Top products from r/cellphones

Just to follow up, I ended up purchasing the Snapfon ezTWO Senior Unlocked GSM Cell Phone and my Mom absolutely fell in love with it! For the first time ever, she's actually using the built in "contacts/phone book" and it's super easy for her to use. We love that this means she can have all of her most important contacts with her all the time and actually be able to use them. :) She even likes the SOS button on the back which we just have setting off the audible alarm. While she already has a GPS Panic Alert in case she falls or needs help, this produces an audible alarm and she feels safer knowing she can set it off if she ever needs help or feels unsafe. The ringer, the ear piece, and the speaker phone are all capable of higher than average sound levels so if someone has difficulty hearing, this can help. She loves that it isn't a flip phone (which she had before and thought she wanted) but after getting this phone and seeing that it's still small enough to keep with her all the time, she admitted to losing calls regularly on the old flip phone because it would sometimes be difficult to open and close itself, automatically losing/ending the call. I have absolutely no affiliation with the company that makes this phone whatsoever but thought it might help someone else looking for an easy to use phone for a senior who didn't want a smartphone. We're not using it with the Snapfon service, though, admittedly, for someone who is helping someone with the phone from a distance, it looks like an interesting service. We're using it with the Community Cellular service (AT&T version) and it transferred over instantly. It uses a standard (full) size SIM card, and even though the SIM in her previous flip phone was well over 5 years old, it worked perfectly just moving it over to the new phone. We added the case as well and she loves it. The bright cover makes it easy to find/see and keep it safe in case of drops. Mom has said over and over again that she couldn't have done better if she tried to find one herself, knowing exactly what she might have wanted. I'm super happy that she loves it so much and feels more comfortable using it. Hope that might end up helping someone else. :)

It seems you're looking for an off-contract phone with a physical QWERTY on a budget? Do you know what carrier you plan on using? The [Q10] (http://us.blackberry.com/smartphones/blackberry-q10.html?LID=us:bb:devices:blackberryq10&LPOS=us:bb:devices) is a great phone, but it will be pretty expensive (off-contract). You can try getting it's predecessor, the [Blackberry Bold 9900] (http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=iphone+4+unlocked&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1311.R3.TR5.TRC1.A0.Xblackberry+bold+9900+unlocked&_nkw=blackberry+bold+9900+unlocked+new&_sacat=0), on eBay for around $200. While it doesn't offer the new BB OS, it has the touch screen with a top-notch physical QWERTY. It's still very much a smartphone.

If you're willing to forgo the physical QWERTY there are many options. If you're on a budget the Nexus 4 (Android) and [Nokia Lumia 820] (http://www.amazon.com/Nokia-820-Black-Factory-Unlocked/dp/B00AF6TPIC/ref=sr_1_1?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1372746283&sr=1-1&keywords=nokia+lumia+820) (Windows Phone 8) will both run about $300 off-contract. Both are really excellent and hardly feel like budget phones. If those are too expensive, the [Nokia Lumia 620] (http://www.amazon.com/Nokia-Lumia-620-Unlocked-Smartphone/dp/B00B9Q56WQ/ref=sr_1_4?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1372746356&sr=1-4&keywords=nokia+lumia+520) runs around $150-$200 without a contract. Windows Phone has THE best virtual keyboard (some might argue SwiftKey for Android has better predictive capabilities though). Other phones to consider in the budget category: Samsung Galaxy S3 and iPhone 4.

If you have some cash to burn, say $500 or so, or are willing to go on contract I can suggest: HTC One, Samsung Galaxy S4, iPhone 5, LG Optimus G Pro, Samsung Galaxy Note 2, Nokia Lumia 920 or Nokia Lumia 925, and Blackberry Z10. All the phones mentioned above are very worthy competitors.

If you're willing to wait it out a few months, Nokia, Samsung, and LG are expected to release new phones pretty soon. Nokia has a 41 megapixel PureView camera phone, Samsung the Galaxy Note 3, and LG the sequel to their very good Optimus G.

I would definitely suggest going to the store and getting some hands on time with any of these phones that interest you. Each platform has its strengths and its weaknesses, and I don't think anyone can tell you what will be exactly right for you. Happy phone hunting!

<$100 is going to give you a hard time.

I've used a few over the years when adventuring to play Ingress. They work exactly like they're supposed to, and will give your phone's connection and reliability a major boost. I've used a friend's weBoost cradle which worked nicely (though was only 3G), and I'm planning on getting a weBoost Drive 4G-X hopefully soon.

Correct positioning of the external antenna is pretty critical, so I'd make sure to find out what direction the cell tower is you're connecting to. Cellmapper can definitely help you with that.

If you're a T-Mobile customer, they've got a neat booster available for customers that has one unit you put in the house wherever you get the best signal, and then another unit that acts as the transmitter that your phone connects to. It's limited on what LTE bands it supports though, so depending on what the coverage is (and what band the signal's on) in your area it may or may not be useful. I've got one at home and it works great, also acts as a nice way to confirm if the tower's having an issue (booster shows no signal either). If you call them up, they might be able to hook you up for free, or ask for a small deposit ($100 or less, IIRC) before shipping it out to you.

Samsung A10, Samsung A20, Samsung A30, Motorola G6 Play, Motorola G7 Play, Motorola G7 Power, Apple iPhone 6S, and Apple iPhone 7. All are under $200 unlocked on Amazon with the exception of the iPhone 7 which is about $220 or $230 depending on the color.

Samsung A10 ($140) - Samsung Galaxy A10 A105M 32GB Duos GSM Unlocked Phone w/ 13MP Camera - Blue https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Q6ZNJNT/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_pdYgDb5KV96W6

Samsung A20 ($170) - Samsung Galaxy A20 32GB A205G/DS 6.4" HD+ 4,000mAh Battery LTE Factory Unlocked GSM Smartphone (International Version) (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QWYYKGF/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_fcYgDb7YYKJW2

Samsung A30 ($199) - Samsung Galaxy A30 SM-A305G/DS Dual SIM 3GB RAM 32GB GSM Unlocked No Warranty - Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NKBBVLV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_0dYgDbN2FKZWX

Motorola G6 Play ($170) - Motorola Moto G6 Play Factory Unlocked Phone - 5.7" Screen - 32GB - Deep Indigo (U.S. Warranty) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079Z793SM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_KfYgDbXMFY9CM

Motorola G7 Play ($180) - Moto G7 Play - Unlocked - 32 GB - Deep Indigo (US Warranty) - Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Boost, Cricket, & Metro https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07N9MF1Q3/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_mgYgDbK7FY886

Motorola G7 Power ($199) - Motorola Moto G7 Power (64GB, 4GB RAM) Dual SIM 6.2" 4G LTE (GSM Only) Factory Unlocked Smartphone International Model XT1955-2 (Marine Blue) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NPRQYP1/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_9gYgDb24XFDFG

Apple iPhone 6S (Renewed) ($180) - Apple iPhone 6s, 32GB, Space Gray UnlockedGSM 4G LTE Dual-Core Phone (Renewed) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CZQ6B6W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_5kYgDbSW4WY25

Apple iPhone 7 (Renewed) ($220) - Apple iPhone 7, Fully Unlocked, 32GB - Black (Renewed) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N4R20RS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_yqYgDbVRSJWDX

Depends on how your coverage is with the major carriers. If you have good T-Mobile coverage, their $3/month pay-as-you-go plan includes 30 minutes or 30 texts here. If you literally only need it for that one call, you can grab a basic/dumb phone like this or this or this.

Samsung Galaxy S4

Samsung S4 Mini

Nexus 5

I noticed this comment regarding the Nexus 5 which might cause an issue.

LG G2. This one says UK version. Have no idea what that means!

Also, if there's anything else you imagine that I haven't even thought of from the Amazon UK site.

Thank you so much!

Ps...this good?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B009P16FKY/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483415571&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=nano+sim+cutter&dpPl=1&dpID=41RoYKu8ZCL&ref=plSrch

Guess you'll be more careful to make sure they're synced to gmail in the future.

Here's the cable you need

It's not based on the cell phone, but the carrier. I have a Samsung and my wife has an iPhone. The reception extender device plugs into your router and boosts the signal of any phone on your wifi. It should do the same with your phone. It would be similar to this. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RHMFQSA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_W.XdAb947XW4W

What is LTE? I also saw this....

Check this out on AMZN:
http://amzn.com/B00D89CW5Q

Here is the mobile version of your link

Why not get something like this: (http://amzn.com/B003PPGOC0).

I'm sure you could find a phone shop in Qatar that sells these nano Sim punches http://www.amazon.com/cutter-iPhone-Simcard-Cutter-Micro/dp/B009ERXEDK

Does your Qatar carrier sell iPhones? They use the Sim cards you need

I cut a friend's full Sim to micro Sim when she bought a galaxy s4, wasn't too difficult, just measured the chip against my micro Sim, marked it and cut.

Moto G4 is on sale today at amazon for $120 no ads
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DZJFSZ4/ref=twister_B01G7U1RY4?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

You might still prefer the E4 though for the finger printscanner for one.

Samsung Xplorer B2100 can take some beating. Or Samsung GT-B2710.

Factory reset the phone. You have way too many apps installed. Don't use apps like FB, Twitter, etc. They're memory whores. Keep your apps lean and mean by not running needless ones. Disable as many of your carrier's apps aws you can. Try this http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/memory-managing-ram-android-phone/ instead of Advanced Task Killer.

Buy an extended battery for $20 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009YF1X8K/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_2/179-0004536-6952209?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_r=03BNH7REDN6MNEA5XF4S&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_p=1944687682&pf_rd_i=B00BYEMNA6