Samsung Galaxy S4 (Verizon, Scratch/Dent)

Enough that you will put the phone right in the garbage when you receive it.

The good news is that accessories are probably all in the clearance bins right now so you can probably get a great deal on a case!

The new Moto-G is a decent phone but it still has 1280x720 resolution and the base unit only has 1GB RAM. The chip may be newer, but its clocked slower. I like the Moto-G mostly because its not bundled with a bunch of software, but don’t worry because Verizon is more than happy to insert their bloatware.

I don’t get why people think the new Moto-G is better.
My wife and I have used the Galaxy S4 for 2 years (we just upgraded). The Galaxy S4 has a nice quad core processor 1.9 ghz, Full HD 1920x1080 screen, 2gb RAM, takes a micro SD card, and a really decent 13MP camera. The hardware on this is not outdated by any means, the software is Samsung and Verizon bloated- that’s the worst of it. The only reason we upgraded is because I like new toys. The S4 is one of the most solid, dependable, feature-filled phones available- and you can still put a micro-sd card in it!!!

Assuming these aren’t too beat-up, this is a great deal. Don’t even worry if the battery is bad, because unlike many of the newer phones, you can still remove the back and put in a brand new battery- it will cost you a whole $8.73 http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Galaxy-Replacement-Battery-2600mAh/dp/B00BW0X892

Because the Moto G can be used when you go overseas and the Samsung S4 is a brick. And no bloatware.

Generally speaking you will not be able to use verizon phones on AT&T or Tmobile unless you are covered by LTE (still very spotty on tmobile) In the US, there are two legacy wireless technologies — CDMA and GSM — and they are completely incompatible with the other. The majority of the Verizon and Sprint networks use CDMA technology, while AT&T and T-Mobile use GSM.

GSM networks use a SIM card to store a subscriber’s identity and info. If your T-Mobile or AT&T phone is unlocked, you should have no problems swapping SIM cards between devices on these networks, and service shouldn’t be an issue.

Good news and bad news
But because Verizon and Sprint run on CDMA technology, their devices don’t require a SIM card to work. Instead, handsets will usually need to be reprogrammed to work with a different carrier, as CDMA networks use electronic serial numbers to identify subscribers.

The good news? Since all the big carriers switched on their respective LTE networks, it’s become a lot easier. As all LTE networks in the US support GSM technology, newer LTE-enabled handsets available from Sprint and Verizon must also support GSM , in addition to CDMA - meaning you’ll find a SIM card slot on these devices.

This said, your Sprint or Verizon phone still may not work on any or every GSM network around town. It still needs to be compatible with the specific radio frequencies that your new network uses.

The Verizon Samsung Galaxy S4 is globally ready- either you don’t have one, or you did something wrong. Even if this were and issue (but it’s not), what percentage of woot followers do you imagine would really worry about overseas connectivity? The “new” MOTO G doesn’t even support 5GHz WIFI networks, but the good old Galaxy S4 does. The MOTO-G is ok, but the Galaxy S4 is better.

Why is it a brick overseas? I looked into this when getting a Verizon Galaxy, and the box said it works with CDMA and GSM (and was told it will take a 3rd party SIM card). I’m curious to know.

Here is a comment from a forum on 3/16/15:

"I am in London currently with a Galaxy S4 Verizon.

The device is rooted, but I never did anything to lock or unlock the SIM.

The device does accept SIM cards, I got one from EE. It says “SIM card is from unknown source” but if you just crash the setup wizard it’ll go away and you’ll be fine.

Voice and SMS work out of the box. Data works once you configure the APN and turn on global mode.

However, the device cannot see the LTE bands EE is using so it is operating in HSDPA and HSDPA+ mode. I tried switching to LTE/CDMA but it can’t find a signal, and GSM/UTMS tops out at HDSPA+

All that said, the phone is very much useable in England.

However, one thing I’ll note. The SIM card translated the phone numbers into British Numbers. It changes them back once you put the Verizon sim in (I tested before I left USA) so using apps like Google Hangouts doesn’t work unless you A.) Recieve the text first or B.) Initiate from a PC."

Straight Talk says that a phone must have been activated with Verizon for at least six months for it to work with their service. This is a refurb, so not sure it will work. Anyone have any info. that may help?

I love all the S4 is old comments. My SII is feeling sad now. I’m thinking about going for this one and moving on to the Verizon herd. Virgin Mobile uses the Sprint network and I often wonder why I even bother trying to call people. Horrible freaking network. For an extra $10 a month it might be nice to actually hear a voice that doesn’t sound like it is going through some kind of voice modulator.

Being at the end of it’s “life cycle” doesn’t mean it’s going to stop working in a few days. My S4 got updated to Lollipop a few months back. If one wanted to use Verizons Pay as you go, this would be a great buy. I’m still on the teet of sprint with 5 SERO accounts. Good service in my area so don’t plan on jumping ship. If I did, this would be the phone of choice/cost…

IT guy here. I got one of these a few weeks ago - it was pretty worn. Came with a new battery and a charger - I’ve had a lot of problems mine crashing after only loading the Google Now Interface (pretty standard stuff). I love Samsungs and had the original Charge, a Droid DNA, the original Motorola Droid (V2) and a Motorola Razer.

It’d be hard for me to truly endorse this purchase with the dents, scratches and worn buttons that click themselves.

What is Mothership and will this Asus Zenphone work with Verizon/Straight Talk or will it only work with AT&T Straight Talk?
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

FWIW these will work with Page Plus Cellular, a nice discount cell service on the verizon network.

I didn’t even realize people still had SERO. I quit it when Sprint starting charging $10 for premium data on their 4G Clearwire Wimax network. Wish I’d have left Sprint then too. Never did get Wimax in my area despite paying for it.

A lot of poor information in this thread about SIM cards. I would not buy this to activate on a non Verizon network/MVNO. It does take a SIM, but your service might none to very little. It can also vary greatly.

ATT/Tmobile
GSM
LTE 2 / 4 / 5 / 17
WCDMA 1 / 2 / 4 / 5
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
only T-Mobile version has WCDMA 4

Sprint/Verizon
CDMA
LTE 4 / 13
WCDMA 1 / 2 / 5
CDMA 850 / 1900
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
Sprint version supports CDMA 800 (BC10) & LTE 25 instead of LTE 4/13 & WCDMA 5 / L720T variant supports tri-band LTE (“Spark”) for Sprint

This is a great point. There is potentially a huge variance in how these units will look and work based on the individual that had them before. If someone were lucky enough to get mine after 2 years of use it would look brand new. If someone got my wife’s phone after 2 years, it would be about normal wear and tear, a few scrapes, and it got dropped in a bucket of water (just for a few seconds) fortunately I was there to dry it out-pretty average use- today works perfectly fine. My sister in-law, on the other hand, looked like she played field hockey with hers- that thing was all busted up. It’s a gamble. At least you have 30 days to return if it’s defective. The square trade warranty is only $23 for 1 year, which is probably a good idea.

Hassle of a risk for me.

I buy my used phones from Swappa. $145 and you get piece of mind and to pick your carrier.

Said all that. I am passing on the Note 5 and staying with my Note 4. Sad day for Samsung as I usually buy about 4-5 of the Notes each year when released.

What does that even mean? A new phone is anything but unusable. People are still using flip phones for heaven’s sake. Compare this with an ipod, just as a music player, without carrier service, and it’s a pretty good deal. Very good camera, and 64GB capacity.

I’m still on a S4 and it’s been fine for me. In my opinion what makes an Android feel old and outdated is the software updates. Why would I expect something built 2,3 years ago to run software designed for something that just came out yesterday? I rooted mine and stopped the updates at 4.4.2. sure I’m missing out on some fancy new features but the thing is running smooth and I don’t feel the need to spend $600 every year or so on the new model.

That’s a cool site. I’ve never been to swappa before. But there is a nice option to purchase the square trade for 1 yr. I don’t know if squaretrade has something set up with swappa regarding that.

The Note 4 still has the ability to add an SD card, the Note 5 took that away for some reason. I would stay with the Note 4 also, it’s still a great phone, I don’t think the hardware difference will be that noticeable in real world performance- since the Note 4’s hardware is still pretty top end.