{"id":613,"date":"2017-04-04T18:52:00","date_gmt":"2017-04-04T18:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gizmogrind.ca\/blog\/?p=613"},"modified":"2020-11-12T19:51:53","modified_gmt":"2020-11-12T19:51:53","slug":"sugar-mobile-review-on-android-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gizmogrind.com\/blog\/sugar-mobile-review-on-android-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"Sugar Mobile Review on Android 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>We\u2019re all for saving on your phone bill at GizmoGrind, so I\u2019ve been itching to do a review on <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sugarmobile.ca\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"rank-math-link\">Sugar Mobile<\/a> for mobile review. Let\u2019s dive in and see what we get for $19 a month. The thing is, Sugar Mobile has had its ups and downs and faced some criticism, like the continuous feed of negative rants on <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/www.howardforums.com\/showthread.php\/1877163-Thoughts-on-Sugar-Mobile\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"rank-math-link\">HowardForums<\/a>. Still, I couldn\u2019t help but try it out myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_76 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-transparent ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-69e17ae776edc\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-69e17ae776edc\"  aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/gizmogrind.com\/blog\/sugar-mobile-review-on-android-2017\/#Quick_Rundown\" >Quick Rundown:<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/gizmogrind.com\/blog\/sugar-mobile-review-on-android-2017\/#How_it_Works\" >How it Works<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/gizmogrind.com\/blog\/sugar-mobile-review-on-android-2017\/#Getting_Setup\" >Getting Setup<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/gizmogrind.com\/blog\/sugar-mobile-review-on-android-2017\/#Thoughts_After_Two_Weeks_of_Use\" >Thoughts After Two Weeks of Use<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/gizmogrind.com\/blog\/sugar-mobile-review-on-android-2017\/#Call_quality\" >Call quality<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/gizmogrind.com\/blog\/sugar-mobile-review-on-android-2017\/#The_App\" >The App<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/gizmogrind.com\/blog\/sugar-mobile-review-on-android-2017\/#Bottom_Line\" >Bottom Line<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Quick_Rundown\"><\/span>Quick Rundown:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>$19 a month for unlimited calls and texts in US and Canada. On top of that, you get 400MB of Data. WOW! Hold up, let\u2019s analyze this offer and see what its pros and cons are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_it_Works\"><\/span>How it Works<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Sugar Mobile is an MVNO in telecom lingo, which is Mobile Virtual Network Operator. VoIP technology, baby! You\u2019ll need Wi-Fi for most of the time, but you have a data allowance for calling and surfing the web when you\u2019re not in Wi-Fi range. More on that in a bit. They claim Wi-Fi is pervasive enough, rendering a traditional wireless service unnecessary, except for short moments of being out and about!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We all know how the Big Three in Canada get excited about the competition and usually don\u2019t play nice. Their typical M.O. is to run their rivals to the ground as soon as they emerge. Let\u2019s name and shame: Rogers, one of the big three, is actively working on limiting Sugar Mobile\u2019s influence. So far, Sugar Mobile has managed to fend off its attackers and has secured a temporary relief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Getting_Setup\"><\/span>Getting Setup<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Their website directs you to Shoppers Drug Mart for a Starter Kit which includes a SIM card and a 30-day plan for $29. This gives you the standard unlimited Wi-Fi calling and 400MB of data (you use the data for calling and texts when you\u2019re out of Wi-Fi range). Unfortunately, finding the starter kit proved to be an impossible task.! I looked in 3 different Shoppers stores in Toronto with no luck; none of them had the starter kit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I gave up and ordered it online which was simple enough, with fast delivery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image wp-image-624 size-medium\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"212\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gizmogrind.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/20170311_165805-1-300x212.jpg\" alt=\"Sugar Mobile Starter Kit\" class=\"wp-image-624\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gizmogrind.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/20170311_165805-1-300x212.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gizmogrind.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/20170311_165805-1-1024x722.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gizmogrind.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/20170311_165805-1-30x21.jpg 30w, https:\/\/gizmogrind.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/20170311_165805-1.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption>Starter Kit<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image wp-image-622 size-medium\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"220\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gizmogrind.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/20170311_165922_new-300x220.jpg\" alt=\"Contents of Sugar Mobile Starter Kit\" class=\"wp-image-622\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gizmogrind.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/20170311_165922_new-300x220.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gizmogrind.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/20170311_165922_new-1024x751.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gizmogrind.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/20170311_165922_new-30x22.jpg 30w, https:\/\/gizmogrind.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/20170311_165922_new-390x285.jpg 390w, https:\/\/gizmogrind.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/20170311_165922_new.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption>Inside the Kit<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Popped it open and broke off the size SIM card I needed for my phone. I tested it with an S6 Edge Plus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image wp-image-623 size-medium\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"282\" height=\"250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gizmogrind.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/20170315_163902_new-282x250.jpg\" alt=\"Sugar Mobile SIM Card Sizes\" class=\"wp-image-623\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gizmogrind.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/20170315_163902_new-282x250.jpg 282w, https:\/\/gizmogrind.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/20170315_163902_new-1024x908.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gizmogrind.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/20170315_163902_new-30x27.jpg 30w, https:\/\/gizmogrind.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/20170315_163902_new.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 282px) 100vw, 282px\" \/><figcaption>All three SIM card sizes come in the kit.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Next, I logged on their website, activated the SIM, chose a number, and downloaded the app. Pretty straightforward. About a 5-minute process or less.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image wp-image-626 size-medium\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"278\" height=\"250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gizmogrind.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Screenshot-17-278x250.png\" alt=\"Sugar Mobile Activation site, choosing a number\" class=\"wp-image-626\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gizmogrind.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Screenshot-17-278x250.png 278w, https:\/\/gizmogrind.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Screenshot-17-30x27.png 30w, https:\/\/gizmogrind.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Screenshot-17.png 786w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 278px) 100vw, 278px\" \/><figcaption>Choosing your number on their website. Part of the activation process<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Thoughts_After_Two_Weeks_of_Use\"><\/span>Thoughts After Two Weeks of Use<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Call_quality\"><\/span>Call quality<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Just as good as that of a TELUS line I use. I live downtown so I had no problem with reception or dropped calls. Yet! I did have some troubles getting online, but they\u2019ve worked it out now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Streaming and Surfing<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Technically you can use the non-Wi-Fi data, but I wouldn&#8217;t recommend it. The 3G connection you get is fast enough, but it defeats the purpose. If you\u2019re out of Wi-Fi range, it\u2019s best that you forget about most of the Internet activities. You\u2019ll burn through those 400MB faster than you can add it, especially if you stream videos. The only affordable way to use the data allowance is for your social media and email syncing, calling and texting. I\u2019ve learned that the hard way blazing through the 400MB included in the starter kit and crunching up another 500MB a week later for an additional $19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The idea here is you keep the data for calling and texting when not in Wifi Range.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_App\"><\/span>The App<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image wp-image-625 size-medium\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"141\" height=\"250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gizmogrind.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Screenshot_20170325-164215-141x250.png\" alt=\"Sugar Mobile App\" class=\"wp-image-625\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gizmogrind.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Screenshot_20170325-164215-141x250.png 141w, https:\/\/gizmogrind.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Screenshot_20170325-164215-576x1024.png 576w, https:\/\/gizmogrind.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Screenshot_20170325-164215-17x30.png 17w, https:\/\/gizmogrind.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Screenshot_20170325-164215.png 1440w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 141px) 100vw, 141px\" \/><figcaption>Calls go through here<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>It gets the job done. All calls and texts go through the app which takes some getting used to. I wish I could make calls on my native Samsung phone app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Bottom_Line\"><\/span>Bottom Line<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019d recommend Sugar Mobile if you\u2019re not a heavy phone user, and spend a lot of time in Wi-Fi range. Essentially, Sugar Mobile gets you a local number, access to their VOIP network, and just enough non-Wi-Fi data to make your calls on the go. It\u2019s minimalist at its core with tremendous savings opportunities for many Canadians at the lower end of data usage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re out and about, make tons of calls, and require access to the Internet at all times, I guess it could work, and I\u2019d say it doesn\u2019t hurt to try it. However, it would not be my first choice, especially if you often find yourself out of Wi-Fi range or consume monstrous amounts of data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If Sugar can survive the Rogers onslaught, I\u2019m sure many people will find creative ways to use their services and get away with paying next to nothing. One step in the right direction for certain! It just so happens that Canadians in the lowest usage bracket, the one Sugar Mobile is targeting, pay the highest rates in the world. Don\u2019t expect the Big Three to take this lying on their back, though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Update: Sugar Mobile has been shut down by Rogers and the CRTC. No update on any recourse taken by Sugar Mobile. I guess i called it \ud83d\ude41<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We\u2019re all for saving on your phone bill at GizmoGrind, so I\u2019ve been itching to do a review on Sugar Mobile for mobile review. Let\u2019s dive in and see what we get for $19 a month. The thing is, Sugar Mobile has had its ups and downs and faced some criticism, like the continuous feed&hellip;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/gizmogrind.com\/blog\/sugar-mobile-review-on-android-2017\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Read More &raquo;<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Sugar Mobile Review on Android 2017<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":627,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"off","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","neve_meta_reading_time":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[75],"tags":[79,78,76,82,77,81,80],"class_list":["post-613","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reviews","tag-cheapest-phone-plan-canada","tag-mvno","tag-sugar-mobile","tag-sugar-mobile-review-2017","tag-sugar-phone-plan","tag-wi-fi-calling","tag-wifi-calling"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gizmogrind.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/613","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gizmogrind.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gizmogrind.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gizmogrind.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gizmogrind.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=613"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/gizmogrind.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/613\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2375,"href":"https:\/\/gizmogrind.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/613\/revisions\/2375"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gizmogrind.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/627"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gizmogrind.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=613"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gizmogrind.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=613"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gizmogrind.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=613"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}