topic Re: What phone should I get when going with Public Mobile in Get Support

What phone should I get when going with Public Mobile

Pirarius — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 13:03:55 GMT

Hi!

My GF is currently with Koodo and will be buying a new phone. She wants to go with Public Mobile with this new phone. From what I understand, she just needs to buy an unlocked phone (on Ebay, or Best Buy, or something like that) get the SIM card from Public Mobile, stick it in and it will work. But she really doesn't know what phone to get. So I would like some precise and concise suggestions, considering her needs:

- Android.

- Will work for sure with Public Mobile.

- Not too pricey (let's say around 400$ CAD or less).

- Not too big (fits in the pocket and in the palm of the hand).

- Works fast enough for smooth use of Web, mails, music, videos (no gaming).

- Has a good camera.

- Has very limited bloatware.

- Is easy to use.

- Is reasonnably sturdy.

- From a reliable brand.

- Recent (2019).

I don't know much about cell phones (don't have one, don't want one), so I don't need a complicated answer with technical details. Just specific phones you think would be good for her, and why you think it fits in these criterias.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Re: What phone should I get when going with Public Mobile

totalUser — Thu, 21 Nov 2019 03:32:19 GMT

should have 3g utma frequencies 850 and 1900 to talk and text

Re: What phone should I get when going with Public Mobile

cellphoneuser1 — Thu, 21 Nov 2019 03:44:52 GMT

@Pirarius Moto G models are good for the money.

Re: What phone should I get when going with Public Mobile

Dunkman — Thu, 21 Nov 2019 04:19:37 GMT

@Pirarius

I am more an iphone user, but several users on the community forum have bought android phones from Amazon.

Some of the Umidigi, entry level Samsungs and Huawei are decent entry level android phones. Range from 150-400 dollars.

Re: What phone should I get when going with Public Mobile

geopublic — Thu, 21 Nov 2019 04:21:51 GMT

@Pirarius

Moto G7

Nokia 6.2

Pixel 3A

Costco also is selling a Moto one action for ~300.

Re: What phone should I get when going with Public Mobile

popping — Thu, 21 Nov 2019 04:49:22 GMT

@Pirarius

PM uses Telus network any phone which supports these frequencies will work.

Re: What phone should I get when going with Public Mobile

popping — Thu, 21 Nov 2019 05:13:32 GMT

UMIDIGI A5 Pro is an inexpensive phone and will work with PM.

Re: What phone should I get when going with Public Mobile

sheytoon — Thu, 21 Nov 2019 11:39:40 GMT

I would also suggest Moto G7 or Google Pixel 3a.

Re: What phone should I get when going with Public Mobile

srlawren — Thu, 21 Nov 2019 16:31:29 GMT

@sheytoon wrote:
I would also suggest Moto G7 or Google Pixel 3a.

@sheytoon 3a is $399....USD. It sells for $549 CAD from Google, which exceeds @Pirarius 's stated "under $400" budget requirement. Great phone though.

Moto G7 is probably a better fit with the budget. If she doesn't mind going a little larger physically, the G7 Power has amazing battery life, but otherwise the regular G7 would work. Other than the "good camera", it ticks all the boxes. Well, I guess it's a "good enough" camera, but not a great one. You'd have to exceed the $400 budget to get a very good/great camera.

Re: What phone should I get when going with Public Mobile

Pirarius — Thu, 21 Nov 2019 17:52:36 GMT

Thank you all for the fast and very relevant answers. This is very helpful!

Re: What phone should I get when going with Public Mobile

AE_Collector — Thu, 21 Nov 2019 18:06:17 GMT

And one more point...a new phone obviously isn't a requirement with moving to public mobile. If it works on Koodo it will work on Public Mobile.

Yes get Phone, get PM SIM card, create account online, port existing number in online.

AE_Collector

Re: What phone should I get when going with Public Mobile

Pirarius — Thu, 21 Nov 2019 19:25:42 GMT

@AE_Collector wrote:
And one more point...a new phone obviously isn't a requirement with moving to public mobile. If it works on Koodo it will work on Public Mobile.

Yes get Phone, get PM SIM card, create account online, port existing number in online.

AE_Collector

The old phone works very poorly and that is why she was thinking of changing it. But maybe we could try the procedure of switching to PM with the old phone and if all goes well, buy a new one and switch the SIM card afterwards. Or is it complicated to change from one phone to another once the account is linked to the phone?

Re: What phone should I get when going with Public Mobile

AE_Collector — Thu, 21 Nov 2019 19:28:27 GMT

You got it correct, just move the PM SIM card and your done.

i assume you don't have a tab at Koodo to put towards a new phone before leaving.

AE_Collector

Re: What phone should I get when going with Public Mobile

AE_Collector — Thu, 21 Nov 2019 19:30:23 GMT

You are following the current PM promotion that ends today and aren't concerned about grabbing it before it is too late? There will be more promos. This one is a bit better than some if you want a $35 or higher PM plan.

AE_Collector

Re: What phone should I get when going with Public Mobile

Pirarius — Thu, 21 Nov 2019 19:45:00 GMT

@AE_Collector wrote:
You got it correct, just move the PM SIM card and your done.

i assume you don't have a tab at Koodo to put towards a new phone before leaving.

You are following the current PM promotion that ends today and aren't concerned about grabbing it before it is too late? There will be more promos. This one is a bit better than some if you want a $35 or higher PM plan.

AE_Collector

No tab at Koodo.

I didn't notice the current promotion. We are looking at the 15$ plan for now.

Re: What phone should I get when going with Public Mobile

THEnewfie — Thu, 21 Nov 2019 20:05:10 GMT

Even tho it's solved, I cannot help but toss in my 2 cents lol. Id suggest something from the Samsung "A" series if you want a top tier name. A50 is 300ish new on eBay. It's got most of the usual Samsung features that you see on flagships. An even better value for money is the Motorola "G" series of phones. Both of those suggestions will have okay cameras.. not good ones. For the best camera at the price that's also rockin a good name.. that's the pixel 3a imo. But that's getting up at the top end of the budget..maybe even a lil above. It'll also run the smoothest for the longest and will have the easiest use out of all the choices I spoke of.

I'd also say you should most definitely give the switch a try with the current phone and start saving some $$ asap lol. If you're smart enough to create this community profile and post, you'll have no troubles setting up your PM account 👌 it's pretty painless I gotta say. IMO, much better than dealing with "people" lol.

Re: What phone should I get when going with Public Mobile

Pirarius — Thu, 21 Nov 2019 20:12:45 GMT

That's great. Some models are consistently recommended by many, and that helps me a lot in the decision. Thanks again to all!

Re: What phone should I get when going with Public Mobile

mrphone — Thu, 21 Nov 2019 20:51:21 GMT

https://www.amazon.ca/Motorola-XT1955-2-Unlocked-Smartphone-International/dp/B07QC3FF3Q/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=moto+g7+power&qid=1574369427&sr=8-3

Moto G7 Power is a good price right now. I have just an E3 and it's plenty of phone for me (web surfing, twitter, maps, youtube)

Re: What phone should I get when going with Public Mobile

Pirarius — Thu, 21 Nov 2019 22:47:10 GMT

@mrphone wrote:
https://www.amazon.ca/Motorola-XT1955-2-Unlocked-Smartphone-International/dp/B07QC3FF3Q/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=moto+g7+power&qid=1574369427&sr=8-3

Moto G7 Power is a good price right now. I have just an E3 and it's plenty of phone for me (web surfing, twitter, maps, youtube)

Thanks for the link. This model says it's the international version. Will it still work on the PM network?

Re: What phone should I get when going with Public Mobile

srlawren — Fri, 22 Nov 2019 00:00:51 GMT

@Pirarius wrote:
@mrphone wrote:
https://www.amazon.ca/Motorola-XT1955-2-Unlocked-Smartphone-International/dp/B07QC3FF3Q/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=moto+g7+power&qid=1574369427&sr=8-3

Moto G7 Power is a good price right now. I have just an E3 and it's plenty of phone for me (web surfing, twitter, maps, youtube)
Thanks for the link. This model says it's the international version. Will it still work on the PM network?

@Pirarius the relevant specs listed in the Amazon listing are:

3G UMTS 850/900/1700/1900/2100 - 4G LTE Cat7 (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 12, 17, 28, 66)

If this is accurate, this phone is a great choice. The two bold & italicized 3G bands are the only two absolutely required. The bold italicized LTE band is the "main" band used by the Telus & Bell network (which PM runs on), while the remaining bold bands are also helpful for additional coverage in certain areas. This phone is a good choice for compatibility.

EDIT: some potential downsides that may or may not be important to you:

- low resolution 720p display and a fairly large screen means not a sharp display

- no NFC radio means no Google Pay, no tap-to-pair with Bluetooth accessories, etc

- Bluetooth is older version 4.2 which is not ideal particularly for use with newer truely wireless buds that use 5.0 for independent connections to the phone per ear (rather than daisy chaining); lack of higer-res/lower-latency Bluetooth codecs like aptX, aptX HD, LDAC, AAC means you won't get the most out of nicer headphones that feature one of these

- Camera probably is less than stunning--check out some reviews to be sure if this is important to you

- plastic body may not feel or look great--though is likely more durable than glass-backed phones

- relatively slow processor

Main upsdies:

- price

- AMAZING battery life. (https://www.gsmarena.com/motorola_moto_g7_power-review-1889p3.php)