HELP! mobile phone data ?

[graveyard johnny]

so it looks like am finally having to get a smartfone - I  don't want one but the updates on the live updates on the sat nav seem crucial with so many roadworks and incidents day in day out (unless u guys know of a sat nav that does this?)  but am so confused about data and how much I  need  (sim only)  won't be downloading movies or games but a bit of music would be nice and a little bit of youtube but not loads - wont be on tik tok or facebook - maybe check a few emails and a bit of ebay  but thats about it - so how many gb do I go for as the offers from the sales teams are becoming confusing (the guy on the fone from EE is telling me 25gb is not a lot/)- any ideas?

Edited September 6 by graveyard johnny

[Futtocks]

9 minutes ago, graveyard johnny said:

so it looks like am finally having to get a smartfone - I  don't want one but the updates on the live updates on the sat nav seem crucial with so many roadworks and incidents day in day out (unless u guys know of a sat nav that does this?)  but am so confused about data and how much I  need  (sim only)  won't be downloading movies or games but a bit of music would be nice and a little bit of youtube but not loads - wont be on tik tok or facebook - maybe check a few emails and a bit of ebay  but thats about it - so how many gb do I go for as the offers from the sales teams are becoming confusing - any ideas?

Most smartphones allow you to combine mobile data and wi-fi when you have access to the latter, which massively cuts down on mobile data usage when you're connected to your home internet (or another trusted wi-fi network). Your main mobile data usage will be when you're out and about.

Given your usage description, go for the lowest data limit. It is easy to change if that's not enough, but I doubt you'll hit your limit unless you change your intentions. As a relative newcomer to smartphones (about three years ago), I'm still on the minimum data level and haven't gone near the limit*.

*apart from when my broadband was out for six weeks and I had to connect ewverything via my phone, but EE took off the data limit for the duration, as it was a service fault.

Edited September 6 by Futtocks

[graveyard johnny]

Just now, Futtocks said:

Most smartphones allow you to combine mobile data and wi-fi when you have access to the latter, which cuts down on mobile data usage when you're connected to your home internet (or another trusted wi-fi network).

Given your usage description, go for the lowest data limit. It is easy to change if that's not enough, but I doubt you'll hit your limit unless you change your intentions.

the guy at EE  is telling me 25gb is not a lot?

[Futtocks]

7 minutes ago, graveyard johnny said:

the guy at EE  is telling me 25gb is not a lot?

25gB is not a lot maybe for someone using social media, streaming and uploading videos/pictures all day. You're not currently planning to do that. YouTube is remarkably efficient compared to the early days, with new compression codecs using much less data to stream per second.

A 90-minute movie at 720p (better than standard TV quality) would probably be a bit over 1gB. And even if you did download something like that every day, you could do it at home on wi-fi instead of using mobile data on the street or in the park or whatever. An album in MP3 format is usually less than 50mB.

Anyway, changing the data cap is easy for the ISP to do on demand.

[graveyard johnny]

3 minutes ago, Futtocks said:

25gB is not a lot maybe for someone using social media, streaming and uploading videos/pictures all day. You're not currently planning to do that. YouTube is remarkably efficient compared to the early days, with new compression codecs using much less data to stream per second.

A 90-minute movie at 720p (better than standard TV quality) would probably be a bit over 1gB. And even if you did download something like that every day, you could do it at home on wi-fi instead of using mobile data on the street or in the park or whatever. An album in MP3 format is usually less than 50mB.

Anyway, changing the data cap is easy for the ISP to do on demand.

what about music streaming platforms? does that use a lot?

[Futtocks]

Just now, graveyard johnny said:

what about music streaming platforms? does that use a lot?

Again, very little. Gaming and video uses far more.

Put a few estimates into each category of this calculator and see what you get: https://www.omnicalculator.com/everyday-life/data-usage 

And again, if you're at home, you'll be connected to wi-fi so discount all that and just think of what you'd be using when solely on mobile data.

[graveyard johnny]

24 minutes ago, Futtocks said:

Again, very little. Gaming and video uses far more.

Put a few estimates into each category of this calculator and see what you get: https://www.omnicalculator.com/everyday-life/data-usage 

And again, if you're at home, you'll be connected to wi-fi so discount all that and just think of what you'd be using when solely on mobile data.

thanks - the guy on the fone from EE was pushing 250gb and a brand new fone for £33 a month but think am better with sim only less data and using a cast off or cheap refurb for my needs (about £14 a month) - does that sound better?

[Futtocks]

20 minutes ago, graveyard johnny said:

thanks - the guy on the fone from EE was pushing 250gb and a brand new fone for £33 a month but think am better with sim only less data and using a cast off or cheap refurb for my needs (about £14 a month) - does that sound better?

I'd go for the latter. You can always change if it doesn't suit.

[Click]

20 minutes ago, graveyard johnny said:

thanks - the guy on the fone from EE was pushing 250gb and a brand new fone for £33 a month but think am better with sim only less data and using a cast off or cheap refurb for my needs (about £14 a month) - does that sound better?

That sounds much better for your needs. I've always found phone+SIM plans to be ridiculously expensive, there are lots of cheap phones out there.

But like others have said 25gb is excessive for what you have described needing it for.

I'm on ID mobile network and get unlimited texts, calls and 25gb data a month for £6 (SIM only)

[shaun mc]

I bought a Sony Xperia for £220 then a SIM only for £6.95 a month with 15gb of data.

I usually use 1gb unless out of the country.

Over 3 years that's about £12 a month

[hindle xiii]

I'd also check Money Saving Expert for any other tips or deals.