Best cheapest smartphone?

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dioxholster

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what is the best cheap smartphone right now? I'm looking for something cheap but reliable and all, something decent. i dont know anything about mobiles and i barely know how to use them, dont know whats out there so thats why im asking.
 
Who's your carrier? I don't know much about what ATT/Sprint/Tmobile offer though, so my advice is pretty limited.

As far as Verizon, it depends if you have an account. If you're a new customer, I've seen the Droid Incredible for free with contract on Amazon.com (also seen Droid X for $20-$40).

If you order online, the Incredible from verizonwireless.com is $50 with 2 year contract. That's the cheapest good Verizon phone I've seen dorectly from the carrier except when the Pre was free.
 
beware though most smart phones require a nice little addon called a data plan......
 
If you don't already have a contract with a carrier, and want something that is cheap all-around but gets somewhat decent reviews; i'd recommend the Virgin Mobile LG Optimus V. It's a pretty decent midrange Android phone, and the best part is the pricing (no contract, VM is prepaid).

$25/month for unlimited data and messaging; 300 voice minutes
$40/month for unlimited data and messaging; 1200 voice minutes
$60/month for unlimited EVERYTHING

http://www.virginmobileusa.com/cell-phones/lg-optimus-v-phone.jsp

EDIT: Virgin Mobile uses Sprint's network, so if you go this route make sure Sprint has good coverage in your area.
 
dioxholster said:
what is the best cheap smartphone right now? I'm looking for something cheap but reliable and all, something decent. i dont know anything about mobiles and i barely know how to use them, dont know whats out there so thats why im asking.
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if this is the case why exactly do you need a smartphone? Just wondering.. Personally I do know how to use a cellphone but still don't see a need for a smartphone. Add up $100 plan x 24 months and it's not so cheaper no matter which you get.
 
well I bought HTC aria on ebay new for $250, which at that time was the cheapest smartphone. AT&T noticed that I have a smartphone and added data plan to my contract. I complained to FCC and asked AT&T to drop data plan and disable data for my account and now all is well - I have a cheap smart phone and no data plan.

For those wondering why one might need a smartphone and no data - I use it for FM radio, Jfit app for gym, play chess in subway and I get wifi connection at home and work.
 
coolie_d said:
If you don't already have a contract with a carrier, and want something that is cheap all-around but gets somewhat decent reviews; i'd recommend the Virgin Mobile LG Optimus V. It's a pretty decent midrange Android phone, and the best part is the pricing (no contract, VM is prepaid).

$25/month for unlimited data and messaging; 300 voice minutes
$40/month for unlimited data and messaging; 1200 voice minutes
$60/month for unlimited EVERYTHING

http://www.virginmobileusa.com/cell-phones/lg-optimus-v-phone.jsp

EDIT: Virgin Mobile uses Sprint's network, so if you go this route make sure Sprint has good coverage in your area.
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That is a reasonable deal...
 
I bought the optimus v today and I love it. For the price you cannot beat it, $150 upfront for the phone sucks but the $25 a month plan more then makes up the difference. This is my first android phone and even tho it is a cheap in tech terms phone it runs very good

So far I have no complaints about it at all and the price per month is awesome
 
The thing with the contract is its cheaper upfront but in the long run you pay alot
 
It all depends on what you want to pay each month. I can't justify spending $70 or more a month on a cell phone bill. This optimus v does everything I need it to and its damn cheap each month plus sprints coverage in my area is superb.
 
Bman123 said:
I bought the optimus v today and I love it. For the price you cannot beat it, $150 upfront for the phone sucks but the $25 a month plan more then makes up the difference. This is my first android phone and even tho it is a cheap in tech terms phone it runs very good

So far I have no complaints about it at all and the price per month is awesome
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put a cm7 rom on the phone for better performance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33EfMMzA6kA
 
iPhone 3gs $49.99 on AT&T with a 2 year contract and a monthly bill higher than the cost of the phone.

The LG Optimus V on Virgin is a great deal as others have said.
 
Bman123 said:
It all depends on what you want to pay each month. I can't justify spending $70 or more a month on a cell phone bill. This optimus v does everything I need it to and its damn cheap each month plus sprints coverage in my area is superb.
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Yeah you definitely made the right purchase. Being able to get a fast(ish) Android phone for $25/month with unlimited text and data is an amazing deal. Heck even if people just root the phones and use them as access points you can easily get more than $25/month of use out of them :D

I tried to get my sister to buy a couple Optimus Vs for her family when they came out. The other day she showed up with 2 new iPhone 3GS phones from AT&T because "the phones were cheaper" :rolleyes: Her bill is going to be around $125 a month (700 FamilyTalk + 2x 200MB data plans + fees/insurance) and doesn't even include texting so its $0.20 per text. She changed her voice mail to a message asking people to leave messages and not text her. I was like "Really? REALLY?!? You were trying to be cheap so you signed up for paying $125/month for the next 2 years? Seriously?!?"
 
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I don't have a e-peen problem, a evo 4g will do the same thing as my optimus v and it costs 3x as much per month. I'm fine with saving money, the thought of it makes me happy. The evo is too damn big, it feels like I'm holding a block not a phone..
 
what about straight talk ? its $45 unlimited everthing, its GSM. you can use an unlocked iphone.
 
Careful with Straight Talk, in some parts of our country its CDMA from Verizon and the other part is GSM with ATT. Virgin Mobile is nice but compared to my contract service with Sprint, it lacks speed and reliability. Check out Walmart Family Mobile its a great no contract, no credit check post paid service. For the best result got with a contract.


PS. Love my Evo, can't wait for its successor.
 
rocketr2 said:
what about straight talk ? its $45 unlimited everthing, its GSM. you can use an unlocked iphone.
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Have you tried pulling the sim out and using it in a different phone? AFAIK, only the higher Nokia models are GSM...the others all appear to be CDMA.
 
Loctus said:
well I bought HTC aria on ebay new for $250, which at that time was the cheapest smartphone. AT&T noticed that I have a smartphone and added data plan to my contract. I complained to FCC and asked AT&T to drop data plan and disable data for my account and now all is well - I have a cheap smart phone and no data plan.

For those wondering why one might need a smartphone and no data - I use it for FM radio, Jfit app for gym, play chess in subway and I get wifi connection at home and work.
Click to expand...

I love my Aria, it's a very nice little phone with a nice little developement community backing it up. Unfortunately I dropped it and shattered the screen. The glass is very thin, I'm probably going to sell it cheap to somebody who needs spare parts.
 
Just pulling the sim card out won't work for Straight Talk, the sims are locked to the phones. That's how most pre-paids are.
 
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