Considering upgrading my smart phone before our visit...

[shosh1530]

We will be arriving for our trip to Disneyland/California 2 weeks from today! But with importance of boarding groups and mobile ordering I'm starting to worry my old iPhone 7 may not be up for the job. DH will also have a 6+ year-old Samsung Galaxy along on the trip and we'll have a 5-year-old iPad on WiFi too.

The phone is 5+ year's old, so I was planning to upgrade sometime in the next year anyway. My biggest concern at the moment is the battery seems to go 1-2 hours before needing a charge if I'm using it pretty heavily. The Disneyland app has also started frequently crashing on me.

I'll be sticking with the iPhone, any recommendations on models? Looking at iPhone 12 mini, SE, XR or 11. Does the newness/speed of the phone matter? I believe they will all have better cameras than my current phone.

And what about networks? We both use cheaper companies that piggy back on the sprint network. I've had a lot of coverage problems when travelling in the past. I almost never use data in town because I can be on WiFi at work/home, but when I do have to use cellular it is almost impossible. Do all networks have good coverage around DL?

 

[edhmom]

We will be arriving for our trip to Disneyland/California 2 weeks from today! But with importance of boarding groups and mobile ordering I'm starting to worry my old iPhone 7 may not be up for the job. DH will also have a 6+ year-old Samsung Galaxy along on the trip and we'll have a 5-year-old iPad on WiFi too.

The phone is 5+ year's old, so I was planning to upgrade sometime in the next year anyway. My biggest concern at the moment is the battery seems to go 1-2 hours before needing a charge if I'm using it pretty heavily. The Disneyland app has also started frequently crashing on me.

I'll be sticking with the iPhone, any recommendations on models? Looking at iPhone 12 mini, SE, XR or 11. Does the newness/speed of the phone matter? I believe they will all have better cameras than my current phone.

And what about networks? We both use cheaper companies that piggy back on the sprint network. I've had a lot of coverage problems when travelling in the past. I almost never use data in town because I can be on WiFi at work/home, but when I do have to use cellular it is almost impossible. Do all networks have good coverage around DL?

I have the iPhone 6S on Cricket (uses AT&T network) and had no problems getting a BG for ROTR. My battery can drain quickly, but I have a large battery pack that I can use to charge it during the day.

I understand you want to get a new phone anyways, but I just wanted to reassure you that the age of your phone isn't necessarily a detriment.

 

[AnnieOakley]

Deleted. Realized this was useless to OP and basically anyone.

 

[UnpokemonMom]

My son has an iPhone 6 and Verizon, and was able to get a BG for WS at noon today.

 

[califlorican]

We have iPhone 8’s and were able to get a BG for web slingers! I don’t think a brand new phone is necessary.

 

[Heather07438]

My iPhone8 has beaten DH and DS with their fancy newer 11pros.

I think things that are worth preparing:

run Speedtest for WiFi and cellular to see not only which is better, but also check signal strength locations. At BeachClub we found walking down the hall 20 feet from our room made a big difference.

then reboot your phone that morning

don’t open anything you don’t need to

turn off location services (in settings, you can turn back on after getting BG)

then the rest… time it well and then just hit Join, Join, Join. Don’t stop to read any of the screens. Celebrate mtfbwy

We’re 5 for 5 and twice my older phone beat out the guys Get a new phone if it’s time anyway but you don’t need it to succeed.

 

[Heather07438]

PS- the newer phones take really awesome photos. That might be worth the upgrade!

 

[tsumgirl]

I have a mid-range 2 year old Android running on the Sprint network and was able to get 4 boarding groups for ROTR ranging from BG 14-35. This was before WS opened, but using data on Sprint in the DL resort area has always been fast for me. So if you want to stay with the same carrier, you should be fine.

 

[TinkerTay]

If your biggest issue is the battery, personally, I would look into upgrading your phone - IF you were going to anyway. It seems most of the means of park communication is through heavy phone usage, be it boarding groups, mobile food ordering, texting, camera, eventually fast pass/max pass, even ticket usage. You will be using your phone a lot, unless someone else will be using theirs more often. I had an iPhone 6 a few years ago that got to the point where it barely held a charge, or died very quickly. I know how frustrating that is, I upgraded to the 8, and again a year+ ago to the 11 Pro Max. It stays charged for SO much longer, I can go almost 2 days if I needed to (with general usage). The camera is amazing also, and has newer features I forget are even there, lol...

Regardless, you will 100% want/need a power bank to have with you when in the parks. It would not be too nice to miss out on some sort of notification because of a dead battery!

 

[PirateBrigade]

If you're keeping with the iPhone line, I would wait until the 12s/13 is released -- they are expecting it this year by September (earlier than last year's October/November launch), so buying a 12 this late is not a great idea value-wise.

Even if you want to get the 12, wait until September for a price drop. I would not get the mini iPhone if battery is a concern (small phone -- small battery/shorter life, even accounting for the smaller screen).

That said, iPhone 7 is still a decent phone. Have you considered maybe buying a case with a battery built into it? There's a $26 one on Amazon I just spotted. That will get you through your visit in 2 weeks.

(FWIW I have an 11 Pro w/ Verizon and have been fairly happy with it, I usually upgrade every year but opted out of the 12 because of the Qualcomm 5G antenna being 1st gen and a battery hog)

 

[Carolwoodpr]

I had the same problem you have. Battery drain. I had the iPhone 7+. I just upgraded to the 12 max pro. It is amazing. I can work on photos for 4 hours and the battery barely moves. I got the phone a month ago, plug it in every night, use it exclusively during the day and battery has never been below 60% when I plug in. I also have Verizon and they gave me $580 for my old phone.

 

[brentm77]

I want a smart watch. Waited 5 years for android to figure it out and make one that is smaller than a grapefruit. Nada. So I'm switching from Android to an iPhone.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active (for Android) is as small as the Apple watches. Better in some respects too.

 

[Nonsuch]

turn off location services (in settings, you can turn back on after getting BG)

I will try that.
It seems more difficult to score a BG since AC opened. I’m trying every morning

To OP: The Disneyland app and camera usage kills my battery (12Pro), so don’t visit with a weak battery