I need a cellphone.
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I can spend up to $300 including any fees. But cheaper is always better.
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A better camera would be nicer but I don't need anything fancy for the phone.
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What's the difference between locked and unlocked?
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I'm in the US now. I might move to Canada next year. I'd like my phone to keep working if I move. But it's not a deal breaker and I need a phone very soon.
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From my ~3 minutes of googling - it seems AT&T has the best coverage where I live.
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Samsung A14. I found it when I was googling. Amazon has it from $99 to $180. I don't understand the range of prices. How it is for that I need? In any case - I think it's a useful benchmark for this thread.
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What am I forgetting to ask about?
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I need to buy a cellphone and I know next to nothing about them. Long story short - I've lived without a cellphone for a very long time. I'm not a cellphone guy. For the phone I'll buy I don't think I'll use it for much except talking on it when I have to and I hardly get around much anymore.
I've never used Instacart but I plan to and I assume I need a cellphone for it. I'd prefer to use Instacart entirely on my desktop but I assume that's impossible.
Don't bother getting a new budget phone. Pick up a higher end used one and then just put your sim card into it. Sites like Swappa are a great place to get a legitimate used phone in good condition.
Locked phones can ONLY be used on the carrier they're tied to. You cannot take a locked phone to another carrier, or to another country (other than with expensive international roaming plans on the original carrier). Depending on the carrier, they may be able to become "carrier unlockable" after some time period, but that's not always the case, and that doesn't entirely free you. Almost all locked phones (everything other than iPhones and Pixels) will also have their updates "certified" by the carrier, meaning that whichever carrier the phone was originally tied to will arbitrarily slow down or prevent your phone from being updated for months, years, or forever. People who hate updates might think this is a benefit. It is not. We're talking about security updates, not about when an app developer decides to randomly change everything for no reason. There is no legitimate reason for this, it's only done so that carriers can add bloatware, adware, and spyware to the OS updates.
Budget phones like the A14 will often have promotions from carriers that reduce the retail price of the device. These are locked devices, and they will not unlock the device unless you're subscribed for a certain long period of time. If a phone's page on amazon lists any carrier name, it's locked to that carrier for 6-18 months. The unlocked version of the phone is almost always going to be on the high end of the price range, because it's not subsidized by you being stuck on a specific carrier's plan.
You can get access to the primary carrier networks at cheaper rates using a plan from an MVNO (mobile virtual network operator). They utilize the exact same networks, but have negotiated cheaper rates with the main carrier networks. They pass the savings onto you (and cheap out on other stuff like not having physical locations or huge advertising budgets), so you can access that network more affordably. If T-Mobile has good coverage in your area, Mint Mobile might be a good choice, with an unlimited plan for $15/month. Visible uses Verizon's network and offers a similar unlimited plan for $25/month.