Eligible for upgrade but will lose unlimited data...

[cyde01]

I was one of the early adopters for the HTC Thunderbolt and got an unlimited 4g data plan. The phone quickly got a reputation for being a lemon. It actually worked fine for me the first year, but I eventually started having problems with the data connection. Took it to Verizon and they actually replaced the phone with a Droid Razr, free of charge!

So basically I've been grandfathered into a 4g unlimited data plan with the Droid Razr the last few months, and for the most part have had a good experience. But now, I'm eligible for an upgrade, and I'm pretty sure I lose the unlimited data plan if I upgrade.

Sooo my question to the forum is....

What phone would be worth paying $100-200 AND losing the unlimited data plan to upgrade to?

I've been using far more than 2 gigs of data a month, although I don't use wifi at all so using wifi may cut down on that somewhat. I'm also pretty happy with the Razr, I don't really see a need for 4 cores and I hear Jelly Bean is buttery smooth but ICS seems smooth enough. What feature would make you want to bite the bullet and upgrade? 720 or 1080 HD screen? More battery life? Wireless charging or NFC?

 

[OverByter]

Like they say : if it ain't broke don't fix it. Why look elsewhere while you're happy with your current phone?

 

[cyde01]

Yeah I'm pretty happy with my current phone. The current crop of new phones look like a definite upgrade in the screen resolution and battery life department but not much else. My last upgrade I went from a 3g Windows Mobile 6 phone with a stylus to a 4g Android phone with all the bells and whistles of a modern touch screen OS with front facing camera for video calls etc etc so it was quite the upgrade and quite worth the money. I feel like I'm not gonna see such a drastic upgrade in phone technology like I did before anytime soon.

 

[msuguy71]

Just upgrade your Razr's battery to turn it into a Razr Maxx and you have half the upgrades now and still have your unlimited plan. The day I have to give up my unlimited plan is the day I either go pre-paid or go back to a flip phone.

 

[Deleted User]

No way would I do anything to jeopardize my old Verizon unlimited data plan. My Son (on my plan) wanted a new smart phone... he was eligible for an upgrade. We opted to just buy a new Razr Maxx on eBAY. End of story was Son got new phone and unlimited was not lost.

 

[MasterGadgets]

If you are worried about Jelly Bean, just wait. We are supposed to be getting that upgrade [hoefully soon].

 

[cyde01]

Just upgrade your Razr's battery to turn it into a Razr Maxx and you have half the upgrades now and still have your unlimited plan. The day I have to give up my unlimited plan is the day I either go pre-paid or go back to a flip phone.

how do i do that? lol razr's battery is not removable and razr maxx has a totally different body?

i guess my other question would be where do you guys see smartphones going from here? all i can imagine is incremental upgrades in the future as far as battery life, processor power, camera and screen image quality, etc etc. i can't really imagine any other revolutionary new features coming out that would make the razr obsolete. example: when i went to japan last year i rented an android phone for use over there that had a function my razr doesn't have, 3D screen and image capture. i honestly wasn't impressed by it.

 

[Grey1001]

how do i do that? lol razr's battery is not removable and razr maxx has a totally different body?

i guess my other question would be where do you guys see smartphones going from here? all i can imagine is incremental upgrades in the future as far as battery life, processor power, camera and screen image quality, etc etc. i can't really imagine any other revolutionary new features coming out that would make the razr obsolete. example: when i went to japan last year i rented an android phone for use over there that had a function my razr doesn't have, 3D screen and image capture. i honestly wasn't impressed by it.

Check out this thread.

http://androidforums.com/motorola-d...zr-maxx-conversion-anyone-do.html#post5184108

 

[kingnut]

Buy a used phone of ebay or craigslist. Keep unlimited. /thread

 

[ZzFallen_AngelzZ]

Is this something new? I thought as long as you upgrade to a smartphone you keep ur unlimited data plan. The only way to lose it is to cancel or drop the data package

 

[AntimonyER]

Is this something new? I thought as long as you upgrade to a smartphone you keep ur unlimited data plan. The only way to lose it is to cancel or drop the data package

Nope they ended even that. You aren't grandfathered in anymore. It's just they aren't going to modify the terms of your last contract... Yet. Once all the two year contracts with unlimited are up, Verizon can flip the switch at any time, and not a thing anyone can do about it.

 

[arparaspolo]

You should go to the VW website and check to see if shared data is right for you. They ask you a few questions like how many phones, smart or regular, how many minutes, data, then give you a cost. You may find that you'll end up paying less because you don't use as much as you think. And you can get the phone you want at the subsidized price. Win win. Or you may find out that you would spend more on shared, which then you would go to craigslist or ebay(or any other place that sells phones) and purchase one there.

 

[quickaudi]

You should go to the VW website and check to see if shared data is right for you. They ask you a few questions like how many phones, smart or regular, how many minutes, data, then give you a cost. You may find that you'll end up paying less because you don't use as much as you think. And you can get the phone you want at the subsidized price. Win win. Or you may find out that you would spend more on shared, which then you would go to craigslist or ebay(or any other place that sells phones) and purchase one there.

Bingo. In fact, a VZW rep can tell you pretty quickly if the share plan will be beneficial or not. FYI, using 10+ GB a month means it isn't cheaper.

 

[Napalm]

Yeah when you 2 years are up so is your unlimited data plan - they will put you on a tiered data plan on the next month.

Meanwhile - all doom and gloom aside. I added another device in September and in the process swapped to the new share everything system with tiered data. Actually saved me money as we don't blow out 6gb with 3 smartphones two used by women under 30.

(yes, sexist and ageist remarks but damned accurate - I use about 2/3 of a gb, they use the rest with ease)

So that said I still love my razr

 

[arparaspolo]

Yeah when you 2 years are up so is your unlimited data plan - they will put you on a tiered data plan on the next month.

Meanwhile - all doom and gloom aside. I added another device in September and in the process swapped to the new share everything system with tiered data. Actually saved me money as we don't blow out 6gb with 3 smartphones two used by women under 30.

(yes, sexist and ageist remarks but damned accurate - I use about 2/3 of a gb, they use the rest with ease)

So that said I still love my razr

I could be wrong but, to my understanding, the only way they switch your unlimited data to a tiered plan is when you do something to change your plan i.e. getting a new phone, adding a line. If your contract is up, and you do nothing, you are just month to month. If they tried to force you out of unlimited and into tiered, you could then just walk away without any repercussions. No fees or anything. They would lose a customer whom would say ef you I'm out!

But again, I could be wrong. It hasn't happened yet so I'm not sure the feeling, but anything is possible HAHA. jk.

 

[cyde01]

Hmm well if they do force me to switch to a tiered plan then i'm walking away from verizon. I heard t-mobile's gonna have an lte-advanced network once they finally roll it out, will probably switch to them once i'm ready to upgrade.

 

[Deleted User]

snipe:

Yeah when you 2 years are up so is your unlimited data plan - they will put you on a tiered data plan on the next month.

Disregard the above info, it is incorrect!

 

[james98520]

Basically you can get a new phone at a discounted rate and lose your unlimited data plan, or you can buy a phone wherever you want (Ebay, Craigslist, Verizon, etc.) and keep your unlimited data plan. Just know if you buy the new phone through Verizon, in order to keep your unlimited data plan you'll be paying full retail on the phone (ie. $700).

 

[cyde01]

Well if i'm gonna pay full price for a phone i might as well go prepaid and save on the monthly bill. Lately the 4g connection has been spotty in my apartment, no point in paying more for verizon if their service isn't gonna be the best of the best.

 

[mrgigabyte]

you can always do the upgrade on a other line then after on said and done switch new cell to you and then you are still unlimited i did this with my wifes line shes home most of the time so shes on wifi and has never used much data at all and now i have my new maxx and still have my unlimited thats one way to do it

hope that helps a little

 

[bolski]

I could be wrong but, to my understanding, the only way they switch your unlimited data to a tiered plan is when you do something to change your plan i.e. getting a new phone, adding a line. If your contract is up, and you do nothing, you are just month to month. If they tried to force you out of unlimited and into tiered, you could then just walk away without any repercussions. No fees or anything. They would lose a customer whom would say ef you I'm out!

But again, I could be wrong. It hasn't happened yet so I'm not sure the feeling, but anything is possible HAHA. jk.

If you purchase a subsidized phone, then you lose your unlimited plan.

If you purchase your phone used from a 3rd party (like on eBay), then no. You don't lose your unlimited plan.

When I got my RAZR, my new-every-two had come up. To prevent losing my unlimited, I went and bought my RAZR MAXX off of eBay for about $300. Went and got a simm card from Verizon and had it activated. Still have my unlimited data plan.

I then switched my new-every-two to my wife's phone so she could get a better non-smartphone upgrade and didn't affect my unlimited plan in anyway.

I'll stick with my RAZR MAXX for a long time and when it IS time to upgrade, I'll probably look and purchase the phone used again. It will be cheaper than getting it full-priced through Verizon to keep the unlimited plan.