Anyone used this phone with straight talk, simple mobile, or solavei?

[lightsleeper23]

I just got this phone the other day and I'm trying to get the best speeds for the best value. I can't do the $30 T-Mobile plan because 100 minutes isn't enough, and Wi-Fi calling I don't lime because the quality is very iffy. I have ordered a simple mobile sim card and I will try them for a month, but I wasn't sure if it's the best value. I have to do their $50 plan because I found out with the $40 one after the first 250 mb you get throttled all the way down to 156kb. That's unacceptable.

Since it said the first 250mb were at 4g speed, I thought you'd only get throttled down to 3g after that. But apparently they skip straight past it. $50 gives my 2gb before they throttle to almost nothing. But I heard you get 4gb with solavei, and straight talk is unclear about when they throttle. Decisions. If I could get the first month free with solavei I'd def try them out, but apparently that promotion is over.

 

[dolph88]

I just signed up with Straight Talk (t-mobile). I came from Sprint and ported my number to Google Voice.
Everything is working great so far. Faster data speeds then I ever could get with Sprint. Just got to watch the data on ST, as they apparently are strict with the data. The L9 is a great phone even with the stock OS. Once we get CM10 on this thing it will be even better.

 

[lightsleeper23]

I just signed up with Straight Talk (t-mobile). I came from Sprint and ported my number to Google Voice.
Everything is working great so far. Faster data speeds then I ever could get with Sprint. Just got to watch the data on ST, as they apparently are strict with the data. The L9 is a great phone even with the stock OS. Once we get CM10 on this thing it will be even better.

Yeah I really like this phone. So you didn't have to unlock or anything right, it just works with the T-Mobile micro sim? In not super worried about using a crazy amount of data, I'm on Wi-Fi 90 percent of the time. But I do go over 250mb sometimes which is why I was worried about simple mobiles $40 plan. What is an average speed test result you get with straight talks T-Mobile network?

 

[dolph88]

Yep, it just works with the t-mobile sim from Straight Talk. One thing to note, the ST t-mobile sim is normal sized so you have to cut it down to micro sim size. I just went to my local t-mobile store and asked them to punch it down, they said no problem and cut it to size.

The few speed tests I've run are upwards of 5Mbps down and 1-2Mbps up. I am perfectly happy with that, especially coming from Sprint where I was lucky to get 500kbps down.

 

[lightsleeper23]

Yeah that ain't bad at all. I'd be happy with 4 to 5 mbps.

 

[ThaDiz]

I just got this phone the other day and I'm trying to get the best speeds for the best value. I can't do the $30 T-Mobile plan because 100 minutes isn't enough, and Wi-Fi calling I don't lime because the quality is very iffy. I have ordered a simple mobile sim card and I will try them for a month, but I wasn't sure if it's the best value. I have to do their $50 plan because I found out with the $40 one after the first 250 mb you get throttled all the way down to 156kb. That's unacceptable.

Since it said the first 250mb were at 4g speed, I thought you'd only get throttled down to 3g after that. But apparently they skip straight past it. $50 gives my 2gb before they throttle to almost nothing. But I heard you get 4gb with solavei, and straight talk is unclear about when they throttle. Decisions. If I could get the first month free with solavei I'd def try them out, but apparently that promotion is over.

I left sprint for Solavei, and can honestly say, it was a good move.. no problems yet and the bill looks waaaaay better. and tethering when you need to, is a bonus

 

[lightsleeper23]

I left sprint for Solavei, and can honestly say, it was a good move.. no problems yet and the bill looks waaaaay better. and tethering when you need to, is a bonus

Oh cool, and you're using the l9 with Solavei? I really think I want to give it a try next month. Too bad there's nowhere local where I can pick up a sim card.

 

[Bren S.]

Yep, it just works with the t-mobile sim from Straight Talk. One thing to note, the ST t-mobile sim is normal sized so you have to cut it down to micro sim size. I just went to my local t-mobile store and asked them to punch it down, they said no problem and cut it to size.

The few speed tests I've run are upwards of 5Mbps down and 1-2Mbps up. I am perfectly happy with that, especially coming from Sprint where I was lucky to get 500kbps down.

Actually straight talk sells micro sims for t mobile, so that's a non issue.

 

[robertski949]

I left sprint for Solavei, and can honestly say, it was a good move.. no problems yet and the bill looks waaaaay better. and tethering when you need to, is a bonus

To confirm... can you use the L9 with both WiFi Hotspot or USB Tethering? Are any apps needed or is it the native WiFi Hotspot feature? Thanks

 

[icebrrg3rd]

So can you buy the L9 that is intended to be used on T-Mobile and use it with a non T-Mobile service? Like Solavei? Just wondering before I pick it up.

 

[lightsleeper23]

I just hooked up simple mobile today, works great.

And the native hotspot feature is working great too.

 

[illegalburrit0]

I bought the phone yesterday and had my sim cut to size. Simple mobile worked right away.

 

[icebrrg3rd]

So where are you getting them and at what price? Are they unlocked? Or are you getting them from like Walmart as a T-mobile pre-paid phone and using them? Or do they need to be unlocked (with that whole after Jan 26th unlocking is illegal pile of ****). My plan is just about up and I want to switch over asap. My current phone is acting up bad and I'm having a hard time not throwing it against the wall.

-Andrew

 

[lightsleeper23]

So where are you getting them and at what price? Are they unlocked? Or are you getting them from like Walmart as a T-mobile pre-paid phone and using them? Or do they need to be unlocked (with that whole after Jan 26th unlocking is illegal pile of ****). My plan is just about up and I want to switch over asap. My current phone is acting up bad and I'm having a hard time not throwing it against the wall.

-Andrew

Bought mine from Best Buy as a T-Mobile pre paid. $199. Then just ordered a simple mobile sim card online, popped it in and activated. They do have simple mobile Sims at Best Buy, but the L9 uses micro sim, and they were out of those when I bought my phone. It does not need to be unlocked at all, you can use simple mobile, straight talk, Solavei, or any other T-Mobile MVNO.

 

[icebrrg3rd]

Thanks for that info. Now I just gotta wait a few more days for my 2-yr contract to be up. Still deciding between this and the Nexus 4.

-Andrew

 

[illegalburrit0]

I got mine from Target. Buy a $50 the card with it and get 20% off the phone.
And for the card, tmobile cut mine to size for free

 

[lightsleeper23]

Thanks for that info. Now I just gotta wait a few more days for my 2-yr contract to be up. Still deciding between this and the Nexus 4.

-Andrew

Oh the Nexus 4 is an amazing phone, and a steal at the price. It's definitely one of the top phones in the world right now. I plan on getting it on a couple months.

I'm not proud that I spent $200 on a phone I only plan on using for a few months, but I needed one bad, and couldn't afford the N4 at the time. And I did NOT want to downgrade. But the L9 is amazing as well. It surpassed every expectation I had, and I'm in no hurry at all to get the N4 now. Its definitely the best phone on the market in the under $250 range. You'll be very happy with either one, it just depends on if you can justify the extra $100-150 for the N4.

 

[msaeger]

Thanks for that info. Now I just gotta wait a few more days for my 2-yr contract to be up. Still deciding between this and the Nexus 4.

-Andrew

I thought about the nexus too. I picked the L9 because I was afraid of the glass back. I also wanted the sd card for podcasts and photos.

 

[icebrrg3rd]

I'm glad I see others have also thought about the Nexus 4 but are still satisfied with the L9. I've been hesitant about the glass back too, and wasn't sure about the lack of SD and non-removable battery. Plus I'd be needing two (me & my wife) so that doubles the price difference to $200-300. I think I'm going to grab the L9 this weekend, my plan is up on the 11th and I want to switch over right away.

Thanks all for your input!

-Andrew

 

[DudleyDawson]

So where are you getting them and at what price? Are they unlocked? Or are you getting them from like Walmart as a T-mobile pre-paid phone and using them? Or do they need to be unlocked (with that whole after Jan 26th unlocking is illegal pile of ****). My plan is just about up and I want to switch over asap. My current phone is acting up bad and I'm having a hard time not throwing it against the wall.

-Andrew

I bought mine from Best Buy for $199. It comes as a TMobile Prepaid phone, so it's not unlocked. I bought an unlock code online for $7(I didn't even check to see if it would work w/o unlocking it first :/ ). I dropped in the Solavei sim card and it was good to go. Solavei sent me a text message with a file that automatically set all my MMS settings/etc.

At first, the included TMobile Hotspot app was disabled, but I downloaded the free Wifi Tethering Shortcut Tool and it works perfectly.

**Edit** I was also looking at the Nexus 4, but it's sold out everywhere I look. And in the Google Play store it always says "Shipping soon" or "Ships in 1-2 weeks". And the 1 or 2 places that I did find it, they were price gouging for $399 and up!

 

[icebrrg3rd]

Well, this weekend I went thru 5 different stores, and all I got was ONE L9, they were all out at the other stores. Even T-Mobile online has them out-of-stock. I did grab a SIMPLE Mobile SIM card (need to cut it down) at Best Buy, because it seemed to be the same price as Solavei. They didn't have an exact number for 4G limits, just reasonable usage. So I will see how that works, I can always move over to Solavei if the throttling happens at a low range. Now I just gotta get the second handset.

Another question, with porting a number over, they say a couple hours to 48 hours, are you phoneless for that time or do you have an alternate number to use in the meantime? Can't be down for too long, wife is a Scout leader, the parents are always calling her...

Oh, Dudley, did you unlock after Jan 26th? Just wondering, I know I don't need to be unlocked to use Simple or Solavei, but I want to be. Thanks for that link (in the other thread) for unlocking.

-Andrew

 

[DudleyDawson]

Another question, with porting a number over, they say a couple hours to 48 hours, are you phoneless for that time or do you have an alternate number to use in the meantime? Can't be down for too long, wife is a Scout leader, the parents are always calling her...

Oh, Dudley, did you unlock after Jan 26th? Just wondering, I know I don't need to be unlocked to use Simple or Solavei, but I want to be. Thanks for that link (in the other thread) for unlocking.

-Andrew

Yes, I unlocked my phone the first week of February. And, NO, you're not phoneless. There may be an overlap during the porting process where they say you have "Dual" service, in which you can place calls from your new phone and still might receive calls on the old phone.

 

[icebrrg3rd]

Well, I called over a dozen stores (Walmarts & Targets) and finally found one about 20 minutes away that has one in stock that they're holding for me. Gotta run out there now and get it. Tomorrow I switch over to Simple Mobile with my new phones. Yay!

-Andrew

 

[lightsleeper23]

Good luck Andrew. Oh, and I wouldn't worry about the unlocking ban if that's what you were getting at. I'm pretty sure it's only if you're still on contract. And since this is the pre paid L9 I don't think it applies.

Guess not too surprising that they're selling out, it's an amazing phone for the price, and LG is selling a ton of their L series phones.

 

[DudleyDawson]

Well, I called over a dozen stores (Walmarts & Targets) and finally found one about 20 minutes away that has one in stock that they're holding for me. Gotta run out there now and get it. Tomorrow I switch over to Simple Mobile with my new phones. Yay!

-Andrew

Hope all goes well. Keep us updated with how the switch goes. I've heard some sketchy things about Simple's "Unlimited" data restrictions.