Suggestions on Virgin Mobile phone?

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
Homerboy

Homerboy

Lifer
Mar 1, 2000
30,890
5,001
126
Looking to get a smart phone and going the VM route.

Would be used more for web than phone usage.
Fair amount of video watching (not streaming videos, but videos played locally) so storage/expandable storage is a concern. Same goes with music.
can they play mkv?
I'd like to use as a hot spot on occasion too.
Light email and web browsing while I ride the bus etc.

Victory?
Galaxy SII?
KYOCERA Rise?
I have no idea at all.

Help!
Thanks.
 
A

Anonemous

Diamond Member
May 19, 2003
7,361
1
71
Homerboy said:
reasons? and in turn, then what phone with the WalMart plan?
Click to expand...

First check how the signal strength is around your area.
www.sensorly.com will give you a rough map of what is available in your area (3G/4G/Wimax/etc.)

As for Virgin Mobile phones, HTC Evo V 4G is pretty good IF you get Sprint Wimax and know how to root. It's been as low or close to $99 before. SGS II is a Wimax phone with better screen/camera but it also costs about $100 more. $35/mo will get 300 minutes and 2.5 GB of 3G data before throttling. 4G WIMAX is unlimited and not throttled at this point.

If you get Sprint LTE in your area, you can opt for the Virgin Mobile LTE phone (I think there's only one atm).


As for the Tmobile Walmart plan, there is a $30 prepaid plan for like 100 minutes and 5GB of 4G HSPA+ data (if it's available in your area). If you get good coverage in your area then I would go with Tmobile. You'll probably need to bring your own phone and there's a lot of HSPA+ phones you can grab.
 
S

s44

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 2006
9,427
16
81
Homerboy said:
reasons? and in turn, then what phone with the WalMart plan?
Click to expand...
Data speed mostly. Sprint 3G (EVDO) is horribly slow. Sprint WiMax is acceptably fast... but eats battery compared to T-Mo HSPA+ and is often slower. Sprint LTE is comparable speed to T-Mo HSPA+, but has almost no coverage.

So on Virgin, you can either get a WiMax phone and have decent data until they turn WiMax off or -- if you're very lucky and on LTE -- you can use that. On T-Mo, if you have what they describe as "3G", you're fine. So check Sensorly: unless you don't have T-Mo 3G or do have Sprint LTE, T-Mo makes more sense.

As for phones, you have a ton of options depending on budget.
 
S

s44

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 2006
9,427
16
81
Nope, that was AT&T. This is T-Mo:
http://www.sensorly.com/map/2G-3G/US/USA/T-Mobile/gsm_310260

This is Sprint WiMax:
http://www.sensorly.com/map/WIMAX/US/USA/Sprint/wimax_310sprint

This is Sprint LTE (rather empty):
http://www.sensorly.com/map/4G/US/USA/Sprint/lte_310sprint

EDIT
as for devices on T-Mo, I'd get something from Swappa. If you really want new there's the Optimus L9 for $190, which is pretty decent with JB except for the 4GB of storage (there *is* microSD though). There are some workarounds (swapping external and internal SD card mounts, etc.) but I'm not sure which are accessible without rooting.
 
Last edited:
S

sjwaste

Diamond Member
Aug 2, 2000
8,757
12
81
What's your phone budget? If you're going with Straight Talk, a Nexus 4 is a good one.
 
S

s44

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 2006
9,427
16
81
Yeah, T-Mo seems better than Sprint around that part of Wisconsin.

I would avoid the GSM Nexus models for lack of storage. A used S2 or S3 would do you well on T-Mobile (make sure you stick with the T-Mo variants -- T989/T999). The only cheaper ones worth looking at are the L9 and the Blaze (S2 with a smaller screen).
 
Homerboy

Homerboy

Lifer
Mar 1, 2000
30,890
5,001
126
wait... can I get ANY T-Mobile T989/T999? I don't have to get one FROM Walmart? I could go to ebay or FS/T forum?
 
I

iahk

Senior member
Jan 19, 2002
707
0
76
The bad imei he s44 is speaking of is a blacklisted imei that was marked as lost/stolen in the database. T-Mobile will not allow those phones on their network. Best way around this when dealing with the second-hand market is by using Craiglist. Meet the seller and check it yourself before buying.

As for how to start your service, just buy the T-Mobile prepaid sim starter kit at walmart and pop it in your phone and activate the service on the plan.
 
S

s44

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 2006
9,427
16
81
Don't need to involve Wally at all. Just order a prepaid SIM (micro for the S3, regular for S2) from T-Mo's prepaid site (cheap) or get one from a store ($10). Get any phone with the right bands and not SIM-locked to someone besides T-Mo, activate online at T-Mo's site with the $30 5gb plan. Done.

T-Mo will blacklist IMEI numbers for folks who are on an installment plan for their phones (which is now, like, all of them) and stop paying. This makes random Craigslist transactions a risk because the seller can bail on payments (and get the phone blacklisted from T-Mo) *after* he gives you the device.

I've never heard of this happening on Swappa, though, which is why I recommend it. If it's an in-person transaction, though, you *must* ask/verify that the phone is either fully paid off or on a (now nonexistent) Classic Plan.

iahk said:
The bad imei he s44 is speaking of is a blacklisted imei that was marked as lost/stolen in the database. T-Mobile will not allow those phones on their network.
Click to expand...
No, lost/stolen is much less of a risk than Value Plan folks who stopped paying. You can, as you say, check lost/stolen status in advance.
 
Last edited:
Homerboy

Homerboy

Lifer
Mar 1, 2000
30,890
5,001
126
s44 said:
Dunno what is at Wally, but T-Mo has it on their prepaid site. Scroll to the bottom here:
http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-plans

We call it the "Wal-Mart" plan because Wal-Mart got them to start offering it, not because you have to go through Wally.
Click to expand...

Gotcha. Those are even more than Wally is.

What's my reasoning again for not getting Virgin Mobile at $35/month?
I will use voice very minimally. Text not so much and really only use the web for browsing, google maps (GPS), email.

I'd use the device itself to listen to music and play video off a memcard (not streaming) on the bus rides to and from work.
 
Homerboy

Homerboy

Lifer
Mar 1, 2000
30,890
5,001
126
Yeah I was hasty in my reading/response. (at work and spinning a lot of plates)

Seems:

$30
100 minutes talk | Unlimited text | First 5GB at up to 4G speeds
fits the bill.
 
S

s44

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 2006
9,427
16
81
FYI, the T-Mo S2 has a bigger screen, a slightly slower processor, and a slightly larger battery than the "regular" S2. The S3 still wins on all of those measures, of course -- it has double the RAM and basically double the processing speed. The T989 (and, I think, the regular S2) also does do HDMI out.
 
Homerboy

Homerboy

Lifer
Mar 1, 2000
30,890
5,001
126
s44 said:
FYI, the T-Mo S2 has a bigger screen, a slightly slower processor, and a slightly larger battery than the "regular" S2. The S3 still wins on all of those measures, of course -- it has double the RAM and basically double the processing speed. The T989 (and, I think, the regular S2) also does do HDMI out.
Click to expand...

For ~$100 more seems worth the upgrade -- longer legs in the long run. Especially if I'm wanting to play mkv files and the like.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom