Replacing Cell Phone… what has good range or all about the same?

[ultrarunner]

My almost 9 year old work supplied Android is nearing end of life… minimum new battery and replace charging socket is one option or replace.

It does much better in fringe areas than Apple 6s when I did a side by side test.

The company no longer supplies phones and told me to keep it and I use it daily for work and after hours call.

Any suggestions as to brand/model with good fringe area viability?

Also more memory would be good as some work files are quite large…

Not looking to spend a lot as it’s 99% work related and I now also pay the monthly.

 

[LittleBill21]

if work isnt paying you have 0 obligation to take work calls

 

[LittleBill21]

on a side note the reception is pretty much all the same for smart phones.

 

[newbury]

Are you tied to a carrier?
IIRC you get very poor reception at one of your sites (Ca?).
Many years ago I got a cell with a T-Mobile sim that wouldn't work worth crap in my Mississippi area, but changed the sim to an AT&T and it worked fine.
So sometimes it could be a sim problem.

 

[ponytug]

If you have fringe reception, I would invest in a home and a car amplifier. They can make a world of difference. Many moons ago, I had to drive a corridor here that had a couple of fringe/dead spots that would routinely drop my calls (and everyone else's). An in car amplifier and antenna fixed it.

These days most phones are about the same because they all use same couple of chips and are limited by FCC in terms of power output.

All the best,

Peter

 

[jyoutz]

It’s more a matter of your wireless carrier and cell tower network than your phone. In much of the rural west, Verizon is the only carrier with good coverage outside of urban areas.

 

[ultrarunner]

No home internet outside of cell hotspot.

Could be a sim but noticed same carrier with android side by side with Apple the Android 1 bar worked and Apple often said no service.

To get calls for alarms at work the work phone has to be placed just so on the night stand…

My employer now only issues secure phones to salary exempt managers with 100% company use only.

I don’t qualify since reclassified to hourly.

For 2 years I submitted my monthly for reimbursement but effective Jan 2023 no longer able to do that.

I could pitch a fit but I think things may be winding down at this location…

I’m the only 24/7 person on call which is left over from my salary exempt prior status.

Bottom line that old company phone is no longer reliable as is.

Verizon, t-Mobil seem about the same…

Next door neighbor has ATT with a booster supplied by ATT for his 5 line plan... says ATT works the best.

 

[Jstpssng]

My personal phone is a Samsung using AT&T for a carrier, as they have a 5G tower 2 miles away.. My work phone is an i-phone using Verizon. They are virtually identical in coverage, it's like Verizon is paying to use AT&T's resources.
I am currently in my truck on the far edge of my property as I needed to call my mother and also get online, and this is the only way I can reliably hit the tower.

 

[ultrarunner]

Good to know…

If there is a clear winner for fringe I would go that way.

Other things like battery life, memory, photo detail also useful.

I took a picture at the tree farm and so did my nephew…

iPhone 6s me and iPhone 13 him… his pictures look like postcards with the clouds, lighting, etc superb where mine are not bad but not even close to his.

 

[otlski]

I switched from an Android (Motorola) to iPhone. That particular Android had better range.

 

[airbiscuit]

I have a Motorola 5 g Power, and I really like it. Great battery life, good reception, plenty of bells and whistles, and inexpensive

 

[5030]

I don't care for any of them, Android or Apple actually. The best phone I own is a SAT phone, it's good anywhere, any time but they are expensive to buy and expensive for air time. They work of satellites not cell towers. Typical air time for me is a buck a minute so I only use it for emergencies. Couple years ago, I was hunting Elk in New Mexico near White Sands and no cell service whatsoever and I need to call my wife so I got out the SAT phone and dialed her up and viola, was just like she was standing next to me. Other nice thing about them is, you get NO robo calls or telemarketers, they are strictly controlled by the FCC and unlike a 10 meter transceiver, you don't need a license, just a fat wallet to get one. Only for emergencies like I said but they work anywhere in North America, I also have a cheap Android for around the house and in populated areas with cell coverage and remember cell towers all have a limited transmit and receive range. My Android stays off 90% of the time but I do make long distance calls on it. Much cheaper than our landline. I pay 35 bucks a month for mine, unlimited talk and text bit I don't text anyway. Just called Winona, Wisconsin a little while ago to check the status of a material order...

I find cell phones to be only a distraction I can live without. My 2 cents.

The SAT phone, I only pay for air time, I own it outright.

 

[ultrarunner]

Back when I had a company pager it never failed and battery life at least 30 days...

I was the very last pager in the organization because it worked everywhere...

Doubt a SAT phone is in my future...

 

[5030]

Back when I had a company pager it never failed and battery life at least 30 days...

I was the very last pager in the organization because it worked everywhere...

Doubt a SAT phone is in my future...

I doubt it too. One, they are expensive, 2, air time is expensive and finally, they are olly meant for emergency communications. You'll find that people like mountaineering types have them as well as government first responders. You could be on the top of Mount Everest and call home, no problem. Not big either, fit in a coat pocket. Like I said, I only use mine for emergencies. They don't look like a normal cell phone either and they don't come with any 'apps' installed as well. If I remember correctly, I paid almost a grand for mine when I bought some years back, but then I like high quality stuff like Swaroviski auto ranging binoculars and Schmidt and Bender rifle scopes and custom built hunting rifles too. Get a normal cell phone and be happy.

 

[bdhsfz6]

I don't care for any of them, Android or Apple actually. The best phone I own is a SAT phone, it's good anywhere, any time but they are expensive to buy and expensive for air time. They work of satellites not cell towers. Typical air time for me is a buck a minute so I only use it for emergencies. Couple years ago, I was hunting Elk in New Mexico near White Sands and no cell service whatsoever and I need to call my wife so I got out the SAT phone and dialed her up and viola, was just like she was standing next to me. Other nice thing about them is, you get NO robo calls or telemarketers, they are strictly controlled by the FCC and unlike a 10 meter transceiver, you don't need a license, just a fat wallet to get one. Only for emergencies like I said but they work anywhere in North America, I also have a cheap Android for around the house and in populated areas with cell coverage and remember cell towers all have a limited transmit and receive range. My Android stays off 90% of the time but I do make long distance calls on it. Much cheaper than our landline. I pay 35 bucks a month for mine, unlimited talk and text bit I don't text anyway. Just called Winona, Wisconsin a little while ago to check the status of a material order...

I find cell phones to be only a distraction I can live without. My 2 cents.

The SAT phone, I only pay for air time, I own it outright.

I'm often in rural areas with no cell service. Satellite phones are a bit pricey for my taste so I use a text only satellite service with global coverage. It's $16/mo for the first 10 texts and a buck each afterward. The unit is the size of a pack of smokes and costs around $300. I use it mostly for emergencies. So far, I haven't found a spot with no service.

 

[5030]

Mine is a lot earlier (model) and it's a bit bigger as well but not overly large to be awkward or bulky. It's usually with me all the time, just in case but so is my derringer. They both have their uses...lol

FYI, Bangood is having a sale on unlocked cell phones, both Andriod and Apple so you can buy one and put the appropriate carrier's (your choice entirely), SIM card in it and be happy. I've purchased from them in the past and they ship fast as well and everything is Chinese so no guessing about where it came from...

 

[RustyA]

Motorola Moto 5g power here running on cricket/att network. Great battery life, good camera cost me $149 at cricket.

 

[5030]

Mine (SAT phone) is good anywhere and so is yours, there is no dead spots or reduced coverage unlike a cell phone. My cell phone don't work in the house, I have to go out on the deck to get coverage. That is because where we live is in 'flyover country', as in extremely rural. I think mine was around 500 bucks when I bought it some years back. Maybe it's time to upgrade. I'm sure technology has advanced from back then but being cheap, I probably won't anyway. It works, all that counts I guess.

 

[KennyG]

If your concern is mainly poor connections while at home, be sure to get a phone and cell supplier that supports wi-fi calling. I sometimes can't get a connection at home if I'm in the basement but the wi-fi calling works. I have Verizon and they used to only support wi-fi calls with their provided phones but my latest Moto Power 5G from Amazon works on wi-fi.

It's also valuable if you travel outside the country because you can call if you have internet access even if you don't have an international plan.

 

[Oaktree]

Doubt a SAT phone is in my future...

Likewise. My sole concession to the "mobile device" era is a cheapie pay-as-you-go flip phone I think I paid $15 for at the dollar store. A $20 phone card good for 180 min lasts me 3 months, so only $80/yr. I suppose it can text, but I have no desire to do so.
Like 5030, mine sits in a drawer at home 99% of the time.