We break down phone insurance options from manufacturers. The program also does not cover theft or loss. Create a new thread in the Cell Phone General Discussion forum about this subject.
Looking for a new phone? Our smartphone buying guide shows you the best options. We get it - - it can be a challenge, especially with superb choices such as the Samsung Galaxy S6 and i. Phone 6. S Plus. But depending on your price range and what's available where you live, the new phone you should be getting may not be a flagship - - it could turn out to be the Nokia Lumia 6. Motorola Moto Gs.
Your perfect phone? Like a needle in a haystack. Sit tight as we lay out what you need to know to find the best new device for you. Don't be a cheapskate Contract or no contract, chances are high that once you commit to a new phone, you'll hang onto it for a while. Therefore, buy the best device you can afford. You'll need the camera quality and processor to last you as long as possible until your next upgrade. The battery, too, becomes less efficient at holding a charge as your phone ages, so you'll want to choose one with a high capacity.
Know which phone features you want If you understand exactly which features and capabilities you'd like to see in your new phone, it'll help you avoid paying too much for those you don't want or need. Some, like the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+, have it all - - including a large, curved screen with its own user interface controls. Yet if you'll never use the new UI, you'll be overspending for a pricey novelty device. Find the right design Buying a cell phone means entering into a deeply personal relationship with a highly portable physical object. That's why you should think hard about how it's designed, since you and it will be spending plenty of quality time together. Make sure you're comfortable with the way it looks and - - this is important - - feels in your hand, and make sure that your phone- to- be reflects your personal sense of style.
Our team of experts has compared the best cell phone monitoring Software for 2016. See up-to-date comparisons, reviews & costs for the top rated programs. Compare cell phone plans with Wirefly to find the best cell phone plan for you. Wirefly compares thousands of wireless plan combinations and sorts them for you! Research cell phones, tablets and plans in Canada. Get side-by-side comparisons, read reviews and catch up on the latest news. Compare plans from each of the free government cell phone carriers in one place. Make an informed decision on which carrier you will get your free government. Compare LG phones at Wirefly. LG cell phones, smartphones, and cell phone plans that work with phones from LG. All Departments Auto & Tires Baby Beauty Books Cell Phones Clothing Electronics Food. Electronics Trade-In Program. Shop no-contract carriers. No-contract phone plans from Walmart make it. See up-to-date product comparison of the best cell phone spy software on the market. Reviews are completed with expert insights, test results and ratings.
This is as true for sleek metal handsets and simple flip phones as it is for rubber- plated rugged handsets. A thick, rugged handset like the Kyocera Dura. XV won't do you any good if you don't enjoy toting it around. These devices typically have the most power, and top- notch components: the fastest processors and Wi- Fi; the highest image resolution and memory capacity and the most pixel- rich screens.
By definition, they run true mobile operating systems; think Apple i. OS and Google Android, but also Microsoft Windows 1. Mobile and (to a much lesser extent) Black. Berry 1. 0. They also support downloadable applications through virtual storefronts that are tied to their associated software platforms, like the Google Play store. Because of all their capabilities, smartphones are usually the most expensive phones on the market.
Messaging or feature phones One step below smartphones, feature phones strive to offer many of the same capabilities as smartphones. Instead of popular mobile operating systems, these gadgets run proprietary software crafted by their manufacturers, such as Samsung, LG or Kyocera. Many feature phones are made primarily for text messaging and email, though you won't be required to buy a data plan. Several of these designs sport full QWERTY physical keyboards.
With a raft of cheap, available Android and Windows devices, feature handsets are fewer and farther between. Basic phones There are plenty of people who have no interest in viewing full desktop- quality Web pages or running apps on a mobile device. Simply put, they just want a new phone for making calls, and that's it. Basic handsets are uncomplicated and use traditional simple keypads. They typically come in clamshell designs that flip open, or in tall, narrow candy bar form.
They're usually lighter and smaller than feature phones and smartphones. The Black. Berry Priv is a rare modern device to have both a classic (slide- out) QWERTY keyboard and a smartphone OS. A 5- inch screen (measured diagonally) used to be considered massive, but on today's sliding scale, that's about the middle of the pack. Even Apple has gotten into the . A 6. 8- inch device is the largest we've seen (on the Huawei P8 Max), but most people consider the 6- inch Google Nexus 6 and Nokia Lumia 1. You can find both budget and high- end handsets at the top of the sizing scale, like the 5.
LG G Vista and Samsung Galaxy Note 5, respectively. Medium screens (5. Phones in this middle category range from midtier to the most premium.
They tend to measure exactly 5 inches or just a skosh larger, like Samsung's Galaxy S6 family at 5. Motorola Moto G at 5. One benefit: phone owners can grip with one hand while their thumbs comfortably reach all portions of the display.
Small screens (4. Thanks to the increasing number of gargantuan smartphones hitting store shelves, compact cell phones are a shrinking segment of the mobile handset market.
That said, some people still place portability highest on their list of phone features. Unfortunately, options are slim. Most phones in this size category are entry- level smartphones or feature phones with low screen resolutions, like the 4.
Motorola Moto E 4. G LTE. But once in a while there are gems, like the Alcatel One. Touch Idol 3, which sports a 4. It provides the computing power to churn through various tasks, like opening and running applications.
A fast processor also has a big impact on overall performance, such as how smoothly a phone handles flipping through menus and running home screens. These days a chip's architecture, specifically how many computing cores it has, is becoming a more reliable predictor.
Another factor is that older processors tend to use less efficient designs, making them worse performers while being harder on batteries than their newer counterparts. We talk more about processors below. Camera A phone's camera quality depends on a whole host of variables. More megapixels will always sound better on a fact sheet, but we know some good 1. The sensor itself might also offer a lower pixel count, but be more sensitive to illumination, resulting in better performance in low- light conditions. The end result is nimble shot- to- shot times with minimal shutter lag.
Apple's i. Sight camera improves year after year, with optical image stabilization being introduced to the i. Phone line with 2. Plus. The Galaxy Note 5 and the i. Phone 6. S Plus are two that include the physical component for steadier, clearer photos. In addition to seeing higher- resolution topside cameras, vendors are also concentrating on more software dedicated to the art of selfies. The Sony Xperia C4 and Motorola Moto X Pure Edition (or X Style as it's known outside the US) even come with a flash. Read: Best smartphones for selfies.
Battery If your cell phone battery conks out, all the snazzy features in the world won't be able to help you. Manufacturers have begun to recognize the critical importance of battery life and are squeezing greater- capacity batteries into their phones. Typical phone batteries start in the neighborhood of 1,7. Ah and can go all the way up to 4,0. Ah, like the Huawei Ascend Mate 7. Still, it requires a lot of time and math to puzzle out exactly which operator offers you the best deal.
It's worth the time. In the US, there are four major carriers that offer devices with and without a contract. You'll want a carrier with decent coverage in your home and at work, and all the places in between. For more about carriers and networks, see the next section.
Perhaps you won't even leave your home neighborhood much, or conversely, you plan on doing plenty of international trips. With your wireless usage in mind, settle on a carrier that offers broad coverage. Alternatively, you may be satisfied with a regional carrier that covers a limited area. Feature deeper dives Want to know more about some of the features mentioned above? Read on for a deeper analysis. Mobile networks and 4. G data The wireless network technology at the backbone of your smartphone is a veritable alphabet soup of acronyms and industry buzzwords, and you could spend an eternity studying how cellular infrastructure is built and works.
Here's a basic overview of what you need to know. CDMA CDMA stands for .
This standard is found mostly in America and to some extent in Asian countries such as Japan and Korea. For example, major US carriers that use wireless networks based on CDMA are Verizon and Sprint. GSM GSM, aka the Global System for Mobile Communications, first referred to in French as Groupe Special Mobile, is a standard created for use in the UK and the rest of Europe. GSM then spread to other corners of the world, with carriers operating GSM networks across Asia, the Middle East and Africa. It's the most widespread of the cellular standards. The two technologies are incompatible, so phones strictly locked to CDMA networks won't work in GSM areas, and vice versa. However, the Moto X Pure Edition is unique in that it's equipped with radios that support either standard, so it's cross- compatible with both CDMA and GSM carriers.
Some mobile carriers default to local Wi- Fi networks to make and receive calls. This may sound pretty fast, but in practice the protocol delivers data speeds just marginally faster than 3. G, and average download speeds of approximately 3 to 5.
Mbps. This causes us to think of it as really a 3. G wireless solution.
G and LTE LTE, or Long Term Evolution, is the current generation of faster data connectivity for both GSM and CDMA technologies. Often referred to as 4. G or 4. G LTE, it's the speediest data throughput you can get right now. LTE Advanced, a step beyond LTE (but still part of the same family) gives data speeds still another boost, and is rolling out in bits and pieces. VOLTE, which stands for Voice Over LTE, relays voice service over data channels, allowing you to surf and speak at the same time even if you have a CDMA phone.