Unreal Mobile Review: a Low-Data MVNO on Verizon’s Network

Unreal Mobile is a new brand spun off of the MVNO FreedomPop that has seen great success for many years. This MVNO started with very cheap plans offering only a few GBs a month, but they have since changed to compete with the more robust subsection of MVNOs like Mint Mobile, Cricket Wireless, and many more. They have a nice selection of plans and phones, and have grown to be a great choice on Sprint’s nationwide 4G LTE and 5G networks. 

Unreal Mobile had some trouble upon their initial release, with problems setting up the account and challenges with reception, but over the last four years, they have made a lot of promising changes. Let’s jump into our Unreal Mobile review, and discuss an overview of the company, pros and cons of their service, their phones and phone plans, and how they hold up to the competition. 

Unreal Mobile At a Glance

Unreal Mobile was launched in 2018 as an off-shoot of FreedomPop. In the first year, users needed a WiFi connection to make phone calls, but that was changed soon after the company got started and  they have now transitioned to more conventional communication. In the past, Unreal Mobile users needed an app to make calls and texts over WiFi, but when they made the change in 2019, they got rid of the app so users can use the native applications on their devices to send calls and texts. 

What Sets Unreal Mobile Apart? 

With the cell phone service market as saturated as it is, figuring out what sets Unreal Mobile apart is a great way to decide whether or not this is the service for you. In our Unreal Mobile review, we found that their high data caps is what sets them apart. The most robust Unreal Mobile plan comes with 50 GB of high-speed data, which is enough for all but the most assiduous data users out there. Fifty gigabytes lets you stream audio, video, and social media just about to your heart’s content all month long without worrying about crossing over your data cap. 

Unreal Mobile offers unlimited 2G data if you go over your allotted amount, but 2G data is not fast enough to do much of anything besides boot up your e-mail. You will find that even browsing the web is a challenge, which is why it is so nice that their plans offer so much high-speed data.

Price of Unreal Mobile Plans

Unreal Mobile has a tremendous quantity of plans at a wide variety of price points. They offer contracted plans and non-contracted plans, with savings if you go into a three-month or annual contract with them. Their plans start at 2 GB of high-speed data a month and cap at 50 GB of high-speed data a month, and the price varies between $10 a month and $60 a month. There are a lot of bundles and contracts that affect the price of each plan, but we will explain that in more detail later in the article. We love wireless providers that have a lot of different data plans to cater to people who use a lot of data each month, as well as those who don’t need more than a few gigabytes. 

What Kinds of Plans does Unreal Mobile offer?

Unreal Mobile offers, well, mainly one kind of plan. Starting at 2 GBs, users are able to choose their data allocation for the month. Unreal Mobile does not charge users for going over their data, but they reduce the internet to 2G data speeds.

The most interesting part about their plans is the contract-based system, where the longer your contract, the less expensive it is per month. That is a very common business practice, and for Unreal Mobile, they choose to offer this type of savings instead of multi-line savings. Their 12-month contracts offer up to a 33% savings, which is amazing, but the downside is, of course, that you are in a 12-month contract. We only recommend this if you are confident that you know how much data you need a month. If you are on a one-month contract and see that you have either too much or too little, switching from one to the next is easy. 

What Network does Unreal Mobile Use?

Unreal Mobile runs on Sprint’s network. Sprint’s 4G LTE and 5G networks, and, by extension, Unreal Mobile’s networks covers almost all of the United States. You can enjoy fast coverage no matter wherever you are. 

Can You Bring Your Own Cell Phone?

Yes! If you have a new phone and wish to continue using it you can absolutely bring your device to Unreal Mobile. Their network works with most devices, but not all of them. To check, you have to check your device’s compatibility, and make sure that your device is unlocked.

Unreal Mobile: Pros & Cons

It is vital to understand the pros and cons of a carrier before making the switch. We like Unreal Mobile a lot, but it is not the right carrier for everyone, sokeep this in mind as we discuss some of the pros and cons of switching to Unreal Mobile. 

👍 What We Liked

• No contract. Unreal Mobile offers plans without any contracts, letting you enjoy the flexibility of choosing whatever data amount you want as well as switching back and forth as much as you want. This is perfect for people who want to try this carrier out and see if this is the right carrier for them. 
• New customer deals. The deals vary, but Unreal Mobile always has a great incentive for new customers. Right now, you can get a three-month contract at their lowest prices, enjoying 33% savings on any of their plans. 
• Flexible plans. With so many plans, Unreal Mobile makes it easy to switch to a bigger or smaller plan if you need more data or realize that you have an overabundance of it. Switching from their 50 GB to a smaller one is a great way to save money on your phone bill. 
• International calling and texting. Every Unreal Mobile plan includes free calling and texting to over 80 international countries. You can call stress-free, knowing that you won’t get hit with an extra expensive phone bill for doing so.
• High max data plan. Unreal Mobile’s biggest plan comes with 50 GB of high-speed data, which is a lot higher than most other MVNOs in the country. This is a fantastic plan to have if you know you use a bunch of data but don’t want to pay the premium to get a plan on a major wireless network. 

👎 What We Didn’t Like

• Contract savings. You do not enjoy their lowest prices unless you take out a 12-month contract. A year is a long time, and it makes you lock into your plan for a long time. The savings are nice, but that, coupled with the fact that they don’t have any multi-line savings makes it challenging to get their full savings.
• Low phone selection. While Unreal Mobile has a selection of phones in its store, they only have iPhones. They have a good selection of iPhones, but if you are an Android user, you have to go to a third-party store and pick up an unlocked phone and port it into their network. This is not too bad, but it is a con nonetheless. Quick note: both Android and Apple phones work on the network, and the fact that they don’t sell Android phones does not affect how well they work on the network.
• No family plans. There are no multi-line savings from Unreal Mobile. Their plans are great on their own, but there’s no incentive to start a multi-line plan to see some extra savings. 
• Overwhelming website. Their website is a lot to take in all at once, and it is easy to get overwhelmed looking at all the different plans and all the different prices. We recommend taking extra time to peruse their offerings and check out our analysis of their plans later in this article! 
• Data deprioritization. It is not a surprise, but your data will slow whenever there is a high strain on the bandwidth in your area. There is no guarantee that it will happen, especially as Sprint creates a stronger network, but it is always possible. 

Unreal Mobile Services & Features

Unreal Mobile does not offer many services and features on top of the basics. Users of Unreal Mobile enjoy unlimited nationwide talk and text, as well as unlimited talk and text to select international countries. Their plans do not come with a wide variety of extras, but the low cost of each makes up for the lack of bells and whistles that often accompany the highest tier of major wireless network plans. 

Unreal Mobile Plans & Pricing

Unreal Mobile has four total plans at a variety of price points. If you are thinking of switching to Unreal Mobile, understanding each of Unreal Mobile’s phone plans is essential to figuring out if this company is right for you. After the new customer discounts wear off, this is the price of each Unreal Mobile plan, and how much data you receive: 

• 2 GB for $15 / $11 / $10
• 3 GB for $25 / $20 / $15
• 12 GB for $40 / $30 / $25
• 50 GB for $60 / $50 / $45

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We have three numbers next to each of these plans, and they are, respectively, a one-month contract, a three-month contract, and a 12-month contract. The prices at the 12-month contract are amazing, but, like we said before, it locks you in for a long while at that price point. Still, these numbers are very competitive with the competition, and having a 50 GB phone plan as a part of their offerings is amazing. 

Unreal Mobile Phone Selection 

Unreal Mobile has a fair phone selection, but you can also bring your own phone along. If you do want to purchase a phone directly from Unreal Mobile when you switch or if it's time to upgrade, these are the phones available to you: 

• iPhone SE
• iPhone 13 mini
• iPhone 13 Pro
• iPhone 13 Pro Max
• iPhone 13
• iPhone 12 Pro
• iPhone 12 Pro Max

As you can see, there are not a ton of phones available, and all the phones you can get are iPhones. Getting a phone directly from the carrier is nice, because right now they have a deal going where you can save around $100 with a discount on your phone and three free months of their 12 GB plan. There are, however, a ton more phones that are compatible with their service, so if you aren’t keen on one of these phones you can bring your own! 

How Well Does Unreal Mobile Actually Work?

Call & Text Performance

Unreal Mobile’s call and text performance is fantastic. They have full access to Sprint’s 4G LTE and 5G networks and very few users report having any trouble with calls dropping or texts failing to be sent or received anywhere in the country. 

Data Speeds

Unreal Mobile’s data speeds are excellent. With the exception of when users have deprioritized data, their speeds are fast and compete with every other network on the market. 

Unreal Mobile vs. Competitors

Unreal Mobile vs. Sprint

Sprint is the clear winner when it comes to data speeds and plan add-ons, but their plans come at a serious premium. Their plans all run significantly higher prices, while both companies use the same network. If you are willing to weather periods of low-data speeds due to high-volume use, Unreal Mobile is the big winner. One major plus of using Sprint, however, is that their unlimited plans come with high-speed data without the risk of deprioritization. If you are someone who wants to use a lot of mobile data, Sprint is the winner. 

Unreal Mobile vs. Visible Wireless

Visible uses Verizon’s network, which is a bit better overall than Sprint’s network. Visible differs from Unreal Mobile in that they only offer two unlimited plans (a basic and a premium) that, on their own, offer better value than Unreal Mobile’s 50 GB plan. If you know you want an unlimited plan, Visible Wireless has the edge, but if you are interested in the ability to switch to low-data plans then Unreal Mobile is the way to go. 

Unreal Mobile vs. Spectrum Mobile

Spectrum Mobile also runs on Verizon’s network, but they come with one big catch. Only Spectrum Internet users have access to their mobile coverage. That being said, their mobile and internet bundle is a fantastic deal, and if you have Spectrum Internet we recommend switching to Spectrum Mobile as well. Their unlimited plan is competitively priced and lets you get a big discount on your internet service as well. Unfortunately, Spectrum Internet is only offered in a few spots in this country, and if you don’t live in one of those spots, well, Unreal Mobile is the way to go! 

Unreal Mobile Customer Service

Unreal Mobile has excellent customer support and their chat is available at all times on their website. You input your name, e-mail, phone number, and the category of your question and from there you are given customer support to assist in answering your questions. 

What Customers Have to Say About Unreal Mobile

“Your customer service is excellent. Your staff went above and beyond to make sure my phone works. I want to recognize Volt, Karen, and Justin for their tremendously terrific assistance. Why would I go anywhere else when I can get this kind of support. Not only they meet my expectation, but they also exceed my expectation and I hope your customer service can go 24/7. Thank you.” - C.H. (via Trustpilot)

“I cannot make or receive calls. I have tried calling, chat and emails. In every case they take me through the same steps with no change. Emails are not responded to. With chat or an actual call, they assure me that their tech support will get back to me in 24-48 hours via email. No email ever comes.” - Adrian Sebborn. (via Trustpilot)

“I came across this completely by accident searching for a SIM card with a mobile number as my previous data sim had expired. I purchased this at the Target in Atlanta and it changed the mobile experience for me. It was easy to set up and really affordable! It has a talk and text feature which really helps. I used it in both DC and NYC and did not have trouble at any given time. Thank you Unreal Mobile.” - Jo Mathias. (via Trustpilot)

Unreal Mobile FAQ

What is my phone’s IMEI number?

Your IMEI number is a string of 15 digits that identifies your wireless device. It is important when you are interested in bringing your phone to a new carrier like Unreal Mobile because, with that number, you are able to check if your phone is eligible for a switch and whether or not it will work on Unreal Mobile’s network. 

How do I decide what plan is right for me?

Unreal Mobile customers have the ability to switch their plan from the available options at any time, so if you choose the wrong plan in the beginning, it is easy to switch after that! If you aren’t sure how much data you need, we recommend starting with the 50 GB plan and watching your data usage over a month or two. From there, you should have a much better idea about how much data you need and can decide on the right plan from there. 

Does Unreal Mobile have shared or family plans?

Unreal Mobile does not have shared or family plans. The discounts come from getting three or 12-month contracts. 

TLDR; Unreal Mobile is an Strong MVNO Perfect for High-Data Users

Unreal Mobile is a great choice if you want to switch to an MVNO and know that you use a lot of mobile data each month. You have great coverage on Sprint’s network and you can get up to 50 GB of high-speed data each month.