Articles by Samuel Contreras

Buy in bulk

Mint Mobile

From $15/mo. at Mint Mobile

Pros

T-Mobile LTE network
Unlimited talk and text
Free calls to Canada and Mexico
Hotspot on every plan
5G on all plans

Cons

Minimum term is three months
Unlimited plan is slowed at 35GB
5GB hotspot cap on unlimited plan

Save money by buying in bulk. Plans come with unlimited talk, text and have no overages after you’ve used your data. Speeds are lowered, but you can upgrade your plan mid-cycle or easily add more data.

One month at a time

Cricket Wireless

From $30/mo. at Cricket Wireless

Pros

AT&T LTE network
Service in Canada and Mexico (unlimited plans)
Unlimited talk and text
Multi-line discounts
15GB hotspot data (unlimited plan)

Cons

SD quality videos (unlimited plans)
Speed limits
5G is only on the most expensive plan

Take advantage of the massive AT&T network without the contracts. You can start as small as just talk, text, and 2GB of data, then go all the way up to unlimited data wi…

What you need to know

Multiple Visible customers are reporting unauthorized access to their Visible accounts.
Visible has responded indicating that usernames and passwords were accessed from outside sources and used to access the account.
Customers are encouraged to reach out via chat at visible.com though some are reporting long wait times.

On October 12, 2021, XDA Developers noticed multiple users reporting unauthorized access to their Visible accounts. These customers reported that their account information was being changed and large orders were being placed on their accounts using their stored payment information. Customers are reporting that their shipping addresses have been changed and that they cannot access their accounts to secure it.

Furthermore, some users have reported that the charges for fraudulently ordered phones have reached their bank accounts and PayPal accounts.

Visible responded to this incident on October 13, 2021 claiming that its data had not been brea…

Cheap and unlimited

Visible

From $40/mo. at Visible

Pros

Simple plans and pricing
Huge Verizon Wireless LTE network
Unlimited hotspot (5Mbps)
Save with Party Pay
5G access is included

Cons

No international options
Videos stream at 480p

Visible makes the most of Verizon’s network with unlimited LTE and 5G data. Visible also bundles in unlimited hotspot data at 5Mbps. You can even bring the cost of service as low as $25 per month when you join Visible’s Party Pay right from its website.

The all-rounder

Google Fi

From $20/mo. at Google Fi

Pros

Free international roaming
Lower starting price
Shared network
Supports most GSM devices
Multi-line savings

Cons

2G speeds after 15GB on Flexible plan
Expensive data

Google Fi offers three plans on a combined T-Mobile and US Cellular network in the United States. With a choice between a flexible plan and two unlimited plans, there’s a solution for any user. You can also save on your monthly bill if you bring multip…

A backup plan until your internet is back up.

Many people don’t have solid access to cable or fiber-based internet, but still need a reliable connection at all times. Alternatively, some people choose to live for longer terms in RVs and require an internet source that can move with them. While many of the best cell phone plans have access to a mobile hotspot feature, it’s not the best solution due to device limits and the need to tie up your phone’s connection. The Netgear Nighthawk LAX20 is an AX1800 router that works with both a standard home internet connection and LTE at the same time.

This router comes with the promise of excellent carrier support and Wi-Fi 6 speeds so you can make the most of your connection. It can also be a great fit for someone with an RV that wants to use cable or fiber internet at home with the option to pick up and go on that same router. This router is also suitable for frequent internet outages, so you can seamlessly switch to LTE when needed. Still, …

There are some great mesh systems to choose from. Which is the right one for you?

Most people don’t put enough thought into their wireless router. Things like the layout of your house, the materials it’s made up of, and how many stories it is all matter when you want good Wi-Fi from one end to the other. Or maybe you need to plug something into a router with a network cable in one room but still want great Wi-Fi everywhere else. Finding a networking solution that’s flexible enough to meet your current and future needs can be a challenge, and it can be a huge pain to change your router every time you need some more coverage.

This is where wireless mesh networking makes the most sense. Sometimes one central wireless access point that sends out a powerful omnidirectional signal is perfect but often a mesh system delivers a better experience without giving up anything you need. There’s a big difference between Wi-Fi in your house that works and Wi-Fi in your home that works well.

If y…

Custom and cheap

Tello

From $5/mo. at Tello

Pros

Fast T-Mobile coverage with 5G
Create your custom plan
Works with most unlocked phones
Change plan at any time
Hotspot on every plan

Cons

No multi-line discounts
Phone selection is weak

Tello keeps it simple with just one plan that can grow or shrink with your needs. With as much as 25GB of high-speed data and unlimited talk and text, even heavy users can create a plan that works. Light users can also get a cheap plan with just the basics. Tello includes calling to more than 60 international locations for free.

Tons of data

Straight Talk

From $30/mo. at Straight Talk

Pros

Choose from Big Three networks
Tons of data with the top plan
Mobile Protection option
Multi-month plans are available
Hotspot on most plans

Cons

Quite expensive for a prepaid carrier
International limited to 15 unique numbers

Straight Talk’s plans are true to the carrier’s name with straightforward data amounts, features, and pricing….

What you need to know

T-Mobile Home Internet is now $50 per month, $10 cheaper than before.
Home Internet is available to more than 30 million households in 600 cities and towns.
In what it calls the BFD (Big Fee Deal,) T-Mobile is drawing attention to the $9 billion spent on fees with other ISPs last year.

T-Mobile has been steadily making its way into the home internet business as it improves the capacity of its wireless network. T-Mobile has announced that its home internet service is $50 per month with AutoPay, down from $60 per month previously. T-Mobile is calling this new price the Big Fee Deal (BFD) in response to the $9 billion paid by Americas last year on top of the price of their internet plans.

To make good on its claims, T-Mobile includes setup, a gateway with Wi-Fi 6, and all fees in its monthly price unlike most other ISPs. T-Mobile’s gateway also has two Ethernet ports so if you just bought one of the best Wi-Fi 6 routers you can use it with the service. T-Mobil…

Big Red may charge an arm and a leg for its service, but the best Android phones on its network don’t all have to be unattainably expensive. So whether you’re after the top-of-the-line Galaxy S21 Ultra or you’d rather save some money and pick up something like the Galaxy A42 5G, there are plenty of great options for one of the nation’s top-rated carriers. Here are our top picks when it comes to the best Verizon phones on the market right now.

Best overall

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G – Smartphone

Staff Pick

The Galaxy S21 Ultra is Samsung’s ultimate mobile experience, cramming powerful specs and a 6.8-inch 120Hz display into a modern design. It also has an enormously capable camera system with a 108MP primary sensor and up to 100X zoom, plus 8K video capture. You get a massive 5000mAh battery and 5G support, and the S21 Ultra even supports the S Pen stylus.

From $39.99/mo. at Verizon

Compact folding design

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 – Smartphone

The Galaxy Z Flip 3 from…

Finding the best U.S. wireless carrier can be a bit daunting because they all have a different approach to the same goal. Luckily for the consumers, this competition helps drive these companies to continue to improve their networks and plans. So for most people, all of these carriers are likely to have some coverage appeal, whether it’s LTE or 5G. Overall, T-Mobile is the best carrier thanks to improvements in its LTE coverage and the largest 5G network with great mid-band coverage already available.

Best overall: T-Mobile

T-Mobile has continued to improve its network consistently over the past few years, with some of the biggest improvements coming in its 5G network. T-Mobile has used low-band spectrum to start its 5G network and improve its LTE network coverage with mid-band 2.5GHz spectrum, adding more capacity where needed. This mid-band spectrum from its purchase of Sprint has allowed T-Mobile to get a serious lead in mid-band 5G as its competitors must wait for C-band in la…

There is a ton of phones that work great on Tello thanks to T-Mobile’s highly compatible network and Tello’s wide range of plans. Tello includes 5G and hotspot usage on all of its plan configurations, so it makes sense to get a phone that supports as much of the network as possible with great software. The Google Pixel 5a is the best overall fit for Tello thanks to solid 5G support, a reasonable price, and pure up-to-date Android.

Best overall: Pixel 5a

The Pixel 5a from Google is a mid-range 5G phone with a pure build of Android under the hood. The Pixel 5a comes equipped with a Snapdragon 765G with eight cores, 6GB of RAM, and a fairly beefy 4,680mAh battery inside. The display measures 6.34 inches from corner to corner with an OLED panel capable of 60Hz. There are no faster refresh rates included at this level.

Sub-6 5G is supported with bands for every carrier included as well as upcoming C-band 5G. While mmWave support is absent, this phone will be able to connect to the va…