Cheapest options for "family" plan? Best mid-range phones?

[EliteRetard]

1 smartphone also used for business/work
3 talk/text only

Would like to eventually convert 1 of the talk/text phones to a smart phone that can tether a tablet to data (wifi only tablet). So in the next year or so 2 "smart" phones & 2 "dumb" phones.

Currently out of contract on ATT paying ~160$/month.

Planning to upgrade the single smartphone now whether I change plans or not. It's a 2 year old Windows phone. Only have ~200$ to spend...unsure if I should look for a lower cost unlocked smartphone or get a fancy subsidized phone.

I figure the best way to decide is to calculate total cost over 2 years including phone...but I don't know where to look for plans, and a little unsure what to look at for phones (if I need to get a mid-range 200$ phone).

Anybody else make Windows phones other than Nokia? Is there anything an old Windows phone can do that Android can't? Trying to decide if it's worth looking into other options like the Nexus line or a subsidized S4 or One. Would actually prefer closer to ~4" phone

Are there any discount family plan companies like there are discount individual plan companies? Do any of them operate on ATT/Verizon?

Thanks!

 

[ImDonly1]

Tmobile family plans you can get 4 lines with unlimited talk text and 500mb data on each line for $100.

look at nexus 4/5 for the business line and lumia 520/521 for the kids (I assume). lumia 520/521 can be bought for less than $80 and the kids will be happy they have a OK smartphone rather just flip phones

 

[EliteRetard]

Smartphone for the lady, shes in charge of an old folks home. Needs to be in contact at all times, check email, calendar etc. Not really a power user though. Likes the simple Windows tile interface and uses a stylus thingie. Unsure if she would like Android, but wants a new phone under $200. Unsure if a new $200 phone would be better than a 2yr old high end phone (got it subsidized).

The 2 dumb phones are for old folks, they need ZERO data. Not sure if they could even figure out how text...but doesn't hurt to have just in case.

The other dumb phone is for the man, budget doesn't currently allow for this to be a smartphone...but would like to have one eventually, especially if it could link internet to a tablet.

T-Mobile in this area is rather mediocre, but it's not completely out.

 

[Lil Frier]

If you're talking getting a NEW Windows Phone over a 2-year-old one, the difference is definitely worth it (that's what I get from the last sentence of the first paragraph, at least). Windows Phone 8 is built on a different kernel from 7, and there are a LOT of apps that aren't 7-compatible. So, if you're talking about a "maybe" upgrade in that sense, do it 100% of the time.

As for the plans, it's either T-Mobile to save money, or the AT&T-Verizon prices are fairly interchangeable, making that a choice of which has better coverage in the area or which has a preferred device (for me, I went AT&T for the Lumia 920 last November). If you go Verizon, you're basically picing the Lumia 928 (not sure if the 822 is still around, as they discontinued its sister devices, the T-Mobil 810 and the AT&T 820). If you go AT&T, there are a lot more choices.

--920 is $50 on-contract. It has wireless charging and 32 GB of storage (great for someone who carries a lot of music on the thing; I have 2,000+ songs on mine). However, the thing might be too bulky for your wife.
--925 is lighter and thinner than the 920, but it lacks the wireless charging and the storage is only 16 GB (likely enough for her). It also has Xenon flash over the dual-LED of the 920, which apparently helps with action shots and nighttime shots, along with producing a more naturally-colored lighting (not used one, nor am I a photography person, so I cannot speak to the benefits much). It's $100 on-contract
--1020 is hefty, and it's $200 on-contract. It doesn't have wireless charging, but its size (as you likely no) is from the stellar camera inside. If that's something she might be interested in, I'd say let her check it out. It's pretty impressive, but unless she's legitimately into photography (and she doesn't have a DSLR or something), this might be of interest to her.

The 521 on T-Mobile is a very cheap device (only $150 or so off-contract, and can be found for around $100 off-contract through smaller carriers or places like Wal-Mart and amazon). However, Windows Phone suffers from some app fragmentation, mostly related to games. The 521 would fall into this category (it's related to devices with 512 MB of RAM, vs. ones with 1 GB). It also lacks a front-facing camera, but it's a very cheap device to give a whirl.

Honestly, unless your goal is to deliberately keep a smartphone from your kids (understandable), the on-contract prices on smartphones are so low you might as well get one nowadays.

 

[desura]

I'm using H2O wireless with two Nokia Lumia phones. Also have a Google Nexus 4 in there.

H2O is basically AT&T, I've been fine with it so far.

I"ve basically gotten used phones off of ebay for around $150. Then use H2O wireless. You can get a basic wireless plan for like $50-$60, and me personally am using a PayGO with just talk/text. Unlimited talk/text with no data (can work with smartphones) is $30/mo. Me personally am paying under $10/mo for coverage.

 

[jpeyton]

The best value would be T-Mobile's family plan.

As someone mentioned earlier, it's $100 for 4 lines, all with unlimited talk/text and 500MB 4G/LTE data (you have unlimited data, but it's throttled past that amount). Upgrading any line to 2.5GB 4G/LTE data is only $10 extra per line; unlimited 4G/LTE data is $20 extra per line.

The best value for a new smartphone off-contract is the Nokia Lumia 521. It's regularly $80-$100 brand new, runs Windows Phone 8, has WiFi calling, cameras, good performance, etc. It's so inexpensive, it makes you think twice about shelling out money for a dumbphone. Otherwise check out your local classifieds for a used phone off-contract. I recently switched to T-Mobile's family plan for 3 lines, and I picked up two used Galaxy S4s and a used Galaxy S2 for $800 total. If you're buying a used phone, do an IMEI check first: http://www.t-mobile.com/VERIFYIMEI.ASPX

 

[Lil Frier]

Yea, the 521 is a pretty great deal, since it's cheaper off-contract than many modern devices (S4, 1020, 5S, for example) are on-contract. Still, it's fairly limited in its features, so it's something where if you ARE willing to spend the extra money on something like a 92x device, it really is worth it. Getting the improved camera will definitely be noticeable, and having more than the 8 GB of internal storage is something to definitely think about if you play a lot of games, as the OS is currently unable to install apps to the SD card (and the install requirements are often 3-4 times greater than the game install).