A while back I bought a Samsung A-12 for about $125. It finally started acting up so it was time to replace it. Off to Wallyworld as I have been a Straight Talk customer for years and years.
Straight Talk has been reasonably priced and flawless so I just run with it. YMMV.
Anyway, the Wallyworlds in my area have a team of subcontractors that man the phone departments at odd times. The regular employees can sell you a phone but you're on your own setting them up.
I had figured on spending about $150 or so on a replacement and told the subcontractor what I did and what I needed in a phone and to my surprise, she showed me a $100 model instead. I took her word for it and wound up with an A-14 which is basically an upgraded model of what I was replacing.
She swapped out whatever and had me up and running in a few minutes and I was good to go. She knew her stuff.
These new phones don't have an easily replaceable battery and generally when the battery gets sick it's replacement time. With the A-12 I had turned off 'fast charging' and set it to stop charging at 85% because it makes the battery last longer.
Yesterday I charged it up to 100% and at slow charge it is certainly a slow charger which is OK because I can charge it while I sleep.
I spent yesterday removing all of the junk apps they put on it at the factory and trying to clean a few things up. I can't uninstall Samsung news but I managed to eliminate a bunch of stuff I have no use for whatsoever. I don't need a half-dozen gaming apps or other stupid stuff because it just takes up space and slows things down.
There's a couple factory apps I'm probably stuck with that I can't seem to uninstall. I have 2 text messengers, a Samsung and a Google and can't uninstall either one. I only need one. Maybe I can put the Google one to sleep.
I certainly don't need Samsung news so maybe I can put that one to sleep, too. I'll figure that one out.
Coupling that with a couple of hour and a half long phone calls from the wife and an old compadre and that's a lot of juice.
I had started at 0900 and stopped at about 2100, a full day. I was down to 70% which came to around 3%/ hour and when I sacked and let the phone rest it drew a little under 1%/ hour unused which is reasonable. With normal use I should be able to run about 3+ days which is close to the old A-12.
Of course I generally charge it when I hit the rack but every so often I run it down. I also have it set to charge it only to 85% as that increases the longevity of the battery.
Once when I was forgetful I got three days out of the old A-12. I think I can probably do the same with the new A-14. Hopefully I won't get spacy again and do that again.. We'll see.
One other thing I wonder about is how well and how fast it will charge on my solar panel charger. I would imagine if I set the phone on fast charge in a pinch I'll be OK.
I've got to figure out a couple of things here and there but when it's all over and done with the A-14 should be pretty good and a good deal for the money.
Needless to say, the jury is out. Ask me in a year.
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Back in '09 I bought a new truck which is still my daily driver.
About a month after I got the damned thing Toyota started sending me all sorts of questionnaires asking me how much I liked it. I returned every single one.
Written across the questionnaire in Sharpie pen was 'Ask me in ten years.'
Hopefully that ‘yota’s still treating you good. ( I’m sure it is.)
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