Budget Windows 10 phone

[cnashx]

So, I have a 950xl but the girl I am dating needs a new phone so I was thinking of finding her a budget Windows 10 (or upgradeable to Windows 10) device. She doesn't use a lot of apps and doesn't need a lot of power. Just a good phone at a good price.

What do you suggest?

 

[Pete]

Lumia 650

 

[Chintan Gohel]

So, I have a 950xl but the girl I am dating needs a new phone so I was thinking of finding her a budget Windows 10 (or upgradeable to Windows 10) device. She doesn't use a lot of apps and doesn't need a lot of power. Just a good phone at a good price.

What do you suggest?

lumia 640, lumia 550, or 650

 

[Szajda78]

Lumia 650 has bought a Lumia 650 for my father and he is very satisfied with the cell phone, both from the perspective of quality but also functionally.

 

[cnashx]

One thing I just noticed. the 650 and 550 have limited GSM Bands.
She has MetroPCS right now and I don't think either of those have the LTE band functionality for Metro.
I may have to get her a 640/xl LTE.

 

[libra89]

One thing I just noticed. the 650 and 550 have limited GSM Bands.
She has MetroPCS right now and I don't think either of those have the LTE band functionality for Metro.
I may have to get her a 640/xl LTE.

Nah only the 650 has limited GSM bands. I have used the 550 on T-Mobile without issues, and it has more bands over the 650. The 550 is a nice little phone.

If you can find a 640 around, that is also a great choice.

 

[jeffchapik]

I just bought a 640 this week on Amazon for $66. Loving it!

 

[EspHack]

640, if you have a hundred-ish the icon and 1520 are VERY solid choices

 

[realwarder]

There are MetroPCS branded 640's. A good phone.

 

[ak_r7]

640XL if she is ok with the size. Bang for buck, very good camera and LTE support with dual sim. You can never go wrong with this one

 

[PGrey]

Another vote for the 640/XL, in this category. I got one for my mom, and she loves it (running 494, for now). It actually got my mom, who's pushing 80, texting, and sending all sort of pics, coming from "I'm only going to use this to get the two-factor values for my bank, I'll NEVER text" to getting a steady stream now ;-]
There are some great bargains out there for Win Phone currently...

 

[v535]

One idea is to gift your 950 to your GF and then await for the new Lumia/Surface phone.(Sorry, pun intended.)
Like everyone suggested, 640(or 640XL),550,650,730,830,930 and 1520 are the pretty good ones and can last long time thereby offering more bang per buck without any lags whatsoever.

 

[RumoredNow]

One thing I just noticed. the 650 and 550 have limited GSM Bands.
She has MetroPCS right now and I don't think either of those have the LTE band functionality for Metro.
I may have to get her a 640/xl LTE.

Metro PCS uses T-Mo towers now. T-Mo bought them for the frequencies they hold and to have a national brand mvno to own.

T-Mo compatibility is what you are looking for and Factory Unlocked Lumia 650 and 550 from the Microsoft Store support that 100% for LTE, but are missing AWS on the 3G radio for when she leaves an LTE area.

640 GoPhone is a perfect match if it is unlocked and you can find one at a good price.

B&H has an Unlocked 550 that matches what you need in a radio at a great price. Microsoft Lumia 550 RM-1128 8GB Smartphone A00026398 B&H Photo

Their 650 is a bit more: Microsoft Lumia 550 RM-1128 8GB Smartphone A00026398 B&H Photo

B&H gets Factory Unlocked phones meant for the Latin American markets and they have great radio compatibility for the US as well. Just no Lumia warranty in the US, but B&H is a solid retailer with great service and they give you a one year warranty. I think they are your best bet. Be aware they don't take orders or answer the phone from sundown Friday through Monday morning as a religious observance Free expedited shipping in most cases..

 

[AUCLABruin]

There are T-Mobile branded Lumia 640's if the network is a priority. Another T-Mobile first option would be the Alcatel Fierce XL. Reviews have it as a decent mobile phone, so it may be something to consider if you will remain only on MetroPCS/T-Mobile for the foreseeable future.

 

[cnashx]

Metro PCS uses T-Mo towers now. T-Mo bought them for the frequencies they hold and to have a national brand mvno to own.

T-Mo compatibility is what you are looking for and Factory Unlocked Lumia 650 and 550 from the Microsoft Store support that 100% for LTE, but are missing AWS on the 3G radio for when she leaves an LTE area.

640 GoPhone is a perfect match if it is unlocked and you can find one at a good price.

B&H has an Unlocked 550 that matches what you need in a radio at a great price. Microsoft Lumia 550 RM-1128 8GB Smartphone A00026398 B&H Photo

Their 650 is a bit more: Microsoft Lumia 550 RM-1128 8GB Smartphone A00026398 B&H Photo

B&H gets Factory Unlocked phones meant for the Latin American markets and they have great radio compatibility for the US as well. Just no Lumia warranty in the US, but B&H is a solid retailer with great service and they give you a one year warranty. I think they are your best bet. Be aware they don't take orders or answer the phone from sundown Friday through Monday morning as a religious observance Free expedited shipping in most cases..

Thank you for the response. I found some Cricket 640s on sale for pretty cheap but I'm not sure if Cricket is locked to AT&T as well or since it's a "pre-paid" phone does it come unlocked and can be used on another network?

Thank you.

 

[milkyway]

At this moment I would not buy a x20 phone. Who knows if they will see updates to RS2 or RS3?
I would say the 650 is a very nice phone - especially the looks and the bang for your buck

 

[libra89]

Thank you for the response. I found some Cricket 640s on sale for pretty cheap but I'm not sure if Cricket is locked to AT&T as well or since it's a "pre-paid" phone does it come unlocked and can be used on another network?

Thank you.

Stay away from the Cricket one. I would not recommend. It is not unlocked. @RumoredNow 's suggestions are great and they are your best bet.

 

[RumoredNow]

Thank you for the response. I found some Cricket 640s on sale for pretty cheap but I'm not sure if Cricket is locked to AT&T as well or since it's a "pre-paid" phone does it come unlocked and can be used on another network?

Thank you.

Cricket sells their devices at a pretty deep discount in most cases. Especially budget/value models. The trade off is that they are locked down pretty hard and require 6 months service to unlock OR you have to put them on the $70/month unlimited plan.

Another thing about Cricket phones is they won't even work with an AT&T SIM until unlocked and AT&T is the towers they use and the company that owns them.

 

[nedarata]

no need to buy a w10m phone just to end your friendship
there are simpler ways

 

[PGrey]

Cricket sells their devices at a pretty deep discount in most cases. Especially budget/value models. The trade off is that they are locked down pretty hard and require 6 months service to unlock OR you have to put them on the $70/month unlimited plan.

Another thing about Cricket phones is they won't even work with an AT&T SIM until unlocked and AT&T is the towers they use and the company that owns them.

Are you sure about this? I do a lot of support on the AT&T site, and we get tons of people bringing phones from Cricket, that just use an AT&T SIM, with no issues. Maybe they're all >6 months though, I haven't really watched that too closely.
They're basically the same carrier (AT&T owns Cricket), AT&T just allows >8mbps, and Cricket's obviously the budget, prepaid choice.