So my birthday is coming up on the 24, an I would love an iPhone. I was looking at the iPhone 4, since its the cheapest on prepaid. I agree with my parents that the contract prices are WAY too expensive. We are thinking of buying the iPhone 4, no contract from Walmart, which Im told runs on verizon towers. I was wondering if there was a minute and texting cap. I know there is a soft cap on 2GB of data per month. I use only 500MB on my ipod through wifi. Is this plan a good deal? Verizon is the only one who gets service in my area, so thats why I cant buy an unlocked iPhone. It HAS to be the iphone through Walmart or nothing.
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Straight Talk iPhone through Walmart
- Thread starter hunterheath33
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Don't do it. That is, don't cheap out penny-wise and pound foolish by going with the iPhone 4 or 4S. The small dollar savings are a joke. Go with the iPhone 5, spend the extra $100 or so.
As for "Is it a good deal" that really depends. The iPhone being sold as "Straight Talk" runs on Verizon native towers only (no roaming, no extended network) so if Verizon native coverage is good for you...absolutely. The device is unlocked and will work with any SIM right out of the gate (usual APN/MMS headaches). The only limitation of the iPhone 5 sold as "Straight Talk" is that the LTE capability is disabled. The best you will do is 3G (EVDO) on Verizon or HSPA+ with a SIM of your choosing. That may be a deal breaker for some, others could care less.
It's tough to beat ST's $45 offering provided you aren't a data hog and the coverage meets your needs. 3G while not earth shattering in the speed arena is plenty fast enough in most areas for the typical user. A power user may despise the lack of LTE (or, rather, the intentional disabling of that functionality as it does exist in the device...) but you won't get anything for $45 monthly so them's the trade-offs.
As for "Is it a good deal" that really depends. The iPhone being sold as "Straight Talk" runs on Verizon native towers only (no roaming, no extended network) so if Verizon native coverage is good for you...absolutely. The device is unlocked and will work with any SIM right out of the gate (usual APN/MMS headaches). The only limitation of the iPhone 5 sold as "Straight Talk" is that the LTE capability is disabled. The best you will do is 3G (EVDO) on Verizon or HSPA+ with a SIM of your choosing. That may be a deal breaker for some, others could care less.
It's tough to beat ST's $45 offering provided you aren't a data hog and the coverage meets your needs. 3G while not earth shattering in the speed arena is plenty fast enough in most areas for the typical user. A power user may despise the lack of LTE (or, rather, the intentional disabling of that functionality as it does exist in the device...) but you won't get anything for $45 monthly so them's the trade-offs.
Wow. Walmart is still charging $450 for the 4? I would make some calls to verify you can't bring your own phone.
Unfortunately, while Straight Talk does offer a BYOD program on GSM, it does not on Verizon offerings...of which the Straight Talk iPhone's are. So no, there is no possibility to BYOD on these offerings. You must purchase the "Straight Talk" branded units to use this particular service offering.
The chief appeal I see with the ST offering at/through Walmart is the ability to make $25 monthly payments on the device with no interest. Not my cup of tea but a deal for some. Also for those who absolutely require Verizon service (coverage issues, primarily) and are willing to forego the faster data to have that coverage and at a $45 monthly price point.
The chief appeal I see with the ST offering at/through Walmart is the ability to make $25 monthly payments on the device with no interest. Not my cup of tea but a deal for some. Also for those who absolutely require Verizon service (coverage issues, primarily) and are willing to forego the faster data to have that coverage and at a $45 monthly price point.
what a stupid deal. I could get a 4s 16gb good condition off craigslist for half of that.
Thanks for the help. Unfortunately we don't have the extra 200 for the iPhone 5. I have a tablet so that offsets some of the load. I just want it for music texting calling email and Facebook. You could call me an EXTREMELY light user. My family already has iPhone 4 accessories so that's why I'm going for the 4. Thanks again!
Then buy a used iPhone. Buying an iPhone 4 for $450 is not smart either. It's 4 years old and 2 iPhone generations old.
Because the iPhone runs off of verizon towers. Maybe I'll get the iPhone 4S. But I can't buy a used one since it will run of AT&T or tmobile, both of which don't get service at my house. ONLY VERIZON DOES!!!
If I were in that position, I'd keep pinching pennies and come up with the extra $200. It really doesn't make sense to drop $450 on two generations old technology. Don't get me wrong, iPhone 4 is still a fantastic smart phone. But not at $450...
And don't get caught up in worries over the new Lightning dock connector. When you purchase the phone, you'll get a shiny new wall charger and Lightning->USB cable. It's not like you need to drop more coin right away on a whole bunch of accessories. And trust me, when you are fumbling for the cable in the dark you will appreciate the genius of Lightning and being able to just connect it as opposed to the old 30-pin connector.
Say that I did buy the iPhone 5. Would I be able to keep that phone and would it run great for the next 3 years? If I'm dropping that much on a phone, I EXPECT it to last at least 3 years. And also, what is a semi cheap and sturdy case that would work for the iPhone 5 that you could recommend?
umm...
You willing to fork over $450 for something that's 4 years old technology-wise already. If you take care of it, it should last 3 years easily. Remember, they are selling these phones with 2 year contracts on Verizon and AT&T. BTW, I just gave my old 3GS to mother-in-law and it's still running strong and it is 5 years old.
Like Baggio I gave my mother in law our iPhone 3GS. My daughter is using my iPhone 4 and my wife is using my iPhone 4S while I am using an iPhone 5. When I need to update something on my daughters iPhone 4 it is painfully slow compared to the iPhone 5. I say get the newest phone you can afford, you will be glad you did.
It's not a great deal, but I would either get the straight talk iphone 4s or get the iphone 5 from verizon. The 4 is too old and won't get any updates anymore. At least with the 4s you get a much better camera, siri, 3D maps, and the possibility to jailbreak and unlock the gsm sim slot.
The iphone 5 would be even better, if you get the subsidized verizon version so you can get 4g.
The iphone 5 would be even better, if you get the subsidized verizon version so you can get 4g.
I think I have decided on the 4s. I don't like the new design and I think that the 4s is a great compromise between the 4 and the 5. I'll update you guys for sure on what I get. I should be getting it sometime next week! Thank you again for ALL of your guys help!
The iPhone 4S is a great phone. I'm still using mine and have no interest upgrading to the iPhone 5. I've own every single version of the iPhone except for the iPhone 5.
Please don't get the iPhone 4. If the prices being tossed around are correct and it actually is $450, it should be a crime selling a 3 year old phone with 4 year old internals for that much. 800mhz Cortex A8 and 512mb of ram with the iPhone 3GS gpu is a very bad investment at this point. Especially for $450. I'd get the 4S minimum. It's still a solid phone. The 5 would be even better but that's a bit pricey when you're buying off contract. On contract the 5 would be a no brainier. It would easily last you 3 years of moderate to light usage. You should be able to squeeze about 2 out of the 4S. It's a bit low on the ram side to be very future proof.
I agree that the 4S is your best move if you want inexpensive Verizon coverage and to own it for 3 years. The main draw of the iPhone 5 is LTE, but the LTE is disabled in the Straight Talk iPhone 5.
If you want an iPhone 4, don't buy it directly from straighttalk.
You can score an AT&T iPhone 4 on eBay for around $250, then buy the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) Sim card package from Straight talk on Straighttalk.com for $15.
You are getting ripped off if you buy it directly from Straight talk.
The prices for iPhone 4 on the used market are at a really good point, and if you buy a 4, buying used makes the most sense.
If you can, like the other posters suggested, spend a bit more and buy the iPhone 5. It's new tech. While the iPhone 4 may work for 3 years, you may not want to use an old, slow phone in a year or two, as software updates get larger and become more taxing on the older hardware.
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What don't you like about the new design? It improved on the 4S in every way...
You can score an AT&T iPhone 4 on eBay for around $250, then buy the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) Sim card package from Straight talk on Straighttalk.com for $15.
You are getting ripped off if you buy it directly from Straight talk.
The prices for iPhone 4 on the used market are at a really good point, and if you buy a 4, buying used makes the most sense.
If you can, like the other posters suggested, spend a bit more and buy the iPhone 5. It's new tech. While the iPhone 4 may work for 3 years, you may not want to use an old, slow phone in a year or two, as software updates get larger and become more taxing on the older hardware.
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What don't you like about the new design? It improved on the 4S in every way...
He needs Verizon coverage, as there is no AT&T or T-Mobile where he lives, so the BYOD SIM isn't an option.
Uh, no it's not.
Released June 8, 2009 - http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/iphone/specs/apple-iphone-3g-s-specs.html (a little over 3.5 years old)
And just for kicks, the 4 that has been claimed to be 4 years old.
Released June 7, 2010 - http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/iphone/specs/apple-iphone-4-specs.html (a little over 2.5 years old)
When did everybody forget how to tell time?
That being said, I agree with what's being said here. Do NOT pay ST's price for the iPhone 4 - it's redonkulous! I agree that $200 more sucks, but being an iPhone 4 owner and daily user myself, I would NOT invest that much money into one. The 5 is worlds away faster; actually in your case, I would recommend a 4S, but since you need Verizon AND ST doesn't offer the 4S, you're kinda hosed...
That is a good choice. The 4S has a number of notable improvements over the 4, and it should work well for you for a while.