https://www.verizon.com/smartphones/samsung-galaxy-a03s/

Verizon told me I have to get a new phone when they kill 3G at the end of
the year and they'll give me the Samsung A03s for my first smartphone.

Is that an ok phone for the $149 price?

Or is there something else that you'd recommend around two hundred dollars
or less that will work on Verizon for a first SIMPLE smartphone?

How will I know if the phone will work with Verizon in the USA if I don't
get the phone directly from Verizon.

On 4/4/2022 10:11 PM, Rudolph Rhein wrote:
> https://www.verizon.com/smartphones/samsung-galaxy-a03s/
>
> Verizon told me I have to get a new phone when they kill 3G at the end of
> the year and they'll give me the Samsung A03s for my first smartphone.
>
> Is that an ok phone for the $149 price?
>
> Or is there something else that you'd recommend around two hundred dollars
> or less that will work on Verizon for a first SIMPLE smartphone?
>
> How will I know if the phone will work with Verizon in the USA if I don't
> get the phone directly from Verizon.

I know nothing about Verizon and I know nothing about that phone, but I
just wanted to mention that you have another choice. Keep the phone you
have and switch to a provider that will continue to support it.

--
Ken

On 4/4/2022 10:11 PM, Rudolph Rhein wrote:
> https://www.verizon.com/smartphones/samsung-galaxy-a03s/
>
> Verizon told me I have to get a new phone when they kill 3G at the end of
> the year and they'll give me the Samsung A03s for my first smartphone.
>
> Is that an ok phone for the $149 price?
>
> Or is there something else that you'd recommend around two hundred dollars
> or less that will work on Verizon for a first SIMPLE smartphone?
>
> How will I know if the phone will work with Verizon in the USA if I don't
> get the phone directly from Verizon.

That's way too much for an A03s that will lock you into a de-facto
contract for up to 3 years.

See how much they'll charge you for the Motorola One 5G UW Ace. That's
usually one of the free phones that Verizon, and Verizon-owned prepaid
services, offer for free or low-cost.

For example, Verizon's Visible service offers the Motorola One 5G UW Ace
for $240, minus a $200 rebate
<https://www.visible.com/shop/smartphones/motorola-one-5g-uw-ace/?sku=MOTXT21131VS>.
It's unlocked after 60 days. Verizon postpaid may offer a similar deal
on that phone. And of course Visible is a very good deal at $25/month if
you can live with the Visible issues (terrible customer support, no
off-Verizon roaming, no international roaming, 5 MB/s hotspot speed cap
and 200 Mb/s speed cap on phone data.

Ken Blake wrote:
> Rudolph Rhein wrote:
>> https://www.verizon.com/smartphones/samsung-galaxy-a03s/
>>
>> Verizon told me I have to get a new phone when they kill 3G at the end of
>> the year and they'll give me the Samsung A03s for my first smartphone.
>>
>> Is that an ok phone for the $149 price?
>>
>> Or is there something else that you'd recommend around two hundred dollars
>> or less that will work on Verizon for a first SIMPLE smartphone?
>>
>> How will I know if the phone will work with Verizon in the USA if I don't
>> get the phone directly from Verizon.
>
> I know nothing about Verizon and I know nothing about that phone, but I
> just wanted to mention that you have another choice. Keep the phone you
> have and switch to a provider that will continue to support it.

That may look like a good idea, but chances are very dim OP will find
one supporting 3G for a longer period, so OP most likely is condemned
to some [brand/type of] smartphone.

But the OP mentions two things "get" and "$149". That's a contradiction,
so I presume he has to or is supposed to buy one from Verizon. Whether
the Samsung A03s is a good choice or advice cannot be determined, due
to the lack of information from OP. What does he want to do with it?
What requirements would he have? And if he's got that act together,
there are plenty of sites for searching for "cheap smartphone" and for
reviews and comparisons.

-p

In article <jb38lpF6i77U2@mid.individual.net>, Ken Blake
<ken@invalidemail.com> wrote:

> > Verizon told me I have to get a new phone when they kill 3G at the end of
> > the year and they'll give me the Samsung A03s for my first smartphone.
> >
> > Is that an ok phone for the $149 price?
> >
> > Or is there something else that you'd recommend around two hundred dollars
> > or less that will work on Verizon for a first SIMPLE smartphone?
> >
> > How will I know if the phone will work with Verizon in the USA if I don't
> > get the phone directly from Verizon.
>
>
> I know nothing about Verizon and I know nothing about that phone, but I
> just wanted to mention that you have another choice. Keep the phone you
> have and switch to a provider that will continue to support it.

that is not an option because 3g will be turned off by year's end at
which point the phone will no longer be usable on any cellular network
in the usa.

as to his question, nearly all recent phones will work on verizon
unless they're locked to a specific carrier.

On 4/5/2022 9:22 AM, Ken Blake wrote:

<snip>

> I know nothing about Verizon and I know nothing about that phone, but I
> just wanted to mention that you have another choice. Keep the phone you
> have and switch to a provider that will continue to support it.

That is not an option. 3G is being turned off on all carriers. The OP
will have to get a new phone no matter what.

The issue is whether or not Verizon is locking him into a 36 month
payment plan in order to give him a very low end phone with 32GB of
storage, no 5G, slow charging, and a low-end Mediatek Helio P35
processor, and a low-resolution 720x1600 pixel screen.

The Motorola one 5G UW ace is still a basic phone, but at least it has
64GB of storage, 5G (including mmWave), 20W fast charging, and a
Qualcomm SM7225 Snapdragon 750G, and a 1080 x 2400 screen.

On 4/5/2022 10:06 AM, sms wrote:
> On 4/5/2022 9:22 AM, Ken Blake wrote:
>
> <snip>
>
>> I know nothing about Verizon and I know nothing about that phone, but I
>> just wanted to mention that you have another choice. Keep the phone you
>> have and switch to a provider that will continue to support it.
>
> That is not an option. 3G is being turned off on all carriers. The OP
> will have to get a new phone no matter what.

Yes, sooner or later. But I thought that with a different carrier, he
could keep the old phone at least a while longer than he could with
Verizon. Am I wrong?

> The issue is whether or not Verizon is locking him into a 36 month
> payment plan in order to give him a very low end phone with 32GB of
> storage, no 5G, slow charging, and a low-end Mediatek Helio P35
> processor, and a low-resolution 720x1600 pixel screen.
>
> The Motorola one 5G UW ace is still a basic phone, but at least it has
> 64GB of storage, 5G (including mmWave), 20W fast charging, and a
> Qualcomm SM7225 Snapdragon 750G, and a 1080 x 2400 screen.
>
>

--
Ken

In article <jb3brvF75tnU1@mid.individual.net>, Ken Blake
<ken@invalidemail.com> wrote:

> >> I know nothing about Verizon and I know nothing about that phone, but I
> >> just wanted to mention that you have another choice. Keep the phone you
> >> have and switch to a provider that will continue to support it.
> >
> > That is not an option. 3G is being turned off on all carriers. The OP
> > will have to get a new phone no matter what.
>
>
>
> Yes, sooner or later. But I thought that with a different carrier, he
> could keep the old phone at least a while longer than he could with
> Verizon. Am I wrong?

yes you are. after verizon turns off 3g/cdma, the phone will not work
on any carrier in the usa.

On 4/5/2022 10:16 AM, Ken Blake wrote:
> On 4/5/2022 10:06 AM, sms wrote:
>> On 4/5/2022 9:22 AM, Ken Blake wrote:
>>
>> <snip>
>>
>>> I know nothing about Verizon and I know nothing about that phone, but
>>> I just wanted to mention that you have another choice. Keep the phone
>>> you have and switch to a provider that will continue to support it.
>>
>> That is not an option. 3G is being turned off on all carriers. The OP
>> will have to get a new phone no matter what.
>
>
>
> Yes, sooner or later. But I thought that with a different carrier, he
> could keep the old phone at least  a while longer than he could with
> Verizon. Am I wrong?

Yes. Verizon is shutting down their 3G about six months later than
T-Mobile. AT&T's 3G is already shut down.

In article <t2i4pe$7oi$1@dont-email.me>, sms
<scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:

> Verizon is shutting down their 3G about six months later than
> T-Mobile.

t-mobile shut down legacy sprint five days ago (march 31). verizon will
be shut down at the end of 2022, making it *nine* months later.

sms <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:

> The issue is whether or not Verizon is locking him into a 36 month
> payment plan in order to give him a very low end phone with 32GB of
> storage, no 5G, slow charging, and a low-end Mediatek Helio P35
> processor, and a low-resolution 720x1600 pixel screen.

Thank you for understanding what I didn't say yet which is the $149 locks me
into a 36 month contract but that's OK as Verizon has the best service here.

What I need to know somehow from you is what is a good phone that is a good
starter phone that won't cost me too much that will still work on Verizon.

I've never had an Android phone before.
I don't even know what accessories I will need.

> The Motorola one 5G UW ace is still a basic phone, but at least it has
> 64GB of storage, 5G (including mmWave), 20W fast charging, and a
> Qualcomm SM7225 Snapdragon 750G, and a 1080 x 2400 screen.

I've always got my phones direct from Verizon.
Can I get that Motorola one 5G UW ace from Verizon for a good price?

sms <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:

> That's way too much for an A03s that will lock you into a de-facto
> contract for up to 3 years.

Thank you for that information. I logged into Verizon and I think that they
are saying the "Motorola One 5G UW Ace" doesn't exist but that they offer a
Motorola One 5G Ace or a Motorola One 5G UW (which is better).
> See how much they'll charge you for the Motorola One 5G UW Ace. That's
> usually one of the free phones that Verizon, and Verizon-owned prepaid
> services, offer for free or low-cost.

It's confusing but I think they offer me the Motorola One 5G Ace for $8.33
per month for 36 months or the Motorola One 5G UW for $15.27/month for 36.

I want to stay on Verizon.
Verizon offers a trade in of up to $500 but the details are fuzzy right now.
My phone is not a smartphone.

They charge a $35 activation fee.
What is that for?

In article <t2ile6$18ll$1@gioia.aioe.org>, Rudolph Rhein
<RudolphRhein@nospam.net> wrote:

> They charge a $35 activation fee.
> What is that for?

to extract $35 from you.

On 4/5/2022 5:04 PM, Rudolph Rhein wrote:
> sms <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:
>
>> That's way too much for an A03s that will lock you into a de-facto
>> contract for up to 3 years.
>
> Thank you for that information. I logged into Verizon and I think that they
> are saying the "Motorola One 5G UW Ace" doesn't exist but that they offer a
> Motorola One 5G Ace or a Motorola One 5G UW (which is better).
>
>> See how much they'll charge you for the Motorola One 5G UW Ace. That's
>> usually one of the free phones that Verizon, and Verizon-owned prepaid
>> services, offer for free or low-cost.
>
> It's confusing but I think they offer me the Motorola One 5G Ace for $8.33
> per month for 36 months or the Motorola One 5G UW for $15.27/month for 36.

<https://www.verizon.com/smartphones/motorola-one-5g-uw-ace/>.

Since you have some time, you could get it for about $125 through
Visible, then use it on Verizon postpaid, but it's a bit of work.

sms <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:

>>> That's way too much for an A03s that will lock you into a de-facto
>>> contract for up to 3 years.
>>
>> Thank you for that information. I logged into Verizon and I think that they
>> are saying the "Motorola One 5G UW Ace" doesn't exist but that they offer a
>> Motorola One 5G Ace or a Motorola One 5G UW (which is better).
>>
>>> See how much they'll charge you for the Motorola One 5G UW Ace. That's
>>> usually one of the free phones that Verizon, and Verizon-owned prepaid
>>> services, offer for free or low-cost.
>>
>> It's confusing but I think they offer me the Motorola One 5G Ace for $8.33
>> per month for 36 months or the Motorola One 5G UW for $15.27/month for 36.
>
> <https://www.verizon.com/smartphones/motorola-one-5g-uw-ace/>.
>
> Since you have some time, you could get it for about $125 through
> Visible, then use it on Verizon postpaid, but it's a bit of work.

I think I'll forget about the Samsung Galaxy a03s to focus on the Motorola
One if you think that's the best inexpensive phone that Verizon sells at the
store. (I will pick it up at the store and have them set it up for me.)

Which would you want of the three different Motorola phones Verizon offers?
Motorola One 5G Ace
Motorola One 5G UW
Motorola One 5G UW Ace

I think that last one will be $15.27 per month for 36 months.
Do you think that's the best deal with Verizon?

nospam <nospam@nospam.invalid> wrote:

>> They charge a $35 activation fee.
>> What is that for?
>
> to extract $35 from you.

Why does a phone need to be "activated" when the store gives it to me?

On Wed, 6 Apr 2022 19:56:26 +0300, Rudolph Rhein
<RudolphRhein@nospam.net> wrote:

> sms <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:
>
>>>> That's way too much for an A03s that will lock you into a de-facto
>>>> contract for up to 3 years.
>>>
>>> Thank you for that information. I logged into Verizon and I think that they
>>> are saying the "Motorola One 5G UW Ace" doesn't exist but that they offer a
>>> Motorola One 5G Ace or a Motorola One 5G UW (which is better).
>>>
>>>> See how much they'll charge you for the Motorola One 5G UW Ace. That's
>>>> usually one of the free phones that Verizon, and Verizon-owned prepaid
>>>> services, offer for free or low-cost.
>>>
>>> It's confusing but I think they offer me the Motorola One 5G Ace for $8.33
>>> per month for 36 months or the Motorola One 5G UW for $15.27/month for 36.
>>
>> <https://www.verizon.com/smartphones/motorola-one-5g-uw-ace/>.
>>
>> Since you have some time, you could get it for about $125 through
>> Visible, then use it on Verizon postpaid, but it's a bit of work.
>
>I think I'll forget about the Samsung Galaxy a03s to focus on the Motorola
>One if you think that's the best inexpensive phone that Verizon sells at the
>store. (I will pick it up at the store and have them set it up for me.)
>
>Which would you want of the three different Motorola phones Verizon offers?
>Motorola One 5G Ace
>Motorola One 5G UW
>Motorola One 5G UW Ace
>
>I think that last one will be $15.27 per month for 36 months.
>Do you think that's the best deal with Verizon?

5g is not everywhere. Find out if it is available where you live. No
matter what the carriers advertise.

KenW

KenW <ken1943@invalid.net> wrote:

>>I think that last one will be $15.27 per month for 36 months.
>>Do you think that's the best deal with Verizon?
>
> 5g is not everywhere. Find out if it is available where you live. No
> matter what the carriers advertise.

I don't know what 5G means to me but all new phones have it now don't they?
I live in an urban area and I don't travel much so my needs are simple.
Mainly I want Verizon to guarantee the phone will work for me. That's all.

In article <t2kgp3$2ne$1@gioia.aioe.org>, Rudolph Rhein
<RudolphRhein@nospam.net> wrote:

> >> They charge a $35 activation fee.
> >> What is that for?
> >
> > to extract $35 from you.
>
> Why does a phone need to be "activated" when the store gives it to me?

to register the sim card in the cellular system and assign it a phone
number, at which point you can make and receive phone calls, text, etc.

some carriers don't charge for that, while others do.

for those that do, it's pure profit.

In article <t2kjps$1iur$1@gioia.aioe.org>, Rudolph Rhein
<RudolphRhein@nospam.net> wrote:

>
> I don't know what 5G means to me but all new phones have it now don't they?

many do, but not all.

generally, the lower priced phones do not have 5g since qualcomm (who
owns the patents) wants licensing fees, which adds to the cost.

eventually they all will have 5g, but that won't be for at least a few
years.

> I live in an urban area and I don't travel much so my needs are simple.

don't worry about it.

4g/lte is all you need, which it will have. verizon won't even activate
a 3g/cdma phone anymore.

5g coverage is not as widespread as 4g/lte, especially for verizon
because of the type of 5g they're using.

> Mainly I want Verizon to guarantee the phone will work for me. That's all.

they will.

On 4/6/2022 10:48 AM, Rudolph Rhein wrote:
> KenW <ken1943@invalid.net> wrote:
>
>>> I think that last one will be $15.27 per month for 36 months.
>>> Do you think that's the best deal with Verizon?
>>
>> 5g is not everywhere. Find out if it is available where you live. No
>> matter what the carriers advertise.
>
> I don't know what 5G means to me but all new phones have it now don't they?

No. The A03s is a very low-end phone and lacks 5G. Most new mid-range
and flagship phones have 5G.

On 4/4/2022 10:11 PM, Rudolph Rhein wrote:
> https://www.verizon.com/smartphones/samsung-galaxy-a03s/
>
> Verizon told me I have to get a new phone when they kill 3G at the end of
> the year and they'll give me the Samsung A03s for my first smartphone.
>
> Is that an ok phone for the $149 price?
>
> Or is there something else that you'd recommend around two hundred dollars
> or less that will work on Verizon for a first SIMPLE smartphone?
>
> How will I know if the phone will work with Verizon in the USA if I don't
> get the phone directly from Verizon.

I don't know how much you're paying now on Verizon, but you might
consider moving to Verizon's Visible service, at least temporarily so
you can get a decent phone for very low cost.

It's $25 per month for unlimited everything.

When you port in from Verizon postpaid you'll get the first two months
for $22 ($11 per month) plus a $200 Visa Gift Card after three months of
service.

You can get a Moto One 5G UW Ace for $240 so subtracting the $200 Visa
gift card that brings the cost down to $40.

https://www.visible.com/shop/smartphones/motorola-one-5g-uw-ace/?sku=MOTXT21131VS
https://www.visible.com/help/port-in-promotions

Caveats:
1. All support is via online chat, no in-store support and no telephone
support
2. Verizon native 4G and 5G coverage only. No 3G. No off-Verizon roaming
3. Hotspot data is throttled to 5 Mb/s
4. LTE/5G data is throttled to 200 Mb/s
5. $25/month price requires "joining a party" but it's trivial to do so
and you still get billed individually. You can get a link to join a
Visible Party at <https://www.reddit.com/r/VisiblePartyPay/>.
6. Supposedly the phone will be locked to Visible for 60 days, but it
probably won't be, but in any case you'll want to stick with Visible for
at least three months in order to get the $200 Visa gift card.

After three months of service you'll get the $200 Visa gift card. If you
don't like Visible then at that time you can take the new phone back to
Verizon postpaid. Not sure where you are located, but in my area Verizon
is the only carrier that has reliable coverage, and it sounds like
you're in a similar situation.

In article <t2ksb7$q4p$1@dont-email.me>, sms
<scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:

> Not sure where you are located, but in my area Verizon
> is the only carrier that has reliable coverage

your area, cupertino, calfornia, has excellent coverage for all three
carriers and has for a very, very long time.