Nearly a year ago, Google announced plans to launch a different type of wireless carrier. Project Fi surprised many with its straightforward approach to data usage and billing — and its unique ability to operate on two carriers (T-Mobile & Sprint) at once. I’ve been using Project Fi for a little over 9 months now, and with the recent decision to open Project Fi up to the public, I hope my thoughts can help some people decide if the service is right for them.

First, I should admit to being a Google fanboy. I’ve loved Android since its inception, and I’m tied into all sorts of Google products. In a world dominated by Apple and Samsung, I’ve always preferred the simple, minimal approach that Google has taken in its software and services. Now that I’ve declared my bias, let’s dig into what makes Project Fi different from other carriers.

What is Project Fi?

Nerds like me will identify Project Fi as an MVNO, which stands for Mobile Virtual Network Operator. Basically, this means that Google “rents” towers from Sprint and T-Mobile and offers its own service over their networks. Other MVNOs, like Cricket Wireless and Straight Talk, have seen great success in recent years by being able to provide service at a cheaper rate. However, most of these MVNOs suffer from poor customer support, limited data speeds, and hard data caps.

Project Fi aims to eliminate the headaches of MVNOs while sidestepping the cost of being tied to a larger carrier. You get service on T-Mobile & Sprint (and some neat tricks over Wi-Fi, more on that later), but there aren’t any hard data caps or obnoxiously slow download speeds.

The LG Nexus 5X

Wait, so it uses TWO carriers?

Yup, Project Fi works over both T-Mobile and Sprint networks. When you sign up, you get a special SIM card to put in your device that intelligently switches between the networks based on signal strength. Ideally, you get a big boost in coverage without having to bend to the will of giants like AT&T or Verizon.

As another bonus, you can make calls and send texts over WiFi as well! This has worked pretty darn well in my experience, and is a life saver when you’re stuck deep inside an office building where cell signal is nonexistent, but WiFi is plentiful. As a special trick, Fi is actually capable of handing your calls off between WiFi and cellular connections — or at least it claims to be capable of this.

Calls transition seamlessly between Wi-Fi and cell networks — or they’re supposed to...

In my experience, the handoff between WiFi and cellular when you’re in the middle of a call is anything but seamless. Usually I have a good 10 seconds where I have to wait on the phone to switch networks and reconnect. Occasionally, the call will drop instead of transitioning between networks, but I’ve found this to be happening less frequently as my time with Fi goes on.

Okay, so what’s it cost?

The headline-grabbing part of Project Fi is undoubtedly the cost. Here’s how it breaks down:

$20 for unlimited calls/texts

$10/GB for data

~$5 in fees (location dependent)

That seems like a good deal, even at face value, but consider this: Project Fi pays you back for data you don’t use. If you pay for 2 GB of data in a month, but only use 1.5, you’ll get a $5 credit on your next month’s bill!

Likewise, if you go over your data limit, you pay the same rate for additional data. No penalties, no overage fees. Just keep paying at a rate of $0.01/MB. This “pay for only what you use” philosophy is the heart and soul of Project Fi.

Screenshot of the Fi App, where you can manage your plan and pay your bill.

Project Fi also has crazy low rates for international locations — better than any other wireless carrier I’ve encountered.

In my experience, billing with Project Fi has been completely painless. Set up your account and pick a card or bank account to pay with. If you’ve got Google Wallet set up, there’s hardly any setup involved at all. My bill is deducted from my checking account each month automatically.

My phone bill has turned into a challenge to see how much I can get Google to pay me back each month

It can become almost addicting to try and reduce your phone bill once you switch to this model — thank goodness for WiFi!

So there’s got to be crappy customer support, right?

Nope. Project Fi’s support has been a joy to work with every time I call. I get a real person every. single. time. They’re knowledgeable, funny, and go way beyond any other support representative I’ve ever encountered. The customer support is phenomenal.

This sounds legit! Can I use my iPhone on Fi?

Unfortunately, Project Fi has a pretty limited device selection right now. To use Project Fi fully, you’ll need one of the following devices:

Nexus 6

Nexus 5X

Nexus 6P

All of which are available both online through Amazon, the Google Store, or Project Fi’s own site. Right now, the Nexus 5X is discounted to $199 if you sign up for Fi! Keep in mind, that’s the full cost of the phone — no contracts here.

The Hauwei Nexus 6P

All 3 of these devices are the best that Android has to offer — stock, clean, Android with monthly security updates. The Nexus line also gets support as friendly and helpful as the support for Project Fi. It pays to buy direct from Google.

Also, Project Fi recently added some data-only SIM cards that work with more devices — so if you’re not interested in calling/texting, that may be worth a look. These SIM cards are currently only available as an add-on to a normal plan with calling and texting, but if you’ve got an old device you love too dearly to give up, these may be of interest!

Okay, but you’re biased. Is there anything wrong with Fi?

Well, I won’t say it’s perfect. I don’t get the same coverage I got with Verizon. I get the occasional dropped call. Sometimes my phone will stick on Sprint’s slower networks (in my area) instead of switching to T-Mobile when I want it to. But these problems are few and far between — and getting less frequent.

When Project Fi launched, it was a beta program, so these problems were expected. Now that Fi has opened to the public, however, I believe the majority of the lingering issues with the back-end technology have been solved.

So, should I switch?

Honestly, this depends on many factors, but let’s simplify it for the sake of argument. Let’s say you’re with one of the big carriers, paying over $80/month (like I was) for a phone that you don’t actually own.

Fi stays cost-effective as long as you can get away with using less than 3–4 GB of data per month. Above that usage level, T-Mobile and many MVNOs are able to offer better prices and comparable coverage levels. But, they won’t pay you back for your unused data. (Republic Wireless is an exception here, but their rates are higher).

If you can stick to below 3 GB of data per month, live in an area with coverage, and are going to enjoy the experience of using Android as your daily phone operating system, then I think it’s a no-brainer: Fi is for you.

Wrap it up, dude!

Okay, okay — you’ve humored me by reading this far. For that I thank you. As a college student, Fi has been an absolute joy to use, and the reduced phone bill (I average about $35/month, less than half of what I paid on Big Red), is definitely helpful for my wallet.

Project Fi is the perfect phone service for college students — simple, cheap, and heavily dependent on Wi-Fi.

Overall, I think I can wholeheartedly recommend Project Fi to anyone looking to switch carriers — and it wasn’t always that way. But after 9 months of consistent progress, helpful service reps, and above average service at a fraction of the cost, I’m here to stay.

There are lots of other features involved with Fi that I didn’t cover here —including cross-platform calling/texting, device protection plans, and the aforementioned international rates — so be sure to check out fi.google.com for more info!

One final comment…

Project Fi has been at the heart of a major disruption in the cell phone and wireless carrier industry. When I left Verizon, multiple representatives told me they understood why I was leaving, and flat out admitted they couldn’t compete with Google at the prices they were charging.

Now we live in a world where Verizon is begging customers to come back, while other carriers scramble to offer incentives to keep customers around. The day of the 2-year contract is long gone, and as data plans and phone prices become more clear and granular, I think we’ll see a trend to cheaper service all across the board. If nothing else, most of America will be enjoying the benefits of Fi, whether they’re using the service or not!