Can You Buy A Phone From Walmart And Use As Ipod Without Service

Smartphones accept largely replaced portable media players for most people. Information technology's been a few years since Apple bothered to update its iPod touch, and information technology'south been fifty-fifty longer since I've seen any other company try to offering a good Android-powered alternative to Apple tree's touchscreen media player.

Sometimes information technology can be useful to have a device that doesn't make phone calls, send text messages, or practise anything else that requires paying a monthly fee.

Sure, youcouldpay $199 or more for an iPod touch. But y'all could also merely buy a cheap Android phone… and and so not activate information technology. That option could salve you as much as $180, considering Walmart and Best Purchase are each selling surprisingly decent Android phones for every bit trivial as $20.

Left: Alcatel Pixi 4 / Right: ZTE Midnight Pro 4G LTE

Walmart Family Mobile Alcatel Pixi 4

Walmart sells this for just $nineteen.88. It features a four.five inch, 854 x 480 pixel display, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage, a microSD card slot, front end and rear cameras, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 processor, a 1890 mAh (vi.76 Wh) bombardment, and Android 6.0 software.

It's not going to win any speed awards, but it's more capable of operation as a pocket-sized, cheap media actor, web browser, or handheld device for casual games.

I actually picked 1 up recently, and it suffers from limited screen viewing angles and the audio quality from the headphone jack isn't superb, but it'southward certainly adequate for a $20 device.

Best of all, if you disable WiFi and enable Android's battery saver mode, y'all can get stellar battery life. After playing music for more than than 5 hours with the screen on, the Pixi 4 was reporting that information technology all the same had 63 percent of its battery capacity left to burn through. Oh, and the battery is user replaceable, something that's not true of many phones that are significantly more expensive.

So what'south the take hold of? This phone is locked to Walmart's Family Mobile service. And so if y'allexercise plan to use this $xx Pixi four smartphone as, well, a phone… then your simply option is to employ it with Walmart's pre-paid wireless network (with plans starting at $25 per month).

The $20 price is also technically a discount. The telephone has a list price of $twoscore, and other stores are selling similar Alcatel smartphones for even more than. Then you may not e'er be able to choice upwardly a Pixi 4 for this price. At $xx, it's a steal. But I'g not sure I'd recommend this phone for $60 or more when there are significantly better phones bachelor in that toll range.

ZTE Midnight Pro 4G LTE

Best Buy sells this 5 inch smartphone for just $nineteen.99.

Like the Walmart Pixi 4, the ZTE Midnight Pro 4G LTE is locked to a upkeep wireless carrier. In this instance, the telephone is designed for use with Elementary Mobile, a pre-paid carrier with plans that beginning at $26 per month.

Just like the Pixi 4, this is a telephone you should be able to use without activating the cellular service.

The ZTE Midnight Pro 4G LTE has a Snapdragon 210 processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage, an 854 x 480 pixel display, a microSDHC card reader, and a 2,300 mAh battery.

It'southward a little larger than the Alcatel telephone, but has a bigger bombardment. On the down side, the ZTE phone ships with Android 5.1, which is an older version of Google's mobile operating arrangement. I wouldn't really expect either phone to get any major software updates.

Both phones include the Play Store

These phones both support Google Mobile Services, and come with the Google Play Store pre-installed. That ways you have access to millions of Android apps out-of-the box.

If you'd adopt not to login with a Google account or use the Play Shop, you could also set upwards the phones with a third-political party app store like F-Droid.

That way if you lot lose the telephone while out on a run, you don't have to worry about someone gaining admission to your personal data. Or you could give the phone to a kid without worrying that they'll start purchasing paid apps without your permission.

A few other notes

I oasis't personally used the ZTE Midnight Pro 4G LTE notwithstanding, then I can't say how it compares with the Pixi iv in terms of sound quality, screen viewing angles, or battery life. Only in that location is one thing the Midnight Pro has going for it: Best Buy'south website allows you to buy as many every bit 5 phones, while Walmart will merely permit you purchase 2 Pixi 4 phones.

The reason I know that is considering, every bit I mentioned recently, I've been in the market place for some inexpensive MP3 players to use as function of an upcoming multimedia exhibit in Philadelphia. While I really similar the super-inexpensive Simplicity Style Pocket MP3 Player, it doesn't take a brandish. And ultimately we decided a portable music player with a screen would exist preferable.

Later looking for a skillful portable media histrion in the $20-or-less toll range, I ultimately realized that a cheap phone would be the all-time choice since it would have a larger, easier-to-read display and the power to run a multifariousness of apps. It'southward also more likely that I'll be able to discover a employ for these phones afterwards the exhibit closes.

Look, I'm non saying these areproficient phones, or even peculiarly good portable media players. But they meet my needs at the moment, and they're way more versatile than any $20 device really has a right to exist… probably because they've got more than than $20 worth of hardware nether the hood. A large role of the reason they're sold this cheap is considering Walmart, Best Purchase, and Uncomplicated Mobile expect you to sign upwards for cellular service. But y'all don't have to.

I'll update this mail with some notes nigh the ZTE phone afterward I've had a chance to exam one.

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