What to Expect from Tracfone in 2017 and a Look Back at 2016
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| Future of Tracfone in 2017 |
Tracfone has been busy in 2016 and they have released a lot of new phones, and made some changes. We will start by quickly reviewing the key points from last year.
While this website (TracfoneReviewer) is not affiliated in any way with Tracfone Wireless, we are passionate about discovering and collecting the latest information and sharing it with our readers. And so based on that, we want to share some of our expectations of the future with you now.
Tracfone's Key Highlights from 2016
Here are the highlights of what occurred with Tracfone in 2016 in no particular order. Follow the links to learn more.- Tracfone Releases iPhone 5S (available form Target)
- iPhone 6 and 6 Plus Released on Tracfone's website
- Smartphone Only Airtime Cards were Changed, and Price for Text and Data only cards was Reduced.
- Many new Budget Smartphones were Released by Tracfone such as the Samsung Galaxy Luna, LG Rebel and Samsung Galaxy Core Prime.
- Several smartphones with 16 GB memory for under $200 were released including the Samsung Galaxy Sky, ZTE ZMAX 2 and ZTE Max Duo
- Tracfone BYOP program continued to grow and expand
- Tracfone Stores Open in Five Locations in the US
There were plenty of other interesting developments over the last year, but now we want to transition to what we expect from the coming year.
What to Expect from Tracfone in 2017
Tracfone continues to embrace releasing smartphones to use with their prepaid service, and allowing consumers to bring their own device to the BYOP program.Budget Smartphones from Tracfone
We expect Tracfone to continue to release a wide variety of smartphones in the $100-$200 range. Phones in this price range usually compromise in certain areas, but still offer great value. Tracfone already released a few smartphones with 16 GB internal memory towards the end of 2016, and we expect this trend to continue.With many of Tracfone's budget smartphones, users will likely notice the phone slowing down a little over time, and generally starting to not be able to keep up with the latest apps. This is to be expected since the phones don't usually have the latest internal specs, and the best solution is to upgrade your phone every couple of years. With some of the airtime bundles, you can get a new smartphone for just a few dollars above the cost of the airtime.
High End Apple and Android Smartphones
Tracfone released several high end smartphones in 2016 including the Samsung Galaxy S5, S6 and S7. They also released several Apple iPhones. We expect Tracfone to continue to offer certain high end phones such as the Nexus 6P, iPhone 7 and more. They do come at a high price, and for many, buying an unlocked device to use with the BYOP program is much more economical.Tracfone BYOP Expansion
The 'Bring Your Own Phone' program has grown steadily from its rocky start a few years ago. There are still issues that exist, and plenty of our readers have faced various challenges when trying to activate a device, but overall, the process for activating a phone on the BYOP program has become much faster and smoother. Most unlocked CDMA or GSM phones are compatible, and even certain locked phones have worked. As always, try to check the ESN/IMEI of the phone with Tracfone before you buy, although this isn't always possible.
Better Customer Service
Tracfone is not known for their customer service, and if you have been a customer for very long, you know it can sometimes be very challenging getting problems fixed. However, Tracfone has been slowly making improvements to their customer service, and we expect them to continue to improve.Already we have seen five Tracfone stores show up, where customers can come in and get help in person, and it would be nice to see more of these open up.
If someone from Tracfone happens to read this, then we also want to share a few things we want Tracfone to do in 2017.
What we Want from Tracfone in 2017
We want Tracfone to improve both their customer service and their budget smartphone options.While we expect them to make improvements in both areas, we also want them to make improvements. Customer service is one of the biggest issues consumers have with Tracfone, and we want them to take it seriously and make changes that will make customers happy! One of the problems with their customer service is the outsourced telephone services which make it hard for many to understand.
With more and more inexpensive cell phone plans becoming available, consumers will choose the one that is easiest for them to use.
For budget smartphones, we want Tracfone to release options that feature up to 32 GB memory, 2 GB RAM and a reasonable camera. There are growing unlocked options available, such as the Moto G4 Play, and we hope Tracfone will secure phones along these lines and sell them for under $200.
That concludes our expectations for Tracfone in 2017. We hope you found this insightful about what might be coming in the near future.
Be sure to share your own expectations or what you want Tracfone to do/change in 2017 in the comments below.
Take a look at our List of Tracfone Promo Codes for January 2017 if you are adding airtime to your phone and want to get some extra minutes for free.
If you're new to Tracfone, our Beginners Guide is a great place to start.
Thanks for visiting and Happy New Year!
