I just got one for my husband. When he calls my iPhone it goes straight to voicemail plus he can't send me messages. I was on the phone for three hours with the tracfone people and still doesn't work! Why
May 19, 2016 at 8:21 AM
Anonymous said...
Is there a way to use it as a wifi hotspot
May 30, 2016 at 1:37 PM
370ZZTOP said...
TracFone doesn't allow "tethering" or using any of their phones as a hotspot. Some of their models of phones would technically be capable but not with the TracFone specific version.
Did you purchase phone at local retailer or from safelink directly? Is it a tracphone?
October 7, 2016 at 12:44 PM
Anonymous said...
Samsungon5 is this on Verizon network bought. HSN. Live Ohio. Checked reviews someone said. On t mobile networks is it true
October 9, 2016 at 2:51 PM
annieoqt said...
For the past 2 weeks, I have had a somewhat similar problem as “Unknown” who posted a comment on 05/19/16. Her comment related to calls going directly to voice mail and not being able to receive messages. She spent 3 hours talking with Tracfone. I bought my Samsung Core Prime (Tracfone) in June 2016 with a 2-year replacement/protection plan through HSN. I had to frequently call Tracfone to reset my password because I couldn’t log in with my original password. Tracfone would e-mail me my exact original password over and over. My phone would not save any new password versions. Two weeks ago, however, I booted up the phone and the regular home screen background was there. But there was a mini-virtual keyboard on the bottom half of the screen with the words “Emergency call.” There was a line to type in a password. I was unable to swipe the screen to get to the Google home page. I had never set up a screen lock password so I had no idea what to type in. I tried all kinds of variations but none worked. I searched the net, watched YouTube videos, read blogs, and tried all the recommended methods. I downloaded Screen Lock Bypass software. Nothing worked. I spent hours talking with Tracfone reps and trying their methods. I gave in and agreed to try a factory reset even though there was highly confidential legal data and client contacts stored on the phone. Even the reset didn’t work. Since I have a VOIP phone system, I set up both my home phone number and cell phone number to be the same. Unfortunately, when the phone froze I was unable to receive any incoming calls on either my home phone or the cell. I was completely cut off from the entire world as no one could reach me. Both mailboxes became full quickly so no one was even able to leave messages which I couldn’t retrieve anyway. I contacted Tracfone to get a replacement phone, and they initially agreed to send me one within 2-5 business days. When I called them back to ask why I hadn’t received a new phone, they then said I had to return the locked phone to them first. As an attorney, I could not do so as whomever unlocked or reset the phone would have access to attorney-client privileged data as well as my SSN, private data, etc. There have been several phone calls from me to them on my VOIP (which I can still call out on) line. I have requested many times to speak with their Legal Dept or Tracfone attorney who would understand my unique situation. It was a $125 phone plus about $20 for the protection plan. I will be suing both HSN and Tracfone in the thousands of dollars. I have lost business and damaged my clients’ cases since I was unreachable. I am also a senior citizen and receive disability payments. It’s stressful and frightening to be shut out from the rest of the world for two weeks and counting. I do not recommend buying a defective product and a useless protection plan from Tracfone/HSN. If Tracfone were a good and decent corporation, they would have FedExed-overnighted a replacement phone immediately. Tracfone’s type of unconscionable treatment would have never happened in Japan where I was born and grew up.
November 17, 2016 at 10:03 PM
Jane said...
I got this phone for my husband 2 weeks ago (Feb 24, 2017)and the "My Account" app will NOT show his remaining balance. It does show the service end date but only 2 dashes appear where the mins, txts and data should be! I have waited on hold with Tracfone for hours and spoken to every dept there is and they still cannot resolve this issue and the ticket is still open???? I have done reboots, uninstall the app then reinstall it plus tried to text the word "balance" to 611611 and even tried to access it from my LG phone and the website but still it remains blank! So frustrating, I am now wondering if this is a glitch in this phone and that is why it was so cheap on HSN ($69.95) as a Presidents Day sale!? Does anyone have any advice or can comment that they too have this problem? It is the Samsung Core Prime phone. Thanks!
How do you triple your data when buying a $10 1gig refill card when the card says this card does not triple if you bought the phone on hsn and daid you could ???
How triple a $10 data 1gig card that says this card does not triple even tho i bought the phone for $99 with the understanding that you could on hsn that said that you can but havent been able too. I feel i was miss lead into buying this phone under a false pretense because i live in the country where i have no access to wifi & have no internet or land line & 1gig of data last only 2 days or 3 at the most which is costing me way too much money i added up the cost of cards & i have over $ 250 into it since december
April 6, 2017 at 11:23 AM
Anonymous said...
I would say that was misinformation given by HSN, as the data-only cards definitely don't double or triple.
I have the Samsung Core Prime and really like it except the touch screen is a bit dicey. I have used Tracfone for years and really like them since I dont use my phone a lot and the yearly plan is quite adequate. For me the Prime has all the features I want/need. I will say that the manual/instructions are lacking or counterintuitive--my biggest complaint--glad to see your review.
December 27, 2017 at 11:36 AM
Review of the Samsung Galaxy Core Prime from Tracfone
Below we share the features, specifications and full review for the Samsung Galaxy Core Prime (S820L). TracfoneReviewer strives to provide useful and helpful information to make it easier for consumers to choose what phone is best for them.
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Tracfone Samsung Galaxy Core Prime Review
Tracfone released three new Android powered smartphones through the retailer HSN.com to start 2016 off with some excitement. What's so exciting about these three new phones? Well you can learn about it on our previous post about it.
Here we will be reviewing the Galaxy Core Prime, which is a smartphone that includes a number of great features, and comes at a very budget friendly price.
For those who might not know, Tracfone is a wireless prepaid cell phone company that offers both phones and service. Consumers can also bring their own devices through the Tracfone BYOP program. Follow the link to learn more about how you can bring a wide variety of devices to use with Tracfone.
A few years back Tracfone first started offering Android powered smartphones on their prepaid service, and they have continued to release more and more devices as demand and popularity has grown.
All Android smartphone devices on Tracfone come with Triple Talk, Text and Data, but you can't use promotional codes when adding airtime.
Now let's take a brief look at some of the pro's and can's for the Galaxy Core Prime.
Samsung Galaxy Core Prime Quick Facts:
The Good Points
-4G LTE through Verizon CDMA network
-Reasonable Price - $99
-8 GB Internal Memory
-Average specs for a Tracfone smartphone
The Not So Good:
-Low screen resolution - 480x800
-Average specs for a Tracfone smartphone
If you notice, we put 'average specs for a Tracfone smartphone' as both a good thing and a bad thing. The reason is that this phone is similar to several of the other Android devices from Tracfone, like the LG Sunset, however the specs and features it comes with aren't really that exciting to us, especially after looking at the Samsung Galaxy S5, which was also released for Tracfone with the Core Prime.
Let'ts take a look at the full list of phone specifications and features to get a better idea of what the Core Prime offers.
Samsung Galaxy Core Prime Features and Specifications
Below are the features that come with the Core Prime, followed by the technical specs.
Android 4.4 KitKat
4G LTE through Verizon CDMA towers
5 MP Rear Camera, 2 MP Front
WiFi and Bluetooth capable
GPS
3 Home Screens
Access to over 1 million apps on Google Play
Triple Talk, Text and Data
Caller ID, Voicemail, Voice Dialing
Hearing Aid Compatible
Alarm Clock
Hands free Speaker
MP3 Player
Samsung Galaxy Core Prime Specs:
Size: 5.16" x 2.68" x 0.35"
4.5" Touchscreen (480x800 resolution)
1.2 Ghz Quad Core Processor
1 GB RAM
8 GB Internal Memory (up to 32 GB External Memory with Micro SD Card)
Battery: 2000 mAh with Talk Time 22 hours, Standby 33 Days
As you can see from the phone's specifications, it comes with a number of features that put it right up next some of the better smartphones available from Tracfone at this time.
The best way to summarize the Samsung Galaxy Core Prime is that it is similar to the LG Sunset, except the Sunset uses 4G LTE on GSM network, and the Core Prime uses 4G LTE on CDMA. So If you've been waiting for a 4G LTE device that works with Verizon towers, the Core Prime is your answer.
Now we will share some of the things we like and don't like about this smartphone device from Tracfone.
Samsung Galaxy Core Prime Review
What we Like About the Core Prime
The Galaxy Core Prime comes with a number of great features that help make it a phone that will be desirable for many Tracfone users. We like that it comes with 8 GB of Internal Memory, 4G LTE, and a very decent battery life.
With 8 GB of space on the Core Prime, about 3 GB will be used by the OS and other pre-installed applications. That leaves about 5 GB for you to load apps, music, videos, pictures and anything else you might want. 5 GB of space is a reasonable amount that will allow you to load all of your favorite apps, along with some pictures and music, But if you plan to put a whole library of music, or a number of videos, you will run out of space. Fortunately there is also a MicroSD Card slot so you can load some things, like music and pictures, onto the external card.
The Samsung Galaxy Core Prime is one of three new devices from Tracfone that use Verizon CDMA cell towers, and also have 4G LTE capability. The Core Prime is by far the cheapest of the three options, with the Samsung Galaxy S5 and E5 as the other two options, and currently going for $499 and $349 respectively. 4G is simply faster access to the internet using mobile data, allowing you sto stream videos or music at a faster rate to reduce buffering problems.
We were impressed with the battery talk time and standby which is very good for a smartphone. This phone should be able to last all day on one charge with moderate use, and even longer if you keep data and WiFi turned off.
Lastly, we are also really impressed with the current price for the Samsung Galaxy Core Prime, which is currently listed for $99 on HSN.com and comes with a 1 Year card, which is worth $99 by itself. Thus if you are already planning on purchasing a 1 Year/400 Minute card, you could by this phone package and get the Core Prime for free!
Dislikes for the Samsung Galaxy Core Prime
There are a few things that we want our readers to be aware of if they are considering the Core Prime.
First of all, the resolution for this smartphone isn't that great at 480x800. It gives you a dpi of about 207. This isn't too bad, but if you compare it to an iPhone 5, which is a few years old now, the iPhone has a dpi of 325, leading to clearer images because there are more pixels on the screen. We want to see Tracfone releasing more phones with improved screens for easier viewing. For most people, the screen on the Core Prime will be just fine and you won't notice any issues.
The Galaxy Core Prime comes with Android 4.4 KitKat, which is better than using older versions, however, it is a few years old at this point and you won't be able to update to 5.0. The LG Sunset, which is fairly similar to the Core Prime as we have mentioned, comes with Android 5.0.
Finally, the overall specs for the Core Prime are very good for a device from Tracfone, and especially at the current price, however, this isn't a phone that really 'wows' us but rather delivers very adequately and will be suited for low to moderate users. If you're someone who users their smartphone for lots of games, or other resource-intensive apps, you may want to look into the Samsung Galaxy S5, or the BYOP program.
Overview of the Samsung Galaxy Core Prime and Helpful Resources
Overall, the Samsung Galaxy Core Prime is a good phone that is currently going for a great price. If you are a moderate smartphone user and looking for a 4G LTE capable device on Verizon's network, the Core Prime is a great deal.
You can view the Samsung Galaxy Core Prime on HSN where it comes bundled with minutes, and other accessories. We haven't found the Core Prime for sale anywhere else yet, but will update when we do.
Also take a look at the Interactive Tutorial from Tracfone if you want to learn more about how this device works.
We have lots of resources here on this blog to share information about Tracfone, so take a look around. We suggest you start with our Beginners Guide to Tracfone if you're new or check out our List of the Best Android Apps.
We have also created several resources relating to smartphones, including How to Check your Airtime on Tracfone Smartphones, How to Add Only Texts, How to Add Data Cards, and an Analysis of the Smartphone Only Airtime Cards from Tracfone.
We hope this review has been helpful, and leave a comment below with any thoughts or questions you might have.
Thanks for visiting!
posted by TracfoneReviewer Team at 4:51 PM on Feb 18, 2016
25 Comments
Close this window Jump to comment formcan voice be turned on for gps
February 27, 2016 at 6:21 PM
yes
April 2, 2016 at 10:19 AM
hen.com lists the OS as Android 4.4 KitKat. Does this phone come with different software depending on where you buy it?
May 12, 2016 at 7:54 AM
Oops. I meant to post that question about the Galaxy e5 phone, not this one.
May 12, 2016 at 8:15 AM
I just got one for my husband. When he calls my iPhone it goes straight to voicemail plus he can't send me messages. I was on the phone for three hours with the tracfone people and still doesn't work! Why
May 19, 2016 at 8:21 AM
Is there a way to use it as a wifi hotspot
May 30, 2016 at 1:37 PM
TracFone doesn't allow "tethering" or using any of their phones as a hotspot. Some of their models of phones would technically be capable but not with the TracFone specific version.
June 5, 2016 at 12:25 AM
Does it support Wireless charging with no things like cases. if not is there a way to make it support it?
June 16, 2016 at 9:54 PM
You can buy wireless QI adapters for any phone or tablet using a micro USB port.
One example: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H7FJX7M/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
June 24, 2016 at 7:43 PM
Will this phone work with Safelink?
June 25, 2016 at 2:41 PM
This comment has been removed by the author.
June 29, 2016 at 4:05 PM
Wondering if when I activate !y new phone if my contact list and texts will transfer over? Thanks.
July 4, 2016 at 6:40 PM
All previous Google account information should come back.
July 15, 2016 at 11:47 AM
The back of the packaging has a statement that reads: "Safelink customers cannot upgrade or transfer service to this phone."
July 23, 2016 at 3:23 AM
Since the Tracfone core Prime does not have built in caller rejection, is there a tracfone compatible app that does caller rejection?
July 25, 2016 at 9:43 AM
I would like to know if theres a app you can download to block certain phone numbers and also block certain contacts on messaging.tks
September 18, 2016 at 10:14 AM
You can use a smartphone with Safelink. I am using one right now.
October 2, 2016 at 11:22 AM
Did you purchase phone at local retailer or from safelink directly? Is it a tracphone?
October 7, 2016 at 12:44 PM
Samsungon5 is this on Verizon network bought. HSN. Live Ohio. Checked reviews someone said. On t mobile networks is it true
October 9, 2016 at 2:51 PM
For the past 2 weeks, I have had a somewhat similar problem as “Unknown” who posted a comment on 05/19/16. Her comment related to calls going directly to voice mail and not being able to receive messages. She spent 3 hours talking with Tracfone. I bought my Samsung Core Prime (Tracfone) in June 2016 with a 2-year replacement/protection plan through HSN. I had to frequently call Tracfone to reset my password because I couldn’t log in with my original password. Tracfone would e-mail me my exact original password over and over. My phone would not save any new password versions. Two weeks ago, however, I booted up the phone and the regular home screen background was there. But there was a mini-virtual keyboard on the bottom half of the screen with the words “Emergency call.” There was a line to type in a password. I was unable to swipe the screen to get to the Google home page. I had never set up a screen lock password so I had no idea what to type in. I tried all kinds of variations but none worked. I searched the net, watched YouTube videos, read blogs, and tried all the recommended methods. I downloaded Screen Lock Bypass software. Nothing worked. I spent hours talking with Tracfone reps and trying their methods. I gave in and agreed to try a factory reset even though there was highly confidential legal data and client contacts stored on the phone. Even the reset didn’t work. Since I have a VOIP phone system, I set up both my home phone number and cell phone number to be the same. Unfortunately, when the phone froze I was unable to receive any incoming calls on either my home phone or the cell. I was completely cut off from the entire world as no one could reach me. Both mailboxes became full quickly so no one was even able to leave messages which I couldn’t retrieve anyway. I contacted Tracfone to get a replacement phone, and they initially agreed to send me one within 2-5 business days. When I called them back to ask why I hadn’t received a new phone, they then said I had to return the locked phone to them first. As an attorney, I could not do so as whomever unlocked or reset the phone would have access to attorney-client privileged data as well as my SSN, private data, etc. There have been several phone calls from me to them on my VOIP (which I can still call out on) line. I have requested many times to speak with their Legal Dept or Tracfone attorney who would understand my unique situation. It was a $125 phone plus about $20 for the protection plan. I will be suing both HSN and Tracfone in the thousands of dollars. I have lost business and damaged my clients’ cases since I was unreachable. I am also a senior citizen and receive disability payments. It’s stressful and frightening to be shut out from the rest of the world for two weeks and counting. I do not recommend buying a defective product and a useless protection plan from Tracfone/HSN. If Tracfone were a good and decent corporation, they would have FedExed-overnighted a replacement phone immediately. Tracfone’s type of unconscionable treatment would have never happened in Japan where I was born and grew up.
November 17, 2016 at 10:03 PM
I got this phone for my husband 2 weeks ago (Feb 24, 2017)and the "My Account" app will NOT show his remaining balance. It does show the service end date but only 2 dashes appear where the mins, txts and data should be! I have waited on hold with Tracfone for hours and spoken to every dept there is and they still cannot resolve this issue and the ticket is still open???? I have done reboots, uninstall the app then reinstall it plus tried to text the word "balance" to 611611 and even tried to access it from my LG phone and the website but still it remains blank! So frustrating, I am now wondering if this is a glitch in this phone and that is why it was so cheap on HSN ($69.95) as a Presidents Day sale!? Does anyone have any advice or can comment that they too have this problem? It is the Samsung Core Prime phone. Thanks!
March 8, 2017 at 2:16 PM
How do you triple your data when buying a $10 1gig refill card when the card says this card does not triple if you bought the phone on hsn and daid you could ???
April 6, 2017 at 11:08 AM
How triple a $10 data 1gig card that says this card does not triple even tho i bought the phone for $99 with the understanding that you could on hsn that said that you can but havent been able too. I feel i was miss lead into buying this phone under a false pretense because i live in the country where i have no access to wifi & have no internet or land line & 1gig of data last only 2 days or 3 at the most which is costing me way too much money i added up the cost of cards & i have over $ 250 into it since december
April 6, 2017 at 11:23 AM
I would say that was misinformation given by HSN, as the data-only cards definitely don't double or triple.
May 6, 2017 at 3:14 PM
I have the Samsung Core Prime and really like it except the touch screen is a bit dicey. I have used Tracfone for years and really like them since I dont use my phone a lot and the yearly plan is quite adequate. For me the Prime has all the features I want/need. I will say that the manual/instructions are lacking or counterintuitive--my biggest complaint--glad to see your review.
December 27, 2017 at 11:36 AM