Multiplex question in the Cell Phone and Verizon plans arena

December 20, 2024 4:31 PM

I will try to keep this focused and short. My wife and I have Android Samsung Galaxy S9+ (ancient) phones. We plan to replace them in February to avoid dealing with brand new phones in our January vacation. We are part of a multiple household family plan and we are not the owner, we just pay pro rata.

- Our current phones make use of mini SD cards for extended storage.
- We have MANY installed apps, I actually have had to scale them back as memory runs low.
- If you were us, what more modern Android cell phone model(s) would you recommend?
- I assume we will need to coordinate with cell plan owner and Verizon to get new phones.
- I have a stupid car but my wife's is brand new, so want her new phone to pair with car as it does now.
- I will try to avoid thread sitting, and thanks in advance!

posted by forthright to Technology (11 answers total)

The answers you'll get are either the latest Pixel phone fom Google or the latest Samsung phone. I prefer the Google Pixel phones because they're the 'straight' Android experience without a lot of craft. Samsung devices have, well, I'll call it cruft - a Samsung enthusiast would call it valuable additional functionality.
posted by kbanas at 5:07 PM on December 20, 2024

Response by poster: Sorry, I realize now I could/should have done a Google search for which Android phone models still support micro SD card slot. It appears there are still some but not many. Still welcome Samsung vs. Pixel advice. Also kbanas I am not particularly in love with Samsung, it is their worthless apps (cruft) that is causing us to have to upgrade our phones in the first place.
posted by forthright at 5:28 PM on December 20, 2024

Best answer: If you can still find a Samsung S22, I bought one in 2023 because it was the smallest size I could find, even though it was still bigger than my previous Samsung's. I don't know if anything more recent has shrunk at all, or if they were STILL going bigger than ever! For me, that was priority for my smaller sized hands... and everything about it is a wonderful, continuous upgrade. I thoroughly enjoy the wireless charging that I can use in my hb's car - that was a fluke for me... but the camera is excellent!
posted by itsflyable at 5:45 PM on December 20, 2024

...it goes without saying that pairing to the car capability is there, but some of the older apps don't always translate to an upgrade - hopefully, being Samsung you should have no problem. I had to choose a newer version of my weather app which I don't particularly enjoy, but I've got no real problem with that.
posted by itsflyable at 5:47 PM on December 20, 2024

Best answer: For Pixel phones it's worth regularly checking the Google Store because they often run deals (there's $150 off the 9 and $100 off the 8a right now). I have a Pixel 5 which I use as a backup, and it's still such an extraordinarily good phone - in part because of the extra Google features which I don't have on my current phone - that I wouldn't hesitate to buy another Pixel.
posted by 7 Minutes of Madness at 5:53 PM on December 20, 2024

How much storage space do you need? The latest Pixel and Galaxy phones don’t have SD card slots, but you can get as much as 1TB of built-in storage, which is 4× to 16× bigger than the internal storage in your Galaxy S9+.
posted by mbrubeck at 6:36 PM on December 20, 2024

Response by poster: mbrubreck good point, according to the Solid Explorer app I have 2 GB free of 52 GB of internal memory, and 95 GB free of 238 GB of SD Card memory. So yes, 1TB is more than 3 times bigger than what I'm working with now. I need to move my thinking into the modern era. Thanks!
posted by forthright at 6:43 PM on December 20, 2024

Best answer: Yeah, I really don't think you probably need to worry about an SD card at all.

Take a look at the Pixel 9 Pro. I'm writing this to you on one. It's a very nice phone.
posted by kbanas at 8:04 PM on December 20, 2024

Best answer: I have a Motorola G Play from 2023. It supports a micro SD card - that's where I have all of my music - and I believe the other Motorola models do, too, although I didn't look at the foldable new Razrs because they were way above my threshold for phone cost.
posted by TimHare at 9:32 PM on December 20, 2024 [1 favorite]

I assume we will need to coordinate with cell plan owner and Verizon to get new phones.

If you're planning to finance the phone through Verizon, this might be true. If you are buying a phone from another vendor and not Verizon, you probably don't need to involve the plan owner, but I would let them know you are replacing the phones in case they get any notifications. There will be instructions on setting up the the phone when you turn it on and you may end up having to contact Verizon in some way, but if your name is on the account as an authorized user, that should be enough.

When you pay the bill, do you log into the account and see your lines? If so, then seeing your upgrade options with them should be available there. Once you have a list of models you might want, it should give you the monthly price for each one right there. Useful as a comparison to buying the phones from another source.
posted by soelo at 6:38 AM on December 21, 2024

Response by poster: Thanks very much everyone for bringing me up to speed on the current state of cell phones and plans, internal memory options, Pixel vs. Samsung and even Motorola. I wish you all Happy Holidays and New Year! 👍
posted by forthright at 11:55 AM on December 21, 2024