy) pictures". Tha's why they had to institute an official BYOD policy (it was being done unofficially with the Nokia SIMS for a long time before that) - there are people who want the ST plan but a good phone. So there's no reason for American Movil to have good phones made. If you know what you're doing, you buy a good phone and get an ST SIM (or Verizon "activation package").

 

[robsmarg]

If you can't find the phone that suits your needs using the Verizon towers on ST you may want to look into the BYOP option using another providers towers. I just went with the AT&T sim on a Nexus 5. While the AT&T coverage is not as widespread as Verizon the coverage is good in my area.

 

[timelord65]

If coverage is important, AT&t is the next best thing to Verizon. You could get any AT&T branded phone and use it with straight talk with an AT&T sim.

 

[campkuz]

Bought my ST Galaxy S3 through Walmart; uses the Verizon network. Received mis-info and got the wrong phone at first. S-968C works on Verizon, S-960C is Sprint...