What phone should I get?

[Lord Letto]

1 hour ago, Results45 said:

Just curious: what else do you do in life besides shopping for phones?

not much, currently unemployed on social assistance so I stay home playing games & helping out around the house along with looking for work.

I had a Interview today & when that was over I checked the Freedom location in the mall next to where I had the interview, only non current phone they had on display was the LG V30 ThinQ (i'm thinking normal V30 possibly), I took a picture of the display with the price so I'd remember it & it was $0 +$5/mo MyTab on $60+ plans (save $809), $0+$10/mo MyTab on $50+ Plans (save $689), $229+$25/mo MyTab on $25+ plans (save $100) or $929 outright. I tried asking about deals/open boxes/clearance & my understanding is open boxes can't be included with a plan, only bought outright, nothing about clearance & for deals there's only the $0 phone event I mentioned above so the Moto G6 Play is the best I could get currently for $40/month, the person there tried to talk me into getting the LG G7 ThinQ, said it's only a extra $15($16)/month & it's a good phone but over my budget of $40/month that I currently pay with Virgin, once I get a job then I'd be willing to pay more/month but as it is currently I'd like to stick with $40/month or less.

[Results45]

2 hours ago, Lord Letto said:

not much, currently unemployed on social assistance so I stay home playing games & helping out around the house along with looking for work.

 

Wanna come work for the US Census Bureau? It pays.

 

 

Seriously though, have you ever considered being a bus driver? Cuz here in Seattle you can get paid close to $30/hr. 

 

2 hours ago, Lord Letto said:

the LG V30 ThinQ (i'm thinking normal V30 possibly)

 

IMO the V30 is actually the best all-arounder LG has made to date. I has a pretty decent camera(s) and the battery life is comparable to the iPhone XS Max. It's not "free" persay, but it's the only LG phone I would consider.

 

2 hours ago, Lord Letto said:

the Moto G6 Play is the best I could get currently for $40/month[.......]as it is currently I'd like to stick with $40/month or less.

 

Wait.......the G6 Play? I thought it was the "Plus" all this time! 

 

It's not a bad phone. I would think of it as a "next-gen" Galaxy Grand Prime with a larger screen, better camera, and larger battery.

 

Is your budget right now more constrained to up-front cost (i.e. buying "open box" from Ebay) or cost over time (paying over $40/mo) ?

[LienusLateTips]

8 minutes ago, Results45 said:

Seriously though, have you ever considered being a bus driver? Cuz here in Seattle you can get paid close to $30/hr. 

I second this. It's this high in most cities, sometimes even higher.

[Lord Letto]

17 hours ago, Results45 said:

Is your budget right now more constrained to up-front cost (i.e. buying "open box" from Ebay) or cost over time (paying over $40/mo) ?

as it is right now, I can't afford the up front cost until my sister-in-law pays me the money ($250) she owes me, if she ever pays me back for it at all, so I'm mainly looking at monthly costs for $0 on a 2 year term of $40/month (what I'm currently paying). If/when she does pay me back before I run out of patience & grab the Moto G6 Play then that would open up more possibilities such as a phone from eBay or use it as a up front payment for something from Freedom, though the only option it would open up currently is the Moto G7 Power, for the $45/mo ($40/mo with digital discount) I could get it without MyTab for $199 upfront, however for a little more, a Moto X4 from eBay with better specs then the G6 Play or G7 Power would be possible, I just double checked the X4 you linked & it don't ship to Canada, US shipping only so I had a look & the 2 cheapest sorting by low->high price+shipping I could find is a manufacturer refurbished for C $211.09 after shipping & import fees (or best offer) and there's a new amazon prime exclusive model for C $207.50 after shipping:

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/Motorola-Moto-X-4th-Generation-32GB-Sterling-Blue-Unlocked-Smartphone/323800468798?hash=item4b64030d3e:g:SwAAAOSwlddc0chr

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/Moto-X-4th-Gen-32GB-Unlocked-Super-Black-Prime-Exclusive-Smartphone-NEW/264239296973?hash=item3d85e3b1cd:g:3WAAAOSwPv9bUjrA

17 hours ago, LienusLateTips said:

I second this. It's this high in most cities, sometimes even higher.

I don't have a drivers licence so a no go for me: https://www.grt.ca/en/about-grt/employment-opportunities.aspx#bus-operator

Quote

Grand River Transit Bus Operator 

Part time (working up to 32 hours per week)

Please note: Openings for full-time operators are filled from part-time positions; GRT does not post full-time bus operator positions. 

GRT now offers a program to upgrade to a BZ license for qualified applicants.

Looking for a great place to work where your contributions are valued and you can make a difference in the community? Grand River Transit (GRT) is looking for part-time Bus Operators who have great people skills, are customer-friendly, and have a desire to serve the public. 

Being a Bus Operator is about much more than safely driving a bus. GRT wants Bus Operators who are customer service focused and enjoy interacting with the public. GRT Bus Operators are role models of safe driving and, courteous and kind behaviour, which sets the tone for our passengers to enjoy their ride with us.

Part-time employees can work up to 32 hours per week and must provide availability for no less than eight (8) full shifts per month, including four (4) weekend dates per month (weekend dates include Friday, Saturday and Sunday). Part-time employees may have the opportunity to progress to full-time.

In addition to accepting applications from drivers with a BZ and CZ licence, GRT is now accepting applications from drivers with a Class G licence (including A, D, E, & F licences) who are eligible to obtain a BZ licence. 

Note: GRT will cover the cost of upgrading to BZ Licence for qualified applicants.

Qualifications

Applicants must:

have a Grade 12 education or equivalent,

be at least 21 years of age,

hold a class BZ driver's license and two years driving and customer service experience; and

obtain a satisfactory pre-health assessment and vulnerable police records check that is satisfactory to the Region of Waterloo

OR applicants must:

Have a Grade 12 education or equivalent

have a valid G (including A, D, E & F licences) class drivers license, with 3 years driving and customer service experience, and eligibility to obtain a BZ class drivers license; and

A driver's abstract that is satisfactory both to the Ministry of Transportation and the Region of Waterloo, and a pre-health assessment and a vulnerable police record check that is satisfactory to the Region of Waterloo. 

Applicants who hold a Class G Licence (including A, D, E & F licences) must meet the provincial requirements for a Class B driver's Licence. For additional information please check the Ministry of Transportation website.

Apply for this position through the Region of Waterloo's job site

We thank all applicants in advance, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Looking at https://www.glassdoor.ca/Salary/Grand-River-Transit-Salaries-E657138.htm

It would be $29-32/hour

 

Edit: Just thought about it, $47.50 would be the max/month instead of $40, if I use any bit of data up to 50MB on my Virgin plan a $7.50 data fee gets added so it would be $47.50 instead of $40.

Edit 2: Just noticed the G6 Play is the 16GB model so it would likely only have 2GB of RAM, with that in mind another possible option could be the LG X Power 3 (16GB, 2GB RAM), on the list of phones it's listed currently as $0 with $5/mo MyTab on $40+ plans however when I select it there's a minimum $10+tax ($11.30, same price as a sim card) upfront payment with the $45 ($40 after digital discount) Freedom 2GB plan or the $48 ($43 after digital discount) Freedom LTE+3G 9.5GB Promo plan.

[Results45]

Came across this site after reading about e-recycling (probably more reliable than Craigslist.com or Kijiji.ca): https://www.backmarket.com/

 

Then I filtered-out the phones without B66 support: 

• Apple phones
• Samsung phones
• All other Android phones

 

I'm not sure if there's anything better than what's already on Ebay, but check back from time to time and you might get lucky

[Lord Letto]

31 minutes ago, Results45 said:

Then I filtered-out the phones without B66 support:

.

.

All other Android phones

Just checked and saw the LG V20, AFAIK though the V20 is from 2016 so no B66

 

Assuming prices are in Canadian & shipped from the US therefore no tax, and any shipping/import costs included in the price, there was 2 I found in at least silver condition for $250 max for when/if I get the $$$ for it:

Sony Xperia XZ1 for $219.95: https://www.backmarket.com/tested-and-certified-used-sony-xperia-xz1-64-gb-black-unlocked-gsm/21806.html#?l=2

LG V30+ for $249.95: https://www.backmarket.com/tested-and-certified-used-lg-lg-v30-plus-128-gb-black-unlocked/26303.html#?l=2

I can't see the specific model, but while the XZ1 should have everything regardless of model AFAIK possibly, the V30+ is a bit of a unknown, there's only 2 I found that's single sim, there's US998 from US Cellular, from what I see it got B66 for 4G/LTE but lacking the 1700MHz/AWS-1 Band for 3G: https://www.gsmarena.com/lg_v30-8712.php#us998

The other is LS998U from Sprint & it's the other way around, lacking B66 but got the 1700MHz/AWS-1 Band for 3G: https://www.gsmarena.com/lg_v30-8712.php#ls998u

[Lord Letto]

Considering @Results45 PMed me to see how it's going & I have a new question, I figured I'd reuse my thread to update.

So I haven't got a new phone yet, still using the Grand Prime however my Sister moved in with us & considering she don't have her own phone currently we have been sharing the Grand Prime prompting me to want to get my own phone even more so she could use the Grand Prime. I was considering from Freedom either the Moto G7 Power or if I could get $90+tax to pay upfront the Galaxy A50, so today I went to one of the local Freedom locations to have a look & while I was there I asked if they had a open box or lightly loved A50, the person I asked went to the back & looked & they had 1 left that would have a $50 discount so with how I was planing it would be $40+tax instead of $90+tax upfront, HOWEVER unfortunately to my disappointment & I don't know yet if it's true or misinformation but apparently a credit card (along with ID, I expected ID was required though) is required to get a credit check done to get a phone included with a plan/tab, without a credit card (I don't have one, closest thing I have is a Visa Debit card with CIBC) therefore no credit check, the only way to get a phone would be to pay the full outright cost, so $400 for the discounted A50 ($300 for the G7 Power, unless they have one that's discounted), if it turns out to be true then the only phone(s) I could possibly afford is the ZTE Z557 unless they have a discounted Moto E5 Play (that's no longer listed on the website)

 

Edit: I Twitter DMed Freedom Support about it, this is what they said:

"Hi there! Right now our security policies do require a Canadian credit card in order to run a credit check, which is required for setting up a tab or postpaid services in general. I'm really sorry for any confusion there"

[Lord Letto]

Here are some phone's i'm currently looking at:

Samsung Galaxy phone for $120, I asked for the model number & what's the lowest they'll take, the reply I got was $100, I replyed back & asked "What model is it? It looks almost like the Grand Prime I'm using currently except black instead of white, for that amount of money I'm hoping for something like a older S series like maybe a S4,5 or maybe 6 though I'd settle for a older A series like a A7 or 8 from 2014-2015 or a A5 from 2016." The reply I got was "it is a S5, 2017", the S5 is likely a typo so I think it's a A5 2017: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details.html?adId=1449335551

 

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, cracks & scratches but still works perfectly, $100 firm: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details.html?adId=1450294482

 

LG G4 in good condition, comes with case & charger cable, listed for $140 obo, I could get it for $95: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details.html?adId=1450300306

 

Motorola XT1563 (Moto X Play) 32GB, listed for $120, I could get it for $100 with a otter box worth $80 on it's own & computer charger: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details.html?adId=1449834043

 

Huawei Nexus 6P 32GB, screen got a hairline crack, I could get it for $110: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details.html?adId=1434524899

 

There's a Local Store with a HTC One M7 32GB for $89+tax, comes with a 30 day warranty: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details.html?adId=1450433456

 

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 with stylus & box for $100 firm: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details.html?adId=1450531911

 

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 32GB, listed for $100 I could get it for $80: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details.html?adId=1450555446

 

On eBay, there's a auction/BIN for a HTC One 32GB that I'm currently winning (little under 5 hours left, Max bid of $49.97 US ($64.98 Canadian or thereabouts), currently at $36 US ($47.27 Canadian), BIN is $79.99 US ($105.04 Canadian)), Free Shipping from Vancouver, BC, "This phone is in mint condition (9.0/10). It shows little to no signs of use on the body, such as scratches and marks. Notes: the vibration feature doesn't work, but this does not otherwise affect functionality. This device is unlocked and is ready to be used with most carriers worldwide. This device is free of any activation accounts. All our devices are tested to be 100% working and functional. Comes with a USB charging cable and wall adapter": https://www.ebay.ca/itm/264409582595?_trksid=p2471758.m4704

 

Edit: Thankfully I got outbid & lost out on that HTC One off eBay, I miscalculated my budget for the month & wouldn't have been able to pay for it until the 9th or 10, I let the seller know just in case I won & asked if a delayed payment would be OK & they were fine with it. Considering I lost out on it I don't have to worry about it now though, so as of right now I'm looking for something in the $45-55 range, if I don't get something by the 9th or 10th then I can go back up to the $90-100ish budget though would prefer to spend as little as possible, for any phone (Android, iPhone, Blackberry or Windows) Here's what I'm looking at in the $45-55 range, considering the low budget I doubt 1080p 32GB would be doable, so willing to settle for less:

Samsung Galaxy S5, missing back, extra battery, $50: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details.html?adId=1450657465

Blackberry Z30, $40: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details.html?adId=1450649849

iPhone 4 8GB with case, no charger cable,$40: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details.html?adId=1450223485

iPhone 5 with Otterbox, $50: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details.html?adId=1434808524

Acer phone, $40: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details.html?adId=1447524460

Nokia Lumia 635, $40: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details.html?adId=1447104158

Microsoft Lumia 640 with case, screen protector & charging cable, $30: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details.html?adId=1446767224

iPhone 4 for $50, charging cable & phone adapter included for a extra $10: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details.html?adId=1444377357

Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini with charger, $50: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details.html?adId=1444070357

Samsung J16 (Guessing J1 2016?), comes with cover & braided charger, $65: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details.html?adId=1447334184

Blackberry Z10, comes with case, charging cable & charger, $60: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details.html?adId=1446583352

[Results45]

Well, save for the new Galaxy A-series phones from Freedom things in the midrange market have not changed much so I still recommend the ones I've mentioned before (with prices similar to upper-end Kijiji listings and item quality guaranteed to be new-ish):

Spoiler

Any of these below from Ebay are great options as well as long as you verify that they work with Freedom Mobile LTE/B66 (click the bold text for Ebay listings & non-bold text for IMEI images):

• [~C $139 & ~C $160] Moto G5 Plus XT1687 & G5S Plus XT1806
• [~C $131 & ~C $152] Moto X4 XT1900
• [~C $159] Galaxy J7 Prime J727T
• [~C $171 & ~C $210] LG V30 H931/H932
• If the links above are sold out there should be others selling at similar prices (no more than C $40 more) 
• Other B66-compatible phone models
• LINK TO VERIFY (via IMEI)

.

 

Otherwise, I would pick Backmarket Certified refurbished listings over Kijiji (tested for full functionality and graded for scratches & dents):

• [$287 CAD] Pixel 2 (64GB)
• [$247 CAD] Galaxy S8 (64GB)

 

Do you have expendable budget to spend on a phone now? Or are you still waiting to have more money saved-up?

[RockyRZ]

iPhone XR with contract

[Results45]

14 hours ago, RockyRZ said:

iPhone XR with contract

 

Nice recommendation, but if you haven't been following this thread from the beginning there are certain limiting factors we're facing:

• Budget of $200 CAD (maybe $250-$300, but that's pushing it).
• Has to support LTE Band 66
• Compatibility with Freedom Mobile (@Lord Letto's carrier)
• 9hrs+ Battery Life

The XR checks all those boxes but one: price.

 

The iPhone 8 costs $350-$450 refurbished/open box so an iPhone released within the past year (like the XR) likely costs at least and extra $100.

[Lord Letto]

Can anyone possibly identify these Samsung phones from looking at the back? Apparently they're broke (but it may only be cosmetic?), were found in a storage locker & being sold for $13: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-cell-phone/kitchener-waterloo/2-broke-samsung-phones/1449595965

 

As for budget, I only have $11.61 right now, I should be getting another $64.32 on Friday (the 9th), $9.03 will be coming out after that for amazon prime so if I can not spend anything other than the monthly amazon prime sub I should have $66.90 total to spend, I could have a 2nd attempt at trying to get a discounted Galaxy A50 through Freedom & hope the credit check requirements vary from store to store and/or the salesperson & support person on Twitter was wrong/misinformed or get a 2nd hand phone for that little money & get a prepaid/pay as you go plan from some carrier.

[Lord Letto]

OK, Forget the 2 broken Samsungs. I replied yesterday before posting & asked the following:

Hi, any chance that it's only cosmetic damage that they still function fine? Have you tried turning them on or hooking a charger to them if you have a charger that fits? How does the front look, you only have the 1 picture showing the back of the phones?

Today, I got the following reply:

IF I HAD CABLES I WOULD TELL YOU? DID YOU READ MY AD FOUND IN STORAGE LOCKER?

I replied back with the following:

I saw that & figured if cables were found with it it'd be included but it's not, assuming you have your own personal phone though that you might have checked if the charger for your own phone fit the phones you found & if it did fit if the phones would charge/turn on? For example, I have a malfunctioning LG G3 and a working Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime i'm using as a backup until I get another working phone to replace the G3, I don't have a charger for the Grand Prime though but because the charger port on both have a Micro USB connection, I could use the G3 charger to charge the Grand Prime.

got this reply back:

You assumed wrong... serious people pick up the phone!

needless to say, I won't be going for it.

[Radioactive Snowman]

On 8/6/2019 at 1:28 AM, Lord Letto said:

OK, Forget the 2 broken Samsungs. I replied yesterday before posting & asked the following:

Today, I got the following reply:

I replied back with the following:

got this reply back:

needless to say, I won't be going for it.

damn that guy is an asshole

[Lord Letto]

So I visited 2 Freedom Mobile stores & called the remaining 5 local stores in Kitchener-Waterloo today, no open box phones in stock/available, at all, of any kind & they no longer do lightly loved phones/it's no longer a thing, so my only options to get a new phone through them is to get a new phone based on the MSRP, if I do that I could get the Samsung Galaxy J3 or LG X Power 3 for $0 with a $40 plan+$5 MyTab for $45/month, Motorola Moto E5 Play for $0 on a $40 plan with no tab for $40/month or with a $25 plan it would be $30 upfront+$5 MyTab for $30/month, or if I can stretch my funds a bit (a extra $1, unless there are fees/charges I'm not fully aware of, such as a sim card fee/charge)perhaps the Motorola G7 Power for $60 upfront on a $25 plan+ $10 MyTab for a total of $35/month, all of the above prices are +tax ($13% HST here in Ontario).

 

Or, I could turn to the local used market for a used phone up to $65 (Thinking up to $75, maybe $80 & offer $65) & with it being used from a private seller there won't be any taxes, with that in mind in regards to the phones I linked before, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini w/ charger I linked above for $50 had a price drop to $40 today: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details.html?adId=1444070357

 

Here's some other phones I found:

Samsung Galaxy J3 listed for $70: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details.html?adId=1449668914

Samsung Galaxy S9 for parts listed for $75, "The phone just stopped turning on. The screen has a tiny light scratch at the top left. It's not even deep. Other than that there's nothing wrong with the phone. It's basically mint. I think the problem is the battery", assuming it is the battery, roughly what would it cost for a replacement battery & get it installed (considering the battery is sealed/non removable): https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details.html?adId=1451641597

BlackBerry DTEK50 listed for $70, includes case, charger & tempered glass screen protector (uninstalled): https://www.kijiji.ca/v-cell-phone/kitchener-waterloo/blackberry-dtek50-android-smartphone-excellent-condition/1452086289

ZTE (Z557 most likely) for $60 (+reasonable delivery fee): https://www.kijiji.ca/v-cell-phone/stratford-on/android-zte-rogers/1451935285

Leagoo alfa5 for $40: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-cell-phone/cambridge/leagoo-alfa5-phone/1451907522

Old cellphones for sale, $40 for all 4 or $10 each, $20 each for iPhones: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-cell-phone/kitchener-waterloo/old-cellphones-for-sale/1451742384

LG K4 (2017) for $50 obo, listed for $40: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-cell-phone/cambridge/lg-k4-2017-8g-unlocked/1451695078

Motorola w/ charger listed $80: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-cell-phone/kitchener-waterloo/cell-phone/1451404126

Samsung Galacy Ace2 for $40: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-cell-phone/kitchener-waterloo/samsung-galaxy-ace2-unlocked/1450878444

Motorola Moto G for $45: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-cell-phone/kitchener-waterloo/motorola-moto-g/1450809165

 

Edit: Would it be possible to identify the Motorola w/ charger listed for $80? I done a google image search & google says Samsung Galaxy, at the top of the results there's 3 results with the same background/desktop image, a black Moto G5s & Galaxy S3 Mini along with a white Moto E, I replied & asked the seller for model & lowest price, he replied back & said $60, Motorola.

Edit 2: Replied back with "Motorola is the manufacturer/make, not the model, the model would most likely be a Moto G, Moto X, Moto Z or Moto E" the reply I got back was "Moto E"

[Lord Letto]

Got money today & was going to settle for the Moto G7 Power, it should perform similar to my old LG G3 (according to gsmarena.com, the Moto G7 Power scores 1929 in Basemark OS II, 1831 in Basemark OS II 2.0: 1831 & 11525 in Basemark X while the LG G3 scores 1126 in Basemark OS II, 1327 in Basemark OS II 2.0: 1831 & 11552 in Basemark X) along with a bigger battery & longer battery life though smaller screen resolution.

Anyway, it's not happening today, I was hoping a health card would be good as photo ID considering it's issued by the government but apparently it's not (guessing because it don't have a address printed on it?), a drivers licence, provincial photo card or passport are the only valid forms of photo id, I have a photo card but it's expired but I renewed it (Have receipt, was renewed on June 20th) but haven't received the renewed card in the mail yet & I wasn't given a temporary paper to present with the expired card to show it's renewed with the new expiry date so I need to go to a Service Ontario location & find out what's going on & hopefully get a temporary paper with the new expiry date.

That was only a issue at 1 location though, a credit card (actual credit card, not a visa debit) was required at the other 2 locations I visited, I also checked at The Mobile Shop in a local Real Canadian Superstore, but they didn't have any of the G7 for freedom, only Fido & Rogers (1 of the locations that a credit card was required, the person there said to try Fido), but would have been ID limited anyway, as for going with Fido, the G7 would be on a small tab plan & the cheapest w/ data would be $65/month, out of my $40-47.50/month budget for a plan w/ data.

[Lord Letto]

So I tried again today, I went to Service Ontario & they ordered another photo card for me, on the new reciept I got I got the person to write the expiry date on it so I can use the receipt considering that's the only paper they would give me, Went back to the Freedom location that didn't say a credit card was required & they were OK with the receipt along with the expired card for photo ID, so I used that with my CIBC Visa debit card, the person entered the information into the computer but it was a no go/declined, I was told I could still get service from them though, I could make a $50 deposit & try again in 5-6 months but that's basically a prepaid plan so I'd have to buy a phone outright to use a prepaid plan & I can't afford a new phone outright right now, only a old used phone.

Budget for a used phone is $65 Canadian right now, I can increase it a bit at the end of the month unless I sell some stuff by then.

 

Edit: Asking around on reddit for used phone recommendations, I got 2 recommendations so far today, someone recommended the iPhone SE, I checked my local classifieds & there's 3 between $75 & $85, lock button is broke on the $75 one & Home button can be selective at times on the $85 option, I asked for the lowest price from the 3 & only heard back from the $75 & $80 option so far:

iPhone SE 64g unlocked for $75, lock button broke: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-cell-phone/cambridge/iphone-se-64g-unlocked-75/1450271964 replied with "Hi, I'm not familiar with iPhones but is it still usable without the lock button? what's the lowest you'll take for it?", got the following reply back: Yes it’s still fully functional I’d do 50 for it"

iPhone 5 SE for $80: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-cell-phone/kitchener-waterloo/iphone-5-se/1452516703 asked what's the lowest they'll take, they replied "That is the lowest Price im taking for it"

iPhone SE for $85: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-cell-phone/kitchener-waterloo/rose-gold-iphone-se-bell/1441723178 replied & asked for lowest price, no reply yet.

 

Another option that was mentioned, for a new phone, is a Alcatel Tetra, $65 on amazon.ca (3rd party seller but fufilled by amazon) with 1 day prime shipping, after taxes it would be $73.43 after tax "has decent specs, and will work on Freedom Mobile's network, as it has 1700 MHz AWS. Has 2GB of RAM, and 16GB of storage, which is more than other phones in that price range.": https://www.amazon.ca/Alcatel-Tetra-OT-5041C-Non-Retail-Packaging/dp/B07JYFM6JX/ref=pd_sbs_229_3/139-7740852-9302815?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07JYFM6JX&pd_rd_r=e737d131-fca0-4d4e-b6dc-d2f1adb9d5c2&pd_rd_w=Ydrnf&pd_rd_wg=wAapf&pf_rd_p=f7748194-d8e0-4460-84c0-2789668108bc&pf_rd_r=ATXTRSGD9KRVQCFB8MEZ&psc=1&refRID=ATXTRSGD9KRVQCFB8MEZ

[Lord Letto]

Another phone that was recommended/mentioned was the Moto G, "they can be had for under $100 on Kijiji", so I looked & found 3 (2 working, 1 not) listed for up to $60:

Moto G in like new condition with charger running android 5.1.1 for $45, linked specs are for the G3 that came with 5.11, upgradable to 6.0 while the G1 started off with 4.3 & upgradable to 5.1.1: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-cell-phone/kitchener-waterloo/motorola-moto-g/1450809165 (Looking at pics online, it does look like a G3)

Moto G1 16GB with charger & Updated to Android 7.1.2, running on LineageOS 14.1-20190508 for $60: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-cell-phone/kitchener-waterloo/motorola-moto-g-1st-generation-unlocked-16-gb-storage/1435107786

Broken Moto G6 Forge for $60, does not charge or turn on, not sure what's wrong: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-cell-phone/kitchener-waterloo/broken:-motorola-moto-g6-forge/1445515415

after that there was a store with some ranging from $89 fro a G3 8GB to $199 for a G5S Plus or a brand new in box G5 Plus, other than the store there was a G6 Play for $150 & a brand new sealed in box G7 for $240

 

I replied to the G3 & asked if it's 8GB of storage with 1GB of RAM or 16GB of storage with 2GB of RAM, the reply I got back was 8GB of storage with 1GB of RAM, then someone on the reddit thread said "Talk to the seller of the G3 and ask what model number it is. According to GSMArena, the XT1540 should have the best compatibility with Freedom's network. You could also flash the phone with LineageOS 16 to run Android 9.0" so I replied back to the seller & said "If the model number is XT1540, I may possibly be interested, I'm just in the process of asking around & doing research right now before making a purchase", just waiting for a reply.

[Results45]

If you're already looking at options ranging from $100-$200 (many used and not guaranteed to be in a condition for long-term use), why is it not as simple as picking one up from Ebay or Freedom Mobile? Is it because your budget for a new phone in coming months strictly can't exceed C $70?

 

Or is it more worth it to figure it out with sellers, get a sub-$100 phone, and hope to have enough for a decent replacement again in a few years?

 

Sorry if I sound impatient; I like to shop for things with as little hassle as possible 

 

 

On a side note, is getting a B66-compatible device still something you want?

[Lord Letto]

According to someone on r/cellphones:

Quote

Good standing prepaid customers may eventually be pre-approved and sent an offer to migrate to a postpaid account with a $600 MyTab limit.

The deposit option will give you a $600 MyTab limit after 6 months of good standing account status.

So, if that's true & I'm understanding correctly, I can make a $50 deposit or buy a cheap phone to use for about 6+ months & get it on a prepaid plan & in 6+ months or so I should be eligible to get a phone that's up to $600 (Depending on if tax is included in that or not, for a MSRP of $600 or less (if tax is not a factor in the MyTab Limit) of their current offerings, I'd be thinking about the Galaxy A70 ($600 MSRP) or Pixel 3a ($570 MSRP) when the time comes, if tax is a factor I'd be looking at either the Galaxy A50 or Huawei P30 lite (both $450 MSRP) unless there's a open box Pixel 3a available (if open box=$50 discount, it'd bring price down to $520)) on a 2 year contract (Not sure how it'll work in the scenario, guessing any plan on the phone as the $600 MyTab limit would cover the outright cost of the phone?) after building some credit history with Freedom.

Until then though, I'd just need to get something to get me by while waiting for the time to come, While Band 66 would be nice, I'd settle for 1700 AWS for 3G & Band 4 for LTE, Band 13 would be a nice bonus also. $65 is my current budget for this month, if I wait until this time next month while spending nothing & saving money, then maybe $100-130ish would be my budget then, I'm just mainly thinking whatever it'll be would likely be a temp for a half a year at least then would become a backup.

 

Edit: just asked the guy on reddit Would it be possible to learn more about that? Is it posted somewhere on their web site? along with my understanding of it, he replied:

Quote

To be put on a deposit account you must fail a credit check then pay for the deposit and activate a postpaid line.

I Replied: 

Quote

Hmm, so pay deposit then get a monthly postpaid plan with no phone included, then in about 6 months if I make the payments & keep the account in good standing I could get a phone to use with the plan I was paying for, or bring my own phone to use until then so I wouldn't be paying for a plan I can't use? Sorry if I'm misunderstanding, it's the 1st time I'm trying to get service on my own without help from family (my current plan with Virgin Mobile is on a account my sister-in-law made in her name)

He said:

Quote

You'll need to bring your own phone, as well as be 19+

 

[Lord Letto]

Another possible recommendation from reddit:

Quote

Umidgi and Blu offer cheap phones but I have no personal experience with either. I found a Moto E5 Play for $99 on Amazon Canada although most were around $150. It's a little higher than your budget but there may be a Moto E4 out there closer to your price range.

Checking my local Kijiji, only result for Umidigi was the A5 pro for $275 obo: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-cell-phone/kitchener-waterloo/umidigi-a5-pro/1452956260

 

For Blu, there's a local business with the Grand M2 & Vivo One Plus for $69 & $119+tax with 30 day warranty: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-cell-phone/kitchener-waterloo/unlocked-sony-motorola-essential-blu-lg-etc-at-gadget-town/1447220406

 

As for the Moto E, here's a almost brand new Moto E5 for $200 obo: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-cell-phone/kitchener-waterloo/selling-a-moto-e-5-phone/1445392669

Brand new in package Moto E4 plus from Verizon, only opened to enter unlock code, asking $135: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-cell-phone/kitchener-waterloo/motorola-moto-e4-plus-from-verizon/1442992807

There's also this phone that has been relisted since I posted above, Motorola for $80, according to the seller when he had it before it's a Moto E & he'll take $60 for it: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-cell-phone/kitchener-waterloo/cell-phone/1452696370

[Results45]

Does this help?

.

[K i a r a]

I know this is kind of old, But I would stay away from Freedom mobile, far far away.

I am also near you and hardly get any LTE / 3G anywhere away from my house.

 

Just a little heads up. Go with Virgin or Koodo. they both have cheap plans

[Lord Letto]

On 8/14/2019 at 6:20 PM, K i a r a said:

Go with Virgin or Koodo. they both have cheap plans

Not as cheap as Freedom though, for data+talk+text, with both of them, they got unlimited texting on all their plans, with Virgin for prepaid, $15/month gets pay per use minutes & 250MB of data + $25/month for 150 province wide minutes = $40/month for 250MB of data & 150 province wide minutes, to get both in the 1 plan it would be $55/month for unlimited Canada wide minutes & 2GB of data, for a regular BYOD plan, it would be $50/month for 500 minutes & 4GB Data.

 

With Koodo, for prepaid it would be $15/month for 250MB of data + $35 for Unlimited province wide calling = $50/month for unlimited province wide calling & 250MB of data, or for both in 1, $55/month for unlimited Canada wide calling & 2GB of data, for a regular BYOD plan it would be $50/month for 500 minutes & 4GB Data.

 

With Freedom prepaid, 1.5GB Data + Unlimited talk & text for $24/month with autopay/digital discount ($5/month off), for regular plans, there's the Freedom 250MB plan for $15/month after the discount for 250MB of data, 100 nationwide minutes & unlimited nationwide texts or the Freedom 500MB plan for $25/month after discount for 500MB data, unlimited nationwide minutes & texts, looking at the BYOP page, there's 2 options for $45/month after discount, 5GB+2GB data, 500MB nationwide data, unlimited nationwide minutes & texts or 10GB + 2GB data + 500MB nationwide data + $0.05/nationwide minute & unlimited nationwide texts. Considering I'm looking at $40-$47.50 /month, it's either the Virgin prepaid combo (if possible) or go with Freedom.

[Lord Letto]

Just had another look for local options:

Unnamed Moto E got relisted, still listed at $80 but would likely still take $60: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-cell-phone/kitchener-waterloo/cell-phone/1453839996

Samsung Galaxy S3, unlocked in perfect condition, comes with charger, $50: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-cell-phone/kitchener-waterloo/samsung-s3-unlocked/1453556244

Samsung Galaxy Ace2, excellent condition, has had screen protector & rubber case (included) on it consistently, comes with charger, $40: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-cell-phone/kitchener-waterloo/samsung-galaxy-ace2/1453554487

LG X Power 3 16GB, unlocked, good working condition, comes with charger, $70: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-cell-phone/kitchener-waterloo/lg-x-power-3-unlocked/1453408172

ZTE Z557, comes with cord & multi use sim holder, ready to use, $60 firm: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-cell-phone/kitchener-waterloo/zte-z557-chatr-phone-pay-as-you-go/1453065606

 

Also thought to check local options on eBay:

Brand new ZTE Z557 16GB (Freedom Mobile) for $64.95 or best offer, $24.57 standard shipping (though local pickup should be OK to not pay shipping): https://www.ebay.ca/itm/Brand-New-ZTE-Z557-Black-16GB-Smartphone-Freedom-Mobile/223515931557

Open box Packard Bell AirPhone 4", starting bid of $39.99 or buy it now for $52, $4 economy shipping (though local so local pickup should be OK): https://www.ebay.ca/itm/Packard-Bell-AirPhone-4/173999595006

Used Nexus 6 64GB for $85 or best offer, local pickup only: https://www.ebay.ca/itm/Nexus-6-64GB-Grey-Unlocked-Smartphone/312622818587

Used- very good condition Blackberry DTek50 STH100-1 for $100 or best option, free standard shipping (or local pickup should be a option): https://www.ebay.ca/itm/Blackberry-DTek50-STH100-1/273967922860

 

Outside of local bus routes, but maybe we could meet up somewhere on a bus route (if within a 1 hour drive for them according to google maps) or if shipping is cheap enough just get it shipped: 

Used Alcatel Ideal Xcite, $80 or best offer, $4 economy shipping: https://www.ebay.ca/itm/Alcatel-Ideal-Xcite-4G-LTE-Unlocked-5044-5-inch/123777204686

Used Sony Xperia Z5 E6603, $96.89 or best offer, $25 standard shipping: https://www.ebay.ca/itm/Sony-Xperia-Z5-E6603-Silver-Unlocked-Cellular-Phone/303255613505

Seller refurbished LG K4 K121, 8GB, $89.99 or best offer, $9.99 economy shipping: https://www.ebay.ca/itm/LG-K4-K121-8GB-Black-Unlocked-Smartphone-Pre-owned/163625440586