Classic basic phone with 3G phone calls

[meridius]

Can anyone recommend a basic-classic non android phone (I know this is an android forum...) with 3G capacity for non internet based, i.e. standard, phone calls? I don't need the internet at all for this purpose. By basic-classic I mean something the size of a classic phone and not android. In fact for this purpose I do not want android.

I was thinking of the Nokia 3310 3G but when I contacted Nokia they said, to my surprise, that this phone does not use the 3G network to make calls. I know Australia has cut off 2G so this is likely to be an issue for many people that still have 2G classic phones. Ideally the phone should be also be quad band GSM and at least have the capacity to read all languages in terms of receiving sms but if it is only dual band for Europe/Africa etc. it isn't the end of the world.

In my area the network is getting either worse or has an increase in users which can result in poor voice quality and interruptions in phone calls. If I find the right phone I would like to also know if 3G might improve the signal for calls compared to 2G. I don't have much technical knowledge of frequencies but I guess the difference between how 2G and 3G uses frequencies would be something to do with that.

 

[lvt]

Do you mean GSM only phone?

 

[meridius]

Do you mean GSM only phone?

No, it should be a classic-basic phone with the capacity to make 3G and 2G phone calls i.e. WCDMA and GSM.

 

[mikedt]

FYI the Nokia 3310 3G is a GSM and WCDMA capable phone, so it will be able to make and receive calls on either 2G or 3G networks, whatever is available no problem. Yes it can make calls on 3G networks despite what the Nokia rep told you, and would be rather strange if it didn't actually.

 

[meridius]

FYI the Nokia 3310 3G is a GSM and WCDMA capable phone, so it will be able to make and receive calls on either 2G or 3G networks, whatever is available no problem. Yes it can make calls on 3G networks despite what the Nokia rep told you, and would be rather strange if it didn't actually.

I will take it that it can make calls on 3G and 2G networks then.

I subsequently found this link which has put me off what would have been a preferred purchase altogether: https://community.phones.nokia.com/support/discussions/topics/7000019832

So according to this there are problems with this phone unless there is a logical explanation for the comments in the above post.

 

[KBU2]

Wow this is a catch-22 question, I would just revert back to a good flip phone if that's all you need the device for. You can purchase them fairly cheap on the internet but I'm sure it would serve your purpose.

 

[meridius]

Wow this is a catch-22 question, I would just revert back to a good flip phone if that's all you need the device for. You can purchase them fairly cheap on the internet but I'm sure it would serve your purpose.

Yes but I am looking for this type of phone with options for 3G calls. This is the point of this post.

 

[lvt]

Speaking from experience, I recommend the Samsung GT c5180. It's basically a GSM phone with advanced features like 3G, Bluetooth. You can even add a SD card and make 3G video call.

Standby time is impressive, I use it as my backup phone and only have to charge it once a week.

 

[lvt]

The feature I love the most in the c5180 is the possibility to make a fake call from a fake profile that you setup beforehand. It can make a call to itself at the time you want. Imagine that you have to leave a party at 22:00, just set a fake call at 22:00 and you are James Bond

 

[mikedt]

I will take it that it can make calls on 3G and 2G networks then.

I subsequently found this link which has put me off what would have been a preferred purchase altogether: https://community.phones.nokia.com/support/discussions/topics/7000019832

So according to this there are problems with this phone unless there is a logical explanation for the comments in the above post.

I'd hazard a guess that that those may have a problem. The Nokia 3310 3G is really a new modern phone, first released in 2017, and so I can't see any point in making a phone that's 2G/GSM only for calls. Especially given that this phone is available in countries that have carriers that don't operate 2G/GSM, like 3 in the UK. Also many operators are now turning off their 2G/GSM networks. All 3G/WCDMA networks can handle phone calls, that's part of its specs, and quite frankly I've never seen a 3G/WCDMA phone that can't.

4G/LTE is a bit different, that can't do phone calls, unless the network and phone supports VoLTE. But then that's irrelevant for the Nokia 3310 3G.

 

[meridius]

The feature I love the most in the c5180 is the possibility to make a fake call from a fake profile that you setup beforehand. It can make a call to itself at the time you want. Imagine that you have to leave a party at 22:00, just set a fake call at 22:00 and you are James Bond

Samsung C5180 looks like a fun phone. It would be good to make lots of fake calls but often I find I will need to block people I met in my life travels but are actually a pain in the neck...

I need to buy a phone that is a standard purchase in either Europe, Africa or the Middle East. I see lots of Nokia classic phones but I think most are 2G. Like you said 3 in the UK don't use 2G and they may sell their own phones.

Where I am currently residing 4G is completely hopeless. It's a marketing gimmick and 4G only seems to work well in areas with rich people and low buildings or in the centre of town.

I guess I will have to default back to the Nokia 1 which I have stripped down and disabled as many Google apps as possible. It is relatively lightweight for android and I will use it if I can't find anything suitable in the classic phone range. The one problem with Nokia 1 is that it will never have the same battery life or weight and size as a classic phone.