I can't take anymore of this overpaying for such a company. I've finally decided to switch to Google Project Fi. I'm curious if any members here have some advice/input on Project Fi, and/or how they like their Nexus 6P phones, which I'm currently waiting on in the mail.
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While i don't have the 6p, my brother does, and loves it to death.
As far as Project Fi, it is fine so long as you don't use much data. For me, my bill would be over $100/month through Fi on a good month, and I've used up to 30GB while on vacation, which would have led to a $300+ bill. With that, i have T-Mobile, and it has been great, outside of some throttling when i had that high usage. At $75/month for unlimited, I'm happy.
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The 6p is a terrific phone. I personally prefer a smaller phone, but it's a great all-rounder.
Project Fi is a good option as long as you are not a data hog and have decent coverage in your area with either T-Mobile or Sprint, on whose networks PF piggybacks. If you can live with these relatively minor caveats, PF + Nexus is a good combination.
Personally, although I could probably save a bit of cash with PF, I usually go with a more traditional MVNO when I'm visiting the States. I prefer to pay a flat fee for a prepaid unlimited plan (or "unlimited" with some fine print, at least) on a big network simply because of the peace of mind, even if it ends up costing a bit more. When you're on PF, there is still that little voice in your mind that says "every minute I use this phone outside of wifi, it adds a few pennies to my bill", whereas on an unlimited or hard-capped plan, you just don't think about it unless and until you hit the limit. Straight Talk, for example, has a $45 "unlimited" plan that uses AT&T's network and has way more LTE data than I ever use in a month (5 GB, if I recall). Great coverage, more data than I personally need, and a flat fee. Easy. If I know I'll stick to metropolitan areas, T-Mobile also still has that killer $30/mo. plan as well, which I often use. The point is that with an unlocked, carrier-free phone, you can choose whatever plan with whatever features or price you want, and you can try new ones or switch up whenever you like.
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Thanks for all the info. I currently have an LG G4 which I'm gonna sell because I can't use it for Project Fi. We have a 3GB Shared plan with Verizon because they got rid of their 2GB shared. I have WiFi at work and at home so I don't really use much data. I have my music saved offline and just make up some playlists of what I like. So, I shouldn't use much data at all. Maybe 1GB a month. I like how they actually credit you the data you don't use. As for the 6P, I was doing a little reading and I think I'm gonna love it. My G4 has a 1440p screen so I felt like I couldn't go with the 5X because it'd be like moving backwards. Liking the size of the battery that it uses, the camera looks comparable to my G4's and the performance looks pretty decent.
I've had Verizon for 2 years and $140 a month for two phones with 3GB Shared just sounds ridiculous. Now we're gonna have close to the same thing for $60 a month. I live relatively close to major cities and there's lots of cell towers around here. If I lived in the boonies, the coverage might make me second guess my choice but I feel it should be fine. Can't wait.
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If you liked your G4, I think you'll like the 6P a lot. The fingerprint sensor makes a big difference, but the software is really where Nexus phones shine. Stock Android, no cruft, security and OS updates straight from Google, or easily install another OS, if you like. That's huge, and puts it even on top of the newest phones, in my opinion. You may find the camera a small step down from the G4 if you're a hard-core shooter, but the 6P's camera is quite good. Personally, I don't notice much of a difference between 1080p and 1440p on a smartphone screen, but my eyes aren't that great, and I don't really do anything graphically intensive. Comparing all of the other features, the 6P is a much nicer overall phone than the 5X.
As @TheBlackestSheep suggested, let us know how it goes with PF. If the coverage is good in your area, it could give you a good experience and save you quite a bit of cash. With my back-of-the-envelope calculation, going from $140 a month to $60 a month would save you almost $2000 over the typical two-year contract. That's... that's incredible. There is a reason why most of the world prefers prepaid monthly plans. Good luck!
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I switched from Verizon to Google Fi about 2 months ago. I went with the Nexus 5x since I don't use my phone a whole lot and couldn't justify getting a flagship phone.
I love it. There's wifi pretty much everywhere I am (home + work + friends) so my data stays below 1GB.
The data plan is great for those who don't use much broadband data, but if you're a heavy user then google Fi might now be a good fit. (I have a friend who uses 20GB+ per month.... yikes... that would be $220/mo on google fi)
My bill is about $28/mo. I bought the phone outright instead of using their financing and I use less than 1GB/mo.
Everything from the activation of the phone, setting up account/payment, to managing it all is super painless.
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You're right about the screen PPI. It's to the point where you can't really tell anymore. Man....remember when flipped phones had that awful resolution? Those were the days....This screen is immaculate though I must say. Black is black, not gray, not dark blue, it's black. I've already begun installing updates and activating the new phone. Google has definitely made it very simple to switch over.
@shoring.fragments You're completely right on the saving. Even with the hundred and some dollar early termination fee were gonna have from Verizon, we'll make that up in a couple months. A wise man once told me, one of the keys to saving money is lowering your monthly payments on things as much as possible. We don't have cable TV. We just pay for internet, Hulu and Netflix. My next step was my phone bill.
I definitely like the simplicity of the design. I never cared for Samsung phones. It was always too bloated for me. I'm gonna miss a few features from my G4 I think. You could customize icons for apps, the sliding homescreen, there's a few other things that you can tweak on it. That and the tap on feature. But I think I can get used to this fingerprint stuff.
I'm on Verizon, and I have a Galaxy S6 from them... I think their service is pretty good. Also I don't have a Nexus phone so idk.