iPhone Prices and Recommendations

 A year ago I switched my recommendation for a smartphone from Android to iPhone.     I did that on the basis of current cost and support.

In the meantime the minimum cost of a iPhone has risen drastically from about $175 for an iPhone SE to about $450 for the least-cost iPhone.

Surprisingly,  the cost of an iPad has dropped sharply from about $339 to $250.    

I still recommend the iPad, but to use it as a phone you will need a hotspot and it is inconvenient to carry around.      If that is not a problem, by all means get a hotspot if you need to use it away from Wi-Fi.

So for now my recommendation is for a Moto G 4 or later series Android phone, unless the cost of an iPhone is not too steep for you.

During this time I have also been recommending Consumer Cellular.

I am now evaluating an alternative called Tello which has service for $10 a month for a hundred minutes of calling, two gigabytes of data, and texting.    If you do not need texting, the price is even less. Support has been good to date.

I believe data is essential for anyone who drives and needs to avoid traffic jams using Waze.     Seniors need to avoid being caught in search jams. I would not drive anywhere without Waze.

Tello offers data cheap and I do not need that many calling minutes.

Tello also offers a hotspot. Both plans also allow phones to be used as hotspots, Tello requires a separate EMail address for each phone if you have more than one under their service.