Best phone for Verizon or Sprint.

[elkinm]

It is that time for me where I can choose a new contract. Unfortunately Sprint and Verizon are my only options.

My most important category is battery life, mostly standby time. I would like a phone that can last at least 1 week on one charge, with maybe 2 hours of talk time during that week. I don't text or do anything but talk on my phone so that is not is a concern.

The second category is reception since I do want to be able to use my phone reliably where ever I go.

From Verizon, my top choice so far is the LG EnV2 which has the best battery live of all listed phones with over 21 days standby time. I don't believe it, I just hope for 7 days with only some regular talking.

On the Samsung side the best phone may be the Samsung Rant. Samsung does not give standby times, but I have seen good review for it especially the battery.

I have Spring now with a Sanyo MM-8300, as well as some Motorola and Sprint flip phones, all of which can last 3-5 days, however the call quality is horrible and drops are constant.

Any other options are welcome, just as long as battery life is top notch.

Thanks
elkinm

 

[shortylickens]

I had an Env2. Trust me, it dont got 21 days of standby.
Having said that, for a multimedia phone the battery is actually pretty darn good.
Also, I found a 22 dollar docking station online that will charge the phone and a spare battery at the same time.
You can get a super hi-capacity battery for about 30 bucks.
I still havent done a review on it yet, but I gave it a good score all around. The only reason I got rid of it was to move to the LG Voyager, which is the same thing only bigger and better.


BUT.......
All this is moot. When you say you only care about battery life & reception, my recommendation will always be a Nokia in the 1000 or 2000 series.

My suggestion is actually T-mobile, since they have a much better selection of Nokias, especially low end models.
But if it has to be Verizon, the only one I see on their site is the 2605 Mirage.
http://www.verizonwireless.com...l&selectedPhoneId=4387
http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?p=1440

If its Sprint: No Nokias. I guess the Sanyo S1 would be alright. It got high marks for battery life.
Be careful with Sprint. You may be temped to get a rugged phone thinking the battery will be excellent but thats not always the case. I had a Moto i580 and its battery was relatively poor.

But I always recommend low end Nokias for solid, basic usage. When I had a 1221 with Tracfone I was very happy. That sucker would go for weeks in standby. Same with the 1100.
My mom has a 2000 series Nokia with Tracfone right now. She gets pretty much the same battery life.
Also, with low end Nokia phones you get a much better transceiver than other low end phones.

 

[cheesehead]

I'm a Verizon user, and I've been very happy with the service. Way, way, way better than Cingular/AT&T.

I'm thinking of getting a used Nokia myself. !@#$ craptastic RAZRs....

 

[elkinm]

Thanks guys.
The reason I need Verizon or Sprint as they are the only ones that can handle are codes on both the east coast (or Chicago) and the west coast on a single family plan which I need.

There is another issue as my current phone just completely died. I took is out of my pocket and it was off and unusually warm. The phone is completely unresponsive even when I try charging it. That basically means that I need a new phone or service quite soon.

Anyway, I am a fan of Nokia, however the Verizon options are quite poor, and the 6205, which I think is the best option, seems weak on the battery as my old 6340 had a standby time of 14 days and lasted about half that and most other Nokias I have seen are not quite as good.

About the Env2, I never though it would last 21 days, but I am hoping for the 7+ days I could get with my old Nokia. How long did your phone last if mostly standby?

I look at Phone Arena.com for phone reviews as they do some good tests.
They rated the Env2 a 8.5 for reception and 9 for standby time, however, I am not sure if it is a 9 because if fails to meat the claimed 21 days or compared to a fixed scale as I could not find actual standby test results. Another good option may be the Motorola V750 which rates a 10 in battery life and Motorola claims 22 days standby time.

On the Sprint side, the best phones seem to be the Samsung Rant which rates a 10 for battery and 9 for reception. Or the Sanyo LX which rates a 10 for both. The LX also performed better than the battery estimate, but I am not sure if that is typical of this phone.

Thanks again

 

[cvrefugee]

Sprint has cheaper plans than Verizon across the board, so I would factor that info in when making your decision.

 

[elkinm]

For family plans, Sprint and Verizon are about the same.
I can also get a discount on Verizon plans.
The advantage with Sprint is that nights start at 7 PM which is when I would talk the most.

I have lots of problems with bad quality and dropped calls. Otherwise I would just stay with Sprint. I am still nervous that it won't be much better with Verizon, even though I do think it will be.

 

[boomhower]

The battery life on the Rant is not what you are looking for. My wife has one and is lucky to get a day out of it. Yes, she texts and talk more than you but I don't think the more limited use is going to stretch the battery out to a week. Out of curiosity what do you do where you can't charge a phone for a week?

 

[elkinm]

It's not that I can't charge it, it is that I don't want to or I simply forget.
My current phone would last 5 days, which is great, but it would have 4 days with all 3 bars and in the last day it would drop to 2 bars then one and then none. If I forget to change it that day it probably won't last the next.

If it can last a week, I can charge over the weekend and not worry about it.

I do sometimes go camping/hiking/rafting, where I cannot charge for 3 t0 4 days. Most of the time I do turn it off as the lack of reception in these areas can kill any battery, but at the same time, if the battery is weak, my phone might be dead before I notice I don't have reception.

The Nokia 6340 is my benchmark. Lasts 7 to 8 days, works anywhere there is even a hint of a signal, the battery counter works well meaning I still have a few days when the bars start going down, and it does not die instantly in places without reception. I did have one 6340 go bad. The battery would drain in a day, I think it got wet, so I got a replacement. Unfortunately I still canot get ATT or Tmobile so I need something else.

Phone arena did have a standby time for the Env2 of only 8 days, and rated a 9. It does have an extended battery which should last 50% longer. The rant does not even have a standby time listed, none of the Sprint phones do.
Anybody think a Sprint store might lest me try a Rant for a couple days just to test the battery? And if it doesn't last I could return it a try Verizon.

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: cvrefugee
Sprint has cheaper plans than Verizon across the board, so I would factor that info in when making your decision.

sprint has shittier signal availability too, depending on where you are, so I would factor that info in when making your decision.

 

[elkinm]

We decided to go with Verzon. As for phones we got Env2 and the Motorola Adventure.

Hopefully everything will be fine, if not, the might be time to exchange for the better phone.

I will post my results.
Thanks everyone.

 

[cvrefugee]

Originally posted by: pontifex

Originally posted by: cvrefugee
Sprint has cheaper plans than Verizon across the board, so I would factor that info in when making your decision.

sprint has shittier signal availability too, depending on where you are, so I would factor that info in when making your decision.

Verizon locks down their handsets as to restrict 3rd-party applications, you should factor that in as well. Oh, and their plans suck the teet of a motherless goat.

 

[murphy55d]

The Env2 has terrific battery life... I don't even have to charge it once a week. I'm not on it 24.7 or anything, just a few calls a day, and maybe 20 text messages/day. Regular usage, i guess.

I have heard horror stories though about the latest update tho...I think V06? it seems to kill battery life. i did not update to the new firmware because of this, so if you get one new today it may come with the newer, less battery friendly firmware.