Info overload -- how do I choose a new cell phone?

[Matata]

I know the features I want in the new phone. Over the past several days, I''ve read a gazillion reviews for phones matching my criteria and for every "this is the best phone in the history of cell phones" review there is a "this is a piece of crap" review. When there are equally compelling positive/negative reviews for phones with your "must have" features, how do you choose? My top contender is the new Motorola razr v9 which most reviews claim has great reception and sound clarity (based on the pre-release testing). I want to buy an unlocked phone, which means I''ll pay full retail for it, so I need to be completely comfortable with my choice. Anyone have a tried & true magic formula for making the right choice?

 

[monarch64]

Hee hee, I WISH I had a magic formula for choosing the right phone! I''m one of those who refuses to pay for a phone, and I wait for the time I''m eligible for a new phone or upgrade to get a new one and have never, ever paid for a phone. I''ve never had an issue with any phone i''ve had, been with Cingular (the new AT&T, lol) for over 8 years now and have been through only 4 phones...I started out with Nokias and went with Motorolas for the last two, always the freebie phones. However, I don''t use my phone more than maybe one hour a day on average. Funny enough, I''m eligible for a free new phone right now and have been for a couple months, but I love my current phone so much that I haven''t even ordered anythng new, I could get the regular razr in pink or whatever color for free!

Do you have friends/family who''ve already purchased the new razr you''re looking at? If not I would just say get a phone with the options and looks that you want and think you''ll be happy with. No phone is going to be perfect, but if the razr 9 one looks good to you than go for it. Or maybe start a new thread on that specific phone and see if anyone else here responds who has it already? Sorry, I''m not very helpful but my DH goes through phones like underwear and he''s not nearly the researcher you are, so I have a tendency to say "just make a decision already," LOL!

 

[Matata]

Date: 9/8/2007 2:07:46 AM
Author: monarch64
just make a decision already

LOL -- I''ve been chanting that mantra to myself for 2 days. I tend to over-research and get bogged down in minutia. I''m paying for this one because I decided to get an unlocked phone. Locked phones that are sold by wireless carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, etc.) have software enabled that prevents you from using your phone if you change providers. Unlocked phones have the software disabled so I can switch between carriers by simply buying a sim card from the new carrier and inserting it in my phone. I can use the sim card in any phone I choose to use, and can change carriers without having to sign a contract. I also prefer the unlocked, quad band phones because I have world-wide access without paying for international calling service as long as I use a carrier using GSM frequency bands such as AT&T or T-Mobile. I make a lot of international calls and travel to Europe frequently enough to justify the price of a phone for the convenience and freedom. It''s ironic and more than a little strange that I can drop big bucks on a jewelry purchase without batting an eye and yet I''m obsessing over a cell phone

 

[monarch64]

Date: 9/8/2007 2:55:18 AM
Author: Matata

Date: 9/8/2007 2:07:46 AM
Author: monarch64
just make a decision already

LOL -- I''ve been chanting that mantra to myself for 2 days. I tend to over-research and get bogged down in minutia. I''m paying for this one because I decided to get an unlocked phone. Locked phones that are sold by wireless carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, etc.) have software enabled that prevents you from using your phone if you change providers. Unlocked phones have the software disabled so I can switch between carriers by simply buying a sim card from the new carrier and inserting it in my phone. I can use the sim card in any phone I choose to use, and can change carriers without having to sign a contract. I also prefer the unlocked, quad band phones because I have world-wide access without paying for international calling service as long as I use a carrier using GSM frequency bands such as AT&T or T-Mobile. I make a lot of international calls and travel to Europe frequently enough to justify the price of a phone for the convenience and freedom. It''s ironic and more than a little strange that I can drop big bucks on a jewelry purchase without batting an eye and yet I''m obsessing over a cell phone

Ohhhhh, wow, I totally understand why you are getting a bit obsessed over this purchase now that you''ve elaborated. (Not that I thought you were being obsessed before, just thought you were being a typical researcher/PSr, lol!) I hope others chime in who are familiar with your situation or have the same thing themselves and can assist you!

 

[sera]

When I was choosing my new phone, I decided what the most important features were to me- sound quality, qwerty, large, sharp screen- then I looked at the pro and consumer reviews on cnet.com and read if the pros and cons fit in with what was most important to me. After that, I looked at the phones irl to see if they were comfortable to use and the interface was user friendly. Cnets reviews are pretty detailed and the items I have bought based on the reviews have been true to the descriptions.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I always get overwhelmed with the amount of options too. One of my big things is COMFORT. The last time I got a new phone (I am like Monnie I wait until I can get it cheap through Cingular/AT&T) I got this cute little flip phone. Well it HURT whenever I used it so I exchanged it for my razr (not sure the model number, it is silver). I love it. It is easy to use, VERY comfortable against my ear, and has *more* options than I use. As silly as it sounds make sure you hold them up to "test drive" them before you buy.

 

[Mara]

i wait forever to get new phones because i am lazy and also because sprint typically doesn't have the cutest phones out there, so i always hate to get some big blocky thing when other providers have cooler looking phones. last time i finally went in to get a new one, i was going to do the sanyo katana that i had previously at a job...but then i thought i would get the red razr, loved the color and that it wasn't pink or blue. but the gal at sprint was awesome, she told me that so many razr's come back with problems, she said out of every 10 phones she sees that like 9 of them are razrs. i said really? she said she would never recommend to anyone to get one.

i was like well thanks for your honesty. i mean how many random salespeople at the cell stores even know their phones from their hand? so many of the workers are just clueless.

the phone does have a return policy of 30 days but she had a good point which was why bother if there's a chance really that something could go wrong, considering how long it took me to get over there to get a new phone in the first place. and considering that i keep my phones for basically at least 2 years each time, i want something that IS reliable and not just cool looking. so i ended up getting the new samsung flat black one they had, it was the smallest phone on the market at the time i bought it, and is really cool, a flip which i prefer over the other types of phones...the front is kind of industrial looking, it's a flat black matte not shiny or anything but i really like it now that i have had it for a while. it was only like $20 more than the razr i think also. and it was brand new just came out like 2 weeks ago kinda thing. this phone does everything i want it to with the web and text messaging, and the camera is like 2mp or something...def the best one i have seen so far. and while it's the slimmest phone it fits nicely on my ear when holding it with my head, the katana i had before, when i tried to squeeze it from ear to shoulder when opening the car or something sometimes it'd slip and fall, it was so slippery and small. yak.

so anyway, just my recent experience, i was appreciative of the gal being up front with me about what she would never buy and what she sees. and i've had this phone for about 3 months now and def feel like she didn't steer me wrong. good luck!

 

[butterfly 17]

We just picked up new phones last month. I have Cingular/AT&T and I used to have the Motorola razr, not sure which model, but it was silver and about two years old. I never had any problems with it though.

I decided that I wanted to get a cell phone that had a full qwerty so I could text, large screen, had a camera and MP3 player and I could use the web on occasionally. I got the Blackberry Curve and so far so good, except I notice the battery life is not as long as the Razr.

My husband got the Samsung 727, which I love and would have been my second choice if I didn''t have to have the full keyboard. HIs is not a flip phone, pure black and really light and thin. I just love his phone and I eventually want to switch sim cards with him so I can play with his phone for a while.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

DH and I both have Razrs and haven''t had any problems. I think I have had mine for a year now

could be wrong. Honestly I only really use it to talk and text. It wouldn''t bother me to have a non camera phone (they don''t make those anymore) and I would NEVER use the mp3 part (if it had it).

 

[eks6426]

My husband and I own a cell phone store. We sell primarily Nextel (no cute phones at all!!!!) which is different than the brand you are considering.

But here are some things I would take into consideration:

Get a phone that does what you need it to do well. So many of the phones now are all about jamming in more and more features. The problem is as more and more features are stuck into an ever increasingly smaller space, each feature isn't really given focus. Sure, a lot of the phones have an MP3 player now...but they are not nearly as good as your trusty Ipod....etc. For each person the things that you need the phone to do are different...just read carefully.

Next, I'd NEVER buy a phone that is just coming out. Give it several months. We see so many returns on 1st generation phones that it's not funny. It seems that there are always kinks to be worked out. I'd much rather let someone else be the guinea pig....

Which leads me to my final suggestion. Ask different dealers for the brand you want (Tmobile, Verizon etc.) which phones they get the most returns on. Some dealers won't tell you. Some will. Find someone who is willing to tell you both the good and bad about the phones they are selling. For example, we don't sell the RAZR but almost everyone in the industry knows they are junk and don't hold up well. The newer versions are a bit better but they were just horrible for the first generation.

Good luck in your quest for a new phone!

 

[firebirdgold]

I killed my last phone and borrowed a Razr to tide me over until I could get a discounted upgrade. I really really hated that phone. It was hard to hold, I was always hitting the wrong buttons just trying to pick it up and answer, plus it seemed very flimsy and fragile to me. I was extremely glad when my ''new every two'' date finally rolled around and I could get a new phone and hand the razr back.

I personally don''t care about the looks, the ''hotness'', or the latest cool feature like picture caller id or music. I just wanted a phone that did phone things really well and was Indie-proof. Thanks to Cnet.com, I picked the G''zone type S. It''s ruggedized and military grade so it''s pretty much indestructible. The call quality is better than my home phone, and it fits in my hand really well. It''s a very comfortable and easy phone. I love it!

But I don''t know if it comes unlocked or good to go on european networks, but if it does than I really recommend it!

 

[October2008bride]

I''m Canadian, so I''m not sure if this will help, but I did a tonne of research before getting my phone, and ended up with a Sony Ericsson and I love it!! Sure it has some features I don''t need all that much (i.e. the mp3 player) but as far as sound quality, actual use, and all the important stuff you need for an actual phone call, I''ve been extremely happy!!

Mine is the candy-bar style, which I prefer only because I think it is easier to answer etc (especially when I only have one hand available).

My mom has a Sony flip phone, and she is really happy too, but I like mine better

As far as reviews go, I tend to use www.howardforums.com because I find them less biased then cnet.

Good luck!!

 

[Julianna]

I''ve had a RAZR for years. I''ve never had one single problem with it. I won''t bore you with a rundown of the MANY times I''ve dropped it on hard surfaces. It''s chipped up but works like a champ. I love my RAZR so much that I''m buying a RAZR2 when my carrier finally gets around to carrying them. I don''t care what people say!

PROS: battery life is good, carries a decent signal where other phones might not, quad-band (works everywhere!), tougher than it looks.

CONS: after a long time it gets dust under the screen. don''t know if this happens on models after mine. mine''s about two years old.

That was the only con I can think of. Any other problems would be with your carrier; for example, TMobile''s network isn''t as big as other carriers'', so you''d lose your signal or drop calls. Or another great example, especially with the RAZR, is that Verizon cripples their phones, actually removes functionalities. Which is nonsense, but you might not run into that problem if you buy an unlocked phone.