iPhone 4S or the Competition for under $100?

**TripleB** · 10-01-2012, 08:39 PM

I've got a daughter turning 16 on Sunday (Heaven help me!!!) who wants a new phone...of course an iPhone!

I'm going to spend $100 max (because we've bought her other items and we have to spend $125 to cancel the phone she has now) so I'm trying to decide between an iPhone 4S and the competition.

The quality competition (in that price range) for the 4S seems to be (at least going by reviews):
- Motorola Droid Razr M
- Motorola Droid Razr Maxx
- Samsung Galaxy SIII

Her current phone doesn't have internet access (not sure how much she would use that feature of the phone) so she only uses it for music, to call friends, and send 5000 (or so it seems) texts a month...and of course to check Facebook!

Several concerns I have about the 4S (some mentioned by a Verizon rep today): it seems the 4S isn't "4G" (whatever that means), the cost of downloading Apps or Songs (rep said you could get them free on a Droid, not so on iPhone), durability (rep said iPhone would break easier (especially the screen) than the others mentioned above.

So, is the iPhone 4S my best bet for under $100?

Thanks for your input.

TripleB

**Bill1234** · 10-01-2012, 08:41 PM

Galaxy s3 is a much better phone for the money imo. Galaxy s3 can do much more with less and it has better build quality than the iphone. Go with the s3

**Bill1234** · 10-01-2012, 08:43 PM

for the new smartphone users out there, 4g is like the new engine or trim update to a vehicle, Its your data carriers way of saying how fast your phone is,If you were to have 2g which is almost not even made anymore, you would have dropped calls and less service.

**stibuki** · 10-01-2012, 08:50 PM

Out of the 4 phones I would and did pick the SIII. Can you get an SIII for under $100 now? Verizon's 4G network is quite large and works well. Android = fee apps o-plenty. Just keep an eye on her data charges as there is no more unlimited data!

**Infiniti** · 10-01-2012, 08:55 PM

Looking at Consumer Reports Droid Razr Maxx is 1, Galaxy S3 is 2, Iphone ends up being 9 on Verizon.

**rider9195** · 10-01-2012, 09:22 PM

If you get the RAZR, get the Maxx version. I have the regular and you have to be careful with using the browser and all. But other than that, I love the phone! I have 2GB of data allowance and never have came close to going over it. But having wifi at home does help.

**rockinrandall** · 10-01-2012, 09:37 PM

Just my $.02. I have an 18 yr old daughter. The inputs and opinions from all of us are great but what does your daughter want to do with the phone? My guess is Facebook, a few tweets and a boat load of texting. Seems about every teenager in the world (especially the female versions) falls into this category. Which phone does she want? Don't read me wrong here! I'm not saying spoil, spoil, spoil....but...I had an HTC I used for work. It was great for sending e-mails, product specs. and WORK RELATED THINGS. My guess is your daughter isn't going to present her 2013 budget report to a teacher anytime soon. If you find out what she wants, it could help ease your search. For the record, my daughter wanted an iPhone because it was the easiest for her to do all the social network stuff and music (what was important to her). Of course, we got the "old" version for $1 when the new one came out. Hasn't slowed her down yet!

**AC in OC** · 10-01-2012, 09:52 PM

I would suggest the Samsung S3. It has a great amount of features, big bright screen, lot's of cool stuff that she'll have fun discovering. Plus, it has Gorilla Glass so it won't break as easily as the iPhone and the Android market has most of the same Apps as the Apple Store, but for free.

Sent from my Samsung SIII using AG Online

**eLJardins** · 10-01-2012, 10:22 PM

Id say iPhone 4S or galaxy s3. Have her play with both and see which she likes best.

The complexity of the s3 is a good thing and so is the simplicity of the iPhone 4S. It's a matter of preference.

**t5er** · 10-01-2012, 10:47 PM

Get her what she wants; an iPhone. If she told you she wanted a pair of Paige jeans would you come on here and ask what kind of jeans are better than Paige? I don't have a daughter in HS, but I bet she basically wants what the other kids value. Adhering to trends is way more important than having a faster processor or more RAM.