Purchasing a new phone or making use of a gifted one.

[Lzakrajsek]

I need the help of my community.  Good Morning Everyone.  I am currently using a ZTE flip phone that I have had for many years.  I am on a very fixed income due to disability so haven't really thought about spending money on a phone.  Lately though I have been concerned about this one dying on me and not having a phone which would be awful since I live alone in a basement apartment.  Recently my Dad passed away and left me his Huawei GR5.  It is already 4 years old and quite big and cumbersome.  My question is...Would it be worth me switching over to his old phone if it can be done or would I be better off trying to purchase a whole new phone.  If I was to have to purchase a whole new phone does anyone have any suggestions as to what makes or models would fit into a very limited budget and allow me to continue as a public mobile customer.  I miss the stores where you could just go in and purchase a new public mobile phone.  :(.  I don't mind switching to an android or iphone as an option but it can't be too expensive or too big.  Let me know what all of you think.  🙂

[Lzakrajsek]

Thank you so much to all that have jumped in here to help.  I now know which way I am going with this and couldn't have made the decision without you all.  🙂

[harshad]

You can use PM with a lot of phones however the question here is what sort of services you'd be using - if it is just talk and text, you have inexpensive flip phones available for as low as 60-80 (e.g. Alcatel) dollars. If you need data, you can buy phones as low as 80-100 dollars. I understand it is probably too big for you but you would also be able to use data (or, wifi-driven apps if you don't want to splurge on data add-ons or higher-priced plans. The aforementioned phone range is for new devices - if you choose to go for used or refurbished, you should be able to enjoy a lower cost. Good luck with the purchase, if you do! 

[AE_Collector]

I admit I didn’t thoroughly read all the replies. The impression I got is that you are worried your phone might quit leaving you without cell service. You now have your dads old phone available and aren’t sure if you should change to it or get a new phone.

In case you dont know, generally changing your service to a different phone is as easy as moving the SIM card from one to the other. Thus if you are  still happy with your current phone, I would try moving your SIM card to the other phone if possible and testing it out. If it works but you prefer your original phone, and assuming you havent decided you really want a NEW phone, move the SIM card back and continue using your phone knowing that you can quickly move service to the other phone if yours suddenly dies. If you lose your phone you need to get a new Public Mobile SIM card and go on line to transfer your service to the new SIM and put the SIM in your spare phone to get back into service.

This will give you the ability to get back in service quickly if anything happens to your phone and then you can look at the possibility of getting a new phone when (and if) it is really needed. Meanwhile do as I do, keep your ears open for someone getting the latest new phone and try to get in line for their hand me down phone!

AE_Collector

[dude65]

So what is the maxium you could spend on on a new phone? You should be able to use your fathers phone, but it may need to be unlocked if it was not n with PM  or theTelus family. The other issue is that since its a few years old, it may haave have issues that your unaware, like battery  issues.  Walmart  sells inexpense phones, maybe check them out.

[Anonymous]

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@Lzakrajsek wrote:

@Naepalm How do I get a sim card from public mobile that fits this phone.  There are two slots that will take a sim card.  The one that is in there is from fido and is much smaller than the one in my ZTE

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Since he hasn't answered yet...(etiquette??...time?? )...your SIM might be the tri-punch kind. It comes in 3 sizes. You very carefully snap out the smaller piece from the larger piece. But it could also be the older non-punch-out kind. See if you can make out very slight edges that indicate the part that can be snapped out. Some have mentioned that they cut out the smaller size. That seems a little risky to me but hey some people have risk tolerances.

[Lzakrajsek]

@Naepalm How do I get a sim card from public mobile that fits this phone.  There are two slots that will take a sim card.  The one that is in there is from fido and is much smaller than the one in my ZTE

[oglat]

@Lzakrajsek 

4 years sounds pretty new to me

Why don't you move your son over and test it out for couple of days.

You may find that you hate it or like it

Why spend extra penny if you are on tight budget

[gblackma · Accepted solution]

@Lzakrajsek https://www.cellphones.ca/cell-phones/p/best-flip-phones-10095/ heres a link to the best rated flip phones of 2020. The first one has 4glte capability. Stay safe. 

[Naepalm]

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@Lzakrajsek wrote:

I need the help of my community.  Good Morning Everyone.  I am currently using a ZTE flip phone that I have had for many years.  I am on a very fixed income due to disability so haven't really thought about spending money on a phone.  Lately though I have been concerned about this one dying on me and not having a phone which would be awful since I live alone in a basement apartment.  Recently my Dad passed away and left me his Huawei GR5.  It is already 4 years old and quite big and cumbersome.  My question is...Would it be worth me switching over to his old phone if it can be done or would I be better off trying to purchase a whole new phone.  If I was to have to purchase a whole new phone does anyone have any suggestions as to what makes or models would fit into a very limited budget and allow me to continue as a public mobile customer.  I miss the stores where you could just go in and purchase a new public mobile phone.  :(.  I don't mind switching to an android or iphone as an option but it can't be too expensive or too big.  Let me know what all of you think.  🙂

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I think you definitely have a couple of options. You could order a SIM from Public to get started. See how you can unlock your Dad's phone. Once it is unlocked because it was made before 2017 it will be locked to some carrier.  Once it is unlocked use the Public SIM in it and see if you like it or not. 

If you don't you have lots of options. You can purchase a phone on Amazon for under a couple of hundred dollars. You could go to a Staples or Bestbuy and look at a phone to see what you like. You can visit any brand website, Samsung, Apple, LG and purchase it online. 

If I was you I would look through reviews of phones similar to the one you already like and see what is similar in design and feel. 

Here is a good website for phone similar to the one you have:

https://bestreviews.com/best-flip-phones

[gblackma]

@Lzakrajsek the F2 and the F1 that I have 6.5 inch screens. Which makes them bigger than the 5.5 inch one you have now. You could load your libary card on there and read books etc. 

[Anonymous]

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@Lzakrajsek wrote:

@gblackma   The phone itself is huge!!!!  It is like carrying around an ipad.  lol.  

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5.5" is almost standard nowadays 🙂

It depends on your needs or wants. If all you use a phone for is talk then the little ol' flip phone would be fine. If you also text then the flip phone is crappy for typing. If you also use it for mobile browsing, searching, maps then you would want the larger phone.

My S7 now is small-ish at 5.1". I use my phone much more as a mobile hand-held computer.

If you're out west then I think London Drugs has inexpensive RCA brand phones.

[kelvarnsen]

There are some really cheap Umidigi models on Amazon. The nice thing is they have the standard version of Android and a crazy amount of features. The A3X is $119. I have an F1 which is about $250 and works amazing.

[Lzakrajsek]

@gblackma   The phone itself is huge!!!!  It is like carrying around an ipad.  lol.  

[gblackma]

@Lzakrajsek the Huawei GR5 will work with PM.  https://www.gsmarena.com/honor_5x-7590.php amd if its the Canadian or American model. You will also have 4g LTE data comnection. Is the problem the SIM size? If you have a triple punch sim in your current phone, you can punch it down.

Or keep your SIM in your zte flip and charge and turn the Huawei phone on. Add the TextNow voip app and use it via Wifi to make / receive / send calls and texts in Canada and to the United States for free.  That way you have both a cell and an emergency phone. You can also look into the phone mentioned by @Anonymous . Stay safe. 

[Triguy]

Umidigi F2 from AliExpress.  Some people recommend this as an inexpensive phone.

Bestbuy has a ZTE flip phone under $100.

https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/product/zte-z223-unlocked-flip-phone-with-camera-by-zte/13331701

[Anonymous]

 @Lzakrajsek 

Alcatel make some pretty inexpensive phones. I had tried out one that was something like $80 at Staples. They also make flip phones. If you do texting then typing on them is onerous.

Depending on your dexterity, I would try out using that Huawei phone you got and see if it can fit in your life. These modern smartphones have full qwerty "keyboards" so it's much easier to type.