As a card-carrying member of the “grass is always greener on the other side” club, I can always feel when I’m about to change my daily driver from a Pixel to an iPhone and vice versa. My daily driver has been an iPhone 15 Pro Max and I had my Pixel 6 Pro connected to Wi-Fi as a limited backup so I could get screenshots and check out new features on Android. My Pixel was supposed to lose Android support after the release of Android 15 but Google added two more Android updates allowing me to keep using the phone up to the release of Android 17.
I still didn’t feel the call of Android until I installed Android 16 QPR 1 Beta 1 on my Pixel 6 Pro. The software turned the Pixel 6 Pro into a different phone that is more responsive. It also completely fixed any issues with the in-display fingerprint scanner, increased the battery life, and overall it made the phone not only usable but desirable. But I’m not yet ready to completely drop the iPhone for my Pixel, nor did I feel like spending for a new line in order to make calls, send and receive texts, and even take the device with me out of Wi-Fi range.
Turn that backup phone collecting dust into a useful smartphone with Helium’s Zero Plan
Running through the apps on my Pixel, I found the solution when I stumbled across the icon for Helium Mobile. I remember doing a story on the T-Mobile MVNO in February which noted that Helium offered the first free 5G wireless plan in the U.S. So I decided to sign up for Helium’s Zero Plan which offers 3GB of 5G data, 100 minutes of calls, 5GB of hotspot data, and 300 texts each month for the low, low price of zero.
Helium Mobile’s Zero plan compared to low-priced service from the competition. | Image credit-Helium Mobile
Signing up for the service on the Pixel 6 Pro took about five minutes and I was given a new phone number. Since I still will probably use my Pixel inside, I can hold off on using too much data until I have a Wi-Fi connection. The cool thing is that I now can take my Pixel out with me at times when I’d rather have it accompany me and it isn’t costing me a dime. Helium uses T-Mobile’s nationwide 5G service (more on that later).
Helium’s Cloud Point program rewards you for personal data that the other wireless firms take from you without giving you anything in return. For example, if you agree to participate in anonymized location sharing, referrals, and surveys, you can earn points. These points can be redeemed for gift cards to certain stores, streaming services, rideshares, food, and more.
So far, I haven’t had an issue at all with the 5G service which recently ran at a download data speed of 109 Mbps and an upload data speed of 4.06 Mbps. That indicates that Helium uses T-Mobile‘s low-band 600MHz nationwide 5G service as opposed to its 5G Ultra Capacity service that uses 2.5GHz mid-band to deliver a typical download data speed of 200 Mbps to 500Mbps. Still, the service was fast enough to use on the go and calls sounded great.
Helium also offers low-priced 5G service using T-Mobile’s nationwide 5G network
Helium has other plans too. All three plans include:
- Zero Plan ($0/month): 3GB of data, 300 texts, 100 minutes
- Air Plan ($15/month): 10GB of data with unlimited talk and text
- Infinity Plan ($30/month): Unlimited data, talk and text
