Just about anyone you’d ask is familiar with the top-tier wireless service providers in Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. What about lesser known, or newer brands?
Let’s take a look at a relatively younger carrier, Tello. This guide will serve to help you understand what the MVNO offers and how it competes in the mobile arena.
Tell me about Tello
Tello is a newer player in the mobile field and finds itself in the increasingly crowded segment of low-cost, no-frills alternatives. Its service uses Sprint’s network for coverage but it operates with its own plans and features.
What are Tello rate plans like?
Tello rate plans are no-contract, meaning you can go month-to-month with no long-term agreement, cancellation, or activation fees. As many carriers in this space do, Tello throttles speeds once hitting the data allowance as opposed to charging overage fees.
Customers can mix and match rate plans based on personal needs. A lot of users have access to Wi-Fi connections, or don’t make many calls in a month. To that end, it’s possible to dial things up or down to suit tastes; subscribers can change their plan as often as needed.
Ready-made Plans
There are four ready-made plans that do a great job of meeting the demands of most users. They cost as low as $10 per month and include unlimited text and calling.
- $10/month: Unlimited Talk and Text with 1GB of high-speed data
- $14/month: Unlimited Talk and Text with 2GB of high-speed data
- $19/month: Unlimited Talk and Text with 4GB of high-speed data
- $39/month: Unlimited Talk and Text with Unlimited high-speed data
Are there any other Tello features?
Tello offers a handful of other options to its customers, including mobile hotspot and international calls. You can use any amount of your data plan to tether other devices. Calls to Mexico, Canada, and China are the same as if you called in the United States.
What about international calls and texts?
In addition to the aforementioned countries, Tello subscribers can make calls to other India, Cuba, and a host of other countries. Each has its own rate and can be used in a mix-and-match fashion. All one need do is purchase a Pay As You Go credit ahead of time.
The credit can also be used for SMS or data, depending on which plan you’re signed up with at the time.
Does Tello have a referral program?
Yes, they’re called Tello Dollars and the referral program rewards you for signing up friends and family members. Share your referral link, and once your friend places their first successful order, you get $10 Tello Dollars. Your friend also gets $10 Tello Dollars.
You can refer as many friends as you like and the money can be used for things like rate plans, phones, and PAYG credits.
What kind of phones does Tello offer?
Taking a look at the current lineup of phones offered through Tello we find familiar names like LG, Samsung, and Motorola. All told, there are more than two dozen phones to choose from but it’s a real tossup as to what’s available.
As is the case with prepaid providers or MVNO brands, selection is a mixed bag and leans more toward affordability and not performance.
It’s worth noting that the phones you order from Tello will come in plain generic packaging and may only include the charger and battery. There will be no manual, earbuds, or other accessories.
Sprint is one of the largest wireless network providers in the United States, serving more than 54 million subscribers. As you’d expect, it features quite the handset selection, including models with 5G support. But what about its prepaid brand, Tello?
Tello, as is the case with other MVNOs, has its own rate plans, customer service, and phone selection. Here, we’ll dig into the devices offered at Tello.
We’ve gathered up a handful of the best phones you can purchase at Tello today. Although we do select one as the best overall (Editors’ Choice), the list below offers phones that work for a variety of user types.
For what it’s worth, the handset selection at Tello is really limited light. Moreover, it’s fully comprised of refurbished models. We always suggest buying an unlocked phone for use with a carrier.
Google Pixel 4
Maybe one of the more controversial “best” phones we’ve seen in some time, the Pixel 4 is the newest from Google. And while it’s not the most powerful and robust device on the market, it does have its share of cool features.
First, of course, is the really great camera experience; it gets better with each generation. Also worth your attention is the baked-in Google Assistant and Android 10 experience.
The display is really awesome, too, and we’re big fans of the design change. If you can swing it, buy the larger storage option because 64GB is a little light in 2020. Go for the Pixel 4 XL and get a bigger display and higher capacity battery.
Samsung Galaxy A51
The Samsung Galaxy A51 gives users all of the great features found in the Galaxy S line and leaves out the unnecessary bleeding-edge stuff. It ticks the right boxes and leaves money in your wallet.
The phone comes with a big 6.5-inche Super AMOLED screen protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3 and packs a 48-MP (wide), 12-MP (ultrawide), 5-MP (wide) macro, and 5-MP depth sensor. Inside is a generous 6GB RAM with 128GB storage capacity for videos, music files, images, and documents.
Shop Samsung Galaxy A51 at Tello
Samsung Galaxy S8
It may be a few years old but that doesn’t mean it won’t handle your tasks. There’s plenty in here that can manage your tasks, play your games, and keep track of your social media.
Features include a 5.8-inch display, 12-megapixel camera, and 3,000mAh battery. An octa-core processor is paired with 4GB RAM while storage is listed at 64GB. Need more room for files? Throw in a microSD expansion card slot for external media.
Shop Samsung Galaxy S8 at Tello
Are there any phone deals with Tello?
Indeed, there are plenty of phones with discounts, some ranging as high as $50 off. About half of the current roster is comprised of refurbished phones, which also means lower prices.
Can I use my own phone with Tello?
Yes, you can use any Sprint-compatible phone just so long as there’s no unpaid balance on another network. You’ll need to ensure it’s unlocked for use outside of Sprint if it was previously used with another carrier.
Tello only accepts unlocked CDMA devices or unlocked multi-network phones that incorporate both CDMA and GSM technologies.
Head to Tello’s website to check whether your specific model is supported.
