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TCL comes to AT&T and Cricket with its super-affordable 30 Z
It's hard to say no when the price is below $100
TCL's been gaining popularity in the US and has even managed to rank fourth in terms of market share — ahead of the likes of OnePlus and Google, but just behind Motorola. The brand's clearly doing well for itself selling budget phones, and this week we have another device from the company's/ recently debuted 30 series expanding availability. Aside from carrying an eye-wateringly low price tag, the phone also marks TCL's debut at two new American carriers.
Cricket Wireless ends 8Mbps speed cap, opens 5G access for all plans
Yes, you can burn through your 2GB this month with a speedy new phone
Plenty of Cricket Wireless subscribers are getting a speed boost starting today. Furthermore, more customers on the AT&T-owned prepaid carrier will be able to take advantage of even faster speeds... if they only just buy a new phone.
Cricket starts winding down 3G network, presenting a big problem for BYOD customers
Unsupported devices won't be able to be activated starting next week
If you're still using an old, non-LTE-capable phone on Cricket, we have bad news: the company will be shutting down its 3G UMTS networks in February 2022. Additionally, customers will no longer be able to activate their unsupported devices on Cricket starting January 19th, which is only a few days away. Because of the way Cricket handles BYOD phones, this is a real problem.
Plenty of prepaid carriers in the United States already support 5G connectivity, like Metro by T-Mobile, US Mobile, and AT&T Prepaid, but the AT&T-owned Cricket Wireless hasn't made the leap yet. That's finally changing, as Cricket today announced that it is enabling 5G support on some of its plans.
Nokia bringing three phones to Cricket Wireless, all under $200
Two of the same are pretty much the same with a price difference of $40
Another wave of phones is just about to arrive at AT&T prepaid carrier Cricket Wireless starting this Friday. All of them, being Nokia phones, are courtesy of HMD Global and all of them cost under $200.
AT&T, Cricket offer stupid cheap $15 2GB plans, bonus data for customers (Updated)
Customers on tighter budgets get some relief
Read update
AT&T's prepaid wireless operations are the latest carriers to dole out extra high-speed data to existing customers and introduce cut-price wireless plans in response to the economic impacts of the novel coronavirus pandemic. AT&T Prepaid and Cricket Wireless will launch these efforts tomorrow, March 27.
Galaxy S20, S20+, S20 Ultra: Best launch deals, pricing, trade-in values, and availability
How to get the best deals on Samsung's new flagships
The Samsung Galaxy S20 lineup is finally here, and it's the most expensive Galaxy S series yet. The entry-level Galaxy S20 starts at $1,000, while the S20+ will set you back $1,200. To top it all off, the S20 Ultra costs $1,400 — you might need to sell a kidney for that one.
Congress has told voice service providers to shut down robocallers and instate call blocking by default. The FCC has mandated just the same. Now, 12 voice service providers have agreed to a series of principles drawn by attorneys general from all 50 states and the District of Columbia that include offering that call blocking to consumers for free, implementing STIR/SHAKEN across their networks, and cooperating in investigations.
Slowly but surely, HMD Global has been working to get its Nokia-branded Android phones into the stores of US carriers. The Nokia 3.1 Plus for Cricket was the first example, and now HMD is producing two new devices set for carrier sale — the Nokia 3.1 A for AT&T Prepaid, and the 3.1 C for Cricket Wireless.
Nokia's nothing short of a legend when it comes to mobile phones, having been responsible for some of the most iconic handsets of all time. Over the years we've seen the brand change hands numerous times, reinventing itself and crossing platform lines in the process, but it's always been a survivor, managing to find its next niche. Most recently that's meant creating some no-nonsense, streamlined Android handsets under the direction of HMD Global. Now HMD is finally making inroads onto the US carrier marketplace, bringing Nokia handsets to both Cricket and Verizon. Today we're taking a look at what that Cricket option has to offer as we review the Nokia 3.1 Plus.
Alcatel is one of the most successful smartphone brands in the United States, mostly because of how many budget devices it sells through prepaid carriers. Many of the company's recent phones, like the Android Go-equipped Alcatel 1X and the MetroPCS exclusive Alcatel 7, haven't been great. The Alcatel ONYX is the OEM's next attempt at a good budget phone, and it will be a Cricket Wireless exclusive.
Smartphone shoppers have lots of choices out there, and the increased accessibility of unlocked devices has made it easier for users to select their handsets and carriers independently. But while it's possible for an informed consumer to take that route, there's no denying the one-stop appeal of showing up at your carrier store and going home with a new phone. Manufacturers like OnePlus are definitely enjoying the sales bump that carrier partnerships can offer, and now HMD is looking to get in on this action, too, as it announces the availability of Nokia smartphones at North American carriers.
On the heels of AT&T and other carriers promising (again) to stop proving location data to data aggregation companies, many customers of AT&T its MNVO Cricket have received an interesting text message. They were informed that they had consented to sharing "phone location or other subscriber, account, and device data" with third parties, without actually having consented.
Do you want more data allotment per month? If the answer is no, I'm not sure why you're reading Android Police and I'm starting to doubt whether we should be friends. The answer should always be yes, regardless. And to that, Cricket Wireless is upping its data allocation on its $40 monthly plan ($35 with autopay) from 3GB to 4GB.
You may not be aware, but ZTE is one of the largest smartphone makers in the US market. That's due in large part to devices like the newly announced Blade X Max; it's cheap and has reasonable specs for the price. This 6-inch phone drops tomorrow on Cricket for a mere $150.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ are finally official, after months of leaks, speculation, and rumors. The phone seems like more than just another iterative step for good ol' Sammy, what with the shift to softkeys for navigation (finally), the new screen aspect ratio, and so on. But as exciting as all of this is, I am certain that those of you who are interested in either phone will want to know where, when, and for how much you can pick one up. Luckily, we've compiled a nice list for you.
If the onslaught of carrier unlimited data plans in the last few weeks hasn't worn you out yet, here's another one for you. Cricket Wireless, the AT&T MVNO, has just announced its new "unlimited" data plan. In fierce competition with the likes of MetroPCS, you can score this for $60 per month (with taxes and fees included). That doesn't sound bad at all.
Cricket giveth and Cricket taketh away. It was only a month away that it increased data allotments on its plans, and now the wireless MVNO is following in the footsteps of the bigger networks with a few announcements, which in this case, might be a little to the detriment of its customers.
Unlimited smartphone data is back! Roll out the barrels, re-download Netflix, and disable all those "Wi-Fi only" settings options, happy days are here again. But don't throw away your data meter just yet: the new batch of unlimited data plans from American carriers isn't what it used to be. A lack of limits now comes with an asterisk, like your favorite sports star "enhancing" his performance. So the question is no longer, "which mobile unlimited plan is the best?" Instead, it's "which carrier is going to put the least amount of petty restrictions on my so-called unlimited data?"