Good iphone alternatives

It’s a good deal, but what’s the monthly charge, and do you have to pay a year up front? I can get an iphone SE for free from taiwan mobile for example, but the monthly cost is 1500 and you must pay a year up front.

Tell you what, why don’t you go to CHT and ask them what they are offering they have many phones on offer Why would I pay a year upfront? CHT does not request this. I really did not pay too much attention to the monthly fee as I own a company and its under the company name.

One day when you setup your own company you can learn the benefits of using a company for your phone, car, and other things.

There’s a Sony store next to the food court in the 101 mall so I can go look at the Xperia phones and see if they’re ok.

I’m not sure if it’s worth getting phones from the telcom company because you’re still buying the phone, you’re just paying in installments.

I just checked, the NT$2500 was not for my phone. So my contract is 3 years at NT$799 a month includes the phone. Zero deposit required.

Last time I inquired with CHT they require a 1 year advance payment. I do not know what the exception is. I can try again. Right now I’m with Taiwan mobile, contract expired so it’s month to month, 599 a month with unlimited data and 100nt of calls, but this is without any phones. When I asked for an iphone SE they said I have to switch to a much more expensive plan and must pay 1 year in advanced.

Well they don’t for me or my wife. I’m a business customer she is a personal customer.

Do you have internet with CHT? That may be why. I have internet with CHT but when I looked online they require that you be a CHT customer with a bill of over 1000 a month for 3 years or more. My internet bill is only 990 per month.

LOLZ really Tommy… you read forumosa all the time. I am a hinet business VIP customer. I have my own fiber exchange which you made comments about in another thread.

Then you’re an exception to the rule. I doubt I will get VIP treatment from CHT.

My wife is a personal customer like you. Anyway best you ask CHT I have no idea what they will offer you.

Do you need unlimited data? I’m paying like a quarter to a third of what you’re paying per month, and that’s on prepaid.

(NT$300 for 3.2 GB for 60 days, which often expires before I can use it all, but then I work from home and don’t do much that uses a lot of data outside, and I don’t usually bother buying calling credit because I seldom use it.)

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TL Works from home. So doubt he needs a lot of data. His issue is getting a cheap phone

Yeah, it just seems like a not insignificant amount to spend each month if you’re always complaining about having no money, so was curious how necessary it was. Maybe he watches videos or spends ages glued to his phone outside or something. :man_shrugging:

I don’t think it’s that difficult to buy an inexpensive and decent Android phone for less than NT$10-15k. Don’t have any specific suggestions though (because I find choosing new phones really tedious).

I do listen to music and watch youtube videos, so only having a few gigs is not going to help, plus I’m on a contract so I’d have to break contract to go back to using prepaid cards.

I heard of Fairphone, but the problem with Fairphone is that you really can’t get it at all unless you live in the EU (or a small list of countries), I think the reviewers have to find it on ebay for a lot more than the phone sells for.

It’s ironic because Fairphone is designed by Taiwanese engineers.

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So those with a Google pixel 7, how is it? I heard it’s fairly repairable but in the videos I see that they had to remove almost every part to get the battery out …

Ok I did look at ifixit and all that for google pixel, and while it’s not the MOST repairable phone out there, it’s pretty good. Not fairphone, but it’s close. And Google even sells genuine parts through ifixit as well as provide the proper calibration tools for the fingerprint sensor.

I’m going to try to get a Google pixel 7 through taiwan mobile. It looks like I can get one for free only paying 999 per month, and I won’t have to pay 1 year up front.

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Is that a 24-month contract, or what?

Up to you of course, but that sounds like a poor financial decision to me if you don’t have much money. Do you really want to pay NT$1k/an extra NT$400 a month? I wouldn’t.

The Pixel 7 is only NT$19k when bought directly from the Google Store, and that’s without any of the regular discounts. The Pixel 7a is even cheaper.

I’m paying 599 a month for unlimited 4g data. The 999 a month is a small increase. It’s a 48 month contract.

I pay nothing now and I’m only paying a little more per month and get a free phone out of the deal. I’m paying 599 a month regardless otherwise.

It doesn’t sound like a poor financial decision when I won’t have to come up with 19000 right away.

It’s not unlimited 5g, but I don’t need unlimited 5g. 60g is plenty.

It also means you get a little more voice or text message credits… To guard against a surprise charge.

Jesus, it’s for four years? :flushed:

I wouldn’t consider this a “small” increase - that’s how they get you. The phone isn’t “free” either. You’re talking about paying NT$48k over four years for a phone worth less than a third of that right now (which you can often get for much less - the recent offer was NT$14,242).

And what happens after a couple of years when you want a new phone, or if the phone breaks or gets lost? Is that covered under the contract, or are you stuck paying so much for the full 48 months?

This seems like a total ripoff, honestly. IMO, you’d be wasting money you don’t have if you sign up for this.

I tried to get a free iphone SE. Besides from the fact that iphone SE is a crap phone with zero repair rights (apple does not allow third party repairs), the cheapest plan that gets you a free iphone SE is 1599. So that’s even higher.

Google pixel 7 has good self repair support with genuine google part available from ifixit. With Xiaomi I’m limited to buying AliExpress parts that may be questionable. Google also makes their fingerprint calibration tool available for screen replacements.

Iphone part is physically not hard to repair but the software blocks third party repairs, not only that but apple have been known to brick old iphones, like iphone 6s is now bricked if you go online with it.

Im also getting 4 months of free YouTube premium which I already use.