New Mobile Phone

marcusv on 09/04/2010 - 09:53

My prepaid phone died the other day so I am in the market for a new phone.

I would really like an iPhone but I do not want to buy now as it is looking likely that the next model is due out in late June.

I was thinking of buying a cheap sub $200 phone to tie me over until the new iPhone model is released, any suggestions? Second hand (eBay etc) or New?

If I sign up for an iPhone on a plan now and the new model is released in 2 months, is it possible to upgrade? What is the process/costs involved?

I would appreciate any suggestions.

Find Me A Bargain

Comments

  • danielz on 09/04/2010 - 12:18

    If you sign up for an iPhone plan, I doubt you would be given the option to upgrade it to the new one, after you have used it. If by "upgrade" you mean, using the new iPhone on your old plan then sure.

    If you're in the market for a transition phone, you might as well grab another prepaid mobile from your same carrier and just use your sim. They're cheaper than buying it outright.

  • andy19363 on 09/04/2010 - 12:33

    I bought my daughter a cheap virgin phone prepaid from Dick Smith yesterday….$39 with $5 starter credit. calls/text free to other virgins….
    They also had them in big w, kmart etc
    brand was 'vmz' (or something similar…)

    • lantol on 09/04/2010 - 17:37

      Virgin VMX Mobile $39
      -3G internet (can be used as a model for internet)
      -Bad Firmware (laggish)
      -Candy bar phone
      -Bluetooth?

      • andy19363 on 10/04/2010 - 20:54

        can confirm it has bluetooth….

        • lantol on 11/04/2010 - 19:27

          Has stereo bluetooth. confirmed.

  • ESEMCE on 09/04/2010 - 13:19
    +1

    Get an old one off a friend..
    Everyone has an old, still-working but starting to get a bit flaky, phone sitting in a drawer somewhere…
    You realise how much a new iPhone is going to cost you I presume?
    I just want to point that out because it's unusual for a PrePaid user to spend so much on a handset.

    • Davo1111 on 10/04/2010 - 10:19

      +1 on getting a phone off a mate

      Otherwise.

      Nokia 6300, very cheap atm, and reliable (ive got one)

  • skysky on 09/04/2010 - 15:50

    hmm.. what's this new iPhone that's coming out? new hardware or just OS4?

    If you're hanging on to get the new iPhone, an option is for you to just get a prepaid phone.. Port your number over to the prepaid account for a few months.. then when the new iPhone comes out, port the number back to your new iPhone plan…

    There's no point in paying for an iPhone plan now if you haven't got one..

  • leonheart1 on 10/04/2010 - 21:59

    I don't think they will let you upgrade to the new iPhone in Australia. What are they going to do with the second hand phone?

    If you need an iPhone now because you want to play games and do a whole bunch of things, then you could either get one on a plan then later when (if) the new iPhone 4G is released (http://hubpages.com/hub/The-NEW-iPhone-4G-Coming-2010) you could sell your old iPhone and buy the 4G. Costly but you can keep your plan and get your phone now.
    You could also buy a second hand iPhone somewhere, eBay for instance, then sell it if you want the new iPhone.
    If you are going this route then try to get a 3GS, they're much, much faster. I sold my 3G to get a 3GS. Costed about $700 AUD to get a new 32Gb 3GS from eBay but it was well worth it IMO.

    Otherwise you can buy a cheap temporary phone for now then get the new iPhone on a plan when it is released.

  • kerfuffle on 12/04/2010 - 15:58

    The Nokia E63 is a great mobile for $200 (if you buy from Optus, which people on the Internet say is unlocked).

    • nats on 20/05/2010 - 15:10

      Can anyone confirm the E63's are unlocked from OPTUS? Thanks

      • kerfuffle on 23/05/2010 - 22:07

        It's been confirmed on the Whirlpool site for General E63 discussion, but that was a while ago, so it might have changed since then.

  • marcusv on 12/04/2010 - 16:19

    Thanks you all for your comments

    I ended up buying an almost new Nokia E66 which is similar to my old phone and seems to have all the features that I use as well as GPS which will come in handy.

    I prefer prepaid over plans as I really do not enjoy being locked into contracts. I have the tendency to take off overseas for extended periods of time, there is nothing worse than paying for a plan you are not using. I also do not make a huge amount of calls, I mostly use the phone to receive calls and emails. I also use wireless hot spots, especially overseas.

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