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Need new phone suggestions

John Jason

John Jason

Android Enthusiast
I have a Samsung Galaxy S2, unlocked, ROM from Samsung/T-Mobile, and it is working fine. I hate to give it up, but my bank has come up with a new version of its app that allows me to deposit checks by photographing them with the phone Unfortunately, the photo function fails to display the image that I am about to click on, so it is impossible to use. At first the bank said that it should work with the SGS2, and then they said that the SGS2 is "not supported." I really think the problem is in their app and not the SGS2, but there is nothing I can do about that. Hence, I am shopping for a new phone.

Here are my requirements, sine qua non:

microSD card, preferably 64 GB
T-Mobile LTE
replaceable battery

I tried looking at T-Mobile's website for phone options, but it was hopeless trying to figure out the specs for the various phone options. It would take me hours. I am hoping that there is someone here who knows all the T-Mobile phone options and can give me a short list of what to look at.

Bear in mind that I do not need the latest and greatest. Also, I will buy the phone on eBay or Craigslist and pay cash for it.

Suggestions?
 
Your budget will decide. The Note 3 works with every bank I use. (I haven't seen the inside of a bank for months.) If the AT&T version weren't as locked down as Fort Knox I'd have no complaints about it. But it's not your average $300-$500 phone.
 
You could pick up an s3 from eBay or a note two lg phones tend to do alright the lower end ones I think the F6 has NFC . since removable battery and SD slots are slowly fading any higher end Samsung phone should work for your need ... A too think its their app.
 
tube517 said:
As Rukbat said, your budget will decide. How much do you want to spend?
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My budget is unlimited. But I don't believe in spending silly money and I'm not a phone whore. I'm old, so it's no longer necessary for me to impress people with possessions. I bought my last couple of phones on Craigslist. I expect to pay $500+ cash.

The S4 looks good. The Note 3 looks more interesting, but I know little about it. And I just discovered that the S5 will be out in a couple of months, so maybe I should wait for that. I've had good luck so far with Samsung, and bad luck with Motorola, and I know little about other brands.

Thanks to all for the suggestions.
 
If you old, then need a bigger screen. I am too getting older and its time to hit the big screen. I am getting the Note 4 in Oct.
 
Note 3 is really the next gen phone. USB 3.0, 4k video recording, quad core 2.2 Ghz, huge 1080p display, 3 GB ram. Nothing out there comes close to all these specs.

I'm 6'6" and have big hands so the size doesn't bother me but if you have small hands I can see the Note 3 not being well suited for you. It really is a big phone.

This is the first phone I bought that I can 95% say it will last the full two years before I upgrade again. In two years it should be able to handle anything out there still.
 
Bodycount said:
Note 3 is really the next gen phone. USB 3.0, 4k video recording, quad core 2.2 Ghz, huge 1080p display, 3 GB ram. Nothing out there comes close to all these specs.

I'm 6'6" and have big hands so the size doesn't bother me but if you have small hands I can see the Note 3 not being well suited for you. It really is a big phone.

This is the first phone I bought that I can 95% say it will last the full two years before I upgrade again. In two years it should be able to handle anything out there still.
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Totally agree with this assessment. Just got my Note 3 on Monday after trading in an S3. Fantastic phone.
 
Thanks for the further thoughts about the Note 3. Before buying it I need to see it in action, and I also need to check with my bank to make sure that their app is supported. I want to hear them say that they have seen it work on a Note 3. To see it in action means a trip to a T-Mobile store, and at the moment I am snowed in. Maybe this weekend.
 
You can get a new S3 - they are the LTE capable ones- @ Walmart in the prepaid phone section for $299. Same S3 that you would pay 300 bucks or more for on Craigslist or Amazon, and this one is new in the box.
 
I finally got to a T-Mobile store today and checked out the Note 3. It looks good. Still waiting to hear from the bank. Apparently none of the bank employees actually uses their mobile app. Then again, why should they? I need it to deposit checks using the camera in the phone, but they're in the bank all day long, so they can just walk up to a teller. Oh well.

So now the question is, what is the cheapest place to buy a Note 3. I'd prefer it unlocked, as long as it has radios for the LTE frequencies that T-Mobile has deployed here. There is a sticky on "how to tell if your phone will work on T-Mobile," but it's six months out of date. I'm looking at phones on Amazon, eBay and local Craigslist, and I have no idea if the phone will give me the maximum LTE speed (fully deployed in my city), or will barely work. I can buy it for cash at the T-Mobile store for $708, but they won't unlock it for 45 days, even if I pay cash for it. Surely I can do better than that. Any suggestions?
 
John Jason said:
I finally got to a T-Mobile store today and checked out the Note 3. It looks good. Still waiting to hear from the bank. Apparently none of the bank employees actually uses their mobile app. Then again, why should they? I need it to deposit checks using the camera in the phone, but they're in the bank all day long, so they can just walk up to a teller. Oh well.

So now the question is, what is the cheapest place to buy a Note 3. I'd prefer it unlocked, as long as it has radios for the LTE frequencies that T-Mobile has deployed here. There is a sticky on "how to tell if your phone will work on T-Mobile," but it's six months out of date. I'm looking at phones on Amazon, eBay and local Craigslist, and I have no idea if the phone will give me the maximum LTE speed (fully deployed in my city), or will barely work. I can buy it for cash at the T-Mobile store for $708, but they won't unlock it for 45 days, even if I pay cash for it. Surely I can do better than that. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

Check out Swappa. IF you don't mind buying used
 
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