I miss the old school Nokia 3300 series. They were damned near bullet proof. If I didn't use my smartphone for work, I'd definitely be tempted to return to a dumber phone.
tried this on my cell phone and after fumble finger typing for 5 minutes accidentally hit something and the comment disappeared. Moved to a real keyboard.
I hate cell phones with a passion. Love the times I can just turn them off and ignore the world. However I am self employed and put groceries on the table based on my availability and fast response to critical IT events in customers businesses. Given I hate all cell phones but have to use one to survive financially, it comes down to what I hate the least in them. I hate slow, low memory, low storage, bad camera phones the most. The only phones that don't cause me extra stress and negative emotions in use are flagship level phones. Though I am not tied to loving them I have had really good success with Samsung phones. I have had two phones in the last 11 or 12 years. A Samsung note 4 and my current Samsung note 9. I have to note :) that both are some of the best reviewed of any Samsung model even many years after they were made. Though I don't use it much I do like the integrated stylus they come with. I like the old note 4 better for it's replaceable battery, but the note 9's performance has held up since I purchased it.
The critique of the price of flagship level phones is very spot on. I can not afford my taste in phones if they are new. I have found though that flagship level phones seem on average to be quite well made and if you take care of them will last for many years. I can't remember what I paid for that old note 4 but it was probably only about 25cents on the dollars. I still have it and it still works. I had to leave it behind because they quit updating the OS and newer versions of the apps I use would no longer run on it.
I'm now looking at that happening with the current note 9 that I paid 300 dollars for used off of eBay in 2020. I should be able to use it for a year or two more realistically but I have noticed that my battery life is starting to shrink, not enough to matter yet but it's the start of the decline. Since I can't replace it myself, and the cost of getting someone else to is what I would pay for another used newer flagship phone, I have started looking at newer phones. Slowly, but looking.
I purchased my wife a note 9 in 2021 after being mentally traumatized for years over being IT support for her old iphones and low end android phone's. I found a new in the box note 9 on eBay for her for 300 dollars. It had a rougher life leading to a used Samsung galaxy S21 this year for her, no one ever said that running the lawn mower over her phone would do so much damage :) Surprisingly it still worked but was shedding shards of glass from the screen and the back of the phone that was also glass in that model. Her new to her S21 was about 300 dollars.
Funnily enough my 14 year old daughter wanted mom's old phone and with a solid case to hold the back glass together and a screen protector on the front glass that old note 9 seems to have won it's bout with the lawn mower.. just a bit rough around the edges.
Point is that it takes a bit of research to pick an older phone used. Some have issues and the reviews will let you know. You can get a very nice flag ship phone a couple years old, sometimes new in box or legitimately used for around 250 to 400 dollars. Prices for these used phones has held up due to people wanting that performance but most not having the 1000 to 2000 for a new flagship phone.
If you have to have a phone and you use it beyond the capability of just talking on the phone, then a gently used flagship phone will make you the happiest in day to day life using it. I use the camera daily to scan QR codes, create pdf's of documents I scan with camera to mail to people, I use it to take pictures of serial numbers and model numbers on motherboards and other electronic products that I can no longer see with my old eyes and then zoom in on them. I use encrypted messaging such as signal to pass passwords and logins back and forth with customers, use vpn capabilities to access services in my office securely or to log into customers networks securely, plus a hundred other things. Half my shopping is done on my phone over the internet at amazon (hate those bastards :) and Sam's Club online, or Costco online or any of a handful of other vendors I use to order computer parts, household products, books, clothing etc..
One feature that is going away but I use all the time is a large SD card in my phone. Currently a 400 gig one. I live in the country 40+ minutes one way to any of my clients. I live on audio-books when I drive. You need large storage and an audio out or Bluetooth to the car to play them. Smart Phone for the win.
if your eyes are like mine and not what they used to be a larger screen smart phone is necessary.
If your life lends itself to a small flip phone then that is a great option.. For a lot of people though and that definitely includes me, we need a smart phone for it's features and internet connectivity.
if you can afford the 300 to 400 dollars for a used flagship... it will make your life easier, faster, better in your usage of a phone in that case.
I purchase off of amazon and on ebay.. I recommend ebay though as it is really hard to see through who is reputable selling used phones on amazon. If you read the description carefully and only purchase from a seller with 10 to 100's of thousands of sales with a 99+ percent positive review rate, you just about can't go wrong. Also that the item is covered under the ebay guarantee. Most of the time I get what I order in the condition claimed. once in a while you will get a phone that has some issue. I have found that those vendors with good reputations and lots of sales just take care of the problem and send you another phone or quickly refund you as soon as you send it back. It has happened to me but not often.
I hope this helps someone. It just reflects my particular situation in wanting/needing high performance/quality while not being able to afford it new.
My dad and his brother are buried in the VA cemetery there. Been decades but used to vist grandfather and uncle every couple years. Its been 37, 38 years since last visit. They are all gone since mid 70's to late 80's. Even most cousins are dead now. All the 2nd cousins scattered to hell and gone.
I was deployed out of country training when grandfather passed. Old menories..still miss them. The loss never goes away.. just weares a little thin until it hits you again when remembering. Used to sit with him on one of the old bridges down there fishing for flounder and whatever else would bite when i was a preteen. When we lived in nevada he would go with just me in his old internationl waggoner up to pyramid lake to go fishing. I was maybe 5 or 6. Mostly what I remember was him running over a rattlesnake longer than the road was wide. Dirt road with two tire ruts. Couldnt see head nor tail in the weeds on either side. Truck actually gave a little bump going over it. Probably 70 or 71.
I might go with the flip phone mentioned above and just use a tablet or laptop for those things that require a larger screen. It has a hotspot option. Or I may just buy an older galaxy, again.
ok. i was going to say that would give most of the functionality but just have to juggle 2 devices.
However that isn't necessarily so. At least for my use case.
1. flip phones don't have large battery's and as soon as you turn hot spot on it will start killing it quick.. Even with my older flagship and large battery, using google drive and hot spot are two things that will kill the battery in a matter of 2 to 3 hours at most. You can get around that by.... adding another device. I have a handful of 20,000 to 40,000 mha battery pack chargers that I can take with me. Dislike doing so but is functional. if in car its no worry just plug into usb charging in car.
2. in dealing with lots of people and sending data back and forth. being able to snap a picture and sms it to someone is critical. on the tablet sms isn't going to work.
3.I use signal for passing passwords and such and it wants to be on a device with a cellphone number..not sure why.. probably so the CIA knows who is using it. lol. since they funded some of the development it really feels as if there should be a back door in there somewhere.
For myself the tablet is a no go.. not that I don't think it would mostly serve for purpose but that I just don't use them much. Not sure why.. I have a very nice 11 inch Samsung tablet. It works great... great battery life and screen... 200 dollars new on amazon. one of their budget units that is really nice regardless of being in a budget line... I just don't use it much. I probably pull it down and use it once a month. Thats on me.... I'm either on my phone or kindle. If I get interested in a web novel, I will pick up tablet to read it on. But extended reading hurts my eyes and eventually I just stop reading the web novel as it more uncomfortable than its worth. That or webscrape it and generate a mobi to side load on the kindle so it doesn't hurt my eyes as much.
I would love a 10inch or bigger tablet/ note taking pad/ with a color e-ink screen running android and able to use the play store. As one of my complaints of phone and tablet and computer monitors is eye strain.... my old eyes really feel it nowadays..
Would read books, comics, manga and draw on it.. almost bought one the other day.. but I want to see what black Friday prices are or what the new 2026 gen looks like. prices for anything I like starts at 500+ though and I keep mentally declining to act.
Comfortably retired here, so a $19.95 Tracfone from Walmart fulfills my meager needs. Only turned on for emergencies, don't use more than 40 minutes a year. Life is good.
Would be nice. I will die in harness putting food on table. I pare stuff down every year but only so much can be pared if your living a connected life for work. At least i will leave the family a home and no debt.
If you want to stay with a flip I highly recommend the Kyocera DuraXV available at Amazon and the other usual suspects for around $200 for a new one, less for refurb. Best flip I ever had, very durable, replaceable battery.
I'm looking at the ones I mentioned in the post, because it can be linked to a tablet and it has a keyboard so I don't have to play the stupid button mashing game to send a text.
Forgot to add: I have a T-mobile account. It's like 20+ years old. So it has a lot of benefits that you can't get anymore. Also when I call in for service and they see how long I've been a customer, I've always gotten treated quite nicely. So a prepaid wouldn't really be a deal for me.
I miss the old school Nokia 3300 series. They were damned near bullet proof. If I didn't use my smartphone for work, I'd definitely be tempted to return to a dumber phone.
Thanks for sharing, John. I'll have to look at the Sunbeams. And good luck with your phone. 🫡
Using what I can't afford
tried this on my cell phone and after fumble finger typing for 5 minutes accidentally hit something and the comment disappeared. Moved to a real keyboard.
I hate cell phones with a passion. Love the times I can just turn them off and ignore the world. However I am self employed and put groceries on the table based on my availability and fast response to critical IT events in customers businesses. Given I hate all cell phones but have to use one to survive financially, it comes down to what I hate the least in them. I hate slow, low memory, low storage, bad camera phones the most. The only phones that don't cause me extra stress and negative emotions in use are flagship level phones. Though I am not tied to loving them I have had really good success with Samsung phones. I have had two phones in the last 11 or 12 years. A Samsung note 4 and my current Samsung note 9. I have to note :) that both are some of the best reviewed of any Samsung model even many years after they were made. Though I don't use it much I do like the integrated stylus they come with. I like the old note 4 better for it's replaceable battery, but the note 9's performance has held up since I purchased it.
The critique of the price of flagship level phones is very spot on. I can not afford my taste in phones if they are new. I have found though that flagship level phones seem on average to be quite well made and if you take care of them will last for many years. I can't remember what I paid for that old note 4 but it was probably only about 25cents on the dollars. I still have it and it still works. I had to leave it behind because they quit updating the OS and newer versions of the apps I use would no longer run on it.
I'm now looking at that happening with the current note 9 that I paid 300 dollars for used off of eBay in 2020. I should be able to use it for a year or two more realistically but I have noticed that my battery life is starting to shrink, not enough to matter yet but it's the start of the decline. Since I can't replace it myself, and the cost of getting someone else to is what I would pay for another used newer flagship phone, I have started looking at newer phones. Slowly, but looking.
I purchased my wife a note 9 in 2021 after being mentally traumatized for years over being IT support for her old iphones and low end android phone's. I found a new in the box note 9 on eBay for her for 300 dollars. It had a rougher life leading to a used Samsung galaxy S21 this year for her, no one ever said that running the lawn mower over her phone would do so much damage :) Surprisingly it still worked but was shedding shards of glass from the screen and the back of the phone that was also glass in that model. Her new to her S21 was about 300 dollars.
Funnily enough my 14 year old daughter wanted mom's old phone and with a solid case to hold the back glass together and a screen protector on the front glass that old note 9 seems to have won it's bout with the lawn mower.. just a bit rough around the edges.
Point is that it takes a bit of research to pick an older phone used. Some have issues and the reviews will let you know. You can get a very nice flag ship phone a couple years old, sometimes new in box or legitimately used for around 250 to 400 dollars. Prices for these used phones has held up due to people wanting that performance but most not having the 1000 to 2000 for a new flagship phone.
If you have to have a phone and you use it beyond the capability of just talking on the phone, then a gently used flagship phone will make you the happiest in day to day life using it. I use the camera daily to scan QR codes, create pdf's of documents I scan with camera to mail to people, I use it to take pictures of serial numbers and model numbers on motherboards and other electronic products that I can no longer see with my old eyes and then zoom in on them. I use encrypted messaging such as signal to pass passwords and logins back and forth with customers, use vpn capabilities to access services in my office securely or to log into customers networks securely, plus a hundred other things. Half my shopping is done on my phone over the internet at amazon (hate those bastards :) and Sam's Club online, or Costco online or any of a handful of other vendors I use to order computer parts, household products, books, clothing etc..
One feature that is going away but I use all the time is a large SD card in my phone. Currently a 400 gig one. I live in the country 40+ minutes one way to any of my clients. I live on audio-books when I drive. You need large storage and an audio out or Bluetooth to the car to play them. Smart Phone for the win.
if your eyes are like mine and not what they used to be a larger screen smart phone is necessary.
If your life lends itself to a small flip phone then that is a great option.. For a lot of people though and that definitely includes me, we need a smart phone for it's features and internet connectivity.
if you can afford the 300 to 400 dollars for a used flagship... it will make your life easier, faster, better in your usage of a phone in that case.
I purchase off of amazon and on ebay.. I recommend ebay though as it is really hard to see through who is reputable selling used phones on amazon. If you read the description carefully and only purchase from a seller with 10 to 100's of thousands of sales with a 99+ percent positive review rate, you just about can't go wrong. Also that the item is covered under the ebay guarantee. Most of the time I get what I order in the condition claimed. once in a while you will get a phone that has some issue. I have found that those vendors with good reputations and lots of sales just take care of the problem and send you another phone or quickly refund you as soon as you send it back. It has happened to me but not often.
I hope this helps someone. It just reflects my particular situation in wanting/needing high performance/quality while not being able to afford it new.
"I hate cell phones with a passion."
#MeToo. I'd sure like to sit down with you over lunch to compare notes and discuss the whys and wherefores of our cell phone hatred. My treat.
Anytime.... if your ever near the coastal boarder between NC and SC let me know and we can exchange contact info.
Thanks. Pensacola here. Same offer.
My dad and his brother are buried in the VA cemetery there. Been decades but used to vist grandfather and uncle every couple years. Its been 37, 38 years since last visit. They are all gone since mid 70's to late 80's. Even most cousins are dead now. All the 2nd cousins scattered to hell and gone.
I was deployed out of country training when grandfather passed. Old menories..still miss them. The loss never goes away.. just weares a little thin until it hits you again when remembering. Used to sit with him on one of the old bridges down there fishing for flounder and whatever else would bite when i was a preteen. When we lived in nevada he would go with just me in his old internationl waggoner up to pyramid lake to go fishing. I was maybe 5 or 6. Mostly what I remember was him running over a rattlesnake longer than the road was wide. Dirt road with two tire ruts. Couldnt see head nor tail in the weeds on either side. Truck actually gave a little bump going over it. Probably 70 or 71.
I might go with the flip phone mentioned above and just use a tablet or laptop for those things that require a larger screen. It has a hotspot option. Or I may just buy an older galaxy, again.
ok. i was going to say that would give most of the functionality but just have to juggle 2 devices.
However that isn't necessarily so. At least for my use case.
1. flip phones don't have large battery's and as soon as you turn hot spot on it will start killing it quick.. Even with my older flagship and large battery, using google drive and hot spot are two things that will kill the battery in a matter of 2 to 3 hours at most. You can get around that by.... adding another device. I have a handful of 20,000 to 40,000 mha battery pack chargers that I can take with me. Dislike doing so but is functional. if in car its no worry just plug into usb charging in car.
2. in dealing with lots of people and sending data back and forth. being able to snap a picture and sms it to someone is critical. on the tablet sms isn't going to work.
3.I use signal for passing passwords and such and it wants to be on a device with a cellphone number..not sure why.. probably so the CIA knows who is using it. lol. since they funded some of the development it really feels as if there should be a back door in there somewhere.
For myself the tablet is a no go.. not that I don't think it would mostly serve for purpose but that I just don't use them much. Not sure why.. I have a very nice 11 inch Samsung tablet. It works great... great battery life and screen... 200 dollars new on amazon. one of their budget units that is really nice regardless of being in a budget line... I just don't use it much. I probably pull it down and use it once a month. Thats on me.... I'm either on my phone or kindle. If I get interested in a web novel, I will pick up tablet to read it on. But extended reading hurts my eyes and eventually I just stop reading the web novel as it more uncomfortable than its worth. That or webscrape it and generate a mobi to side load on the kindle so it doesn't hurt my eyes as much.
I would love a 10inch or bigger tablet/ note taking pad/ with a color e-ink screen running android and able to use the play store. As one of my complaints of phone and tablet and computer monitors is eye strain.... my old eyes really feel it nowadays..
Would read books, comics, manga and draw on it.. almost bought one the other day.. but I want to see what black Friday prices are or what the new 2026 gen looks like. prices for anything I like starts at 500+ though and I keep mentally declining to act.
OK.. cant think of anything else right now.
Comfortably retired here, so a $19.95 Tracfone from Walmart fulfills my meager needs. Only turned on for emergencies, don't use more than 40 minutes a year. Life is good.
I need more than that. So I'll be buying something a bit more.
Would be nice. I will die in harness putting food on table. I pare stuff down every year but only so much can be pared if your living a connected life for work. At least i will leave the family a home and no debt.
If you want to stay with a flip I highly recommend the Kyocera DuraXV available at Amazon and the other usual suspects for around $200 for a new one, less for refurb. Best flip I ever had, very durable, replaceable battery.
I'm looking at the ones I mentioned in the post, because it can be linked to a tablet and it has a keyboard so I don't have to play the stupid button mashing game to send a text.
Cheap Walmart Prepaids. That's what I use. You can get something perfectly serviceable for under $50.
I couldn't use one of those. I need a bit more for work.
Some of them are really capable. There are Samsungs in the $250 range.
I bought a refurbished Samsung for a bit more than half that. The last one was a refurbished phone, so I'm hoping this one lasts as long (5 years).
Forgot to add: I have a T-mobile account. It's like 20+ years old. So it has a lot of benefits that you can't get anymore. Also when I call in for service and they see how long I've been a customer, I've always gotten treated quite nicely. So a prepaid wouldn't really be a deal for me.