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Until now I've never felt the need to own a smartphone, mainly as ive a small asda cheapie and i only ever send the occasional text, and ive the landline too.
But it seems modernity has caught up with me and i will need to finally take on a monthly contract and get one of these things.
Being the last person on Earth to buy one of these I just dont know what I probably should know, so am asking the expierienced on what I should go for.
For texts, apps,a camera/vid i suppose, though I'll probably never use it to access the web, having the home system for that.
I'm, thinking I'd probably be best choosing apple, mainly as the rest of the family have them, and its good to have someone to ask how to do this and that if it all becomes confusing.
So what are the pitfalls and what should I be looking out for if I visit the apple store to get something, or should i use a different company for a contract. Simply dont know, and any advice is sound advice.
I don't want to end up paying over the odds for features I'll probably never use, or end up with the latest model, if one a few models back is probably going to be just as suitable.
TY 🙂
I’d probably go for an 8. Has all the features you need and is still supported with updates. If you want a better camera it may be worth looking at a newer model. Have you considered buying a refurbished or used handset and getting a sim deal?
Agreed, 8 is the sweetspot for a budget iPhone
For the new ones though I love my 12 mini, much better than the full size 11 I have for work
You'll be disappointed by a modern phones battery life compared to an old school phone. But everything else is night and day.
If your family all have iPhones, it's likely they'll have an old handset they could gift/sell you. The best thing about iPhones is Apple do tend to support older models for quite a while after they're not sold anymore.
But, if you just wanted a cheap decent smartphone with a really good battery then I'd recommend a Motorola G8 Power.
Not a expert but am a long term iPhone SE user, not ridiculously expensive & a very capable device. We’ll soon have you browsing STW on the go.
I always buy my phones outright, as their not the £1000 models & just run a Giffgaff pay as you go sim, but no doubt you’ll find a cheap monthly contract easily. The only extra’s I ‘need’ to buy are a case & a screen protector, apples own version are very good, but I’m happy with Amazon cheap & cheerful versions. Though you will need a lightning to headphone jack converter, to use headphones with it but that all of £9 for the official Apple one.. I’ve gone Bluetooth headphones instead. As the one weakness I find is the charging port, they get clogged with pocket fluff & I’ve found they can be damaged (after several years). This has meant I’ve also bought a £10 wireless charger, so I don’t need to plug it in
Got to be an SE I’d say. Internals of an 11 so plenty of life left in it. Waterproof, contactless charging etc.
Mrs_oab has SE, coming from an old model SE.
It.
Just.
Works.
Makes calls, sends texts and WhatsApp, takes very nice pictures, she watches and streams onto our tv some free TV or films. She's not too afraid of killing it as it's waterproof and in a case with screen protector (a must IME)
On ID mobile so lower cost than other networks.
Job jobbed.
SE bought outright and a cheap SIM only deal. Use a comparison site for the SIM and see what you can get - something like Smarty will probably be cheapest.
Ah yeah forgot about the SE, an 8 with newer internals. That’s the one you want
I’ve not read the whole thread but I’ve been been a non loyal iPhone user for years. I’ve swapped back to android a couple of times but keep coming back now.
My order of preference would be 12 mini>SE>11>8
The Pros are too expensive
I’ve got an 11 and it’s just too big, I’ve gotten used to it now, but I pick up my old 8 that I gave to my lad and it’s so much nicer in the hand. The one good thing is that the battery doesn’t need charging during the day.
Thats excellent, I'll see if i can get the No8 and no pro model.
I know about the charging, and a fair while back bought the microsoft model smart phone but couldnt get on with it and after a week gifted it to mum. The running out of power thing made it plain there so for this one I think i'll opt for a wireless charging dock, somewhere for it to live and keep it charged.
Cheers for the info, something to make a start on 🙂
I was forced from a blackberry to iPhone by work. I chose an 8 plusa couple of years ago. It’s a little big for a phone but it’s a great communication device. It rendered my iPad mini redundant. Just given it a bit of love with a new case. I don’t really see a need to upgrade. Son1 uses an 8 and other than battery life and portability, it’s the same.
Typing comes nowhere close to blackberry.
Edit. And as for waterproof. Mine bounced out of my pocket and into the canal basin two weeks ago. After failing with a net and stripping off, I’m typing this on it now. Hence the new case.
I recently upgraded from old SE to new SE as the old SE's battery was dying. It's great but... am surprised by how quickly the battery drains. It's only marginally better than a knackered old SE.
Normally I’d go for the SE, but the 8plus has the bigger battery.hmmmm
If you can wait another 10 days, apple might launch an updated SE. Who knows..
If you can buy the phone outright, get a sim only deal- my daughter bought hers second hand and pays 3.99 a month (1.99 initial 3 months) to Lebara for the sim. I bought a new SE outright and pay about £6 for more data than I use and unlimited texts and calls.
Edit: these are 30 day contracts so can cancel or change anytime
If you haven't had smartphones before you might not notice but I've just been given an SE by work and it's like stepping back to a time before my 2015 Samsung S7 Edge. Big bezels, middling camera and a murky screen. It might have the faster processor but everything else seems really backward. A 12 mini might be a better shout.
Do bear in mind that the next lot (iPhone 13 range) are likely to be released within a fortnight, so if considering a 12 then it's probably worth waiting a couple of weeks and then either getting a 13, or a better deal on a 12.
Went out with the Sister and my Nephew today, trawl around a few places EE, Vodafone, apple and settled on Tesco mobile, which was the best deal.
Admittedly I'm relying an sis and nephew, given they know all about phones,features user agreements and the like and settled on a Samsung 2020 Galaxy A12
All in all £14.99/month and the galaxy has a better camera than the iphone se, and is a tenner/month cheaper than the best iphone deal available. Nephew thinks this is a superb deal.He's 21 and knows these things having had several over the years, of both types.
Now just going through the YT reviews
.
So thanks everyone for their input, it best gave me an idea on what I'd need.
😀
Welcome to the current century. 😉