Argh! Should I get Samsung galaxy SIII or not??

[Tropicana]

I have been doing loads and loads of research into what plan I should go to next after my current sim contract ends; today Three (a mobile operator) offered me a plan - 2000 free minutes, 5000 texts and unlimited web with a Samsung Galaxy S3 for £31/mth ($50/mth) with a one-off payment of £29 ($47)

I just don't know if I should take it; they even offered to cover the early exit fee from my current network provider -- Tesco Mobile (as I have another 3 moths to go). I did plan to get an Android tablet butif I go with this -- Samsung Galaxy S3, that plan will be delayed for a wee bit (i.e. following month instead).

I could just wait until January and decide then but if I get a wifi only Android tablet now, I can't do anything outside of the house cos I would be restricted with my current 1Gb data allowance. It also restricts me in terms of things I wanna do now with my phone like watch youtube clips outside of the house or have tunein app on all the time.

While on the other side of the coin, if I take the plan offered, I would be able to watch movies while I'm out and about, or watch stuff on BBC iplayer on the go, get a new fantastic phone that is light years ahead of iPhone 5 and have unlimited web, excessive mins and texts but I will have to delay getting a tablet by a couple of months despite the amazing tethering capabilities offered by the Three network (unlimited web).

Oh I know this is a first world problem, but I just don't know what to do.

 

[Bluce Ree]

I have been doing loads and loads of research into what plan I should go to next after my current sim contract ends; today Three (a mobile operator) offered me a plan - 2000 free minutes, 5000 texts and unlimited web with a Samsung Galaxy S3 for £31/mth ($50/mth) with a one-off payment of £29 ($47)

I just don't know if I should take it; they even offered to cover the early exit fee from my current network provider -- Tesco Mobile (as I have another 3 moths to go). I did plan to get an Android tablet butif I go with this -- Samsung Galaxy S3, that plan will be delayed for a wee bit (i.e. following month instead).

I could just wait until January and decide then but if I get a wifi only Android tablet now, I can't do anything outside of the house cos I would be restricted with my current 1Gb data allowance. It also restricts me in terms of things I wanna do now with my phone like watch youtube clips outside of the house or have tunein app on all the time.

While on the other side of the coin, if I take the plan offered, I would be able to watch movies while I'm out and about, or watch stuff on BBC iplayer on the go, get a new fantastic phone that is light years ahead of iPhone 5 and have unlimited web, excessive mins and texts but I will have to delay getting a tablet by a couple of months despite the amazing tethering capabilities offered by the Three network (unlimited web).

Oh I know this is a first world problem, but I just don't know what to do.

So, fantastic new super phone & plan with all the goodies and you can still buy a tablet in 2 months. Forgive my naivety, but, what's the issue here?

 

[Tropicana]

Lol, I'm a money saver whenever possible. However, everyone I spoke to excluding one iPhone fan said to go ahead. So now I'm a proud owner of a Samsung Galaxy S3.

Will get an Android tablet to replace my dying laptop in December.

This phone takes some getting use to. Have ordered a new flip case and screen protectors from ebay so should get them on Tue/Wed -- not use to a phone this big but I can adapt. It's like holding a tricorder.

Plus spent the last few hours transferring stuff from one phone to another but got DS9 on at the background. I'm about to transfer my SMS over.

 

[Joelist]

Should be interesting - be sure to give us your impressions. The basic hardware is good (even if the thing is made out of plastic) but my basic issue with Samsung's is that heavy TouchWiz skin - Android no longer needs these skins to work well.

 

[Overmind One]

Lol, I'm a money saver whenever possible. However, everyone I spoke to excluding one iPhone fan said to go ahead. So now I'm a proud owner of a Samsung Galaxy S3.

Will get an Android tablet to replace my dying laptop in December.

This phone takes some getting use to. Have ordered a new flip case and screen protectors from ebay so should get them on Tue/Wed -- not use to a phone this big but I can adapt. It's like holding a tricorder.

Plus spent the last few hours transferring stuff from one phone to another but got DS9 on at the background. I'm about to transfer my SMS over.

Im getting one too. Its awesome. But right now my SII is still feeling pretty useful. Bit the SIII is simply a beautiful phone. I still kinda want the HUGE Samsung Note.

 

[Tropicana]

My BF (weird saying that), has a Samsung Galaxy Note. He loves it.

 

[Tropicana]

For the plan I got, in the US would $50/mth be considered a good deal out of interest?

 

[Overmind One]

For the plan I got, in the US would $50/mth be considered a good deal out of interest?

That is a good deal, but it depends on what you get. I pay the "Unlimited Everything" plan from Sprint and it starts at $99/mo plus the $10 for a smartphone. That is $109/mo but it includes literally everything unlimited. I find that useful and comforting. If you get decent freedom for $50/mo, that is a great deal.

 

[Bluce Ree]

For the plan I got, in the US would $50/mth be considered a good deal out of interest?

Depends on the carrier. For $49/mth, MetroPCS gives you unlimited talk, text and data. On T-mobile, it's $60. Your advantage is the unlimited data and, if you don't consume those minutes, you're as good as unlimited. As for text, any push-notification messenger makes SMS pretty obsolete for the most part.

 

[Bluce Ree]

That is a good deal, but it depends on what you get. I pay the "Unlimited Everything" plan from Sprint and it starts at $99/mo plus the $10 for a smartphone. That is $109/mo but it includes literally everything unlimited. I find that useful and comforting. If you get decent freedom for $50/mo, that is a great deal.

Dude, you're royally being ripped off. Take a look at T-Mobile's all-you-can-eat plan, including data. I pay an extra $10 for Blackberry data but that will come off when I get my new Galaxy S3, which puts me back to $60 / month for unlimited talk/text/data and text includes international texting.

 

[Overmind One]

Dude, you're royally being ripped off. Take a look at T-Mobile's all-you-can-eat plan, including data. I pay an extra $10 for Blackberry data but that will come off when I get my new Galaxy S3, which puts me back to $60 / month for unlimited talk/text/data and text includes international texting.

Yes, I agree. That is why Sprint suddenly upped the ETF from $200 to $350. I would leave them in a heartbeat if I could avoid that. But not too long from now I will be eligible for that upgrade and hopefully there will be a Galaxy S IV or Sprint will get the Note. If I can get LTE from Sprint after all the promising, I might stay even at the rate I am paying. But Maybe I will dump them and pay the ETF. From the math, I am still saving a bundle.

 

[Bluce Ree]

Yes, I agree. That is why Sprint suddenly upped the ETF from $200 to $350. I would leave them in a heartbeat if I could avoid that. But not too long from now I will be eligible for that upgrade and hopefully there will be a Galaxy S IV or Sprint will get the Note. If I can get LTE from Sprint after all the promising, I might stay even at the rate I am paying. But Maybe I will dump them and pay the ETF. From the math, I am still saving a bundle.

Isn't changing ANY part of the contract's cost an automatic free pass to go?

T-Mobile currently has HSPA+, which delivers 4G speeds (technically, it's 3.5G). Their LTE network is lighting up in 2013 and they've announced that, as of September 5th, 2012, they are no longer throttling their data plans for 4G customers.

 

[Tropicana]

Isn't changing ANY part of the contract's cost an automatic free pass to go?

T-Mobile currently has HSPA+, which delivers 4G speeds (technically, it's 3.5G). Their LTE network is lighting up in 2013 and they've announced that, as of September 5th, 2012, they are no longer throttling their data plans for 4G customers.

That's good. We're only getting preliminary 4G with EE (joint Orange and T-Mobile). Except their signal network is awful imo.

Three, is about to launch 3.5G but is marketing it as 4G - tsk tsk I know.

 

[Bluce Ree]

That's good. We're only getting preliminary 4G with EE (joint Orange and T-Mobile). Except their signal network is awful imo.

Three, is about to launch 3.5G but is marketing it as 4G - tsk tsk I know.

They did the same thing here. They've been marketing 3.5G as 4G here for the last year until they started lighting up their LTE networks just recently. Now, the ones that have it, put "LTE" next to 4G to let customers know it's really 4G this time.

 

[Joelist]

When you become eligible to upgrade that should mean you are paying a reduced ETF correct? Typically upgrade eligibility is at the end of a contract. Also (at least on Verizon) it is prorated. In my example I have 6 months remaining on contract. The 18 months elapsed so far reduced my ETF by $180 so if I were to jump (unlikely given the difference in network quality) my current ETF would be $170. If I waited (again hypothetically) until next March my ETF goes to zero because I am no longer on contract and my account automatically changes to month to month.

 

[Overmind One]

When you become eligible to upgrade that should mean you are paying a reduced ETF correct? Typically upgrade eligibility is at the end of a contract. Also (at least on Verizon) it is prorated. In my example I have 6 months remaining on contract. The 18 months elapsed so far reduced my ETF by $180 so if I were to jump (unlikely given the difference in network quality) my current ETF would be $170. If I waited (again hypothetically) until next March my ETF goes to zero because I am no longer on contract and my account automatically changes to month to month.

Im really wanting to jump to Verizon or AT@T because of the LTE. Sprint is lagging in upgrading, and they may actually become the last large carrier to switch. Not impressive to me given the amount of time they say they have been upgrading.

 

[Bluce Ree]

Im really wanting to jump to Verizon or AT@T because of the LTE. Sprint is lagging in upgrading, and they may actually become the last large carrier to switch. Not impressive to me given the amount of time they say they have been upgrading.

AT&T = skull & crossbones. They throttle arbitrarily on a whim. They suck, period.

T-Mobile has the most reasonable pricing and their plans are available on postpay or prepay. HSPA+ gives you 4G speeds comparable to Verizon's LTE. On the upside, LTE still has room to grow in terms of speed but, by the time Verizon reaches those speeds, T-Mobile's LTE network will be lit up and running head to head.

Verizon is a good bet for many reasons. I refuse to have anything to do with Verizon because they are CDMA and (last I checked) their pricing was above T-Mobile's.