Budget phone with data plan

[bryant_16]

Hi guys, I'm looking for a budget phone with budget data plan. Mainly for hotspot purposes.
Can recommend the android phone and the corresponding data plan to go along?
Thx guys in advance.

 

[RLWZ21]

can consider xiaomi redmi 10 series, as there are some models quite cheap and data can consider zero1 jumbo, m1 maxx or TPG. all these are around $10 per month with big data size of around 50GB.

 

[bryant_16]

Which Redmi 10 series for recommends ?
For decent speed in terms of operations.

 

[sullycoin]

If you are only going to use it for hotspot purposes, why not a mobile wifi? You can get a decent branded mobile wifi for about $60.

 

[lohsenglte]

If you are only going to use it for hotspot purposes, why not a mobile wifi? You can get a decent branded mobile wifi for about $60.

Battery life for those MiFi is typically much shorter imo

 

[boonkang]

Battery life for those MiFi is typically much shorter imo

Not an issue -- just buy those MiFi / mobile routers that have large capacity battery.

Still cheaper than buying a new phone just for use as WiFI hotspot only.

Personlly I use the ZMI MF885 mobile router:
https://www.zmi.com/products/zmi-4g-lte-pocket-wifi-hotspot-and-10-000mah-power-bank-combo
So far, I cannot find ANY phone that when used as WiFi hotspot -- battery can last as long as the above MF885 mobile router.

Unfortunately, I no longer recommend people to buy the MF885 mobile router anymore, because it doesn't support 4G/LTE band 8 -- which is used by SIMBA TPG.

But that doesn't mean that there are no other choices of MiFi / mobile routers that have large capacity battery. See below.

Hi guys, I'm looking for a budget phone with budget data plan. Mainly for hotspot purposes.

If you just only need the WiFi hotspot function -- it's cheaper to buy a mobile router than a phone.

Plus, if you select the correct MiFi / mobile router model -- you get good battery life for the WiFi hotspot + it can also double up as power bank.

As an example, see this Prolink DL-7203E 4G LTE MiFi / mobile router:
https://prolink2u.com/product/dl-7203e/
Some pros:
+ 3yrs warranty !! (iPhone 13 Pro Max cost $1.7+k but does not even have 3yrs warranty)
+ Has LCD screen (so some key info can be checked directly on the device)
+ 5200mah battery (can easily last 12+hrs up to 25hrs -- many phones use as WiFI hotspot cannot last this long)
+ Can also double up as a power bank -- to charge your phone
+ Has ethernet port -- can be used either as LAN or WAN purposes (very useful if you know what this means)
+ Has micro SD card slot
+ Supports 4G/LTE bands B1/3/5/7/8/20/38/40/41
+ Weight 161g with battery (most phones weight more than this)

+ Currently cost $84.90 (less than $85) + FREE delivery:
https://www.qoo10.sg/g/711151240 (non-referral link)

If you buy a phone to use just as a hotspot -- you definitely cannot buy any decent new phone at this price ($85) + your new phone won't have 3yrs warranty !! Haha..

 

[bryant_16]

Not an issue -- just buy those MiFi / mobile routers that have large capacity battery.

Still cheaper than buying a new phone just for use as WiFI hotspot only.

Personlly I use the ZMI MF885 mobile router:
https://www.zmi.com/products/zmi-4g-lte-pocket-wifi-hotspot-and-10-000mah-power-bank-combo
So far, I cannot find ANY phone that when use as WiFi hotspot -- battery can last as long as the above MF885 mobile router.

Unfortunately, I no longer recommend people to buy the MF885 mobile router anymore, because it doesn't support 4G/LTE band 8 -- which is used by SIMBA TPG.

But that doesn't mean that there are no other choices of MiFi / mobile routers that have large capacity battery. See below.



If you just only need the WiFi hotspot function -- it's cheaper to buy a mobile router than a phone.

Plus, if you select the correct MiFi / mobile router model -- you get good battery life for the WiFi hotspot + it can also double up as power bank.

As an example, see this Prolink DL-7203E 4G LTE MiFi / mobile router:
https://prolink2u.com/product/dl-7203e/
Some pros:
+ 3yrs warranty !! (iPhone 13 Pro Max cost $1.7+k but does not even have 3yrs warranty)
+ Has LCD screen (so some key info can be checked directly on the device)
+ 5200mah battery (can easily last 12+hrs up to 25hrs -- many phones use as WiFI hotspot cannot last this long)
+ Can also double up as a power bank -- to charge your phone
+ Has ethernet port -- can be used either as LAN or WAN purposes (very useful if you know what this means)
+ Has micro SD card slot
+ Supports 4G/LTE bands B1/3/5/7/8/20/38/40/41
+ Weight 161g with battery (most phones weight more than this)

+ Currently cost $84.90 (less than $85) + FREE delivery:
https://www.qoo10.sg/g/711151240 (non-referral link)

If you buy a phone to use just as a hotspot -- you definitely cannot buy any decent new phone at this price ($85) + your new phone won't have 3yrs warranty !! Haha..

Thanks bro!
How about for the SIM card, which should I go for?

 

[sullycoin]

Thanks bro!
How about for the SIM card, which should I go for?

That largely depends on where you want to use it (coverage of telco) & how much data you need.

If your monthly data usage is low (<=6GB), Zero1 Starter at $6.90 is your cheapest option. It also runs on the Singtel network so that's probably as good as it gets in terms of coverage.

Otoh, if your monthly usage is regularly in the 6-12GB range, Changi Mobile's Value plan at $8 will suit you. It does run on M1 infrastructure which has the infamous 'airplane mode' issue so YMMV.

If your monthly needs exceed 12GB, then you can consider TPG $10 plan for 100GB per month. TPG's coverage is probably the weakest of all the providers but if it works for the places you frequent, then it's not a problem.

(The alternative is to play the porting around pre-paid card game, where you port between the various pre-paid card providers to maximise new/port-in benefits, but that's a little too much fiddling for me.)

Personally, I use the $10 TPG plan. It works for where I move around & the only real 'blind spots' are when I go into lifts, so hardly an issue for my mobile wifi.

 

[bryant_16]

That largely depends on where you want to use it (coverage of telco) & how much data you need.

If your monthly data usage is low (<=6GB), Zero1 Starter at $6.90 is your cheapest option. It also runs on the Singtel network so that's probably as good as it gets in terms of coverage.

Otoh, if your monthly usage is regularly in the 6-12GB range, Changi Mobile's Value plan at $8 will suit you. It does run on M1 infrastructure which has the infamous 'airplane mode' issue so YMMV.

If your monthly needs exceed 12GB, then you can consider TPG $10 plan for 100GB per month. TPG's coverage is probably the weakest of all the providers but if it works for the places you frequent, then it's not a problem.

(The alternative is to play the porting around pre-paid card game, where you port between the various pre-paid card providers to maximise new/port-in benefits, but that's a little too much fiddling for me.)

Personally, I use the $10 TPG plan. It works for where I move around & the only real 'blind spots' are when I go into lifts, so hardly an issue for my mobile wifi.

Is the TPG coverage better now? In buildings or shopping malls resolved already?

 

[sullycoin]

Is the TPG coverage better now? In buildings or shopping malls resolved already?

I haven't had issue in buildings, malls, MRT stations (above or underground), with the exception of lifts.

The easiest way is to just try it for a month. If it is a problem for the places you frequent, then just switch to another provider. At worst, you are out of pocket for $10.

 

[Kiwi8]

If you are only going to use it for hotspot purposes, why not a mobile wifi? You can get a decent branded mobile wifi for about $60.

Is it true that when sim card is put in the mobile wifi router the speed is less than when sim card is put in a phone?

 

[firesong]

Is it true that when sim card is put in the mobile wifi router the speed is less than when sim card is put in a phone?

For the early days with TPG, they throttled non-phone devices. This proves to us that telcos can do that if they want. Whether or not they discriminate, we'll have to rely on anecdotal reports of user experiences.

Also bearing in mind that there are promoters and staff of the various telcos here, so it makes trusting forum contributions a little hard.

 

[lohsenglte]

Is it true that when sim card is put in the mobile wifi router the speed is less than when sim card is put in a phone?

Raw speed wise, if you're using those cheaper models, it's capped at LTE Cat 3 (100Mbps) or LTE Cat 4 (150Mbps), so it's slower than most recent smartphones.
Furthermore, there is additional overheads like WiFi protocol, so latency might increase.

However, some MiFi allow for manual band selection, either directly through their portal or through third party apps. Therefore, for places that face severe network congestion (typically on the lower band), select another band might be faster.

Doing so on smartphones is a minefield. Not all support that, within those that can, not all can do so without modifications to the system.

I suspect I bricked the baseband of a phone a few years ago while attempting to do so, but at least I have the manufacturer warranty to cover and get the device replaced.

For the early days with TPG, they throttled non-phone devices. This proves to us that telcos can do that if they want. Whether or not they discriminate, we'll have to rely on anecdotal reports of user experiences.

Also bearing in mind that there are promoters and staff of the various telcos here, so it makes trusting forum contributions a little hard.

To be fair, at least they do allow hotspot through handsets. In some countries, any form of hotspot is banned in some plans or have a separate data bundle. So it depends on whether you're willing to spend extra to get things done.

 

[sullycoin]

Is it true that when sim card is put in the mobile wifi router the speed is less than when sim card is put in a phone?

For sure. As @lohsenglte pointed out, it is never going to be as fast as putting the SIM card directly in the phone.

However, in terms of real application, your 4G is fast enough that you could have 2, probably even 3 devices streaming HD video off the mobile wifi with no issue.

 

[Kiwi8]

For sure. As @lohsenglte pointed out, it is never going to be as fast as putting the SIM card directly in the phone.

However, in terms of real application, your 4G is fast enough that you could have 2, probably even 3 devices streaming HD video off the mobile wifi with no issue.

When my home fibre contract is up I am thinking of cancelling it and just making do with mobile plan data.

 

[firesong]

When my home fibre contract is up I am thinking of cancelling it and just making do with mobile plan data.

Monitor your home network usage first.

I know it's impossible for me since my home internet use does hit 100GB/day at times, and on average is about 30-60GB a day. I'll be blowing through data entitlements at that kind of rate.

We take a lot of wifi traffic for granted - including OS updates (phone, computer, tablets, etc), backups, etc...

 

[bryant_16]

Which budget data plan is based out from SingTel?

 

[steven168z]

Which budget data plan is based out from SingTel?

https://www.vivifi.me/vivifi_plus