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March 19, 2013

Tracfone Review - Samsung S425G

A 3G Slider Phone from Tracfone with Triple Minutes

The Samsung S425G has a sliding full QWERTY keyboard making texting and typing fast and easy.
samsung s425g slider prepaid cell phone review
Samsung S425G

This phone is also 3G capable, meaning that surfing the web is faster, as well as better coverage compared to older, 2G mobile phones.

As a GSM phone, the Samsung S425G primarily uses AT&T's 3G network, sometimes falling back on the 2G if coverage is unavailable. Be sure to check that you have good service for GSM in your area before purchasing this phone.

While this cell phone is also available through Net10 and StraightTalk, this review will be based on Tracfone's version of this handheld device

Now, lets look at the full list of features for this impressive mobile phone.

Samsung S425G Features and Specs

This phone comes with a lot of convenient features while maintaining good durability and battery life. The Features include:

  • Triple Minutes for Life
  • Full QWERTY Sliding Keyboard
  • 2 Megapixel Camera and Video Recorder
  • Mobile Web
  • 3G Capable
  • Bluetooth Wireless Technology
  • MP3 Player (MicroSD card not included)
  • Hands Free Speaker
  • Voice Command and Voice/Sound Recorder
  • Alarm Clock
  • 1000 Entry Phonebook
  • Voicemail, Call Waiting and Caller ID
  • Battery Standby time of 12.5 days, Talk Time 6 hours
  • Hearing Aid Compatible

Likes and Dislikes for the Samsung S425G

Beginning with the Likes:

The Samsung S425G comes with some really nice features that make it a very good prepaid mobile phone.

The QWERTY keyboard, MP3 Player and Triple Minutes for Life are just three of the many features that stand out on this phone.

The Sliding full QWERTY makes for fast texting, even faster than those experienced with T9. And when you complete your text, simply slide it closed and the phone becomes nice and compact, covering the keyboard. Texting with a full keyboard is very easy to get used to, and also convenient for anyone with little or no texting experience.

Another big Like about the Samsung S425G is the MP3 Player. It is sleek and improved from older Samsung phones, and allows users to load, and play music on the phone. To load the music, you will need to buy a MicroSD card(up to 32GB) separably, but they are pretty inexpensive. Read our guide on How to Play MP3's On Tracfone cell phones to learn more about that.

As with most newer phones from Tracfone, the Samsung S425G comes with Triple Minutes for Life. This means that for every minute you buy, you get 2 extra for free. This, by itself, is a big reason why many people are upgrading their older phones to this and other newer phones from Tracfone like the LG 840G and Samsung S390G.

Finally, several other features that are worth mentioning include the 2MP camera which is nothing fancy, but very adequate, the 3G capability, and the very long battery life.

Just how long is the battery life? Well lets compare it to the LG 500G which advertises 9 days on standby, 3.5 less than the Samsung S425G, and from our testing the LG 500G easily goes a week with minimal use, and 4-5 days with normal daily texting, calling, and music listening. Based on this, the Samsung S425G could easily go a week or more with one charge and normal use. Very handy to have a phone with long battery life!

Now, let's look at a few Dislikes: 

While this is a very good Tracfone, don't try to compare it with smartphones from other carriers. It is a simple phone for basic uses such as calling, texting, and minor web browsing. The extra features it comes with(mentioned above) are very nice, but can't really compare with modern smartphones. If you are looking for a smartphone, you will have to spend (much) more money, and look somewhere other than Tracfone.

With that said, the only other dislike have to do with how the phone charges your minutes.

When surfing the web on the mobile browser, you are charged based on the number of kilobytes/megabytes downloaded. So as long as you visit webpages that are relatively light graphics-wise, it won't cost very much. But visit a graphics-heavy site, and you might burn through 10 unites of airtime in a minute or two.

Another dislike for the Samsung S425G is the MMS picture messaging. It appears to cost 5 to 10 unites for one MMS message when it used to cost about 1 unit. This may be a bug, and Tracfone may have fixed it, so post feedback on this in the comments if it still exists.

Overall Opinion of the Samsung S425G from Tracfone

samsung s425gThis phone has great call quality, very good durability, extremely long battery life and triple minutes, making it a really good buy for anyone interested in a sliding, full QWERTY phone.

TracfoneReviewer gives the Samsung S425G a high rating because of its overall solid performance and features. And while some might not be interested in buying this phone because, let's face it, a sliding keyboard isn't for everyone, it is a fine option when looking to buy a Tracfone.

The Samsung S425G typically sells for $59.99 in stores/online. Sometimes, the Samsung S425G can be found on Amazon at a reduced price, but this doesn't always last for long.

Interested in more Tracfone cell phone reviews? Visit our Cell Phone Reviews Page and see some of the other great options available. You might also find our recent post covering the Difference between GSM and CDMA Tracfone cell phones interesting.

17 comments:

  1. this phone can be bought at sears for $39.99

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  2. Bought mine new for $39.95 at sears a few months ago. The phone is in a word "awesome" Extremely durable and few frills.

    Dont even try to go online with this phone, it eats minutes like a starving somali with her first Hershey bar.

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    Replies
    1. Good to know it is so durable, it looks like a strong phone. And nice analogy, lol!

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  3. Several questions:
    Will TracPhone let me move my unused minutes from my TracPhone account on a Samsung T105G to a new phone?
    What is size of the screen on the S425G? My T105G seems to be 1.5" diagonally
    Can I control the audio volume on the S425G? I often have trouble hearing the caller with my current phone except in a very quiet place
    Pam

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, if you get the phone from Tracfone, and go to their website, (www.tracfone.com)if you have an account on their site, log on, then, when your account comes up, click on 'activate phone'. It then gives you the option to activate the new phone with your same phone number. When it does that, it moves your remaining minutes and air time from the old phone to the new phone. The screen is about 2"x3". I'm not sure about controlling the audio for listening, but you can control the volume for the ring tones.

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  4. What apps can you buy for this phone?

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  5. I like this phone the best of any Tracfone I've had so far, everything seems to work well and it seems very durable. The slide-out keyboard is easy to use.

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  6. I have had mine for well over a year and have to say I really like it. My favorite Tracfone so far, but receiving photos does use too many units. If there is a fix for that I sure would be interested.

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  7. I've had my phone for less than a year and now have the white screen of death, until now I was very happy with my phone but now it looks like I need a new one.

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  8. Will this phone work on 2G? I have a similar phone on T-Mobile that is 3G capable, but does not make or receive calls and texts on 2G. Unfortunately, where I live, the 3G is not available, only the 2G, and I am unable to use it here. I like the phone, but hate the service and am looking to change. I had Tracfone in the past and am considering going back to it. I believe AT&T is fairly strong in this area. If not, I won't be any worse off.

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    Replies
    1. Tried to activate my S425G on-line. Didn't work, so had to call. After going through the automated, 2 live reps and many codes, I was finally able to get a phone number. However, it was the wrong area code and I still had no service. I mentioned that I got this phone because I have a T-Mobile that does not work here and this one runs on AT&T. At which time the rep said "the sim card in your phone is T-Mobile". They are sending me an AT&T sim card after which I will call them again and see if we can get this phone working.

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    2. Received the AT&T sim card. It was activated with no problem. The sound is good and texting is so easy. The best part is that it works at my house. I am now a happy customer.

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  9. Got my Samsung 404g (identical design, maybe slightly older model) directly from tracfone for $29.99 on sale. Never deducted more than 30 secs. for any messaging, including pics, or web browsing. After logging on the web, it ran min. to min. just like calling. I can't send to an email address, though, and can't transfer pics to my computer. Love the qwerty board, and phone is great for most things. Camera and video are very good, but must be satisfied with viewing pics and video on 2" X 1 1/2" screen. Don't use this at life events like weddings, funerals or once-in-a-lifetime reunions -- you won't be able to see pics without a magnifying glass!

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  10. Cannot get this phone to connect to any bluetooth device - is it just too primitive for current devices?

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  11. regarding the bluetooth? Has anyone had luck with the Ford Sync Bluetooth connecting with this phone?

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  12. I cannot find this at any sears or online. Could someone offer more info for purchasing?

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