Buying cell phones w/o a contract recommedation!

Post by **toxicavenger** » Fri Nov 13, 2015 8:27 am

Okay I have had this phone for a while and it has been great, so I thought I would share with you all just in case you don't want a contract anymore. To tell you the truth I don't use it for all of the features it has so I can't tell you it is the best. But surfing the net, some pics, texting and cell service it works. I bought the Blu Vivo Air from Amazon for around $134 because I am tired of paying for having a smart phone every month with AT&T. Once my wife's phone (Samsung S5, she actually likes the Blu Vivo Air better) is out of contract I will do the same and I also picked up my daughter a Blu Dash cell phone.

Here is there website, they sell exclusively though amazon: http://www.bluproducts.com/index.php/android-phones . There phones are made in China and rebadged for the US. The company who sells them is based in Miami. These phones don't have as much bloatware as most cell phones. Now I haven't had to use their CS yet so I can't comment on that. I do know they have a ton of great reviews. http://www.gsmarena.com/ces_2015_blu-review-1194.php
http://www.androidauthority.com/blu-viv ... ew-582883/
http://www.phonearena.com/reviews/BLU-V ... iew_id3924
http://pocketnow.com/2015/02/21/blu-vivo-air-review

Here is the specs of the phone I have:
Network
Technology
▼GSM / HSPAExpand
Launch
Announced 2015, January
Status Available. Released 2015, January
Body
Dimensions 139.8 x 67.4 x 5.1 mm (5.50 x 2.65 x 0.20 in)
Weight 97 g (3.42 oz)
SIM Micro-SIM
Display
Type AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size 4.8 inches (~67.4% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution 720 x 1280 pixels (~306 ppi pixel density)
Multitouch Yes
Protection Corning Gorilla Glass 3
Platform
OS Android OS, v4.4.2 (KitKat)
Chipset Mediatek MT6592
CPU Octa-core 1.7 GHz Cortex-A7
GPU Mali-450
Memory
Card slot No
Internal 16 GB, 1 GB RAM
Camera
Primary 8 MP, 3264 x 2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
Features Geo-tagging, touch focus, face/smile detection, panorama, HDR
Video 1080p@30fps
Secondary 5 MP
Sound
Alert types Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones
Loudspeaker Yes
3.5mm jack Yes
Comms
WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot
Bluetooth v4.0
GPS Yes, with A-GPS
Radio FM radio
USB microUSB v2.0
Features
Sensors Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
Messaging SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email, IM
Browser HTML5
Java No
- Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic
- MP4/H.264 player
- MP3/WAV/eAAC+ player
- Photo/video editor
- Document viewer
Battery
Non-removable Li-Ion 2100 mAh battery
Stand-by Up to 750 h (2G) / Up to 675 h (3G)
Talk time Up to 24 h (2G) / Up to 12 h (3G)
Misc
Colors Black, White/Gold

Panerai7 · Post by **Panerai7** » Fri Nov 13, 2015 8:31 am

That looks like a nice phone Terry and the price is eye-opening

ChuckW · Post by **ChuckW** » Fri Nov 13, 2015 10:53 am

Every time I look one of those very low cost Chinese unlocked phones, the specs look impressive until I check compatibility with U.S. LTE networks. I currently have a OnePlus One, which has served me well for over a year. I haven't had any problems with it, but rumor has it that those who have had warranty issues have been very frustrated by OnePlus customer service, so I would be hesitant to buy another phone from them.

I like the freedom and lack of bloatware of unlocked phones. If I were to buy another one, it would probably be from Motorola (The new Moto G is an attractive phone for a modest price) or one of the Nexus phones, which have moderated their prices. My main gripe about T-Mobile is the spotty network, which is why I switched to Cricket, but recent updates to the Nexus phones, Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X, and Nexus 6, make them the only non-T-mobile cell phones that are compatible with T-Mobile's wi-fi calling feature. They are also the only phones compatible with Google Fi. The older Nexus 6 can now be found new for a little over $300 on Amazon.

BTW, a few days ago, T-Mobile introduced BingeOn, which offers unlimited streaming for various streaming services that doesn't count against your data, as long as your data plan is 3gb or more. If I were compelled to do a lot of remote streaming, I might go for that.

ericf4 · Post by **ericf4** » Fri Nov 13, 2015 10:57 am

I still say the Moto X Pure Edition 2015 is one of the best phones I have ever used (And I've use MANY)......Starts at like 300-350.....unlocked for all US Carriers.

Post by **toxicavenger** » Fri Nov 13, 2015 11:09 am

ChuckW wrote:Every time I look one of those very low cost Chinese unlocked phones, the specs look impressive until I check compatibility with U.S. LTE networks. I currently have a OnePlus One, which has served me well for over a year. I haven't had any problems with it, but rumor has it that those who have had warranty issues have been very frustrated by OnePlus customer service, so I would be hesitant to buy another phone from them.

I like the freedom and lack of bloatware of unlocked phones. If I were to buy another one, it would probably be from Motorola (The new Moto G is an attractive phone for a modest price) or one of the Nexus phones, which have moderated their prices. My main gripe about T-Mobile is the spotty network, which is why I switched to Cricket, but recent updates to the Nexus phones, Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X, and Nexus 6, make them the only non-T-mobile cell phones that are compatible with T-Mobile's wi-fi calling feature. They are also the only phones compatible with Google Fi. The older Nexus 6 can now be found new for a little over $300 on Amazon.

BTW, a few days ago, T-Mobile introduced BingeOn, which offers unlimited streaming for various streaming services that doesn't count against your data, as long as your data plan is 3gb or more. If I were compelled to do a lot of remote streaming, I might go for that.

Chuck, if I am not mistaken most of the phones produced now are from China except for a select few brands. And Blu is a US brand who has a manufacture in China who makes these models.

Blu phones have a model that are made for US LTE network. We in the US have some of the sorriest cell coverage hands down. Third world countries have better service. The handset has LTE connectivity - there's full support for T-Mobile LTE, while AT&T LTE is limited to the markets where the carrier is using LTE bands 2 and 4 (you'll have to check that in your region).

All Blu phones are unlocked and stripped of most bloatware. I can't say the same for most of the phones I have used in the past.

I am posting this info as an alternative to paying to much for the best phone when there are one's out there that can compete.

Post by **SCM64** » Fri Nov 13, 2015 11:42 am

16gb of memory!?

I use 65gb+ of the 125gb on IPhone 6.

Panerai7 · Post by **Panerai7** » Fri Nov 13, 2015 11:47 am

SCM64 wrote:16gb of memory!?

I use 65gb+ of the 125gb on IPhone 6.

Yeah no SD card slot and 16GB is the weakest point it, but look at the price of that phone.

Post by **toxicavenger** » Fri Nov 13, 2015 11:59 am

SCM64 wrote:16gb of memory!?

I use 65gb+ of the 125gb on IPhone 6.

The have Pure XL with 64gb memory, this is just the one I picked since I don't have much stuff stored on my phone. Oh and I didn't pay $600 for this phone like ATT wanted.

Post by **toxicavenger** » Fri Nov 13, 2015 12:05 pm

Panerai7 wrote:
SCM64 wrote:16gb of memory!?

I use 65gb+ of the 125gb on IPhone 6.
Yeah no SD card slot and 16GB is the weakest point it, but look at the price of that phone.

I agree, and they do have other ones with high memory and SD slots. I wanted a compact phone without the stupid prices. So that is why I got this one. I also don't need LTE but they do have this model with LTE.

bedlam · Post by **bedlam** » Fri Nov 13, 2015 5:51 pm

I've just picked up a Nexus 5x and am genuinely impressed. Best phone I've ever used.

Post by **toxicavenger** » Fri Nov 13, 2015 6:00 pm

bedlam wrote:I've just picked up a Nexus 5x and am genuinely impressed. Best phone I've ever used.

Those look great, congrats!

bigolac · Post by **bigolac** » Mon Nov 16, 2015 8:05 pm

Thanks for the recommendation - however, ATT and Tmobile aren't an option where I live.

I've actually been quite happy with pageplus, which uses Verizon towers.

Looks like a nicely specced phone at a great price, though.

Post by **toxicavenger** » Mon Nov 16, 2015 8:18 pm

bigolac wrote:Thanks for the recommendation - however, ATT and Tmobile aren't an option where I live.

I've actually been quite happy with pageplus, which uses Verizon towers.

Looks like a nicely specced phone at a great price, though.

I understand, my dad has a place out in the country and nothing works there expect for verizon, so it is all according to your location

ChuckW · Post by **ChuckW** » Tue Nov 17, 2015 8:54 am

bigolac wrote:Thanks for the recommendation - however, ATT and Tmobile aren't an option where I live.

I've actually been quite happy with pageplus, which uses Verizon towers.

Looks like a nicely specced phone at a great price, though.

The other low cost alternative for someone in your situation would be Google Fi, which requires use of Nexus 6, 6P, or 5X. With one of those phones, Google Fi will operate through whatever network offers the best connection, wi-fi, GSM (at&t, t-mobile), or CDMA (Verizon). Cost is $20 for unlimited talk & text and $10 for each GB of high speed data. Any data you pay for and don't use will be used as a credit on your account. If you pay for 2 GB of data and only use .5 GB, you'll get a $15 credit.

Torrid · Post by **Torrid** » Tue Nov 17, 2015 9:22 am

I'll have to look into this. I've been staying contract free for a while now. I've been using a Sharp Aquos which isn't bad, but there's sometimes some lag in input with the touchscreen.

Post by **toxicavenger** » Tue Nov 17, 2015 9:35 am

Torrid wrote:I'll have to look into this. I've been staying contract free for a while now. I've been using a Sharp Aquos which isn't bad, but there's sometimes some lag in input with the touchscreen.

have you tried setting it back to factory configuration to see if that would help it out?

Post by **toxicavenger** » Thu Jul 28, 2016 10:30 am

This phone has been great. But with the biz and me needing to be online more I need a phone with a little bit more storage. So I bought the Blu Vivo 5. Excellent phone at a excellent price.

blowfish89 · Post by **blowfish89** » Thu Jul 28, 2016 4:36 pm

I switched to T-Mobile even though their connectivity sucks as it was dirt cheap. My monthly phone bill is equal to the cost of one Toxicnato.

dnslater · Post by **dnslater** » Fri Jul 29, 2016 4:53 am

I have a 16gb IPhone 6. No issues with storage space.

tattoo chef · Post by **tattoo chef** » Fri Jul 29, 2016 5:33 am

dnslater wrote:I have a 16gb IPhone 6. No issues with storage space.

All depends on what you use your phone for. I have 70 apps total, 7 of them social media, over 1000 photos currently, Apple Music library, PDF apps, document scanner app, google docs etc etc. on a 64g I have 17g currently available. I'll probably go up to the 128g when it's time for me to upgrade in Sept.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

dnslater · Post by **dnslater** » Fri Jul 29, 2016 8:18 am

tattoo chef wrote:
dnslater wrote:I have a 16gb IPhone 6. No issues with storage space.
All depends on what you use your phone for. I have 70 apps total, 7 of them social media, over 1000 photos currently, Apple Music library, PDF apps, document scanner app, google docs etc etc. on a 64g I have 17g currently available. I'll probably go up to the 128g when it's time for me to upgrade in Sept.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

True, I do most of these things on my iPad and upload photos to Drop Box and delete. It does take some ongoing file management.

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