The ZTE Valet- Android Powered Smartphone from Tracfone
This review by TracfoneReviewer covers the ZTE Valet (Z665C) from Tracfone. |
| Tracfone ZTE Valet Android Smartphone |
The ZTE Valet, which we will review here, the Samsung Galaxy Centura, the LG Optimus Dynamic, LG Optimus Dynamic II and the Huawei Glory are the new smartphones offered by Tracfone.
Read our reviews of each of the other phones (by following the links above) to learn more about their features,
Tracfone also recently made it possible to bring your own phone to Tracfone, including smartphones and the iPhone 4/4S. Visit our Tracfone BYOP page for all the details and a list of compatible phones.
Visit our post on Android powered smartphones coming to Tracfone to learn more.
Now let's get to the review of the ZTE Z665C Valet from Tracfone.
Review of the ZTE Valet Android Smartphone
The Z665C is a candy bar style, touchscreen smartphone that runs on Android OS 4.1 and is available to use exclusively with Tracfone prepaid wireless. The Valet is a CDMA phone, and uses Verizon networks, although some Tracfone CDMA phones may use Sprint networks.Let's take a look at the full feature list for the ZTE Valet.
ZTE Valet Features and Specs:
- Android 4.1 Operating System
- 3 MP Camera and Video Recorder
- 3G/WiFi Connectivity
- Triple Minutes for Life
- Alarm Clock
- Bluetooth
- MP3 Player
- GPS Enabled
- Gravity/Proximity Sensor
- Instant Messaging
- Five customizable home screens
- Access to Google Play with over 700,000 Apps
- Multi-calling
- Hearing Aid Compatible
- 4 GB Micro SD card included, up to 32GB capacity
- Mobile Web
- Handsfree speaker, Voicemail, Call Waiting, Caller ID, and Text/Media Messaging
- Also comes with Battery and Charger
Specs and Dimensions for the Valet:
- 1.0 Ghz processor
- 3.5" touchscreen
- Size: 4.6" x 2.5" x 0.5"
- 4.5 ounces
- 11 days standby, 5.5 hours batter talk time
Before we got too far on this, let's look at some of the likes and dislikes for this prepaid Android smartphone.
Likes and Dislikes for the ZTE Valet
ZTE Valet Likes:First off, this phone comes with three great features we see on several of Tracfone's other top phones: Triple Minutes for Life, WiFi, and 3G connectivity.
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| Back of the ZTE Valet - Note camera w/ flash |
WiFi allows you to connect to wireless internet and surf the web for free without using minutes/data. This is a great money saving feature and especially useful if you are often in WiFi areas like you home or work. The ZTE Valet even has a feature that allows you to turn off the phones data, so that you will only connect to the web through the free WiFi whenever available.
3G speeds make this phone fairly quick when not connected to WiFi and, while not as fast as 4G, it is quite adequate for most people.
Two other convenient features for the Valet are the 3 MP camera and included 4GB Micro SD card. The camera on the ZTE Valet is decent, although you would want a better camera if you plan to take a lot of pictures in medium to low light areas. With the included Micro SD card, you can store pictures, apps or music without overloading the phone's internal memory. It is also possibly to purchase up to a 32 GB Micro SD card if you want to expand the memory.
Finally, our biggest like about the ZTE Valet is that it uses Android 4.1 OS. This opens up a world of options and features. You can choose from thousands of apps on Google Play and download them (save money by using WiFi) to the phone. You can use Google maps to get directions, or watch videos on Youtube. The possibilities are impressive and make this phone way more than just a device for calling and texting.
But there are a few dislikes about the ZTE Valet we want to mention in this review.
ZTE Valet Dislikes:
The main dislike we have for the ZTE Valet isn't really a problem with the phone, but rather a dislike about how Tracfone is going to charge for Calling, Texting and Data.
On all of Tracfone's non-Android devices, calling and texting are both deducted from a single minutes pool.
With the new Android Smartphones, calling, texting and data are split into three different pools. So if you add a 60 minute card, it will be automatically tripled, and you will get 180 minutes for calling, 180 texts, and 180mb of data.
The problem is that some people text way more often than call, and with this new break down of minutes, they would run out of texts rather quickly, but still have lots of calling minutes and data left over.
The same would happen for those who mostly use the phone for calling. They would run out of calling time, but have a lot of texts and data left over. The only good news is that all minutes, data and texts for the Valet will carry over to the next month. But this could be an issue for some people.
Another dislike about these new Android phones is that they may not accept promo codes. We haven't tested this extensively, and would appreciate feedback on this.
While there are a few more likes and dislikes we could mention about the ZTE Valet, this covers the major information that would be useful for learning about this phone.
How to Check your Airtime Balance on Tracfone Smartphones
Many are wondering how to find out what your airtime balance is on these new Android smartphones. There is no dedicated display that shows your balance, however, there is a very easy way to check your balance. This information courtesy of an anonymous visitor:To find out the number of minutes/text/data left, you'll need to log on to your Tracfone account and submit a balance request, OR set up a bookmark in your browser (on your computer or phone) to go to "https://www.tracfone.com/direct/CheckBalance?input_phone=1234567890" (replace 1234567890 with your phone number). You'll get a free text message on your phone with your balances. The service end date is not in the text message. It's only shown on the browser screen.
We recommend you signup for an account on the Tracfone website, which will make managing your cell phone and adding minutes much easier. If you have further questions or thoughts on adding/checking minutes, leave a comment below!
Overall Review and Pricing for the ZTE Valet
The Valet is a powerful mobile phone that offers a number of features appreciated by more tech savvy individuals. While it would not be a good choice for someone who just needs a phone to call and text, it is a great choice for those who like a lot of features, and want access to Google apps. It is a true smartphone, and provides good functionality while keeping costs low by using prepaid. This might be a great phone to use with Tracfone's family value plan. | ||
| ZTE Valet on Amazon |
The ZTE Valet retails for $99 in most stores, and online at the Tracfone website. We have also found the ZTE Valet on Amazon at a discount.
Learn more about the CDMA network the Valet uses, in our post, GSM vs CDMA. You might also enjoy getting some free bonus minutes by using a Tracfone Promo Code. Although they don't work on the Android phones.
Be sure to leave a comment with any thoughts, reviews, or questions about this phone, and share this review with others who might find it useful.
We strive to provide useful, informative and accurate reviews for your convenience. But we make no guarantees and you take full responsibility for how you use this information. If we made a mistake, let us know in the comments! Thanks for visiting.
351 comments :
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 351 of 351When at home using my wifi and I just have WiFi turned on I do not get internet connection but if I turn on WiFi + data I get connection but this uses my data. Why? I thought I would not get charged data minutes if I was on my home WiFi????
I've had my Valent for a few weeks and am enjoying it. Yes, The phone has gone blank a few time, I can't unlock it or turn it on, I have to take the battery out to reboot it a few times.[ once with an alarm going off that I couldn't turn off]. I still have a problem acquiring text attachment pictures to add to my photo gallery. I even downloaded a Aviary Photo App, but it doesn't seem to help. I can take a picture and save it but I can't seem to acquire a photo by Texting, E-mail or my Facebook page [even though I somehow acquired all my facebook contacts to my phone list when I downloaded the Facebook App] . Any suggestions?
So...this thing has now just Died 3 times already...in only the first week! Does not speak well for this model! And...I went to the app store to leave a negative review on the Useless Tracfone app and widget, but it is No Longer There! It also had Vanished from my phone!?!
I am not at all happy with this...I won't even call it a phone, because it doesn't even do That well! When texting, it gives No indication that the text was actually Sent...and I can see No way to delete an unwanted voicemail without wasting time and minutes calling the mailbox, listening to the message and Then deleting it!
I keep getting a box pop up saying "unfortunately, google text-to-speech engine has stopped" Anything I can do to fix this?
An update to my original problem that whenever I would make a phone call my screen would either go black or flash on and off, this is all while I am just holding the phone in my hand not to my ear. It turned out to be the clear plastic screen protector that I installed, made by Invisible Shield! Once I removed it the phone acts normal. Strange eh?
I just saw this phone at best buy in my area for $49.99. Target currently has it for $79.99. Had I known I would have bought it at BB.
ZTE VALET at some dollar general stores for $79
In the article above it says "The Valet is a CDMA phone, and uses Verizon networks, although some Tracfone CDMA phones may use Sprint networks." Does this mean that the Valet is guaranteed to be on Verizon?
I just bought a new LG 840G phone a few days ago and had it activated. The only problem is it constantly only shows one bar of network signal strength, which is very strange since my old Tracfone (a flip style phone a bought seven years ago) is showing full bars in the exact same location. I was told that Models that end with a C are either verizon or sprint. If they end with a G they are either at&t or t mobile.
So it sounds like it's basically a crap shoot. If I get a phone that ends with "C" I might end up with Verizon that works great in my rural area or I might end up with Sprint which is crap. My old tracfone flip phone has Verizon service and I was hoping that transferring the # would allow me to keep the reliable network I already have. I use my current phone for my business so I really can't afford to take the chance of ending up with crappy service. If the Androids guarantee Verizon, I will probably go with the Valet.If not, I might have to drop Tracfone altogether and get a actual Verizon pay as you go phone
Yes, currently all of the Android Tracfone's use the Verizon network.
The people icon has disappeared. How do I get it back?
The contact [people] icon has disappeared on my ZTE Valet Z665C tracfone. How do I retreive it back?
Is it possible to upgrade the OS to 4.3+ on the TracFone Androids?
Tried this and it worked fine. Can you tell me how to set the phone on vibrate and also how to delete the old messages and texts?
Got for XMAS from HSN for $79.99 w/600 minutes. No problems at all. Runs every app I've tried. Wi-fi reception has been great, no troubles. Typical use has signal going through exterior insulated wall, through asphalt shingle roof, through insulated sheet rock ceiling. Never a problem with connecting. Did download the Jellybean keyboard for easier typing and TracFone app to get minute counts. E-mail, eBay, Google calendar sync, and Facebook work great. Couldn't be happier with the exception that camera doesn't take close-up shots for barcode scanning.
I had a misbehaving (buggy) Hearts/Spades card game app that did that within a day, since uninstalling I haven't had that problem in 4 weeks. Have 20 apps running now with no trouble. Removing battery worked for me. I would suspect an app.
We got 2 of those HSN deals to replace Samsong 390s's. One we transferred over the internet, our new phone serial number got switched with someone else's and it was a big mess. Think there was a bug on the internet form as the numbers were'nt even close and the rep said there was another name on the other serial number (after 2 hours he was convinced to just plugg in the correct serial number and it worked in 5 minutes). The other ZTE we activated/transferred via the automated phone system and it took 5 minutes without any issues. Use the phone automated system.
Click on contact, hit settings (bottom right button on phone), last option is add to home screen.
Go to list of apps, hold down the People app icon and drag it down to bottom of screen where you want it..
Sounds like a buggy app somewhere running in the background and crashing the phone. For me it was a Hearts and/or Spades game made by the same developer.
Configuration problem. Wi-fi turns green when connected. Try you setup again.
I understand that there are 3 pools--texts, calls, and data. If my texting runs out will it just start deducting from my other pools? Otherwise it seems like a rip off because they charge a minute per text.
I have been trying to fine an app for scanning. .Try several none so far has the ability to snap and copy the bar codes
Has anyone had trouble with tracfone android phones and their local area code not being compatible?
Why cant you use the swipe device???
Is the text message with the balance information really free? It seems to be taking docking me 1 credit from my text "bank"
Yes, your minutes can be transfer to the new phone ZTE Valet On line is the best way to do this however make sure you have Tracfone account. I got to transfer the minutes from LG 800 expires in April however I had to buy airtime to keep those minutes I had 2,500 on the LG. I got 2100 minutes I didn't complain about. I bought airtime 400min the total is 3,280 min 3,294 text 3,299.8 for browsing I receive 1,180 min little more because I use some minutes and text messages. Took less than 2 hrs to take affect. I hope this help you. I like the Valet I am not a heavy user on texting or browsing this is just a second phone to our land line.
One thing that helps with the text issue is there is a much larger capacity of characters per text on this phone than on my older tracfone. In the past I would get a long message that could take up to 10 texts to complete, on this phone it is only charged as one
I visited Radio Shack to see this phone. I told the guy I wish it was just 1 group of minutes like Net 10 instead of breaking them down in 3 different groups. He said I could buy the phone from Tracfone and buy the minutes from Net 10 he also said it would be more of a saving. They are one company. Has any body done this?
I cant get pictures in a text message to download. Is there some setting I need to do? Does data need to be on?
Mine did the same thing. I went into settings, then display, then sleep, and change the sleep time. Can go up to 30 minutes! Hope this helps
There is a program called mp3gain. I use it for all my rips so that all my songs are at the same dB level. Try it.
Yep, Kristen, Talkatone is now available on Google Play.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.talkatone.android
Figure it is going to take a few hours to get the thing up and running and your minutes transferred over. It did for me and my son a week later. *Promo codes DO NOT APPLY to android tracfones* - save yourself hours of aggravation, the tech support live chat people at tracfone did not know this last week and had me hang on while they tried for over 2 hours to apply them.
No
I have a question regarding Verizon 3G. Can anyone tell me if it is generally better than Virgin Mobile's (Sprint) network? I have a 3 year old Virgin Mobile LG Optimus Elite and it seems to be comparable to this phone. The only main difference I can see is the camera is better on the Optimus Elite. Virgin Mobile data is horrible out where I live. It's very painful to even visit a website. Thankfully, I have a good wifi connection. Just curious.
The best option is: find "My Account" in widgets area and the box is right there. Also be careful about apps that require extensive video usage, EX-you tube, navagator etc. It'll kill your MBs
Best Buy has the ZTE Valet on sale through March 8th, $49.95! Picked one up and love it.
You can use the Google search box for one-tap calling. Tap it, then say "OK Google" pause a second, then say "Call Bob". It will give you a few seconds to cancel, then it will place the call.
Yes.
Go to Contacts
Tap a contact
Tap the Menu button (3 lines at bottom right of phone)
Tap "Place on Home screen"
Did that and the App is right there and shows everything, Perfect!
Where can I get a user guide ?????
I got it at Best Buy last week for $50 and added the 1 year service plan. Will have to buy the car charger separately, but available on Amazon. they have inexpensive screen savers and cases as well. So far I love it except that it doesn't seem to like my fingers, so I am using a stylus. I will also get one of those I can attach to the earphone jack so it's always handy
To see your minutes balance on the ZTE, drag down from the top screen on your home page and the balance for minutes, texts and data should be hidden behind the drag down menu.
Thank you for info on changing home page from tracfone to google. Much better !!
when you push the sleep button on the top of phone, unit come on. Slide the window down from the top of your home screen. Balances are hidden behind window. Try it.
I have read this entire column about ZTE blacking out and having sensor trouble and the one thing i see no one mentioned is very simple,if your screen blacks out and dont come back you dont need to wipe the sensor or take out the battery at all.Usually you have the phone set to black out in a couple minutes or you can turn off the screen by touching your on switch briefly,it works the same way when using the phone to call,if it blacks out touch the switch and the screen comes back instantly.Hope this helps,works for me.
Why is it that Google Text to speech often crashes on my ZTE? It is so frustrating. At first I just pressed OK or report and it would clear for a while, now I get it repeatedly. Is there an app to fix this?
We are on AT&T at the house. I cannot get the ZTE Valet to connect to it. We have 2 computers on it now and they have full power. What could I be doing wrong? Also, in order to make a call, we have to drive to a cell tower about 2 miles away. Our Sprint phone always has 5 - 6 bars, and this one has 2 if we're lucky. We are in Kansas City.
I got a blue one that fits my ZTE Valet perfectly from eBay for under $5
raggedysam on eBay
I too love the phone.
Problems from day one. When making calls people said my voice was muffled. After trying 2 replacement reconditioned phones from Tracfone same problem. Last phone screen was loose and made popping sound. Worked out deal with Tracfone and purchased Lg Optimus Dynamic. Nice phone at good price, LG has been around a while and works great. They say it doesn't have enough memory thou. For me it is just what I need. Not a fan of ZTE Vallet.
If I buy a Tracfone 300 MB data card, will that triple to 900 MB for my ZTE Valent?
I am having trouble with the camera on my Z665 tracfone. When I take a pictures and go back later to show them the picture are blank? Also having trouble sending pictures with Bluetooth. And sometimes when I turn the camera on I get a message to insert SD card - but the card is already installed. If I restart the phone it is ok?
Just got the phone. Tried several promo codes. They do not work on these phones! Stink!!!
Same experience - within 10 feet and in line of sight to the router it works. Add in a wall or go further from router and no good. The phone is junk.
Since I bought my new ZTE Valent in January I have really loved it. Until last week that is. I had a small problem with the announcing of new text messages that were not there. the phone would announce a new text message several times during the day and even during the night when I was tring to sleep. The Tracfone TECH SUPPORT only suggestion was to reset my phone back to factory settings. This I did which deleted all my self installed apps, info, contacts and data. I restalled some of the apps only to find the problem has returned [could it be a virus?]. Now after the initial re-installing ot some of the apps, I have found I cannot install any apps from Google App Store. I have the USB cable connecting my phone to the computer [ and the WI-FI turned on] and still nothing, I even tried to connedt with the DATA turned on. I have E-ailed TRACFONE and lets see what they say. Any suggestions?
Again, I have been battling the Incompetent morons at Tracfone...after adding airtime on Saturday, giving me a balance of over 1100 minutes, all balances went to Zero on Monday, when I tried to use my phone!
I have been on the phone with multiple idiots, each one making me repeat myself over and over, each one making promises to restore everything. Then Nothing!
Today..same story...and then some! They wanted to 'give' me' 120 minutes!! Each person denies that they have anyone above them who can help me. Finally, my added minutes showed up today, but Not the over 1100 original minutes! I told them to return what they Stole from me and they refused!
I haven't found that Florida phone number that I thought I saw here, but will keep trying.
This will be my Last Tracfone! They are Thieves and Liars!
^^X^^
Everytime I record a voice recording or take pictures they are disappearing and not there when I try to pull them up as well on my Valet. A few of my apps have also disappeared, my googleplay account say they are there but can not access them on the phone. Any help would be great! Thanks
To the ZTE Valet users, I currently have a basic tracfone for talk and text, so I really only use it for quick calls or text and emergencies, I would really like to be able to get on Facebook and check my email when on the go, but I don't want to pay for a plan. I also have WiFi at home but some people say that WiFi is poor, I really want to come out of the stone age a little and be able to take some of my world with me, any helpful info would be great. Also when using data about how long can you be online/facebook/email with say 180mb of "minutes" I don't plan to use this everyday. But I would like to be able to post "I'm here or there" to facebook. Thank you in advance for the info.
Picked up new ZTE665c in January. Have enjoyed in until last month. I think I got a Virus.. The phone kept telling me I was recceiveing a new text message when there was none. This happened 1-5 times an hour even at night waking me up. Tracfone tech supuport could only recommend reseting the phone to factory settings. This I did which deleted all contacts, downloaded apps, info and data stored. I have just reapplied apps and most contacts. I even installed an anti-virus app this time. Anything else I could have done [ info for next time]?
Does the ZTE have a sensor to allow a compass app to work? I have added 2 compass apps and neither work, they work on my tablet. Is there a way to get the compass to work on the phone?
I bought my first ZTE Valet for TracFone off of Ebay. It too was having problems with the screen going black and not coming back on. I called TracFone and they promptly sent me a box to send the phone into them. They then sent me a new one phone with all my information already set up. They said it was a defective phone. I haven't had any problems since I received my new one about 4 months ago.
Synced to 2013 Escape. No problem, even synced my contacts.
Will this phone (ZTE VALET) work with PAY ANYWHERE? Thats one thing I would be using it for. Thanks
Hello, Do you know if pay anywhere would work with the zte valet? And why did the card reader not work? Thanks
TRACFONE Smartphones and BYOP phones do not roam.
I've had zte z665c for 4 mos. When I go under settings-about phone-system updates it says I have to copy update package to the root directory of microSD card etc. What and where? If I do this will it delete current info? And why are so many system apps downloaded not working?
So everytime I download a new app im left with a blank spot in the lower left corner of my apps menu and some of my apps like the navigation are missing whats going on?
My husband and I bought these phones a few weeks ago. The dollar store had them on sale for $49. I had $5 coupons, so we got a real deal on these! I let my husband activate his first so I could play with mine and learn what it did. We called tracphone, since we had many questions. After over 2 1/2 hours, the phone was activated. They tried several times to transfer the old number, days and minutes without success. Finally, they had to assign him a new phone number. For the inconvenience of being on the phone all afternoon and having to notify others of a new number, they added 100 days to the existing contract, sweet! The 1857 minutes transferred over to 1857 minutes, 1858 texts and 1.85 data. I would advise someone who is transferring from a stupid phone to this one to hold off activating until you become familiar with the phone, what uses data, and what you can do...I was amazed! I am assuming that until I activate, I can receive emails, but cannot send. Even with wifi on, it says "Sending message" followed by "Unable to connect to server". Does anyone know??
My phone isn't holding a charge very long.
IT WORKED!!!!!!!!! And, the app is published from ZTE.
ZTE Valet does not do international texting. What a shocker! I had $19 Nokia and $19 Motorola phones from Tracfone and never a problem with international texting. With ZTE Valet I get a message of insufficient funds while having 2000 minute balance. So disappointed!
For the last 8 years, I had $19 Nokia and $19 Motorola with Tracfone plans - international texting worked beautifully on both. ZTE Valet - does not allow for international texting. What a disappointment!!
My ZTE Valet does not get service in buildings or when a/c's are running. The speaker is also bad on it, and my callers complain about the static when I talk to them. What can I do as my 30 days is up on Amazon? Thanks, E. Buell
mine will sync with a toyota tundra no problem but i can't use the voice command! anyone know what the probem is there?
to solve the issue of seeing your minutes/texts/data to to the googleplay store there is a app called My Account its free and for tracfone
i get excellent reception with my wi-fi at home i have a netgear wireless router thats super fine it connects everything i have no problem its not always the phones fault could be your router
since the android phones all come with triple minutes for life then promo codes does not work with them after all your getting 180 minutes/texts/data for a 60 minute 20,00 card
How do you set up to have a text message reminder tone? My old tracfone would send tone til I opened the text = the ZTE chimes once and then just blinks
This was a great phone for the 3 months it lasted. Then the touch screen became unresponsive. Battery pull wouldn't fix it. ZTE tells me I have to go through Tracfone for warranty service and Tracfone tells me I have to contact ZTE. I guess this phone is just a throwaway. Going to buy the Samsung Centura which I should have done in the first place.
Is there an app that improves the camera on the ZTE Valet? I took some great shots but the resolution is very fuzzy. Other shots were great. Is it the lighting? Is it the lack of auto focus? Tips for improving the camera function would be appreciated.
i have a problem when i call some one the screen will flash on and off while the call is happening. can someone help me.
After a week of conversations with customer service, finally somebody found out that tracfone does not offer international texting. Wrong! With my previous $19 Nokia and $19 Motorola tracfone plans, I texted to Europe all the time. Now that I have this overprice zte valet, I cannot text!
I can't find the earthlike Internet icon on my ZTE Valet (bought mine April 2014).
i don[t know what this means? i have never noticed a roaming charge, but i am not really aware of how my phone is eating minutes. can you explain what this means?
i also agree. i am buying an extender or repeater or one of those types of things that i can plug into the wall socket to get wifi when i travel and when i go into my bedroom; never had a problem with my lg. but i did not figure out it was the phone and not the router until i just read what everyone else just said. thanks for posting ;)
my first one was from HSN, i returned it and bought one from radio shack. it was more expensive and so was the insurance. but it worked exactly the same. it just does not have a good wifi pickup.
everything you asked about works great except the camera and wifi reception.
i have not had a problem with this. i go to settings and make sure i have data on, then go to my email to receive. mostly i use wifi as it is free. sorry i could not help.
question: Does anyone know the easiest way for me to get better WiFi reception? also, is there a way to upgrade the 4.1.1. jelly bean as many apps are not compatible with my phone :=(
thank you if you can help ;)
our phones have very weak wifi connnectivity. you have to be almost next to the router if you want it to hook onto you wifi.
i think it is the wifi problem. you have to stay close to the router.
I just got the zte valet yesterday. The 3G worked for an hour and forty five minutes and now it doesn't. It says my mobile network state is connected but I'm not able to do anything. It hasn't been working for three hours. The three g icon is in my status bar but is dormant.Anyone have any ideas why?
I just purchased the ZTE Valet. It does NOT have a cover on the charging port hole. Does anyone else have this problem?
Bit confused about the 3 pools. When is the phone considered to be out of service if time hasn't expired:
When any of the options are depleted to zero, or just talk minutes.
The phone is out of service when the days run out. If you run out of talk minutes, then you can't make phone calls, if you run out of texts, you can't text, and if you run out of data, you can't surf the web on 3G.
One man's meat is another man's poison. I thought the dedicated button was neat, don't have to deal with impossible to read menu items in sunlight. I did have to learn not to stick my thumb over the lens though.
I've only had the phone for a few days and it's my first smart phone, it really is great value for money. Love the calendar which sync's with my google. You can use outlook also.
Sync works fine...no problem
I've seen many comments about pricing, but I can't believe nobody has mentioned my favorite cell phone eBay seller, shopcelldeals. They sell the ZTE Valet for $49.99 and that includes a 200-minute card that triples to 600 minutes. I'm not in the habit of shilling for sellers, but I've been buying my phones and minutes from shopcelldeals for years and I've always been more than satisfied. And no, I'm not one of their salesmen, just a guy who loves a fair price.
I have looked everywhere and can't find information on editing your phone contacts. I imported my facebook contacts but there are no phone numbers associated with them. I'd like to add phone numbers but it appears that the only way to do that is to add another contact with that person's information. That would give me 2 contacts for every person in there. How can I edit (add phone numbers) to my existing contacts? This also applies to if someone changes their phone number.
Does this phone let you transfer minute from another tracfone,m and can you buy them as you need them
I like this phone so much I'm getting another. I accidentally dropped my original Valet in a toilet with blue water. After a couple days trying to dry it out I gave up. Paid $79 from HSN for the original, looks like I can get another for about 50 bucks.
The only problem I ever had with this phone was during incoming calls the screen goes black and doesn't come back so I can end the call. Needed to wait for the other party to hang up.
I just bought this phone from Target. After my 25 dollar gift card from using shopkicks, I purchased this phone about 15 dollars. Can't beat that deal.
I am not able to use the shopkicks app on this phone but it is not compatible. Really bummed. When my wife shops I go around and scan items for points on shopkicks. Got my gift card that way
Ah yes but you must remember that the text "min" is not really a min off the talk bucket.
Bought zte valet for granddaughter. She deleted a game & then could not talk text or use google.my daughter called , they said someone did factory reset. They had it calling ,texting 10 minutes. Said it had 584 min. 184 text but need to buy data card. Everything quit again 10 min. later. She called again. Now saying no minutes on anything. I bought the 1 year service plan & 400 data, 400 text 400 talk & the phone 2 mths.ago. I will buy small airtime card & if it does not give min. Or 1yr. Service plan back will give up on this phone. & get another.
Same issue here -- exactly the same pattern, never permanently connecting. Turning off security for the router works, but that's obviously not a long-term solution. There is an update for the phone that's for the Heartbleed bug. I'll give that a shot, but I'm not real optimistic.
My "Phone icon" is missing, it no longer displays on my screen, does anyone know who to get it back? I have a Tracfone ZTE Valet phone.
Readers should be aware that the ZTE Valet website (ZTEUSA) has a download to correct the Heartbleed bug deficiency in the Android Jelly Bean 4.1 operating system on the Valet. There are instructions in English and Spanish and a Zip file download. The instructions must be followed exactly, including downloading to file to the desktop of your computer. The systems update on your phone (see instructions for location) will unzip the file and install it. I followed the procedure for 2 Valet phones with no problems.
first of all I don't like the way mins are priced on the smartphones the old phones you got way more mins out of em and one group of mins was used for everything and you got more out of every min card.
now anything you do on a smartphone costs heavy so that special 180 mins is not anything great anything you do on the phone could use data and txt all up and if you don't have data no pic messages they count even that as data and as far as the tracphone app it doesn't work at all so whoever is saying to waste time dling it I don't get it. I used the thing several times and it said 175 talk mins and shows 180mb of data when I know for a fact there is nothing left and txt say 176 yet there are none left I feel the old tracfones work better
Best site I've ever seen!! Not sure if Valet was for me but the wealth of info and advice has made me ready to go from my 7 yr. old flip phone (Tracfone) and join the 21st century. I'm 69 but am the techie in our home and all self-taught--time for some new adventures--all you people ROCK!!!
I'm so sad. I just did see this post. I had this very same issue and was driving me crazy, just today it got me to the edge so I smashed the phone against the floor. I did search for a solution to this problem before, but didn't find anything. Hopefully this post will save somebody else sanity and phone. Thank you for the post!
AnonymousDecember 2, 2013 at 1:09 PM Thank you so much!! This had been driving me crazy!
I have a problem with the phone sending the same text 8 times. This happened several times. They are sending me a new phone as they could NOT fix the problem over the phone. Has anyone else had this problem?
Hey, I got the ZTE Valet a couple months ago, but I noticed my battery is REALLY sensitive. For example, if I press on the back case too hard, my phone turns off or restarts, which is REALLY annoying! Is there a quick fix to this or should I call Tracfone and get a new a battery?
Power switch is very weak after a month or two. Drop it and it weakens more to the point of becoming ineffective. Also the volume max is way too low for my rock and roll eardrums. I still bought a second one hoping the switch would be stronger. Dumb me, and my first smartphones.
Does any one know how good the connectivity is between the Valet and Kia Motors "UVO" product?
Has anyone else had problems with the phone itself? this is, after all, first and foremost, A PHONE! I have had intermittent problems in the 10 months that I have owned it, with people saying that I am coming across muffled, and lately, no hearing me at all. I read thru most of this thread, and only saw one other person with this problem. I this an issue with this phone, or do I just have a lemon? I'm looking to upgrade but stay within the Tracfone family. All other aspects of the phone are suitable for my needs.
This phone has given us a lot of trouble. The earphone stopped working within a year. Now we have to use the speakerphone or headphones to hear our conversations. The phone is extremely slow and sluggish to operate despite using minimal applications and keeping plenty of memory available.
I think this phone is junk. I have had it for 6 months and the phone often locks up with the only way to reset it is by popping out the battery and putting it back in. Very inconvenient when you have to pry off the case first. The battery runs dead very quickly. From a full charge to completely dead with 4 or 5 hours. My husbands phone, about 4 months old is starting to lock up now too. We are going to try BTOP next with iphones.
I have had my ZTE trac phone 3 months When I place a call or receive an incoming call I am unable to hear the other person, but they can hear me. Any suggestions on solving this issue would be greatly appreciated. This is the second ZTE tracphone that I have had do this I returned the first one for a replacement.
All the time mine does this I want it fixed
$49.88 at Shopko endign today.. Hopefully some might still be able to make use of it....(normally $99).
I absolutely HATE that there is NOT a display on the actual phone that shows your prepaid mins balance. Even my prepaid tmobile phone had it - all you had to do was press # a code # again & it brought up all your mins, bal., and end dates, etc...its great - but Tracfone doesn't even have that - how ridiculous. I got this for my son & I do NOT want to add another 8th email address just to get another app JUST to see my balance when Tracfone should of done that to begin with. PLUS - we HATE the way they do the new mins for the android phones. I have told my son I want to return the phone & go to another carrier, but all the other android phones are more expensive than this one - KMART had it on sale for more than half off the price about a month ago. Any other suggestions for minutes balance other than going onto the website w/computer that we don't have access to..and other than another download that requires ANOTHER NEW email address to access? Thanks.
I can receive but not send emails. WiFi is on. I get message "cannot connect to server". All my emails are in outbox. I am not technosavvy. What am I doing or not doing??
I dont like the phone I do business out of the state and the phone will not roam
what is roaming charge???
Not happy, not happy at all! Will not purchase another after having 3 phones stop working since both gifting one AND receiving one on Christmas 2013. The phone I gave to my daughter stopped working within 3 months and required 4 calls for unsuccessful overrides by TRACFONE. Her last conversation lasted more than 1 1/2 hours and resulted in multiple transfers to supervisor's supervisors. Meaning NO HELP AT ALL! She gave up and bought herself a different brand of phone. MY phone lasted until June when I could no longer open the lock screen. My mother purchased a duplicate phone and as of this date, it is becoming harder to unlock the screen with any motion and the buttons rattle when I press them. When (not if) this phone stops working, I WILL NOT BUY ANOTHER!!!!
My phone too often goes "black" when making a call and sometimes when answering a call. For this reason I don't recommend the Valet. I'm waiting until the Moto model is available, it should be more reliable.
i am a long time tracfone customer. i have no problems with tracfone itself. but what i do have problems with is this phone that i hate. i would have never traded(up/?) to an android if i knew this is what i would be dealing with. i dont mind that my service mins are split in thirds then tripled for an ungodly extra amount of talk time left over for me as compared to blowing through the texts without realizing it. thats no biggie .im still a customer . partly due to the fact ive been rolling over my service end date now though six different phones totalling nine years. so sometime in the year 2054 i need to add more service time if i want my phone to work..ha..and thats the end of the good things. the last phone i had was the lg501c. great phone ,no complaints at all except,i ran out of online companies that offererred the kepad for that phone. i went through four keypads on that phone. completly wiped the letters clear. got frustrated waiting for the company that still owes me four keypads for that phone. i have a credit still. and honestly if they ever get that pad back in stock ill go back to the lg501c until i run them out of it again. because this zte valet is a p.o.s. period. too many reasons to name all of them. heres the two main ones. 1st typing a text from one time to the next i never know if the thing is going to be up to speed or lagging dreadfully... i dont have many apps at all so i know i have plenty of memory to support the processor in this. and 2nd the phone will on the average go into a standby state which i cant get it out of in any way other than removing the battery. i can get a call ,hear it ringing,and cant do anything other than remove the custom case ,pop the back and remove then reinsert the battery. then the power button will reboot the phone. why this happens,,i dont have any clue. but at least my letters arent wiping off the keys anymore. what a sorry p.o.s. this phone is. if i could just have a lg501c with the touch screen and the bare essential apps needed to run that id be happy. otherwise id just rather have a bell rotary phone hooked to my hip.....
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cn.zte.ProximeitySensorClib&hl=en
have been with TracFone forever, i can easily afford contract smartphones but decided a long time ago, 12 yrs. , prepaid was the wiser choice. Own and love the ZTE Valet, have nothing negative to say about it. I have always upgraded the minute TracFone comes out with a better choice but this time, i believe i am content with what i have, chose it over the Samsung for the exact same reasons, processor newer Android version, 20 bucks less expensive.
thank you for providing the proximity sensor calibration app, other than that occasional situation, i feel this is a fantastic entry level smartphone for 99 bucks, it was a no brainer between this phone and the samsung, newer version of android, more powerful processor, and it was less expensive. I am definitely staying away from the unimax, have not heard anything positive concerning it.
i had the LG840G, good phone, not a smartphone, i moved on to the Valet, a nice entry level smartphone, very happy, i would like to point out that i WAS able to watch youtube video on the LG840G WHEN i went to my AOL account but it was a very small viewing screen.
Same trouble for us for the life of the phone, which we've had for about six months. Open up the wifi without a password and it works fine. That's not a fix. Other than that, it's not a horrible phone at the price. Plays a few games, can do a little webbing around.
But the WPA2 issue is a huge flaw, to the point that I'd recommend the cheaper SpongeBob Squarepants LG Optimus Fuel over the Valet. Aggravating.
I made my decision to buy this device at the tracfone site because of this review, refurbished, only $10. Thank you for your writing style and everybody for their comments that wifi receiving is weak. If I needed good connection I could have selected a different phone. I want to use it to take my pulse with the camera eye by an app at Google play.
My wife and I each purchased one of these phones, What a mistake.
- Even on max volume the ringer is hard to hear.
- WiFi connection is very poor, if you can even get it to connect.
- Text messages take forever to send.
- It doesn't even keep time correctly. Very often the clock will stop for several minutes before it finally catches up again. One night the clock stopped around 10:10 pm and didn't restart until I rebooted the phone the next morning around 7:00 am.
- Alarms don't always sound on time, Might be on time, might be 5 or 10 minutes late.
- Sometimes the app I want to use just won't open.
- Only a one-way camera.
- The sound quality is poor. Much worse than my old flip phone
So many things wrong with these phones, I'm sure I'm forgetting something.
I might end up back with my old flip phone. I have to wait to do that though because Tracfone takes all your minutes away if you go from the triple minutes phone back to a regular phone.
There were some good things about ZTE Valet for a while. "Were" because for the last few days there is mechanical grinding noise inside, screens keep jumping on in and out ON THEIR OWN, cannot complete a phone call, when typing a message - ZTE starts typing periods, extra characters and extra spaces ON ITS OWN! I called Tracfone many times before for other reasons. Once they told me that they had to reset the phone to factory setting and that contacts would not be lost. Lost all contacts! This time, the rep also proposed factory settings. No! hen, there is nothing else they could do. If exorcism does not work, then ZTE gone.
ZTE Valet is a piece of junk. It was bad from the start. I purchased it online from Tracfone, paid $100. After a year and many calls to support reps, the phone is totally useless. It works on its own - jumps through screens, types on its own, jumps from phone to texting so a call cannot be completed, etc. $100 for this junk is too much. Even $10 would be too much, as I already lost all contacts once when support reset it to factory settings. I will lose the minutes and the contacts again when I get a new phone. Service is soooo bad.
ZTE Valet is a piece of junk. Crashed after one year.
Little hope that this comment will be posted since the last 2 have not been posted. Anyway, this is the worst $100 ever spent. ZTE Valet makes grinding noises, types by itself, goes by itself where it wants to go, phone call cannot be accomplished, in other words total poltergeist. DO NOT BUY IT!
I got this phone about 3 months ago and it's the worst I've ever had. It is slooooow, and the touch screen is tricky-- sometimes app doesn't come up until I touch it several times. On a trip using google maps for navigation the app couldn't keep up. Junk as far as I'm concerned
Good News Everybody!! Tracfone just announced that we can bring our own smartphone to Tracfone. iphone 5, iphone 6, any smartphone, even Verizon. The game just changed!!
Sorry, two and a half years later, but are you saying this phone can be used over wifi, even if you don't have an active service plan?????
Or by data plan, do you mean something else.
Someone just gave me one. I'm considering activating it and porting my number from my Alcatel Pixie.
Uh, 2.5 years later...are you saying with this phone you can connect to wifi and use it to make calls and send texts, even if youre not on a service plan, or minutes card or whatever????
Or by data plan do you mean something else...like after you've used up your data allotment, you can still make calls and text over wifi? Because calls and texts are supposed to be INDEPENDENT of data, just like on dumb phones with NO data capability.
It's June 2016, someone just gave me a new unit of this older model phone, and I'm trying to decide whether or not to activate it and port my number over to it from my Alcatel Pixie. Without both active, it's hard to compare.
But if this phone can be used for text and phone functions without an active service card, I'm in!
In this and all reviews, please include whether you must be connected to wifi to make or send a call! If it is, the phone is useless along a roadside, or any location that does not have access.
None of the phones from Tracfone require you to be connected to WiFi to make calls. They all work as normal cell phones, using wireless cell networks to make calls.
I have a ZTE Valet and I used to be able to open downloads when I got one in a text. Now it just sends me a message that download can't be opened each time I try to open one. Does anyone know what I can do to be able to open downloads again?
I retired mine long ago...but I seem to recall that you have to turn on Data to download pix or attachments in messages. (Just turn it Off once it is done!)
Where is the SIM card on this phone?
Thanks for finally writing about >"ZTE Valet Review - Tracfone Smartphone" <Loved it!
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