Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Not sure if I'm qualified to write a review on a "tech" item or not. Up to now, I've used a flip phone and this is the first smart phone I've used. Keep in mind that I'm not a tech saavy senior and my concerns might not coincide with the general public's (younger, more informed people). I like the fact that this phone has some heft. To me, the weight of it attests to its quality and makes me believe it is a solid product. It feels good in the hand during use and, even with a Ringke case, it's not too bulky to be comfortable. The display is clear to me. From what I understand, this phone, as an economy model, has a lower pixel count that competing models. Even so, I think the clarity values are more than sufficient for the average user. If you have no activities you engage in on your phone that require extra high resolution, this phone is a good choice. The 4.3" screen is adequate for easy viewing. Sound quality is excellent. I have never had a problem understanding or being understood by anyone I have talked to. The small speaker actually sounds surprisingly good playing music (from your music library or FM radio) and doesn't even distort at max volume. Design is fine, with rounded corners it fits comfortably in the hand. I particularly like the inverted "dimple" on the back. A finger of one hand fits well there while texting; ensuring a better grip on it and lessening the possibility of slippage. Even though this phone is 3G and supposedly out of date by todays standards, response time has been incredibly fast. I'm more than satisfied. The only complaint that I have is that this phone only has 4GB of built-in storage. Upon receipt, the phone has almost half of that in use so, the amount of apps you can install is limited. For most of us seniors, it is still adequate. Unless you want to install a dozen game apps to your phone, the amount of space will be sufficient. You do have the ability to install an SD card (up to 32GB) for extra storage. Unfortunately, many of the applications cannot be moved there to free up internal storage. You can however, store your music library and photos on the SD card. The camera, while only 5MP, produces fine photos. There is no flash however and, if you're addicted to selfies, you'll be disappointed as there is only a rear facing camera lens. Battery life, I feel, has been exceptional. I'm only charging this thing up every other day. Wifi has been flawless; I have absolutely no issues with this feature. Since I purchased this, I've gotten a portable Bluetooth speaker and this phone paired easily with it for great sound and the ability to use the speaker for conference calls. For the most part, the switch to this smart phone has been intuitive for me, even though I am not technologically minded. There is lots of info on the web for any function you have questions about. If you are a senior like me, and know how to use a desktop computer, you probably have enough expertise to successfully make the switch to this entry level, economical phone. While TracFone is not known for selling high usage plans economically, the triple minute feature makes them more competitive. For approximately $25 a month (if you buy a 90 day plan) you get 450 min of talk time, 450MB of data (this is used to browse the web when you are away from your Wifi router) and 450 texts per month. While this won't be sufficient for a 16 year old Junior in high school it will be more than enough for a senior citizen who doesn't engage in 2 hour talk fests. Leftover time on the plan does carry over if the plan is kept current. If you're an "age challenged" person like myself, don't let the phrase "smart phone" scare you off. If you can operate a computer without having the Grandkids over every other day to unfreeze it, you can utilize and learn from this phone. Thanks for taking the time to read this lengthy review. Update - 4-9-2016: I just purchased my first quarterly refill of "pay as you go" minutes and felt I should correct what was a misstatement in my original review. The plan I mentioned was $79.99 for a 90 day period. I just noted that there are some additional charges above and beyond that price. Most notably, for me, is just the sales tax (here in Texas it is 8.25%). Depending upon the state you reside in, you may pay more or less. While I'm still satisfied with my phone cost, in the interest of correctness, after the monthly breakdown I pay much closer to $30 per month than the stated $25 a month.