Anyone recommend a good basic smartphone with Verizon? One of our phones died and we need to upgrade. Looking for basic phone to call, txt, and check and send e-mail. Do not need an Iphone or anything like that.
We were looking at the Samsung Brightside, but the reviews are awful.
I'm waiting for my very first smart phone to arrive. It's supposed to show up tomorrow. Also Verizon: HTC Rhyme. I seriously can't wait. It has a majority of excellent reviews and only a few bad ones. It's supposed to be for the basics and a great "first smart phone."
I'm with Verizon and I switched to an iphone last year. Before that I always had basic cell phones and I found LG phones always worked best for me. I also had Samsung and Motorola phones and I was not impressed with them.
My daughter has the Brightside and loves it. It is like a smart phone without the internet (and the cost). We pay a $5.99/month insurance since she is 15 and sticks in it her pocket. She is on her second since she damaged the first one by keeping it in her pocket and somehow it got moisture in it. So apart from the fact that touch screen is more sensitive than a "regular" (number keys and small screen) front, it has been great.
I had the Samsung Intensity 1, which is now up to #3. If I were to replace it I would probably get that one, since it is a basic phone but has a great keyboard. The Brightside has a better camera (3.2 megapixels versus 2) but for truly nice pictures I always bring a regular camera (they are up to 16 megapixels for about $120 now, and my very old camera has 7 megapixels)..
My other daughter has the LG Octane which is a GREAT phone, but I do not think they offer it anymore. It has not only a 3.2 megapixel camera, but can take video and panoramic pictures, the MP3 player in it is easy to use (and you transfer MP3 files by plugging the phone into the computer with its cable where it simply becomes another drive you can drag files too), has big keys, easy to use calender and alarms, etc.
If I were you I would go to both the Verizon store and talk to someone, as well as Best Buy. The lady at the Verizon store asked where I worked and with 1 email to my work address we got a huge discount (my husband's company also offered a discount but it was about half of my company's).
Unfortunately they are really pushing the smart phones and you only have a choice of about 4 decent "basic" phones with Verizon.
PS: you can just buy a phone on Amazon and activate it via Verizon. I would buy the LG Octane since it is available new from Amazon but Verizon no longer sells it.
I have the Brightside since the end of June and I hate it. Sometimes when I try to take a picture, it will tell me the memory is full. It isn't. I have less than 20 pictures on my phone and no extra ringtones, etc. I will then have to take the battery out for a few minutes in order to be able to take pictures.
Lately when I delete texts, as soon as I select delete, the phone will shutdown and restart.
Also I have a ringtone set for my sister, a different one set for my dd and then another set for everyone else. Most of the time it will use the correct ringtone but then it will go thru periods where it uses random ringtones even though I have a particular one set for my sister or my dd.
Of course the problems started happening after the 30 day return period. Samsung wants me to send it in but that would leave me without a phone for almost 2 weeks. The Verizon store can only help me if they can recreate the problem right then and there. Of course, the problems are random so they dont happen when I need them to happen.
These problems are things I can live with for now but 2014 won't come fast enough for me to get rid of this phone.
You can really only take half of what people say about the phones to heart. I have one of the free ones with an upgrade and it's fine. Mine is a Samsung Charge it has issues with the battery wearing down, which I'm told can be rectified by getting the better battery, but I tend to try to charge it at work for a bit or in the car and it's fine.
My daughters each got different Motorola branded phones and they have no trouble whatsoever with theirs and the one girl is always on it and never complains about it. She has the Bionic and the other is the Razor. I say go with the free phone that fits your personality best and don't go nuts trying to make the decision.
I really like LG Venus
