Reviews of Straight Talk Phones

[mommy4]

Does anyone have a straight talk phone, which one? I am trying to decide which one to get. I would like to spend under $200. I would like to take pics, check email, maybe put some apps (disney!). This would be my first smart phone, so I don't need a lot.
Thanks!

 

[happygirl]

Does anyone have a straight talk phone, which one? I am trying to decide which one to get. I would like to spend under $200. I would like to take pics, check email, maybe put some apps (disney!). This would be my first smart phone, so I don't need a lot.
Thanks!

We love Straight Talk, we have the Merit one. Love it. Takes great pics.

 

[DawnM]

I spent about $200 and bought a used iphone 4. So far, I have had ST for 3 months and love it with the iphone! I also love the bill!

I am somewhat limited where I live to ATT or Verizon. I don't get Sprint or Tmobile in my area. ST works great.

 

[JB2K]

Does anyone have a straight talk phone, which one? I am trying to decide which one to get. I would like to spend under $200. I would like to take pics, check email, maybe put some apps (disney!). This would be my first smart phone, so I don't need a lot.
Thanks!

If you want to buy one directly from ST, I highly recommend the Samsung Galaxy Prevail - it does everything you need, plus, it's the only Android smartphone ST offers that runs on the Verizon network (if Verizon is a good option where you live).

 

[mommy4]

Thanks everyone! I'm going to probably decide after our vacation.

 

[ICan'tWait]

I have the LG Zip ordered from ST, it also runs on the Verizon network. I haven't had it even a month yet, but so far so good.

 

[FortForever]

If you want to buy one directly from ST, I highly recommend the Samsung Galaxy Prevail - it does everything you need, plus, it's the only Android smartphone ST offers that runs on the Verizon network (if Verizon is a good option where you live).

The Samsung Proclaim and Samsung Showcase are both Straight Talk Androids that use the Verizon network.

The Proclaim was recently reduced in price to around $150 when the Showcase came out. They both use Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Both are great phones, but the showcase is currently around $250. It has a .5" bigger screen and can accommodate a 32 gb SD card as opposed to Proclaim's 16 gb. Otherwise, they are fairly similar. Both take excellent pictures and run the same apps.

We moved to Straight Talk when our Verizon contracts ran out about two years ago. We have been very happy with their service, price, and phones.

 

[JB2K]

The Proclaim was recently reduced in price to around $150 when the Showcase came out. They both use Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Both are great phones, but the showcase is currently around $250. It has a .5" bigger screen and can accommodate a 32 gb SD card as opposed to Proclaim's 16 gb. Otherwise, they are fairly similar. Both take excellent pictures and run the same apps.

While I have heard about the Galaxy S Showcase, as of today, it's not being offered in the St. Louis market (normally on handsets/locations, YMMV).

As OP wanted to go under $200, I thought the Proclaim would fit that bill.

Rest assured, the Proclaim does accept up to 32GB Micro SD cards.

 

[BadgerGirl84]

I wouldn't buy a StraightTalk phone if you want a smartphone.

I went on eBay and bought a used iPhone 3GS and I love it. I bought the pay-as-you-go SIM from Straight Talk and my friends with iPhones through Sprint or AT&T have their jaws drop when I tell them what I'm paying per month for an iPhone.

The one thing you need to be mindful of is buying an unlocked iPhone on a carrier that matches the carrier that StaightTalk has SIM cards for. For example, I bought an unlocked AT&T iPhone and bought the AT&T SIM from StraightTalk.

Prior to my iPhone I had a Sprint Evo and that was pretty good, too.

 

[DawnM]

You do not need an unlocked iphone or any unlocked phone with ST. It works with any ATT based phone. My iphone 4 is not unlocked.

Dawn

I wouldn't buy a StraightTalk phone if you want a smartphone.

I went on eBay and bought a used iPhone 3GS and I love it. I bought the pay-as-you-go SIM from Straight Talk and my friends with iPhones through Sprint or AT&T have their jaws drop when I tell them what I'm paying per month for an iPhone.

The one thing you need to be mindful of is buying an unlocked iPhone on a carrier that matches the carrier that StaightTalk has SIM cards for. For example, I bought an unlocked AT&T iPhone and bought the AT&T SIM from StraightTalk.

Prior to my iPhone I had a Sprint Evo and that was pretty good, too.

 

[horseshowmom]

If you want to buy one directly from ST, I highly recommend the Samsung Galaxy Prevail - it does everything you need, plus, it's the only Android smartphone ST offers that runs on the Verizon network (if Verizon is a good option where you live).

I have the Samsung Galaxy Proclaim. It's a smartphone and does run on the Verizon network. So far, I've been very satisfied with the phone and the service. It was my first smartphone and has been fairly easy to learn to use. Anything that comes up, I just google (faster than looking it up in the book).

My parents recently switched but got phones that ran on the ATT network because the Verizon didn't work at their house (even though Straight Talk said the phone would). We had to swap the phones.

There have been a few glitches here and there (probably more my imagination than anything), and customer service can definitely be hit and miss, but for the price, I'm a happy customer.


ETA: I love the swype text feature and the talk to text feature that my phone has - very, very nice!

 

[livsmom04]

I spent about $200 and bought a used iphone 4. So far, I have had ST for 3 months and love it with the iphone! I also love the bill!

I am somewhat limited where I live to ATT or Verizon. I don't get Sprint or Tmobile in my area. ST works great.

I didn't know you could use an iPhone on the ST plan. I need to figure this out for my hubby because he wants an iPhone but doesn't want the giant bill just as I don't want the giant bill either from Verizon like I'm paying now for my iPhone 4! How do you do this?

 

[JB2K]

There have been a few glitches here and there (probably more my imagination than anything), and customer service can definitely be hit and miss, but for the price, I'm a happy customer.

I remember you from when you were phone-shopping, a few months ago -- glad it's working-out for you...

You touched on a point about the customer service thing -- it is through the whole prepaid experience that tradtional customer service is pretty much nil...

However, the Tracfone family of companies (TF, StraightTalk, and Net10) all have excellent Facebook pages, where you can usually resolve any problem quickly...

 

[BadgerGirl84]

I didn't know you could use an iPhone on the ST plan. I need to figure this out for my hubby because he wants an iPhone but doesn't want the giant bill just as I don't want the giant bill either from Verizon like I'm paying now for my iPhone 4! How do you do this?

Go on eBay and buy an iPhone that is compatible with a network that StraightTalk offers SIM cards for. I got an AT&T phone.

As Dawn mentioned, the phone doesn't have to be unlocked if it's for a network that works with the SIM card you bought from StraightTalk. Get the $45/mo SIM for unlimited talk text and data.

From there, I set mine up based on searches on the web and there were also some YouTube videos. This helps: http://wiki.howardforums.com/index.php/Straight_Talk_iPhone

I don't think the MMS works on the iPhone with Straight Talk, but everything else does (surfing the web, apps, text messaging, etc.)

 

[JB2K]

I didn't know you could use an iPhone on the ST plan. I need to figure this out for my hubby because he wants an iPhone but doesn't want the giant bill just as I don't want the giant bill either from Verizon like I'm paying now for my iPhone 4! How do you do this?

Pretty simple...first, go to www.straighttalksim.com and order the AT&T-compatible MicroSIM card that specifically-fits the iPhone 4.

Then, find a good, used (or new, if you prefer) AT&T iPhone from the secondary market (eBay), if you don't already have one. Verizon and Sprint iPhones will not work with StraightTalk as they use a completely different technology standard.

Once you have the iPhone and MicroSIM card, do not follow ST's setup instructions, as they tend to be rather "muddy", at best concerning this subject -- instead, there are dozens of YouTube videos on this very subject that will have your $45 a month iPhone up and running, in no time...

 

[livsmom04]

Pretty simple...first, go to www.straighttalksim.com and order the AT&T-compatible MicroSIM card that specifically-fits the iPhone 4.

Then, find a good, used (or new, if you prefer) AT&T iPhone from the secondary market (eBay), if you don't already have one. Verizon and Sprint iPhones will not work with StraightTalk as they use a completely different technology standard.

Once you have the iPhone and MicroSIM card, do not follow ST's setup instructions, as they tend to be rather "muddy", at best concerning this subject -- instead, there are dozens of YouTube videos on this very subject that will have your $45 a month iPhone up and running, in no time...

Thank you! I will be looking into this when my contract comes due to end in October 2013.

 

[horseshowmom]

I remember you from when you were phone-shopping, a few months ago -- glad it's working-out for you...

You touched on a point about the customer service thing -- it is through the whole prepaid experience that tradtional customer service is pretty much nil...

However, the Tracfone family of companies (TF, StraightTalk, and Net10) all have excellent Facebook pages, where you can usually resolve any problem quickly...

Thanks, that's good to know! For the price, it's really hard to beat. My daughter and her husband (she had been on our plan, he had been on his parents' plan) switched to a Verizon plan (which is not unlimited), and they would have come out MUCH cheaper if they had gone with ST. They did get two new iPhones, but they could have paid for them pretty quickly with the difference in their bill and mine.

 

[MissBritt]

Piggybacking... if I want to keep my number from ATT, set up with ST first and then drop ATT? How do I set up, on a house phone? On my current ATT? THANKS!

 

[DawnM]

MMS works, but you have to configure it. I have mine working and had to reconfigure it again when I upgraded to ios 6.

If I knew what I was talking about I would post it here, but I have to google it every single time.

Dawn

Go on eBay and buy an iPhone that is compatible with a network that StraightTalk offers SIM cards for. I got an AT&T phone.

As Dawn mentioned, the phone doesn't have to be unlocked if it's for a network that works with the SIM card you bought from StraightTalk. Get the $45/mo SIM for unlimited talk text and data.

From there, I set mine up based on searches on the web and there were also some YouTube videos. This helps: http://wiki.howardforums.com/index.php/Straight_Talk_iPhone

I don't think the MMS works on the iPhone with Straight Talk, but everything else does (surfing the web, apps, text messaging, etc.)

 

[horseshowmom]

Piggybacking... if I want to keep my number from ATT, set up with ST first and then drop ATT? How do I set up, on a house phone? On my current ATT? THANKS!

When you go online to transfer your number, that line will be dropped from ATT once it processes. I had 5 lines on my cell phone account, and they dropped off one by one as the numbers were transferred.

Also, Straight Talk has an interesting option for home phones that is priced even cheaper than the cell phone packages. It comes with GPS so emergency services can reach you.