Tello Mobile Plan Review (2026): Low Cost, Reliable Service
Tello Mobile Plan Review (2026): Low Cost, Reliable Service
Tello 移动套餐评测（2026）：低成本、可靠的服务
WIRED (优点): 极低的成本。透明的定价和套餐。多种可定制的套餐选项。可比拟的数据速度和信号接收能力。 TIRED (缺点): 在信号较差的地区，数据速度下降更明显。在网络高度拥堵时，数据速度可能会受到限制。对于频繁的国际旅行者来说不够友好。
I know that I am paying too much for my phone plan. I have known this for years. Like about two-thirds of America, I use a postpaid unlimited phone plan from one of the big three cell phone carriers. In my case, it’s T-Mobile, which has the best 5G coverage and speeds, according to analysis from OpenSignal and Ookla, not to mention a whole bunch of perks I forget to use, like free AAA membership. Some part of me just wants “the best” phone service. 我知道我的手机套餐费用太高了。这一点我多年来一直很清楚。和大约三分之二的美国人一样，我使用的是三大移动运营商之一的后付费无限流量套餐。就我而言，我用的是 T-Mobile。根据 OpenSignal 和 Ookla 的分析，T-Mobile 拥有最好的 5G 覆盖范围和速度，更不用说还有一大堆我经常忘记使用的福利，比如免费的 AAA 会员资格。我内心深处总想要“最好”的手机服务。
And so here I am, paying $75 a month as a baseline cost on a grandfathered unlimited plan—and that’s before I factor in loss insurance or phone payments. But I have long known that I could get access to those same T-Mobile cell phone towers, and ostensibly the same 5G service, for a fraction of the price by using any number of prepaid mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) phone plans that use T-Mobile’s network. 于是，我每个月支付 75 美元的基准费用，使用的是一个老旧的无限流量套餐——这还没算上手机丢失保险或分期付款。但我早就知道，通过使用任何一家租用 T-Mobile 网络的预付费移动虚拟运营商 (MVNO) 套餐，我可以用极低的价格接入同样的 T-Mobile 基站，并获得名义上相同的 5G 服务。
Am I just a sucker, I wondered? With my budget cinching tighter each month, I decided to test this hypothesis—the one about me being a sucker. So I tried a budget phone plan from Tello Mobile. Tello is a no-frills, no-commitment phone carrier that ranks among the lowest-cost unlimited phone plans in the US. Tello rents bandwidth on T-Mobile’s network and costs as little as $10 a month for a plan with starkly limited cell data but unlimited texts and calls. 我心想，我是不是个冤大头？随着每个月预算越来越紧，我决定验证这个假设——关于我是冤大头的假设。于是，我尝试了 Tello Mobile 的经济型手机套餐。Tello 是一家主打简约、无合约的运营商，其无限流量套餐在美国属于成本最低的行列。Tello 租用 T-Mobile 的网络带宽，每月仅需 10 美元，即可获得包含极少量蜂窝数据但短信和通话无限的套餐。
My assumption was that Tello’s service would be notably worse than T-Mobile’s, or that its limitations would be more … limiting. But a couple of weeks later, I have not found this to be the case. After roaming the earth (OK, mostly just Oregon) while running data-speed tests on both T-Mobile and Tello, I can attest that Tello’s reception was reliable and that the data speeds were comparable (though not quite equal) to T-Mobile’s. 我原以为 Tello 的服务会明显差于 T-Mobile，或者它的限制会更……令人受限。但几周后，我发现事实并非如此。在四处奔波（好吧，主要是俄勒冈州）并同时对 T-Mobile 和 Tello 进行数据速度测试后，我可以证明 Tello 的信号接收非常可靠，数据速度与 T-Mobile 相当（尽管不完全相等）。
The reason, most likely, is that T-Mobile’s vast investment in 5G service has left lots of bandwidth to spare—removing the technical limitations that previously made budget prepaid phone plans a much dodgier choice. With Tello, I still risk that my data might be deprioritized during moments of extreme congestion, though I didn’t witness this even when sidling up to a sports stadium. There also are no discount phone upgrades, no protection plans, no free international roaming, and no particular perks. 最可能的原因是，T-Mobile 在 5G 服务上的巨额投资留出了大量的闲置带宽，消除了以往让廉价预付费套餐显得不可靠的技术限制。使用 Tello，我仍然面临在极端拥堵时数据优先级被降低的风险，尽管即使在靠近体育场时我也没遇到这种情况。此外，这里没有手机升级折扣、没有保险计划、没有免费国际漫游，也没有任何特别的福利。
But for a low-data user like me—I use 12 gigs a month and am almost always tethered to Wi-Fi—Tello costs less than half as much as the comparable T-Mobile plan. 但对于像我这样数据使用量较低的用户来说——我每月使用 12GB 流量，而且几乎总是连接着 Wi-Fi——Tello 的费用不到同类 T-Mobile 套餐的一半。
The $25 Phone Plan
25 美元手机套餐
The process of signing up for the Tello prepaid plan turns out to be a complete nothingburger, as long as I’ve got a compatible unlocked phone. I was done in five minutes. I selected the $25-a-month unlimited plan online ($27 with fees), scanned a QR code using my phone’s camera to get an eSIM, and promptly received a new working phone number. I did not switch my existing number to Tello for this test, but this option is available. 只要有一部兼容的无锁手机，注册 Tello 预付费套餐的过程简直易如反掌。我五分钟就搞定了。我在网上选择了每月 25 美元的无限流量套餐（含税费后 27 美元），用手机摄像头扫描二维码获取 eSIM，并立即获得了一个可用的新手机号。为了测试，我没有将现有的号码转入 Tello，但这个选项是可用的。
The $25-a-month plan I selected is Tello’s top-tier plan, with 50 gigs of high-speed data and unlimited horrible-speed data. A 10-GB hot spot is also included, which turned out to be pretty fast when I tested it: about 4G data speeds. There are no family plans or discounts, but for a solo phone user, Tello is about as cheap as it gets, especially if you use very little cellular data. 我选择的 25 美元套餐是 Tello 的顶级套餐，包含 50GB 高速数据和无限量的低速数据。套餐还包含 10GB 热点流量，经测试速度相当快：大约是 4G 的数据速度。Tello 没有家庭套餐或折扣，但对于个人用户来说，这几乎是市面上最便宜的选择，尤其是如果你平时很少使用蜂窝数据的话。
Below the top tier, Tello allows you to build any number of plans with unlimited talk and text but absolutely rigid data caps. Above your allotted maximum, the data simply stops flowing. For $10 you get a mere 2 gigs of data per month. For $15 you get 10 gigs. And $20 gets you 20. Plans that limit call times offer nominal discounts. 在顶级套餐之下，Tello 允许你定制各种套餐，提供无限通话和短信，但数据流量上限非常严格。一旦超过分配的上限，数据流量就会直接停止。10 美元每月仅有 2GB 流量。15 美元可获得 10GB。20 美元可获得 20GB。限制通话时长的套餐会有微小的折扣。
That’s it. That’s the end of what Tello offers. You get a certain amount of cellular data and probably unlimited talk and text. Easy hookup. No commitment. Heck, you can’t even prepay Tello’s plan beyond one month in advance (I tried). You just pay each month. International roaming costs extra at a rate of 5 cents a minute, or a penny a text. 就是这样。Tello 提供的服务仅限于此。你获得一定量的蜂窝数据，以及大概率无限的通话和短信。连接简单，没有合约。甚至，你连预付超过一个月的费用都做不到（我试过）。你只需要每个月支付一次。国际漫游需要额外付费，费率为每分钟 5 美分，或每条短信 1 美分。
Tello sells compatible new and refurbished phones for as low as $109. These phones are guaranteed compatible with Tello’s network, with one-year installment plans available through the Affirm pay-as-you-go service. Tello 出售兼容的新手机和翻新手机，价格低至 109 美元。这些手机保证与 Tello 网络兼容，并可通过 Affirm 分期付款服务提供一年期分期计划。
But you don’t have to buy phones from Tello if you don’t want to, and the phone prices aren’t particularly good or bad on their site. You can instead use an existing unlocked phone (check compatibility here), or pick off a good deal on a major brand among WIRED’s favorite cheap phones. 当然，如果你不想，不必非得从 Tello 购买手机，而且他们网站上的手机价格并没有特别的优势或劣势。你可以使用现有的无锁手机（在此处检查兼容性），或者在 WIRED 推荐的廉价手机中挑选一款大品牌手机。
Most newer, brand-name phones compatible with VoLTE (voice over LTE) work with Tello, but be sure to check whether your model is compatible with the channels Tello uses. Overseas phones, older phones, and phones bought on other budget carriers might not be compatible. 大多数兼容 VoLTE（LTE 语音）的新款品牌手机都能在 Tello 上使用，但请务必检查你的型号是否与 Tello 使用的频段兼容。海外版手机、旧款手机以及在其他廉价运营商处购买的手机可能不兼容。
What Are Data Speeds and Service Like With Tello?
Tello 的数据速度和服务体验如何？
The $60 question is, of course, whether Tello’s download speeds and service can compare to T-Mobile’s. T-Mobile understandably prioritizes data for its own customers on its cell towers. Other carriers that use T-Mobile’s data network, whether Mint Mobile or Tello Mobile, have to stand in line during times of peak congestion. 当然，价值 60 美元的问题是：Tello 的下载速度和服务能否与 T-Mobile 相提并论？可以理解，T-Mobile 在其基站上会优先保障自家客户的数据流量。其他使用 T-Mobile 数据网络的运营商，无论是 Mint Mobile 还是 Tello Mobile，在网络高峰拥堵时都必须排队等待。
I spent a couple of weeks roaming the city with two phones: an older iPhone 13 hooked up to T-Mobile and a 2025 Motorola Razr signed up for Tello. Given the newer phone’s superior modem, I figured this gave Tello every possible chance to perform as well as T-Mobile’s network. 我花了几个星期带着两部手机在城市里漫游：一部连接 T-Mobile 的旧款 iPhone 13，以及一部使用 Tello 的 2025 款摩托罗拉 Razr。考虑到新款手机拥有更出色的调制解调器，我认为这给了 Tello 表现得与 T-Mobile 网络一样好的最佳机会。
Everywhere I went, I ran a speed test on both phones simultaneously: at home, up in the shoddy-reception West Hills, near Portland’s northern swamplands, near the stadium during a sold-out Portland Fire WNBA game. Surprisingly, I didn’t notice my Tello data getting throttled. 无论走到哪里，我都同时在两部手机上运行速度测试：在家里、在信号较差的西山 (West Hills)、在波特兰北部湿地附近，以及在波特兰火花队 (Portland Fire) WNBA 比赛门票售罄时的体育场附近。令人惊讶的是，我并没有感觉到 Tello 的数据流量受到限制。