Project Fi

Last month, I jumped from my beloved cell phone carrier Republic Wireless (and yes, I actually loved them & still do) to Google's Project Fi.  I wrote about Republic back here & how much money I've saved with them over the past two plus years.  My bill was never over $30/month. 

So why mess with a good thing?

My phone was starting to die a slow death.  I could no longer update apps & it wasn't holding a charge like it could in the good ole days.  I try to keep phones for as long as possible, but it was time to move on. I really wish they could last forever - or, that I could stop taking so many pictures, listening to so many audio books...or that I was a super smart techie-person that could fix anything...

I researched changing out the battery myself, but it looked way more complicated than I thought I could handle (read: I would've cracked the phone).  I also knew I wanted/needed at least a 32gb phone (more storage, please!) & currently, Republic doesn't offer such fat cats. They are, however, getting a slew of awesome new phones this July - which is great, but a lot of them are super-pricey (why are phones so damn expensive?), so I looked back into Project Fi. 

For $229 (I know, still a lot of money, right? to me it is!) I chose the Nexus 5X.  I picked the N5X because the price was more on budget & it's smaller than the Nexus 6P. I have small hands & no real use for such a large-screened phone.  Right now, these two models are the only options available - or, you can bring our own Nexus into the plan.

M'new phone!
photo: androidcentral.com

Project Fi works a lot like Republic (you use wifi & can then crossover to a cell network) but Fi also encrypts your connection when you hook into wifi hot spots - how cool is that?!?  Because, sometimes, using wifi can be iffy for your personal info.

The best part?  My monthly bill, based on my usage, will still only be $30 or less per month.

Switching was quick & super easy & if you're going from an Android phone to an Android phone it's especially easy to transfer all your info, photos, music.  The only con I can see, so far, is that the Nexus has a newer/faster USB charger.  So, my old chargers don't work with it; I did buy these inexpensive adapters to help with the transition.  With my older phone, the charger worked with everything (like my Kindle) & I loved that - a new sized charger in the mix?  I don't love that so much.

All said, I definitely recommend both Project Fi & Republic; go with Republic if you want/need a broader selection of phones.  If needed, both offer pay-over-time options (Fi's is interest free) - if you are looking to save money each month - check them out!

Also, I just read that Google has expanded their cell coverage - yay!

Cheers,
S 

Affiliate link to my buds at Amazon above - thanks, as always for helping me keep the lights on!

Update: if you want to see how I did on my 1st bill, click here.