Money Matters
takmjs
member
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Finally upgrading to a Smartphone
I haven't posted anything in a while, although I still lurk at least once or twice a week. 
I am one of the few people left in the world--at least, it feels like it--to have a dumbphone. I finally want to upgrade to a Smartphone, mostly because I want my Google calendar accessible on something other than my large iPad, and I feel like I've missed out on taking some cute pictures of my kids, because I didn't have my big Nikon camera with me and wished I could've just taken a picture with my phone. So we priced it out (I'm on a family plan with my in-laws), and the cost to switch from our current family plan to a shared plan with data is going to be very similar. That seems crazy to me, so we're hoping there aren't a lot of hidden fees/charges that are going to hit us every month. We like our current carrier (US Cellular) and wouldn't switch to the other carrier around here (Verizon--bad past experiences with them).
Anyway, my MIL and I are going Saturday or Sunday to switch the plan and pick out Smartphones. I've been reading up on quite a few phones, and I just don't know what to think. Do I shell out $600-700 for one of the higher-end phones, or do I just get one of the cheaper versions for $130-250? I have an iPad, and I've just never loved Apple, so I'm excited to get an Android phone. I'm a little worried about the Samsung batteries, although I'm really leaning toward the Galaxy S7 if I go higher-end.
If you would, share the type of phone you have, what features you like/dislike about it, if you're happy with it, if you'd go a different route next time, etc. Also, is there anything else I should be considering about a Smartphone?
Thank you!!
I am one of the few people left in the world--at least, it feels like it--to have a dumbphone. I finally want to upgrade to a Smartphone, mostly because I want my Google calendar accessible on something other than my large iPad, and I feel like I've missed out on taking some cute pictures of my kids, because I didn't have my big Nikon camera with me and wished I could've just taken a picture with my phone. So we priced it out (I'm on a family plan with my in-laws), and the cost to switch from our current family plan to a shared plan with data is going to be very similar. That seems crazy to me, so we're hoping there aren't a lot of hidden fees/charges that are going to hit us every month. We like our current carrier (US Cellular) and wouldn't switch to the other carrier around here (Verizon--bad past experiences with them).
Anyway, my MIL and I are going Saturday or Sunday to switch the plan and pick out Smartphones. I've been reading up on quite a few phones, and I just don't know what to think. Do I shell out $600-700 for one of the higher-end phones, or do I just get one of the cheaper versions for $130-250? I have an iPad, and I've just never loved Apple, so I'm excited to get an Android phone. I'm a little worried about the Samsung batteries, although I'm really leaning toward the Galaxy S7 if I go higher-end.
If you would, share the type of phone you have, what features you like/dislike about it, if you're happy with it, if you'd go a different route next time, etc. Also, is there anything else I should be considering about a Smartphone?
Thank you!!
Re: Finally upgrading to a Smartphone
That being said, I've been able to get some great pictures on my iPhone. One benefit is that going with an iPhone you can sync all of your apps and data between your phone and iPad so you can pick up either device and get the latest text, email, facebook notifications and everything else.
I also have a Mac computer which I don't love at all. I've had it for about 2 years and HATE the file structure and trying to find files after they have been saved. I'm seriously debating selling this one and going back to a PC after I've done some research on the latest Windows version. Windows 8 was horrible which is why I bought a Mac versus a new PC. Anyway, this is just to tell you that while I hate my Mac laptop I love my iPhone and iPad mini.
Didn't get the S6 at the time because the phone was a sealed unit, so no way to add a SD card or replace the battery. May or may not be important to some people. Not sure if the S7 has reversed that or not.
I've not used US Cellular, but will they let you do payments on the phone? I know AT&T/Verizon/T-Mobile will let you do their Next/Edge plan where they break the payments up interest free over 2-3 years. You could also buy one model older (get the S6 instead of the S7) for instance, that'll bring the costs down some without sacrificing quality.
As far as I can tell, only the Note 7 was affected by the battery issues. Seems to be something specific to the phone. Last I heard they were completely scrapping the phone, but do your own research as I've only been loosely following the issue since I'm not in the market for a new phone.
ETA: you can have all of your devices sync with Android too. It's always a big selling point for Apple products, but my work computer, home computer, and phone all sync seamlessly. I also find the location based reminders from Google to be LIFE CHANGING, and last I checked (probably 1-2 years ago) Apple didn't offer those.
The battery is already getting weak. I can't get through some days now without charging it, but from what I hear batteries on smartphones in general usually get weak.
I love the size of it (same as H's iphone 5). It fits in my pocket. Pictures are also very easy to take. I think droid has a thing where you can tap your phone with another droid and transfer pictures. I've never tried it but it sounds neat.
Rumor is (according to H) that they are going to introduce a smart flip phone. I like that idea because I have had some butt dialing problems and that would cut down on scratching.
It is nice having my google calendar, email and apps like Cartwheel easily accessible.
I currently have the 6s. I have had it since last January, and no complaints. Battery life is fine, and I haven't noticed it diminishing.
We use ours heavily for work, though. They are undoubtedly the most important devices either of us owns for our jobs. I have turned my phone off less than 10 times in the last year.
Android just could not keep up with our business use. I don't know if it's the platform our firms use or what (they both use the same platform), but my life got significantly better when I switched to Apple, and I will likely never try switching back as long as I am at my current firm. My H had the same experience.
The camera on the iPhone is really good. It's good enough to replace pretty much any non-DSLR camera. The camera is also good enough for mobile deposit to be seamless at every bank we have tried. Again, both of our previous android phones had sh*tty cameras, and mobile deposit never worked. It's been a few years since I switched to Apple, so I'm sure the cameras are better now, but it was incredibly frustrating.
Like PP says it syncs with other apple products seamlessly, not just ipad but the watches, etc. too. Applepay is widely accepted and secure.
After the note 7 debacle I will probably have some trouble trusting Samsung for a little while.
I do like that you can set up all your devices to sync together, H has his all set up with his macbook and the AppleTV and the ipad. I'm still on a separate plan so I don't sync up, but we could.
I switched to a smart phone about two years ago. I hear ya, I felt like the last person on earth also, lol. I'm with Metro PCS and got a phone that was somewhere around $120-$150. It's a Samsung, but I don't know what kind.
The battery life isn't great and gets chewed up quick with internet usage. But, it's been fine for me. One hour of internet usage chews up the battery by roughly 30-40%, but I generally don't use the phone for that other than to pull up "this or that" for a few minutes.
The camera is decent. I have a p/t job that requires me to take photos of hotel event boards. As in, pics of words that are sometimes blurry anyway. It does a fine job of even that kind of specificity.
Personally, I think most "high end" phones are a waste of money. Especially if they are the "newest" version. They're very expensive and most people just don't need the fancier functions. Of course, that is coming from a person who has never owned one! Perhaps I don't know what I am missing, but I doubt it.
Since our new data plan is the same, if not slightly ($10-20) cheaper than our current plan, I don't feel too bad about the price of the Smartphone. I think I'll get my use out of it, and it's close to Christmas, so I'll call it my Christmas gift. You're welcome, DH, you don't have to buy me anything!