Phones for Public Mobile

[jblack86]

Looking for a cheap phone for under $100. I don't download a lot of apps, just whats app and tinder really. May use youtube occasionally, I barely talk on the phone, just text on whatsapp. Let me know!

Thank You

[srlawren]

@Zimbu agreed.

Though, as predicted, the carriers are starting to make up for this and removal of termination fees by adding in activation fees.  Gotta love our "competitive" triopoly, eh??

[Zimbu]

Makes sense. Point is you're still not "stuck with a carrier locked phone" any more. 🙂

[srlawren]

@Zimbu there is a provision for carriers selling off older stock of phones that were ordered into inventory before the Dec 2017 change.  So technically they can still sell you an older-stock locked phone but must provide an unlock code for free when requested.  Many providers were including the code with new such phone purchases by or even before Dec 1 to comply, and others provide the code either online or via calling customer service.  

[Zimbu]

From the very page you linked:

"Unlocked cellphones

Mobile devices unlocked free of charge, upon request, and all newly purchased devices unlocked."

[Korth]

@Zimbu

Not quite.  New devices purchased through the carrier can be locked but unlock must be provided on request (at point of purchase or anytime afterwards).  Subsidized devices are not fully "owned" by the end-user - and the carrier is not legally obligated to unlock them - until they have fully been paid off.

https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/phone/mobile/code.htm

[Zimbu]

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@Korth wrote:

Another option - unavailable at PM, lol - is to buy a subsidized new phone through your carrier, some kind of contract or "Tab" which offsets the phone cost across a longer term.  You'll probably get stuck with a carrier-locked device (which can be unlocked for free after it's fully paid off), 

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Actually, as of December 1st, 2017, all new devices sold by any wireless provider in Canada must be sold unlocked. Furthermore, any existing locked devices must be unlocked by your provider upon request at no additional charge, whether or not they have been "paid off."  If you still owe a balance on your phone, the carrier will usually charge you the balance owing on the phone if you leave before your original payment term is up, but it does not need to be paid off to get it unlocked.

If you or someone you know has an older phone that is carrier locked and is still on an active plan, getting it unlocked before they upgrade is a great way to get a hand-me-down, or to bring an existing phone with you to Public Mobile if you're switching providers.

[srlawren]

@jblack86 the brand "Blu" make a number of phones that can be purchased for under $100 Canadian (price before any tax or shipping of course) from Amazon.ca, such as:

- Blu Studio X8 HD for $65 sorry this is GSM only and won't work

- Blu Advance 5.2 for $80 (temp out of stock though)

- Blu Advance A4 for $54.99

- Blu Advance 5.0 Pro for $85

- Blu Vivo 5 Mini for $88

and a few just over budget:

- Blu Advance A6 for $105

- Blu Advance A5 LTE for $116

They have some more expensive units as well.  I got my uncle a Blu Life One X3 this past Christmas and it's perfect for his (simple) needs.  Replaced a Life One X 2016 (basically X1) that he'd had a couple of years but shattered the screen on by dropping on concrete.  However, the X3 goes for $200 so basically double your budget, and probably not an option.  Great phone for the price though, if anyone is looking!

[jblack86]

The phone I want is cheaper, and since I lost it I consider it bad luck.

[mpcdesign]

so, am confused @jblack86? Why not get the same phone then?

[jblack86]

My last phone was 120 and worked just fine with Public (LG K4). No complaints at all.

[Korth]

The competition is fierce and the market is saturated so I agree that (outside of brand bling) you'll get exactly what you pay for and a ~$100 phone will bring you more tradeoffs, problems, and regrets than it's worth.  I understand that not everybody needs a supercomputer in their pocket but $100 is just too low end and junky, $200 is more reasonable.

I use a Moto G5 Plus, maybe not comparable to a $$$$ "premium" device like iPhone X or Galaxy S9, but still an excellent phone which exceeds expectations, I highly recommend it to you (as many people in the PM Community highly recommended it to me).  I paid $275 for it, but a new one might cost <$200 now that the Moto G6 is out.

Another option - unavailable at PM, lol - is to buy a subsidized new phone through your carrier, some kind of contract or "Tab" which offsets the phone cost across a longer term.  You'll probably get stuck with a carrier-locked device (which can be unlocked for free after it's fully paid off), and it might come with a bunch of crippled hardware or software bloat, but on the plus side it'll give you access to a good device on a tight budget right now and it'll be preconfigured to work perfectly before you leave the store.

[sheytoon]

Try the Moto G5. It should be cheaper now that G6 is coming.

[will13am]

Good luck finding a usable point for $100.  It is not about how light the needs are, there's just nothing satisfactory at that price.  You could give this phone some consideration, it's cheap but well above the unrealistic price point.  I have seen this phone go on sale from time to time for a little less.

http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=30_415&item_id=099686

[mpcdesign]

@jblack86, it was still thinking about this...how about a BlackBerry?! It was advertised for $86 on Amazon Canada!

[mpcdesign]

I would stay away from the Samsung J3, my sister has it, she paid $100 brand new, and now she hates it as it so slow, that it would be better for her 10-year kid to use!

You pay what you get. So, a $100 phone may not have all the features you want, or the phone may be slow, so think about it and do your reviews.

Another option is to go to the Amazon website. I had bought my dad an Asus Zenfone. He seems quite happy with it, and it was on sale for about $219. I also can a Asus Zenfone, but my model was $400.  I wouldn't buy a used phone either, especially an iPhone because if the iCloud is locked, you basically have a paperweight of a phone. Plus, one wouldn't know if it was stolen or the real mcCoy too! A lot of fakes ones out there.

Here is a link to the unlocked phones from BestBuy Canada:
https://goo.gl/u4c1z2

[Korth]

Just head over to your local Walmart or Staples and buy whatever they offer which fits your budget and expectations.

Your big choices are Apple iPhone or Android smartphone - and you can't buy any sort of new Apple device for $100, so you're probably looking at Android.  I'd advise making sure it runs one of the more recent Android OS versions (5.x/Lollipop, 6.x/Marshmallow, 7.x/Nougat, 8.x/Oreo) for greatest software compatibility with existing and upcoming apps.  Make sure it uses some kind of standard (USB) interface for charging/sync to free yourself from being anchored to weird proprietary chargers, adapters, and connectors.  And (especially if it's a thin and flimsy-looking thing with a big glass surface) I advise paying a little extra to get some kind of protective case for it.

[NDesai]

@jblack86 See some recommendation here: https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Phones-Hardware/Looking-for-a-brand-new-unlocked-devi...