Heres the deal. Had been paying 180/mo for ATT iphones for wife and I for a couple years. Switched to this and now our Hawaii vacation is paid for this year! Saving almost $2,000 a year with the switch. I'm ashamed of how stupid we were to have thrown all that money away before realizing it. This is the best deal going !
That's about what we had only it was $140 per month for two media phones, not even smart phones! I switched to Tracfone, my wife to Straight Talk. Our monthly bill is $50 and I buy the $160 card online about every 8-10 months. She has unlimited and I use around 300 minutes a month. We're saving about $900 a year. To good a deal to pass up!
Unfortunately the triple option doesn't work. I bought The ZTE and it came with the triple option using a 200 minute card. Then I bought another 200 minutes on line. The minutes and data was tripled but the text did not. I spent hours on the phone and given a run around. Even the supervisor could not straighten this out.
Tracfone has an online forum you can access from their website. I've found that if you post your problem there, it's a lot easier to get specific help. In my experience, a lot of their customer service reps are not very good at basic English.
Planning to buy for my daughter. For about $60, I get this phone plus 600 mins of calls, text, 600 GB for 3 months. Not a bad deal at all !! Am I missing anything here? I paid 10x more for my iPhone.
Well, first of all this is no iPhone. It's a relatively low end Android phone. It has a 3MP camera intead of 8MP and there can be some minor delay, depending on the app you're using and how much you have loaded on the phone. Mine also had a glitch with the proximity sensor where it would black out and not wake once you began a call. This was so annoying that I almost went to a different phone. I fixed it with a proximity sensor calibration app by ZTE available for free on Google Play, literally takes 3 seconds to run and no permissions required. It also can take some patience working with the Tracfone service department, if you have to. What you pay for with an iPhone is customer service, a place to fix the phone as soon as you can get there-they're quick, access to the app store, a contract for guaranteed service, etc. There's a lot of overhead that goes into making and maintaining the iPhone and they get paid for it. ZTE has nowhere near that service, so they must charge less. The lower specs (go online and compare) will show you where the money difference is. This phone is probably not for a power user of smartphones as it can get expensive if the minutes and texts are gone through very quickly. It works well for me because I don't call with my phone real often or go many places where I don't have access to internet via computer or wifi on my tablet. One correction, you'll have 600 MB of data, not GB. If you don't do video and music using 3G, your data may last awhile. I just put a 1000 minute card on my phone at the end of March which gives me 3000 minutes, 3000 texts and 3 GB of data with a year of service for around $170. That should last 9-10 months based on my past usage, so that's just under $20 per month. Hard to beat that, as long you can minimize your phone usage. If you or your daughter have a higher data usage, you may look at straight talk. They are a variety of Tracfone that is relatively inexpensive and has a larger selection of smartphones.Hope this helps you decide!
Nicholas Guerrero It may be, I haven't used the LG Optimus Dynamic 2. Still using the Valet, it's costing me about $18-20 a month and I've gotten almost 7 days out of a single charge. If something goes screwy with this phone, I'll start exploring my options more. I think the LG has some different options with skins on the text message conversations and maybe some better hardware, but I haven't taken a real close look at it.
beanbag345 I have used the ZTE Valet for a while now and recently gotten the Optimus Dynamic 2, even though both have similar specifications, I feel that the Optimus Dynamic 2 is the better product. There's a sale on HSN for it for 100$ including a year of service. www.hsn.com/products/lg-optimus-android-tracfone-w1200-minutestexts-and-data/7567718
Yes, Android has a few options. You can have no code/password, you can enter a pin, a password or trace a pattern on a grid of dots. I had the LG 840G also, so having the security options on this phone is really nice!
Quick question, you specifically mentioned that there are three "banks", for talk, text, and data; if I have "180 texts" and "180 minutes" that means I can send 180 texts only right? The tracfone I have now deducts 0.3 units (minutes) per text, that's why I'm wondering. Thanks.
Yes, the texting feature has been changed. It used to be 1/3 of a minute per text as you said. Now it's 1 for 1, you keep your talk minutes and have the same number of mb in data, for example 180 min /180 txt/180 mg instead of 180 to share (or 3000/3000/3gb as I prefer the $160 card). I don't text near as much, as a result, but I email my wife's phone number using the gmail app which costs about 0.1 mb per email if that, and she receives it as a text on her phone. So it may work out for you better if you take this route with your main contacts should you decide to go with this phone. Thanks for the question!
I currently have the lg840 g tracfone, but my headphone jack is stuck in there and I tried getting it out with superglue and etc, but tht made it worse.... So now after like a month, I was thinking to buy another lg840g, but I came across your video. So I wanted to ask should I upgrade to this Zte valet ? Can you maybe make a video comparing the lg840 g and the Zte valet ? Also this does work with the "safelink tracfone" service ? Thank you I would appreciate your answer.
I'm sorry, this phone does not work with the Safe link service. Visit the website and shop for phones, that detail is usually listed under the phone details. I don't believe any of the smart phones work with the Safe link program. I am planning to do an update video once my minutes get lower. I still have my LG 840G, if I remember, I'll do a side by side with some comments. Thanks for the comment!!
In the video you mention that you used to have a LG840, I am in the process of making the switch as well, I just have a question: can I just take the chip off the 840 and install it on the Valet? will everything be transfered to the new phone?
You mean the SIMM card? It doesn't work that way but you can port the phone number from the old phone to the new one using Tracfone's website www.tracfone.com/direct/init_activation.jsp?app=TRACFONE&lang=en&coming_from=activation . Once the new phone is set up with your old phone number, you can use Bluetooth to transfer your Contact List from the old phone to the new one.
It can connect to WiFi, so as long as your hotspot is WiFi it should connect. This is quite an outdated model at this point, though. I'm not sure you could get a used one activated on a cellular network anymore...
You can use any app that is configured for Android 4.1.1 and yes, the text messages are grouped by conversation. A relief to me having used an LG 840G prior to this one!
I'm surprised that Tracfone still sells this model for $30.The phone has a major bug: it locks up the screen when you're on a phone call.If you get a voice mail or busy signal then you are at the mercy of the phone. The screen sometimes comes back and shows the buttons and then you better be fast to hit the END before it disappears again... I pulled the battery out to reset the phone many times because of this issue.Don't buy it!
TheOritek This review was uploaded almost 3 years ago. As with all phones, they become obsolete with time. I'm not sure Tracfone still sells this model, there are many better choices from Tracfone here near the end of 2016. I still own this phone, though I have moved on to a better Samsung model for main use. Originally I purchased and used this as it was one of the two first smartphones in Tracfone's lineup. Thanks for the comment, my phone was becoming sluggish, too, after a year or so of use.
Dude this was my first smartphone. I paid $60 at the time and loved it lol. Even then it was a cheap phone but worked fine for the price. It clunked out after 18 months but no complaints. The phone I'm using now cost $700. Yeah things just advance in time.
You say video recorder is not that good. Well, it's probably way better than my 3-4 year old trackfone that is a samsung keyboard phone. This ZTE would probably be good for short clips. I have a decent digital camera, anyhow. Going to buy this phone probably, as my phone cannot use any apps, has terrible internet, and is old...
It's a big improvement over my LG840. The camera quality is about the same as the LG (fair to good daytime pictures, not so good at night. It does have an LED flash but it's really only good for selfies and anything within 6 feet of the camera.) The the video quality is a little better the LG. The thing I like best is having the App Store. The phone also has hardware GPS, though it doesn't mention it in the documentation. I downloaded several GPS apps and they all detected satellites. Plus you have your choice of several Internet browsers, Gmail and it's good at basic games. I didn't have any trouble with Plants vs Zombies or Angry Birds but it's really not fast enough for 3D games. It's a little underpowered. It's no Droid Razor or Samsung Galaxy but it's a nice introductory Android phone.
I'm glad to hear you'll be buying this phone, I hope you enjoy it as much as I have. Something to keep in mind, that Tracfone phones haven't ever really been on par with current phone standards. You'll get, for $.97 when you sign a contract with a main line provider, up to date, high end options, bells, whistles, etc. but your phone bill is the premium for that. Most main carriers have a bare minimum $60 monthly contract, while my usage puts my monthly bill around $20 (bought the $170 card back in March and have used not quite 2/3 so probably in November I'll buy another $170 card) but this phone is no iPhone or Galaxy S-whatever. Compared to the LG 840G, a phone I bought a year and a half ago already 'outdated' at purchase, the video recorder is an improvement, from 2mp to 3mp. Compared to an iPhone or even my Galaxy Tab 2 (used to take this video), it's not great definition, 3mp versus a now standard 5-8mp, plus it's a little choppy. It's a great entry level phone for an Android user, is fairly inexpensive to buy and can save you a ton on phone bills. I've played Mini Motors, a 3D game, and it works alright. Loads slow, but runs as good as my Tab 2 in action. Thanks for the comment and I hope you continue to save!
beanbag345 Well, my phone is nothing compared to this phone. Technology is increasing all the time so everything by default is better/cheaper than it was 10 years ago. I mainly wanted to get this phone because my phone is old and I cannot download apps at all. My phone also has an inferior camera. I want to use instagram, youtube, myfitnesspal.etc.. I don't talk to many people so I am not going to use minutes often. I'll be using wi-fi more than data. Not sure, but I think I got a deal where I also will get triple text/data.
Just to let anyone know, if you are thinking about purchasing this, DON'T. It is very slow, laggy and unresponsive. It has a horrible camera, and drops Wi-Fi all the time. If you want a phone, save your money and buy the LG Ultimate 2. You can get one on Ebay for $149 that comes with a 400 minute card (Triples and becomes 1200), and is a MUCH, MUCH better phone.
Haha, yes I noticed that when I posted the video! I started out with 700 of each from my LG840G and used it a bit before doing the review. The video took a few attempts and I didn't notice until I had the final!
I'm sure the internet speed depends on the reception in your area and whose towers you're connected to. It seems to do okay for me on Wifi, though the range is a bit less than I'd prefer. I consider the internet speed an upgrade from the LG 840G I had been using.
Just picked this up 5 days ago, love it , works great for the price.
Heres the deal. Had been paying 180/mo for ATT iphones for wife and I for a couple years. Switched to this and now our Hawaii vacation is paid for this year! Saving almost $2,000 a year with the switch. I'm ashamed of how stupid we were to have thrown all that money away before realizing it. This is the best deal going !
That's about what we had only it was $140 per month for two media phones, not even smart phones! I switched to Tracfone, my wife to Straight Talk. Our monthly bill is $50 and I buy the $160 card online about every 8-10 months. She has unlimited and I use around 300 minutes a month. We're saving about $900 a year. To good a deal to pass up!
great review, thanks!
Picked it up at Target for $49.99 .
Unfortunately the triple option doesn't work. I bought The ZTE and it came with the triple option using a 200 minute card. Then I bought another 200 minutes on line. The minutes and data was tripled but the text did not. I spent hours on the phone and given a run around. Even the supervisor could not straighten this out.
Tracfone has an online forum you can access from their website. I've found that if you post your problem there, it's a lot easier to get specific help. In my experience, a lot of their customer service reps are not very good at basic English.
hey beanbag345 I just wanted to know how to set-up a voicemail on the ZTE Valet.
Planning to buy for my daughter. For about $60, I get this phone plus 600 mins of calls, text, 600 GB for 3 months. Not a bad deal at all !! Am I missing anything here? I paid 10x more for my iPhone.
Well, first of all this is no iPhone. It's a relatively low end Android phone. It has a 3MP camera intead of 8MP and there can be some minor delay, depending on the app you're using and how much you have loaded on the phone. Mine also had a glitch with the proximity sensor where it would black out and not wake once you began a call. This was so annoying that I almost went to a different phone. I fixed it with a proximity sensor calibration app by ZTE available for free on Google Play, literally takes 3 seconds to run and no permissions required. It also can take some patience working with the Tracfone service department, if you have to. What you pay for with an iPhone is customer service, a place to fix the phone as soon as you can get there-they're quick, access to the app store, a contract for guaranteed service, etc. There's a lot of overhead that goes into making and maintaining the iPhone and they get paid for it. ZTE has nowhere near that service, so they must charge less. The lower specs (go online and compare) will show you where the money difference is. This phone is probably not for a power user of smartphones as it can get expensive if the minutes and texts are gone through very quickly. It works well for me because I don't call with my phone real often or go many places where I don't have access to internet via computer or wifi on my tablet. One correction, you'll have 600 MB of data, not GB. If you don't do video and music using 3G, your data may last awhile. I just put a 1000 minute card on my phone at the end of March which gives me 3000 minutes, 3000 texts and 3 GB of data with a year of service for around $170. That should last 9-10 months based on my past usage, so that's just under $20 per month. Hard to beat that, as long you can minimize your phone usage. If you or your daughter have a higher data usage, you may look at straight talk. They are a variety of Tracfone that is relatively inexpensive and has a larger selection of smartphones.Hope this helps you decide!
beanbag345 Would the LG Optimus Dynamic 2 be better than the Valet?
Nicholas Guerrero It may be, I haven't used the LG Optimus Dynamic 2. Still using the Valet, it's costing me about $18-20 a month and I've gotten almost 7 days out of a single charge. If something goes screwy with this phone, I'll start exploring my options more. I think the LG has some different options with skins on the text message conversations and maybe some better hardware, but I haven't taken a real close look at it.
beanbag345 I have used the ZTE Valet for a while now and recently gotten the Optimus Dynamic 2, even though both have similar specifications, I feel that the Optimus Dynamic 2 is the better product. There's a sale on HSN for it for 100$ including a year of service. www.hsn.com/products/lg-optimus-android-tracfone-w1200-minutestexts-and-data/7567718
can you compare both this phone and the huawei glory, together in a same video?
Is there a pass code lock feature? Im using the lg 840g by tracfone, and u can only lock the phone "now" or when it powers up.
Yes, Android has a few options. You can have no code/password, you can enter a pin, a password or trace a pattern on a grid of dots. I had the LG 840G also, so having the security options on this phone is really nice!
Quick question, you specifically mentioned that there are three "banks", for talk, text, and data; if I have "180 texts" and "180 minutes" that means I can send 180 texts only right? The tracfone I have now deducts 0.3 units (minutes) per text, that's why I'm wondering. Thanks.
Yes, the texting feature has been changed. It used to be 1/3 of a minute per text as you said. Now it's 1 for 1, you keep your talk minutes and have the same number of mb in data, for example 180 min /180 txt/180 mg instead of 180 to share (or 3000/3000/3gb as I prefer the $160 card). I don't text near as much, as a result, but I email my wife's phone number using the gmail app which costs about 0.1 mb per email if that, and she receives it as a text on her phone. So it may work out for you better if you take this route with your main contacts should you decide to go with this phone. Thanks for the question!
I've always had a Tracfone (LG 500g) but never a smart phone. Would you suggest this for a smart phone beginner or the LG Optimus Dynamic II?
I currently have the lg840 g tracfone, but my headphone jack is stuck in there and I tried getting it out with superglue and etc, but tht made it worse....
So now after like a month, I was thinking to buy another lg840g, but I came across your video.
So I wanted to ask should I upgrade to this Zte valet ?
Can you maybe make a video comparing the lg840 g and the Zte valet ?
Also this does work with the "safelink tracfone" service ?
Thank you I would appreciate your answer.
I'm sorry, this phone does not work with the Safe link service. Visit the website and shop for phones, that detail is usually listed under the phone details. I don't believe any of the smart phones work with the Safe link program. I am planning to do an update video once my minutes get lower. I still have my LG 840G, if I remember, I'll do a side by side with some comments. Thanks for the comment!!
Can I pair my ZTĒ WITH MY Auto?
In the video you mention that you used to have a LG840, I am in the process of making the switch as well, I just have a question: can I just take the chip off the 840 and install it on the Valet? will everything be transfered to the new phone?
You mean the SIMM card? It doesn't work that way but you can port the phone number from the old phone to the new one using Tracfone's website
www.tracfone.com/direct/init_activation.jsp?app=TRACFONE&lang=en&coming_from=activation
. Once the new phone is set up with your old phone number, you can use Bluetooth to transfer your Contact List from the old phone to the new one.
got it, thank you!
Can you get things like snapchat and Instagram
Great informative review. Do you know if the facebook & instagram apps work on this phone?
Any app that works on Android 4.1.1 should work on this phone. It's a full Android phone, average performance specs.
How to you update software?
my youtube wont do that where you can watch the video while searching
Exactly what matrix live wallpaper is that? There are lots.
It's "The Matrix - Live Wallpaper" by Simosoft Projects on Google Play. It seemed to be the most like the movie to me.
What is the widget for track is your minutes?
Hi, it's called Tracfone My Account. To find it, search Google Play. It's real handy!
Can it connect to mobile hotspot
It can connect to WiFi, so as long as your hotspot is WiFi it should connect. This is quite an outdated model at this point, though. I'm not sure you could get a used one activated on a cellular network anymore...
Can you use instagram, snapchat, vine, kik, etc? and can you see the whole text conversation rather than seperate messages?
Idk that is my main worries!!!
You can use any app that is configured for Android 4.1.1 and yes, the text messages are grouped by conversation. A relief to me having used an LG 840G prior to this one!
Finally, I have the LG 840G too. Thanks!
Jared S Lmao me too, it's a good relief from having to use the LG 840g too.
u can get the zte merrit buy net 10 for 50 bucks and u get 50 unlimted card
u get evrry thing unlimted ok
I'm surprised that Tracfone still sells this model for $30.The phone has a major bug: it locks up the screen when you're on a phone call.If you get a voice mail or busy signal then you are at the mercy of the phone. The screen sometimes comes back and shows the buttons and then you better be fast to hit the END before it disappears again... I pulled the battery out to reset the phone many times because of this issue.Don't buy it!
TheOritek This review was uploaded almost 3 years ago. As with all phones, they become obsolete with time. I'm not sure Tracfone still sells this model, there are many better choices from Tracfone here near the end of 2016. I still own this phone, though I have moved on to a better Samsung model for main use. Originally I purchased and used this as it was one of the two first smartphones in Tracfone's lineup. Thanks for the comment, my phone was becoming sluggish, too, after a year or so of use.
Dude this was my first smartphone. I paid $60 at the time and loved it lol. Even then it was a cheap phone but worked fine for the price. It clunked out after 18 months but no complaints. The phone I'm using now cost $700. Yeah things just advance in time.
It's a PHONE, sure would like to see the phone screen where I would dial a phone number.
You say video recorder is not that good. Well, it's probably way better than my 3-4 year old trackfone that is a samsung keyboard phone. This ZTE would probably be good for short clips. I have a decent digital camera, anyhow.
Going to buy this phone probably, as my phone cannot use any apps, has terrible internet, and is old...
It's a big improvement over my LG840. The camera quality is about the same as the LG (fair to good daytime pictures, not so good at night. It does have an LED flash but it's really only good for selfies and anything within 6 feet of the camera.) The the video quality is a little better the LG. The thing I like best is having the App Store. The phone also has hardware GPS, though it doesn't mention it in the documentation. I downloaded several GPS apps and they all detected satellites. Plus you have your choice of several Internet browsers, Gmail and it's good at basic games. I didn't have any trouble with Plants vs Zombies or Angry Birds but it's really not fast enough for 3D games.
It's a little underpowered. It's no Droid Razor or Samsung Galaxy but it's a nice introductory Android phone.
I'm glad to hear you'll be buying this phone, I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.
Something to keep in mind, that Tracfone phones haven't ever really been on par with current phone standards. You'll get, for $.97 when you sign a contract with a main line provider, up to date, high end options, bells, whistles, etc. but your phone bill is the premium for that. Most main carriers have a bare minimum $60 monthly contract, while my usage puts my monthly bill around $20 (bought the $170 card back in March and have used not quite 2/3 so probably in November I'll buy another $170 card) but this phone is no iPhone or Galaxy S-whatever.
Compared to the LG 840G, a phone I bought a year and a half ago already 'outdated' at purchase, the video recorder is an improvement, from 2mp to 3mp. Compared to an iPhone or even my Galaxy Tab 2 (used to take this video), it's not great definition, 3mp versus a now standard 5-8mp, plus it's a little choppy.
It's a great entry level phone for an Android user, is fairly inexpensive to buy and can save you a ton on phone bills. I've played Mini Motors, a 3D game, and it works alright. Loads slow, but runs as good as my Tab 2 in action.
Thanks for the comment and I hope you continue to save!
beanbag345 Well, my phone is nothing compared to this phone. Technology is increasing all the time so everything by default is better/cheaper than it was 10 years ago.
I mainly wanted to get this phone because my phone is old and I cannot download apps at all. My phone also has an inferior camera.
I want to use instagram, youtube, myfitnesspal.etc..
I don't talk to many people so I am not going to use minutes often. I'll be using wi-fi more than data. Not sure, but I think I got a deal where I also will get triple text/data.
Just to let anyone know, if you are thinking about purchasing this, DON'T. It is very slow, laggy and unresponsive. It has a horrible camera, and drops Wi-Fi all the time. If you want a phone, save your money and buy the LG Ultimate 2. You can get one on Ebay for $149 that comes with a 400 minute card (Triples and becomes 1200), and is a MUCH, MUCH better phone.
eBay sucks
3:58 - 666 min?... Heh.
Haha, yes I noticed that when I posted the video! I started out with 700 of each from my LG840G and used it a bit before doing the review. The video took a few attempts and I didn't notice until I had the final!
Just to say zte valet internet is terrible my friend has it works slow he hauwei glory and internet was faster and better
I'm sure the internet speed depends on the reception in your area and whose towers you're connected to. It seems to do okay for me on Wifi, though the range is a bit less than I'd prefer. I consider the internet speed an upgrade from the LG 840G I had been using.