# Which Iphone to Get on a Budget?

Category: Cell Phone Talk

## Post 1 by hardyboy09 (I'm going for the prolific poster awards!) on Thursday, 04-Aug-2016 14:39:46

Hello all,
I am considering switching providers and need an unlocked iphone. However, the latest models are way too expensive. What one would you recommend? I have a 5C, but because of the processor I guess, makes it slow on the internet. I am wondering if the 5S would be any better? Apple states that older phones will still run software, but it often takes a few seconds for apps to launch. Not sure about on the 5S. The other option is that I could just keep paying off my phone with ATT.
Thanks.

## Post 2 by Striker (Consider your self warned, i'm creative and offensive like handicap porn.) on Thursday, 04-Aug-2016 15:19:37

you could get an iPhone SE

## Post 3 by Liquid tension experiment (move over school!) on Thursday, 04-Aug-2016 16:27:30

was going to suggest the SE as well.

## Post 4 by forereel (Just posting.) on Thursday, 04-Aug-2016 21:13:01

Yep. SE, but wait until next month. The 7 models will be released around the 12th and the SE may get an updated model.

## Post 5 by VioletBlue (Help me, I'm stuck to my chair!) on Friday, 05-Aug-2016 3:01:36

*curses* I just bought an SE yesterday! Damn!

## Post 6 by Striker (Consider your self warned, i'm creative and offensive like handicap porn.) on Friday, 05-Aug-2016 19:00:39

you've got that 14 day return window.
But the rumor mill has said nothing about an updated SE this soon.
More likely we'll see one in march/April like last year.
But, I suppose anything is possible.

## Post 7 by VioletBlue (Help me, I'm stuck to my chair!) on Saturday, 06-Aug-2016 6:46:35

I don't really want to have to download and fix all my apps and things, yet again! I'll just keep it. What can they upgrade that will be so groundbreaking?

## Post 8 by Smiling Sunshine (I've now got the bronze prolific poster award! now going for the silver award!) on Saturday, 06-Aug-2016 12:28:08

I don't recommend the 5S. The sound quality sucks. It's not just my particular phone either because I've had two. Insurance replaced one after it, and I, took an unplanned swim in my parents' pool. lol
I am planning on upgrading to a 6S. Do yall think I should wait until after the y comes out? I'm thinking that prices on the 6S will go down. If not, then, I want to go to the AT&T store right freaken now! lol
Also, just to confirm, is 3d touch going to jack with me as a user of VoiceOver?

## Post 9 by forereel (Just posting.) on Saturday, 06-Aug-2016 13:11:43

Wait until after the 7 models are released if you can.
It is so close. September 12th it is said.
At that time, sure the 6S price will drop as always.
3D touch can be turned off if you just hate it. It isn't something you must live with.
I like it in some cases, others no, but it is said to get better with the release of iOS 10, and that will be shortly too.
I like the 6S much.
The SE, even now, is a really iPhone. Vary nice.

## Post 10 by Smiling Sunshine (I've now got the bronze prolific poster award! now going for the silver award!) on Saturday, 06-Aug-2016 16:38:58

Lol, if I wait until the 7 comes out, how much yall wanna bet I get overly impressed by it's sleak new shininess and end up with a 7? lol

## Post 11 by forereel (Just posting.) on Saturday, 06-Aug-2016 21:45:31

Just might. It doesn't seem to be all that much as to changes for the blind, but who knows.
September 12th isn't far off, and the Apple conforance will happen early in September, so maybe 2 weeks.
If the 7 is announced and you learn it still doesn't make breakfast, well, just get the 6S.
Laughing.

## Post 12 by VioletBlue (Help me, I'm stuck to my chair!) on Sunday, 07-Aug-2016 1:46:14

Be smart and wait the two weeks! Unlike me. *Laugh.* Total impulse purchase! I didn't even bother to check when or if a new version was coming, I just went to look at the SE, and liked the look of it and took it home. It's the same size as the 5, but a bit lighter weight. I don't regret it; it's a step up. Just need to sell my 5c now.

## Post 13 by Godzilla-On-Toast (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Sunday, 07-Aug-2016 11:11:32

I'm with Consumer Cellular. They have a deal where you can make monthly payments on an iPhone and they're not too bad. I have a 16GB iPhone 6S and I pay 25 bucks a month for that plus 30 bucks for three gigs of data and unlimited texts and fifteen bucks for 250 minutes of free talk time. I think they might also have the iPhone SE but not altogether sure. You will pay more a month if you want to get a phone with more storage, but to me this seems like a good deal.

## Post 14 by forereel (Just posting.) on Sunday, 07-Aug-2016 12:10:07

Every company has monthly payments now, even Apple offers this directly.
You pay for the phone in 24 months completely, or can pay chunks as you like on it.
Sort of like a no interest credit card.
You have to qualify, but other then that, you can do same with all carriers.
The SE however, is 399, so if you did it monthly, about $16 and a few carriers are doing it for $10.
Most have a yearly upgrade, meaning, once you've paid half the phones price, you can trade for the newest model each year.

## Post 15 by Blues_fan (Zone BBS Addict) on Sunday, 07-Aug-2016 15:22:59

What's the difference between the SE and the 6S?

## Post 16 by boots and denim (Zone BBS Addict) on Sunday, 07-Aug-2016 15:44:47

Get the SE over 5S. The 5S is significantly slower than the SE and won't
fare as well with the coming updates. I've owned the 6S and then moved
on to the SE and love it. The 6S has a significantly better screen but the
SE is pretty equal everywhere else. Its not crazy cheap but definitely
cheaper than a 6S unlocked. Good luck.

## Post 17 by forereel (Just posting.) on Sunday, 07-Aug-2016 17:24:58

I'll add the SE doesn't have the 3D touch and a couple other features.
The size is 4 inches and the 6S is 4.7 or if you go plus, 5.7 inches.
Think of it as a smaller 6model.

## Post 18 by hardyboy09 (I'm going for the prolific poster awards!) on Monday, 15-Aug-2016 1:08:28

Hi Wayne and others,
From the latest speculation and rumors, it seems that one of the biggest alterations will be the omission of a headphone jack. Other than this, it seems that not many features will be worth upgrading to the very latest and greatest device. Actually,the 6S+ measures 5.5 inches,not 5.7 as originally stated. Actually, I was able to purchase an unlocked phone 6S+ from Ebay with remaining AppleCare protection. If you feel the urge to always fall into the constant trap of forking over a lot of money to cell phone companies in installments, go ahead. However, with an unlocked phone, you decide who you want to be with, how long you want to stay with that said provider, and if you travel frequently to other countries, the 6S+ variant is a better phone to have unlocked than the SE. One major difference between the SE and 6S+ is that the SE lacks some important bans, especially LTE 30,which is only used by ATT in select markets. While this ban might seem rather insignificant,more carriers might adopt it creating a digital divide. Moreover, on the SE, frequencies are missing which allow smooth and efficient operation on the Sprint network. Besides these restrictions,the Facetime camera's resolution is much lower than that of the 6S+. On the SE,there is no 3D touch, and the fingerprint censor is not the most current. With that being said, most of the appeal and possible consumer base for the SE centers around those who believe that phones are becoming tablet-sized. Unless the IPhone is capable of 5G, a network technology which so far has not permeated the United States, I see no reason in purchasing one.
If you have the 6S and 6S+, these phones are compatible with both GSM and CDMA networks, offering more options. What is the best prepaid plan available?

## Post 19 by maddog (I'll have the last word, thank you!) on Monday, 15-Aug-2016 8:51:24

I highly doubt that Apple is going to release a new model similar in size to the SE for at least another two-three years. So, if you want one of the smaller iPhones, I would suggest just upgrading to the SE right now. They seem to take longer to come out with the smaller phones, since they are losing popularity among the wider masses, and fewer and fewer people seem to want them. I certainly have never felt a push towards getting a smaller phone myself since the iPhone 6 came out. The iPhone 6/6S in my opinion is a perfect size. Even I must admit however, that the 6+/6S+ are a bit too big.

## Post 20 by forereel (Just posting.) on Monday, 15-Aug-2016 15:19:37

You said you wanted a phone on a budget, so when you buy the SE, you'll not get all the bells and whistles.
However, it is solid, and works beautifully.
As far as buying a phone unlocked, all of them are now.
You can pay upfront if you have the cash, but if you use any sort of credit, you're still paying in installments.
The thing the carriers offer is no interest on your loan.
You can pay your phone off, cash or credit, and go to whomever you like.
So, in the end, it is all the same accept, if you were paying installments, say for 5 or 6 months, you have less to pay.
If I were using credit, I'd go with the carriers, or Apple's for the no interest, unless I had a credit card with such offer, say for 6 or 12 months, and I knew I'd have it paid by that time.
Just my opinion.

## Post 21 by hardyboy09 (I'm going for the prolific poster awards!) on Wednesday, 17-Aug-2016 7:19:26

Hi, I already acquired an unlocked device. Does anyone know of some alternatives to paying a lot of money for ATT, Tmobile, Verizon, and Sprint? Straight Talk, Cricket, Total Wireless, and many more sound enticing, but I am not sure which one to go with. Cricket offers an unlimited data plan with a catch: the speed is 8 MB download. Would this be incredibly slow? Thanks.

## Post 22 by forereel (Just posting.) on Wednesday, 17-Aug-2016 11:07:49

The problem with this question is it strongly depends on where you intend to use the phone.
Some services on the cheap side work bgetter in some areas, and others simply don't.
It also depends on what you expect.
You talk about download speeds. How fast does it need to be?
If your music, or game, or whatever you are after downloads in a reasonable amount of time, will you be fine with that?
Are you going to mainly be downloading while connected to Wi Fi?
Are you willing to use work arounds for things that don't exactly work best?
Pay as you go services, I think are just like the regular. The larger company's give better services. Sure, you pay more, but if you travel, or use your phone and must have this or that, well, you will pay for it.
In your case, simply try them out. You have nothing to lose by switching until you find the one that suits you best for your specific needs.

## Post 23 by hardyboy09 (I'm going for the prolific poster awards!) on Wednesday, 17-Aug-2016 23:30:13

Hi Wayne,
Mostly I plan to stay connected via WiFi, and apart from the usual AppStore downloads, do not plan to do much more. My question is will an 8 MB speed affect things such as using BlindSquare and skew its accuracy? Looking at various plans, it is difficult to determine the correct fit. Do you recommend any in particular? Page Plus is almost as expensive as the prepaid Verizon offers, so. Not sure about Tmobile, but one representative stated the coverage improved in my area. Another option is Boost Mobile that depends on the Sprint network. Apparently Sprint has the weakest LTE network. Thanks for any advice.

## Post 24 by forereel (Just posting.) on Thursday, 18-Aug-2016 0:41:21

No. I suggest you try them.
Lets take call quality. Some have the worst, but if that isn't going to bother you, then no problem.
Apps usually work just fine on all networks unless you go over the set limit, and your download and upload speeds are decreased.
So, even though they claim unlimited, what quality will it be?
Sign up, use it for a month, ditch it. Sign up for the next one. Same deal.
Once you have done your texting, go back to your favorite.

## Post 25 by hardyboy09 (I'm going for the prolific poster awards!) on Thursday, 18-Aug-2016 14:34:09

Thanks for your advice. I'll do that.

## Post 26 by VioletBlue (Help me, I'm stuck to my chair!) on Thursday, 18-Aug-2016 19:42:47

What? No headphone jack on the new phones? Did I read that correctly? How is that an improvement?
Just have to say that I'm glad I got the SE. The sound quality of phone calls is vastly better on this thing than on the 5! I've always said I dislike making calls on cell phones, but that won't be the case so much, now.

## Post 27 by forereel (Just posting.) on Thursday, 18-Aug-2016 21:45:46

Several phones are do not have the headphone jack anymore.
The new iPhone 7 is suppose to not either.
It will use Bluetooth, or you'll need an adapter to connect yours that have jacks.
When things are directly plugged in to the lightening port, you get a better digital conection, so better sound quality.
The lack of the jack also means you can do something else with that space, so it is said the iPhone will have two speakers instead of one.
You can make the phone thinner too they say.
So, several improvements.
I intend to get a DAC for mine making the sound quality of music even better.
I'll add a Dragon Fly Red to mine, because I spend lots of time listening to music.
The only way I'll not upgrade to the 7 is it just isn't up to par as far as quality.
I'll order mine and try it for the 14 days before returning my 6S for a trade.