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Blogger Andy Freeman said...

Any idea when/if the ZTE Majesty, z796c, might become available? It's CDMA, has a bigger screen, faster processor, and is Android 4.1. However, it's a bit more expensive.

January 14, 2014 at 10:23 AM

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Do you think any of these will compare to the LG L39?

January 25, 2014 at 5:49 PM

Blogger Unknown said...

I got the ZTE Valet in a holiday bundle. Wifi strength is abysmal. Makes it practically useless. I'm 15 feet from the router now, line of sight, and i get 1 bar. Seriously bad. Also, the mic stopped working so i had to send it back for replacement on Jan 8th. Today is Jan 31, and I'm STILL waiting for the replacement. Over 3 weeks later! Called multiple times. Tracfone is fine until you need service, then forget it. English is not their first language. I wish i would have gotten the Huawei Glory.

January 31, 2014 at 11:32 AM

Blogger Unknown said...

UPDATE: Got the new replacement Valet on Feb. 7th. WIFI is still horrible, but at least they extended my service date the 30 days I was out of a phone. BEWARE their service department...super slow! Would NOT buy the Valet, if I had a do over.

February 10, 2014 at 11:49 AM

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm looking for a phone that I could use with a SIM card when traveling in Europe or Asia, as well as with my home TracFone account. Can any of these phones do this?

March 13, 2014 at 7:02 PM

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Any tracfone works oversees apparently. Here is what is says on their website and the url.
Connect
From your TracFone, DIAL 1-800-706-3839.
From Alaska, Hawaii, and the U.S. Virgin Islands please dial 305-938-5673.

Select
Select your language (1-English, 2-Spanish). Listen to dialing instructions.
(Instructions can be interrupted at any time and you can skip to step 3).

Dial
DIAL 011 + country code + city code + telephone number.
(For Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, and Dominican Republic just dial: 1 + city code + telephone number).
Note: Please wait to be connected; DO NOT press any other key on your TracFone or you might be disconnected.

http://www.tracfoneild.com/howtocall.aspx

March 14, 2014 at 3:15 PM

Blogger G and C Todd said...

I am pretty sure the answer is no. You can call overseas from the US, but you cannot call FROM overseas.

June 12, 2014 at 1:40 PM

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Agree completely, the headset went out on mine, so all my calls are speakerphone now. Really cheap piece of junk, and soooooo slow. I'm going to have to buy something different, this was a waste of money.

July 10, 2014 at 2:09 PM

Anonymous Anonymous said...

This sucks! Not the review. I want an Iphone 5s but tracfone doesnt have a plan for it! I mean, I like the pay as you go plan but still...

February 22, 2015 at 9:47 AM

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I got the LG Ultimate 2 a couple weeks ago based on your review and through one of your Ebay links. It is really great! Thanks for recommending it!

March 12, 2015 at 8:14 AM

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Any particular reason the LG Fuel didn't make the list? Way better on modernity and performance than anything from #4-#8 plus beats them on price if you shop right. Generally competitive with #2&3 except for screen size & ram (but wins on price there & easier to root as well.).

April 20, 2015 at 8:43 PM

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I have the Samsung Galaxy Centura. Wifi connectivity is very reliable. Phone audio clarity is good on calls with people 400 miles away...it sounds like a land line. Basic email and texting is adequate. That's where the features stop. Load up any apps, and the thing will slow to a crawl. Most of the loaded apps will crash randomly, probably due to Android 4.0 and the processor. Photos taken indoors are useless. Photos outdoors are decent.. For $30 it is a decent for phone calls, texting and email. I paid $99 at the time, not a good phone for that price. But it was the best, I could get then. I do love the value of tracfone service in general and I'm willing to sacrifice bells and whistles to meet the monthly budget. Now I want the best there is for tracfone. Thanks for the review.

May 5, 2015 at 10:45 AM

Anonymous Anonymous said...

It appears a new LG phone called "Power" is available for TracFone. Will you be reviewing it soon? LG Power 4.5" Android 5.0 Smartphone - 1.2 GHz Quad Core Processor -

http://www.ebay.com/itm/LG-Power-4-5-Android-5-0-Smartphone-w-1200-Minute-Te-xt-Data-Included-Tracfone-/151701302555?customid=16f4e30530cd40858b3a6342d36ff922&pub=5574652453&afepn=5337259887&campid=5337259887&icep_id=117&ipn=icep&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item23521a2d1b&afepn=5337259887&rmvSB=true

June 5, 2015 at 11:22 AM

Anonymous Anonymous said...

LG's website lists a new GSM LTE enabled phone for Tracfone. It is the LG Access LTE (L31L). Here is a link to the product
:
http://www.lg.com/us/cell-phones/lg-L31L-access-lte

When I click their "Where to Buy' button, it states 'Coming soon'. I've tried all the typical online retailers (eBay, Amazon, BestBuy) with no luck. Anyone know where, when this phone might be available? Also any details on how LTE works with Tracfone (cost, speed)?

June 22, 2015 at 11:45 AM

Anonymous Anonymous said...

HSN.com on sale for the day 7/24/2015.

July 24, 2015 at 11:57 AM

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I would really appreciate someone giving a review of the best sounding tracfone. That is, a tracfone where you can hear a person very clearly who is calling. I have owned the LG Optimus Dynamic and the LG Optimus Fuel and they are both horrible. Thank you.

September 8, 2015 at 11:22 AM

Anonymous Bambang said...

Good reviews for best smartphone. Thanks to You.

September 12, 2015 at 5:18 AM

Blogger LONE WOLF said...

I've got the LG L39 & have maxed the memory in nothing flat. Anybody care to suggest a TracFone with bigger memory please? LEO1WOLF@MSN.COM

December 19, 2015 at 12:07 AM

Blogger MamaCapri said...

I have an iphone 4s. Rolled over to BYOP. It would be awesome if it worked. Had busy signal calling in and out. After 8 hours of tech support, I looked at my account at the tracfone website and saw how to check minutes. After checking found out none had rolled over like Cust svc said they had. But before this someone in cust svc had the great idea of cancelling my old phone number that I had for years (fun letting everyone know). Finally got up and running, added the 1000 text, 500 talk, and 400 data, but last week noticed it wasn't working again. Busy signal. Checked balance and EVERYTHING was 0. I counted 25 text messages in and out on my phone. Cust svc said all they saw was 0, so the best they could do was 300 min.....but it still is not working. If they could get it to work, it would be great, but it is sure a bummer when you have over 1000 min/text/data and it is all of a sudden gone and you get no help.

January 12, 2016 at 10:06 PM

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I have a Samsung Centura that has been replaced twice and I still have the same problems--slow opening files, type several letters before one appears, freezes up, returns to home screen randomly, time randomly displays 5 hours previous, name of contact does not appear when ringing. Would not recommend this phone.

January 26, 2016 at 4:56 PM

Blogger Unknown said...

I have owned the Alcatel Onetouch Icon Pop for about a 1 yr now. I can not believe you rated it second. This phone is crappy. Read the reviews on it. Your internal memory is gone with adding a couple apps. You can put and SD card in which I have one. There is no way to save to the SD card .. You can not even back up the phone to the SD card. The camera is okay. All this phone is good for is making calls. Google puts so much of their stuff on it too. Alcatel says that it is tracfone's fault because they mess with the programming of the phone to put their stuff on it.. Meanwhile I spent a nice some on the phone.. If you want a calendar you have to download one. Then Google sinks all your contacts you have in google. Which for me was a lot of one time contacts.. I would not recommend this phone to anyone.

March 2, 2016 at 9:54 PM

Blogger Unknown said...

You can get it on AMAZON right now for around $40 and already on Tracfone. Sounds like it's not such a good buy even at $40. Sorry that you spent all that dough on a crappy phone

August 23, 2016 at 9:02 PM

Anonymous Rounak said...

thanks, thinking of buying one, this review helped

February 9, 2017 at 10:50 PM

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I was given an iPhone 6 (I believe it's a 6s or 6+, not sure) from a relative who was upgrading, so I bought the SIM card kit for $1 at Best Buy, transferred my service over using my tracfone on-line account, and within 15 minutes, my new phone had been activated, ready for use! It was easy, and it's so much better. Stronger signal, clearer reception, and far more functionality. The iPhone was originally designed for the Verizon network, so i didn't need to have it unlocked, just slid in the new SIM card. Yes, all my unused minutes rolled right over too.

May 12, 2017 at 3:33 PM

Blogger RobynFrance said...

Can anyone comment on the LG Fiesta 5.5" 16GB TracFone GPS capability. Does anyone know if it has location service and can be used withgoogle gps on maps. That is the only thing I am unsure of and I'd like to order due to screen size, 16 gb and camera. Thanks for you help.

May 18, 2017 at 11:48 AM

Anonymous Anonymous said...

RobynFrance - Here is a link (couldn't find it online and finally contacted LG for the user manual) to the L64VL (Tracfone Fiesta): http://www.lg.com/us/support-mobile/lg-LGL64VL

May 31, 2017 at 8:24 PM

Blogger RobynFrance said...

Thank you for the link to the user manual--I'll check it out!--the phone is great--only issue I have is trying to get the microphone permanently on the keyboard--I have been forced to go thru a 2 step process to get to mike each time I use in messages and emails--is there a way to make a dedicated mike key on keyboard--have tried all I know to do.

June 1, 2017 at 5:59 AM

Blogger utahman1971 said...

If your rich, then those listed are number 1 through 5. Gimme a break!

July 8, 2017 at 9:14 PM

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hello... Wondering what, in your opinion, gave the Samsung Galaxy J7 Sky Pro the #5-spot on this "List of Top 5 Tracfones" over others like the LG Fiesta or even the LG Fiesta 2. I'm not insinuating I disagree with your assessments in any way. I'm just interested in your conclusions and reasoning, Peter, along with everyone else's "two cents"... Thanks!

December 10, 2017 at 1:28 AM

Anonymous Richard Baratta said...

Why was I charged an additional $1.20 for buying a 60 minute replenishment card? At $19.99 plus tax, it always came out to $21.71. Explain the additional charge???

January 2, 2018 at 2:55 PM

Blogger fgermaine said...

I have a Moto G4 Play on the BYOP thing & I could not be any more happier!

January 24, 2018 at 8:36 PM

Blogger Dave Jenkins said...

I just bought a refurbished Galaxy S7 with a 90 day warranty from Amazon for less than $300.00. I added the $1.00 SIM from Tracfone which they sent via Fed-EX next day and was up and running in just a few minutes. The phone has been running perfectly and I use it for work. If you do a little research, you can find quality refurbished phones for a fraction of the price.

January 24, 2018 at 8:51 PM

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm enjoying my Samsung Galaxy Sky. My 3rd smartphone under Tracfone. Last one with triple minutes and 16gb so I could use more apps when we travel!

January 24, 2018 at 8:58 PM

Blogger Unknown said...

I second what fgermaine said,same set-up for a year now and life is good thankx to the group over at HOFO. I did purchase and unlock the motoE4 on impulse, but why mess with a good thing? The E4 is always there if I need it.

January 24, 2018 at 9:02 PM

Anonymous Anonymous said...

My wife and I have a LG V20 each on the BYOP plan and we love it.

January 25, 2018 at 4:28 AM

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro has been fantastic.
And at less than $100 ypu cant go wrong.
Best Buy has them on sale occasionally for about half off.

January 25, 2018 at 5:20 AM

Anonymous Anonymous said...

The Sky Pro S727VL is quad-core CPU. There is even Sky Pro S737TL too, but not sure on it's CPU too. From what I read, it is an octa-core core.

January 27, 2018 at 1:49 AM

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I had the valet 3 phones ago was good but only for calling not for internet or that no texting just too slow.

February 12, 2018 at 6:42 PM

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Had it 2 phones ago loved the look and how it worked at first. Then it just started doing weird stuff and I sent it back after a month and got a different LG power had that over a year til last year I got a samsung galaxy sky. The LG power wouldn't do pictures in text. Now love my samsung but want a newer one with more memory than 16G if possible but so far none at cheap price.

February 12, 2018 at 6:47 PM

Blogger Mara said...

I know this is an old post, but for anyone who may not know how this works, all the contacts from your Google account get created in your smartphone when you activate it, so it's a good idea to clean up your contacts before activating.
First, to avoid those "one time contacts" change your Google account settings. Then delete any contacts that you don't want and while you are at it, you can add any missing addresses, phone numbers, etc. to the ones you are keeping.
Once your contacts are the way you want them, activate your new smartphone and you will see that good contact list on your phone.

March 27, 2018 at 7:50 AM

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Any idea when the s motoroloa moto g6 (xt 1925dl) on their website will be coming out?

June 30, 2018 at 11:39 AM

Anonymous Anonymous said...

You can purchase an unlocked Motorola G6 Play from Amazon for $190 and take it to Tracfone using BYOP. You also need a Tracfone SIM card for the service that works best in your area.

July 26, 2018 at 7:48 PM

Anonymous Samsung Galaxy S7 is the best mobile phone I have ever used. said...

Samsung Galaxy S7 is the best mobile phone I have ever used.

August 20, 2018 at 10:16 PM

Blogger rjejr said...

Maybe it's time to have 2 lists, "Budget phones" and "Top phones", as that $100 J7 Sky Pro at #6 looks very out of place w/ those top of the line Galaxys and iPhones. Samsung naming everything "Galaxy" with a number rafter it doens't help either. My wife and I have the J3 Luna Pro now which is ok, but I had the Samsung Galaxy Core before it and it was garbage. Getting my son the J7 Sky Pro now for $68 on Amazon w/ the $40 bonus, I've never spent more than $100 on a smartphone.

September 7, 2018 at 9:49 AM

Blogger Unknown said...

Peter, your blogs and information about new phone releases and other tips has been invaluable throughout the years.
I have never had a need (nor the $) to buy an Iphone. That being said it would be nice to hear your thoughts on previously released regular Tracfones by naming the best 10 lower cost androids.

My personal choice would be the Rebel which I have switched back to many times in order to try out other models. I'm not even sure which model of the 4 that I own...It's probably the 1 or 2. I know it does have TMFL which 2 of that model do not have. The Rebel has never failed me in any way. It is light to handle and the 4'5" screen is not too big or too small. Esy to carry in your pocket!!!!

Anyway, thank you so much for all your promo codes for those of us can still use those precious TMFL codes!
Mike/DiscoGenre@gmail.com/Neenah, WI

March 11, 2019 at 9:19 AM

Blogger Unknown said...

Alot of ppl including myself have enjoyed the Lg Ultimate 2. I kept mine as it would make a good back up. But I found when others would send me a pic or othr SMS it would never "come through" on this model. Other than that I had no problems with the phone. I have found that the LG Rebel is slightly a better model at around the same price of the Ultimate 2. The Rebel will let SMS come through n.p. though sometimes there seems to be a slight delay!Same size as the Ultimate and vey light when carrying around! Some Rebels still carry the TMFL!
Mike/NeenahGuy

March 11, 2019 at 9:34 AM

Blogger Unknown said...

If this review was posted in Feb, 2019, what the heck are reviews and comments from 2014/2015/etc doing here? Since they're based on completely different reviews, they don't seem very useful.

It wouldn't bother me however, if I could figure out how to get them to display in REVERSE chronological order (most recent first), rather than straight chronological order, so I could skip over the irrelevant old crap.
Is there any way to do this?

August 30, 2019 at 11:47 PM

Blogger Unknown said...

Hey, I notice that you rate the Samsung Galaxy S7 very highly.
I thought very highly of mine too (BYOP, refurbished) until visiting my sister in Maine.
Her husband has a cheap ZTE Tracfone, and he's getting 4-5 bars on his phone, while I'm getting 0-2 bars on mine. What's up with THAT??? I went out and bought a signal booster before I realized this. The signal booster cost more than his phone!
It seems there's a very important aspect of smartphone performance which you never mention in your reviews...

August 30, 2019 at 11:54 PM

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