I was recently blowing through the Solavei Dashboard and found a link to a post about what phones to use on Solavei. People that don’t know, will recommend a lower-cost world phone that will still run into problems on the Solavei network. While there are lower cost options out there, I recommend going with the HTC One S directly from Solavei, if you can afford to do so. This is mainly due to the fact that Solavei provides support for this device, but not most third party phones.
Let’s start with the non-recommendation of the unlocked Quad-Band world phones that will not run on the Solavei 4G network. The iPhone works in some areas, but without jailbreaking the device, you will have one heck of a time getting picture messages on it. The last non-recommended devices are any non-smartphones. Yes, you can get voice and text, but you will probably not be able to configure the MMS or Data APN’s for use on Solavei.
If the HTC One S is out of the budget, it’s not a problem, just check out the amazing selections I’ve got in various price ranges below:
Entry Level: $100-$150
The T-Mobile Prism is an entry level Android device that will deliver solid 3G performance (3-5Mbps downlink and 1Mbps uplink) and run many of the 700,000 Apps in the Google Play Store. The device is a bit older, but at $129.88, it is a great way to get started and works better than the ZTE Origin from Solavei directly. You can grab it and have it delivered to your door today from the Get My Stuff Amazon Store.
The Samsung Dart is another great entry level Android device that will run on the same 3G network that the Prism does. A bit less memory and lower performance isn’t worth the $10 drop in my mind, but if price is everything, the Samsung Dart is a good choice.
Mid-Range Devices: $150-$300
The first device in this range is the amazing Samsung Exhibit II 4G. Sure, it isn’t a Galaxy S series monster, but it certainly will do the job and do It well. App storage is rather limited on the 2GB of internal storage that is allocated for Apps, but the SD card and good 3MP camera do a nice job of making the mid-range Samsung Exhibit II 4G device feel a bit more expensive.
Tech Lover’s Dreams: $300-$1000
These are the devices that everyone wants to have. The tops of our list is the soon to be released Google Nexus 4 by LG. We would love to see everyone adopt this phone, but the Nexus line has a history of unstable updates and a bit of quirkiness. While I love the technical side of things, the average user just wants a phone that will work. While I feel safe in saying the Nexus 4 will be a great phone for 95% of the people out there, there is a small group that should just pass it over. If you are new to Android, or new to Smartphones, this one might be a pass, unless you don’t get frustrated, ever. The Google Nexus 4 will be available from Google Play on November 13th for $299 in an 8GB model and $349 in a 16GB model.
The monster of all phones on the market today, and one of the most sought after is the Samsung Galaxy Note II. This “Phablet” as the style has been dubbed, runs $739.99 off contract, but for those that want to lug around a 5.5” monster, it’s the phone to have. A 1.6Ghz processor drives 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. If you think 16GB will fill up too quickly, just insert a MicroSD card of 64GB or less into it and you have a ton of space. The Samsung Galaxy Note II is available in 2 colors and can be at your door tomorrow with overnight shipping.
There are many others out there that will work wonderfully on the Solavei network. Try taking a look in your area for a used Samsung Galaxy Vibrant, HTC Amaze 4G and the Nokia Lumia 710 for a bit of a change up. In short, a new T-Mobile phone will not run you more than $200 for a good one, $500 for a great one, $750 for a monster one. Personally, I recommend the Nexus 4 in the bang for the buck category and the Samsung Exhibit II 4G for most users.
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