Huawei Glory Review - Android Tracfone

Review of the New Android Powered Huawei Glory from Tracfone

This Review by TracfoneReviewer will cover the Features, Specs, Buying information, Overall Opinion and more for the Huawei Glory - an Android Smartphone from Tracfone.

Front and Back of the Huawei Glory
(click to zoom)

The Huawei Glory is a smartphone offered by Tracfone for use on their prepaid wireless network. It runs on Android operating system and delivers modern smartphone features at a budget friendly, no-contract price.

The Huawei Glory is the last phone of several new Android smartphones recently released by Tracfone. The Glory is the last of several that we have reviewed here, and you can read our reviews of the Samsung Galaxy Centura, ZTE Valet and LG Optimus Dynamic to learn more about what each of these phones offers, and which you might want to buy if you are considering these phones. You might also want to check out the LG Optimus Dynamic II, which is currently our recommendation for the best phone from Tracfone.

We hope to deliver a side by side comparison of all four android smartphones in the near future to help guide you to the best phone for your needs.

Now, let's get to the Huawei Glory review

Review of the Huawei Glory - From Tracfone

Just like the other smartphones from Tracfone, the Huawei Glory runs on Android OS and uses CDMA towers, meaning it will run off of the Verizon 3G Network. The Glory is a candy bar style touchscreen phone that has many similarities in size and look to the other smartphones from Tracfone.

While the Huawei Glory is offered by several different cell phone service providers, only the phones marked as 'Tracfone' will work with Tracfone prepaid service. As far as we know, you can't switch between different SIM cards.

Let's get to the full features, specs and dimensions list..

Huawei Glory - Features and Specs
The Glory comes with some great features for a prepaid phone:

Huawei Glory - Using Google Maps

• Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
• 3G Speeds
• WiFi Connectivity
• 3.2 Mega Pixel Camera and Video Recorder
• Bluetooth
• MP3 Player
• GPS
• Gravity and Tilt Sensor
• Access to 700,000 apps
• Hearing Aid Compatible
• Alarm Clock
• Caller ID, Call Waiting, Voicemail
• Text and Picture Messaging
• FM Radio
• Supports up to a 32GB Micro SD card
• Hands Free Speaker

Huawei Glory Dimensions and Technical Specs

• 1 Ghz Processor
• 3.5" Touchscreen
• Size: 4.6" x 2.4" x 0.5'
• Battery: 14 Days Standby, 5 Hours Talk Time
• Weight: 4.5 ounces

A great feature list, with a nice 1 Ghz processor, GPS, and even FM Radio! This phone is a good upgrade from older non-smartphone cell phones offered by Tracfone. But it is important to now that it is an older model when compared with smartphones available from the major service providers.

But before we get into all the details, let's look at just our likes and dislikes for the Huawei Glory.

Huawei Glory Review - Likes and Dislikes

Likes for the Huawei Glory

There is a lot to like about the Glory, including the basic features like Triple Minutes for Life, 3.2 MP Camera, GPS, WiFi and 3G speeds.

Huawei Glory - FM Radio

With Triple Minutes for Life, you will automatically get any minutes you add to the phone tripled. So if you add a 60 minute card, you will get 180 total minutes.

The 3.2 MP Camera is decent, and better than almost all other Tracfone devices. It will work for situations when you just want to capture the moment. But for those sunset scenes, you should have a real camera.

WiFi is a great feature that most new Tracfone mobile phones are coming with these days. It allows you to connect to wireless networks (the internet) and browse the web without using your data/minutes. The WiFi on the Glory has been reported as being very good, much better than that of the ZTE Valet which has received some negative reviews for that.

The GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) feature makes it possible to use apps like Google Maps to get driving directions and figure out where you are if you get lost. Speaking of apps....

One of the biggest features (and the main reason most people will want these new Tracfone Smartphones) is Android 4.0, and access to over 700,000 apps on Google Play. While Android 4.0 is not the newest (The latest is 4.4 at this time) it is a relatively new version, better than the version 2.3 that the LG Optimus Dynamic comes with.

Last (but not least) the Huawei Glory comes with an FM Radio for listening to your favorite stations. None of the other smartphones from Tracfone offer this feature, and it is a nice benefit if you enjoy the radio.

Dislikes for the Huawei Glory
There are a few things that we want to mention that we didn't like.

The Huawei Glory doesn't come with a Micro SD card. While this isn't really a problem, the ZTE Valet and LG Optimus Dynamic both come with a 4 GB Micro SD Card (and they are all the same price).

The way prepaid minutes work on the new Android Smartphones is different, with minute cards now being split up into three pools or buckets - Data/Calling/Texting. This means that if you buy a 60 minute prepaid card, you will get it tripled to 180 calling minutes/ 180 mb data/ 180 texts.

While this new setup does benefit most people, and is a pretty good deal, for those who just text a lot, you will run out of texts much faster.

Two other dislikes we have for the Huawei is that Promo Codes won't work on any of the Android phones, and we are getting conflicting reports about where or not you can use the Family Value Plan, which is a great deal for all the families out there. We hope that Tracfone might change both of these policies, and we will try to keep you posted on this.

That about covers our likes and dislikes, now here is a quick tip for checking the airtime display on the Glory.

Update - A number of customers have brought up a wide variety of problems with the Glory, ranging from unreliability to possible defects and certain phones. If you get a phone with problems, we recommend trying to return it to where you got it, or contact Tracfone about it and they may send a new phone.

How to Check You Airtime Display on the Huawei Glory

On the Glory, as well as the other Tracfone Smartphones, you may not find the airtime balance you are accustomed to seeing on your home screen. Here is how to check your airtime balance if you don't have it on the home screen:

Download the Official Tracfone App from Google Play to check your airtime balance and even add airtime to the phone.

You can also log on to your Tracfone account and submit a balance request, OR simply 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.

Overall Review for the Huawei Glory from Tracfone

This phone is a fantastic upgrade from older Tracfone devices. The app market opens up a world of opportunities and features that will keep you busy for days if you let it.

We found this phone to be one of the better options between the four new Android Smartphones, and we like that it has a 1 Ghz processor with Android 4.0. The battery life also seems to be very good, easily lasting through a day with moderate use.

This phone compares most similarly with the ZTE Valet, with each using Android 4.0 or better, and each containing a 1 Ghz processor. The Valet does come with a Micro SD card, and they both are the same price ($99), although the ZTE Valet has been on sale on Amazon for around $75.

It really comes down to a matter of personal preference, and which features are important to you. If you like the FM Radio, go with the Glory, if you want the newer Android version, the Valet is your choice.

The Huawei Glory can be found at the Tracfone website, and many other online retailers. It can also be found in stores like Wal-Mart.

You can also find a wide variety of Covers and Cases for the Huawei Glory on Amazon.

Overall, the Huawei Glory is not the newest smartphone, but it is a good smartphone, especially for use with Tracfone Prepaid service. It is one of the best choices between the other four smartphones offered by Tracfone. You can view our reviews for the other smartphones, as well as other phones offered by Tracfone, on our Cell Phone Reviews page.

For additional resources on the Huawei Glory, view this Tutorial that will help you learn more about how to use this phone.

You might enjoy reading our recent post, GSM vs. CDMA to learn more about which network is best for you.

Leave your questions, thoughts and reviews below in the comments! Also be sure to share this with others who might find it useful.

LG Optimus Dynamic Review - Tracfone Smartphone

The LG L38C Android Powered Smartphone from Tracfone

This review by TracfoneReviewer covers the LG Optimus Dynamic (LG L38C) offered by Tracfone.

LG Optimus Dynamic Review

The LG Optimus Dynamic is one of four new Android powered smartphones that Tracfone has made available to consumers.

The ZTE Valet and Samsung Galaxy Centura (click the links for our reviews of each phone) are two of the other three smartphones, and are both widely available. The fourth Tracfone smartphone is the Huawei Glory, which we have just reviewed, so check it out!

These four phones are the first smartphones (using Android OS) Tracfone has made available for use with their prepaid service.

Tracfone has also just recently released the LG Optimus Dynamic II, an Android smartphone with many improvements over the original Dynamic reviewed here, but also more expensive.

Tracfone Wireless is a prepaid cell phone company that offers relatively inexpensive phones and prepaid minutes/service days at low prices. Learn more about Tracfone by reading our Overview of Tracfone.

Now, let's get to the details of this  LG Optimus Dynamic review:

Review of the  LG Optimus Dynamic from Tracfone

The  LG Optimus Dynamic is a touchscreen, candy bar style phone with Android Operating System 2.3. The LG Optimus Dynamic is a phone offered by several different cell phone service providers (like Net10), but a Net10 LG Optimus Dynamic will not work with Tracfone service.

This phone uses the CDMA network (you can tell by the 'C' at the end of LG L38C), which is the case with all of Tracfone's current Android phones. Using the CDMA network means that this phone will most likely use Verizon towers. Learn more about the difference between GSM and CDMA cell phone networks.

Let's take a look at the full feature and specifications list for the LG Optimus Dynamic:

LG Optimus Dynamic Features and Specs:

• WiFi Connectivity
• 3G Network Speeds
• Triple Minutes for Life
• Android 2.3 'Gingerbread'
• 3 MP Camera and Video Recorder
• 4 GB Micro SD card included
• Supports up to 32 GB Micro SD Card
• MP3 Player
• Bluetooth Wireless Technology
• Access to over 700,000 Apps on Google Play
• GPS Enabled
• Gravity/Shake/Tilt sensor
• Hearing Aid Compatible
• Alarm Clock
• Text/Picture Messaging
• Email and Mobile Web
• Hands Free Speaker
• Voicemail, Caller ID, Call Waiting

Specifications and Dimensions for the LG Optimus Dynamic:

• 800 Mhz Processor
• Size: 4" x 2.4" x 0.5"
• 3.2" Touchscreen
• Battery Standby: 6 Days
• Batter Talk time: 6 Hours

A powerful list of features, especially compared to Tracfone's older, non-Android phones. While the LG Optimus Dynamic comes with Android 2.3, which is not the most recent version of Android, it will still provide plenty of bang for your buck. If you want a phone with a newer version of Android, like 4.0, check out the other smartphones Tracfone offers, as they all use Android 4.0 or higher.

But before we get too far into analyzing the features, and comparing this phone with the others, let's just see the likes and dislikes we have about the LG Optimus Dynamic.

Likes and Dislikes for the LG Optimus Dynamic

LG Optimus Dynamic Likes:

Let's begin by saying there is a lot to like about this phone. Comparing it to older Tracfone mobile devices, this phone is light years ahead because of one great feature - Android Operating System.

LG Optimus Dynamic
(click image to zoom)

The Android Operating System allows the user to access Apps (applications) that are available through Google Play. There are over 700,000 different apps, which means lots and lots of features at your fingertips.

Some of the top apps include the Chrome web browser, YouTube, Instagram, Google Calendar, FIFA 14 and plenty more. To get many of these apps, you simply download them to your phone.

Some of our other big likes about the LG Optimus Dynamic are the WiFi, Triple Minutes for Life, and 3MP Camera.

WiFi on the Optimus allows you to surf the web for free when connected to a wireless network, like at home, work or at a coffee shop. You won't use any minutes when you are surfing the web using WiFi.

Triple Minutes for Life is the best deal Tracfone offers at the moment, and it basically triples any minutes you add to the phone. So if you buy at 60 minute refill card, you will get 180 total minutes.

The 3 MP camera is decent enough, and can take good photos in well lighted situations. Don't expect too much from it, as many newer smartphones have much better cameras.

Finally, we really like that the LG Optimus Dynamic comes with a 4 GB Micro SD Card. It is convenient to be able to lead music onto it for the MP3 player, or store pictures and other information from the phone on it. While the ZTE Valet also comes with a 4 GB Micro SD card, the Samsung Galaxy Centura does not.

There are several more nice features on this phone, but we want to take a look at some of the dislikes to give a balanced perspective.

LG Optimus Dynamic Dislikes:
It's true, there are a few things we don't really like about this phone, but none of them are enough to keep us from buying this phone. Let's run through them so you have an idea, and can make your own decision.

First off, while the Android 2.3 OS is great, it is not the newest, and all the other smartphones from Tracfone offer newer versions of the OS. So this is important to be aware of.

A dislike that is more of a disappointment is that these new Android Smartphones won't accept promo codes. In other words, you can't get any bonus minutes when adding a new card.

Which brings us to another slight dislike, the prepaid minutes for this phone (and the other Android smartphones) are broken up into three pools or buckets - calling minutes/texting/data.

When you add a 60 minute card, for example, you will now get 180 minutes for calling, 180 texts, and 180 MB of data to use (because the phone has Triple Minutes for Life). While this is a good deal for people who use all three of these functions, people who just text will not get as great a deal.

Finally, this phone is not exactly a new smartphone, it has been around for a few years. So if you are looking for the latest and greatest smartphone, this is not a phone for you. However, it is a tried and tested phone that is used by several different cell phone service providers, so it has been thoroughly tested (as is the case for most Tracfone mobile devices).

To conclude, there are things about this phone that we really like, and there are a few things we didn't like, but all in all it is a good phone for most users, especially those who would like their phone to have additional features beyond the basics.

How to Check your Airtime Balance: 

On the LG Optimus Dynamic (and all of Tracfone's new smartphones) there is no airtime display like we are accustomed to. You must now check your airtime through other methods. The easiest is as follows:

Download Tracfone's official app on Google Play which will allow you to sign in, and check your airtime balance from there.

Another options is to log on to your Tracfone account and submit a balance request, OR simply 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.

Overall Review and Pricing for the LG Optimus Dynamic

The LG Optimus Dynamic is a good phone, and offers a huge upgrade for most longtime Tracfone users. LG is a great brand with a history of good phones.

LG Optimus Dynamic

It is a phone best suited to people who want more out of their cell phone than just calling and texting. The app market on Google Play brings a huge selection of features to the table that older Tracfone devices don't have. If you are looking for a more simple phone, visit our Cell Phone Reviews Page.

The LG Optimus Dynamic is available in some stores and many places online including Tracfone's website. It retails for $99 most places, although it can be found for less, especially when bundled with minutes or other accessories form eBay or HSN.

We have also found it on Amazon for $20 plus Free Shipping!

And there is even a white version of the LG Optimus Dynamic for those who want to stand out a little more than the rest.

Compared to the Samsung Galaxy Centura, the LG Optimus Dynamic is better in several ways, such as price and included Micro SD Card, however it uses an older version of Android, which is a drawback.

When comparing the LG Optimus Dynamic to the ZTE Valet or Huawei Glory, TracfoneReviewer would likely choose the Valet or Glory because of the slightly better processor, similar price, slightly larger touchscreen, and newer Android OS. But these phones are very similar, and it could come down to specific features or even brand.

Additional Resources: LG Optimus Dynamic Tutorials and Information

Leave a comment with your thoughts on the LG Optimus Dynamic, and any questions or reviews you have.

You might find our recent post with the New Tracfone Promo Codes for June 2014 useful if you haven't upgraded to a smartphone yet, or learn how to Get a Burn Phone Fast with Tracfone.

Also learn more about bringing your own phone to Tracfone on our Tracfone BYOP page where we have information, details, and a phone list.

We hope you found this useful, thanks for visiting!

Tracfone Promo Codes for November 2013

New Tracfone Promo Codes November 2013

Listed below are promo codes for each Tracfone minute card that are valid for November 2013.

***Update***
Get the Tracfone Promo Codes for December Here!

Tracfone Promo Codes for November 2013

When you add minutes to your Tracfone device, you can use one of these promo codes to get 20 to even 250 free bonus minutes, depending on which refill card you use.

We want to make adding Tracfone Promo Codes as easy as possible, so this post has only one code for each minute card, and you can simply browse below to select the code that should work for you. We do have lots more codes on our official Tracfone Promo Codes page, so if one of these codes doesn't work for some reason, go there to find more.

Tracfone Wireless is a prepaid cell phone company that operates throughout the US. They offer these promotional codes as an incentive to add minutes to your phone, and they are free to use.

It is important to note that these promo codes don't work on the new Android Powered Smartphones Tracfone recently released.

Now, let's get to the codes!

Tracfone Promo Codes November 2013

In November, there are several new codes from Tracfone, as well as a few codes that are still working for most users. These are the most up to date promo codes brought to you by TracfoneReviewer.

For 60 Minute Card use code 72685 for 30 bonus minutes

On a 120 Minute Card code 71604 will give you 30 bonus minutes until November 13th, after that try code 59271 for 20 bonus minutes.

For the 200 Minute Card use promo code 93087 or 18354 and get 40 extra minutes

With the 400 minute/1 year card, use 86167 to get 250 bonus minutes

And for the 450 Minute Card code 97667 will work until November 13th, after that use 93528 for 50 extra minutes

Code 74316 may still work for 120 Minute Cards and up and gives 60 bonus minutes

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These should be enough codes to keep you going in November. For the complete list of promo codes, visit our Tracfone Promo Codes page.

Leave a comment with any questions about these codes, and be sure to let us know which ones are working or expired.

We do more than just Tracfone codes, we have several new reviews of the Android Tracfone Cell Phones.

Learn all about the ZTE Valet in our Full Review or check out the Samsung Galaxy Centura Review. Both are powerful smartphones available from Tracfone

You might also learn something new from our guide to Tracfone GSM and CDMA Service - And Which is Right for You

Thanks for visiting, and we hope you enjoy the codes!

Samsung Galaxy Centura Review - Tracfone Smartphone

Review of the Android Powered Centura from Tracfone

This review by TracfoneReviewer will cover the Samsung Galaxy Centura, one of Tracfones first Android smartphones. There are several newer and better phones available, and you can see them in our Cell Phone Reviews page in the menu above.

Samsung Galaxy Centura Front

The Samsung Galaxy Centura is one of several new Android smartphones released by Tracfone for their wireless prepaid customers.

Tracfone is a prepaid wireless cell phone service provide that offers low cost phones and service. They only recently began selling Android smartphones, and the Samsung Galaxy Centura is one of the first available.

The ZTE Valet, Huawei Glory and LG Optimus Dynamic and Dynamic II are the other Android phones also available. Follow the links to read our reviews of each phone.

If you're looking for more phone options with Tracfone, be sure to visit our Tracfone BYOP page where we give all the details on bringing your own smartphone to use with Tracfone.

Visit our Android Tracfone List, which contains all the Android phones available form Tracfone, including several newer and better phones than the Samsung Galaxy Centura. At this time, the Centura is fairly out of date, and you are probably better off going with one of the newer options, like the LG Ultimate 2 or Moto E.

Now let's get to the full review of the Samsung Galaxy Centura.

Review of the Samsung Galaxy Centura Smartphone

The Samsung Galaxy Centura is a touchscreen smartphone running on Android 4.0 operating system. It can be used exclusively with Tracfone prepaid wireless service, meaning you can't buy the phone and then try to use it with other service providers. The Centura uses the CDMA network, running on Verizon towers.

You can read more about the difference between GSM and CDMA, and how to determine which is right for you, in our recent post on that topic.

Before we get to far, let's take a look at the features and specifications for the Centura.

Samsung Galaxy Centura Features and Specs

• Android 4.0 OS
• 3 MP Camera and Video Recorder
• 3G speeds
• WiFi connectivity
• Bluetooth Wireless
• Mobile Web
• MP3 Player
• Instant Messaging
• GPS Capabilities
• Gravity and Tilt sensors
• Hearing Aid Compatible
• Hands free speaker
• Voicemail, Caller ID, Call Waiting
• Comes with Battery and Charger

Now let's look at the technical dimensions and specifications for the Samsung Galaxy Centura:

Samsung Galaxy Centura Dimensions and Specs

• 3.5" Touchscreen
• Dimensions: 4.4 x 2.4 x 0,4 inches
• 4.4 ounces
• 800Mhz Processor
• Internal Memory: 4GB NAND
• 512MB RAM
• Compatible with up to 32GB external MicroSD Card
• Battery Standby 10 days
• Battery Talk time 7 hours

The Centura is a phone from Tracfone packed with more features than any other non-Android phone. You can surf the web on 3G or for free on WiFi. You can use thousands of apps from Google's app store. The possibilities are greatly expanded with the Android OS.

To give a balance of the pros' and cons' for the Samsung Galaxy Centura, let's take a look at TracfoneReviewer's short list of Likes and Dislikes about this new touchscreen smartphone. While we don't cover every good or bad thing about this phone, we do strive to highlight enough information to allow you to make a more informed decision when buying this phone.

So let's get to the review.

Samsung Galaxy Centura Review - Likes and Dislikes

We will begin by taking a look at some of the things we really like about the Centura, and then move to some features we didn't like, or thought should have been included.

Likes for the Samsung Galaxy Centura:

There are many features that come with this phone that make it a great value compared to other Tracfone cell phones.

Samsung Galaxy Centura Back

We like that the Centura comes with WiFi connectivity, 3G speeds, Triple Minutes for Life and a 3MP camera.

WiFi access on the Samsung makes it possible to surf the internet for free when connected to wireless internet. 3G speeds means that when you aren't on free WiFi, you can still be online at decent speeds using the phone's data.

The 3 mega pixel camera will take both pictures and video recording at fair quality, especially compared to the 1MP camera's on many other Tracfone devices.

Triple Minutes for Life is the best deal offered by Tracfone. (Some of their older phones have only double minutes for life.) What this means is that for every minute you add to the phone, you get 2 more for free. So if you add a 60 minute prepaid card, you will get 180 total minutes!

The biggest like about the Samsung Galaxy Centura is the Android operating system which allows users to have access to over 700,000 apps from Google's Play store. Many apps are free, or a just a few dollars and provide huge features and functionality. You can use Google Maps, play thousands of games, or find time saving apps that make your life easier. Visit the Google Play store to learn more about the apps they have to offer.

There are a few things we are not such huge fans about for the Centura, which we will now cover.

Dislikes for the Samsung Galaxy Centura:
The first thing we are not huge fans about is the new system for splitting up calling minutes/texting minutes/data into three separate pots or pools. What this means is that when you add a 60 minute prepaid card, you will get it tripled into 180 calling minutes, 180 texts, and 180 mb of data.

For many, this will work just fine, and is even a better deal than the previous system where you would just get 180 total minutes for calling/texting/web browsing.

But for those who are heavy text users, this reduces the number of texts you get form a 60 minute card from 600 to just 180. That is a significant reduction. So if you tend to do way more texting than other activities, you may want to stick with older models. For the rest of us, this is simply a new system we must get accustomed to.

Another small dislike about this phone, and all the new Android phones from Tracfone, is that Tracfone Promo Codes won't work on them. You can no longer get extra minutes for free when adding a new prepaid card.

We also dislike that there is no Airtime display on the home screen, but you can quickly and easily find your minutes balance, which we will explain a little further below.

Finally, the Samsung Galaxy Centura is on the expensive side compared to other Tracfone mobile devices. It typically retails for $130 in stores and on the Tracfone website. We will cover more on where to buy this phone, and how to get it for less, at the end of this review.

That covers the main likes and dislikes we found with the Centura, check out the comments, or leave your own, with more thoughts on the pros' and cons' of this phone.

We have received a number of comments from consumers reporting problems with the Samsung Galaxy Centura including the phone freezing and malfunctioning in other ways. These problems don't exist for every one, but if you are experiencing issues with your phone we recommend contacting Tracfone and working towards getting a replacement, or go with something better like the LG Ultimate 2, Moto E or Alcatel Onetouch Icon Pop.

How to Check Your Airtime Balance on the Samsung Galaxy Centura

This is a question/problem we have been seeing a lot, so we want to cover it here for your convenience. As we mentioned above, these is no display on the home screen, but checking your Tracfone balance is very easy.

The first option is to use the new Tracfone app, that will give you your balance. We haven't tested this very much, but you can go directly to the app on Google Play to learn more, and download it.

The other option is to follow this simple process:
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.

Overall Review of the Samsung Galaxy Centura

View on Amazon

The Centura is a powerful phone form a well known electronics company with a history of great devices. The Samsung Galaxy Centura is best suited for those who want their phones to do more than just text and call. With access to thousands of apps, this phones potential is nearly endless, limited only by what the user chooses to do.

For those who prefer a more simple device, check out some of the other phones we have reviewed at our Cell Phone Reviews page.

Overall, the Samsung Galaxy Centura is a great value and provides massive improvements over past Tracfone cell phones. It is one of the first true smartphones offered by Tracfone. The ability to surf the web for free via WiFi and use apps for entertainment, work or social make this a phone with multiple uses and functionality.

For those comparing it to the ZTE Valet, we suggest checking out our post showing the features and specs for both the Valet and Centura.

The Samsung Galaxy Centura typically retails for $129.99 in stores and online. We found the Centura on Amazon at a discount. And you can also read several informative customer reviews there as well.

You may also want to check out eBay and HSN.com for phone/minutes bundles that can be a good deal.

We would suggest you look into getting a case and/or screen protector to help keep your phone in good shape. There are lots of cases and screen protectors for the Centura on Amazon.

This concludes our review of the Samsung Galaxy Centura. We hope you found this useful. Be sure to share this with others who might like it, and leave a comment with any questions, thoughts or corrections.

You might enjoy reading some of our other recent posts such as Where to Find Tracfone Prepaid Cards or perhaps the Summer Sales and Discounts on Tracfone Cell Phones (2014)

Thanks for Visiting!

Resources:

Interactive Tutorial

Samsung Galaxy Centura User Guide (pdf)

ZTE Valet Review - Tracfone Smartphone

The ZTE Valet- Android Powered Smartphone from Tracfone

This review by TracfoneReviewer covers the ZTE Valet (Z665C) from Tracfone.

Tracfone ZTE Valet Android Smartphone

It has been a long time coming, but Tracfone has finally released several new Smartphones powered by the Android operating system for use with Tracfone prepaid service.

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

Now let's look at the dimensions and technical details for the ZTE Valet.

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

Quite a list of feature sand specifications for the Valet, which packs a powerful phone for calling, texting and surfing the web. The Valet is hard to compare with any of the previous non-Android phones offered by Tracfone because of the huge increase in the things you can do with an Android powered smartphone. Even the LG 840G, which has lots of impressive features, can't come close to the practicality of having access to hundreds of thousands of apps from Google Play.

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.

Back of the ZTE Valet - Note camera w/ flash

With Triple Minutes for Life, any airtime you add to this phone will automatically be tripled. So if you add 60 minutes, you will get 180 total minutes. (We will discuss more about minutes, texts and data rates for this phone below)

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

In comparison to the Samsung Galaxy Centura, another Android Tracfone smartphone, TracfoneReviewer would choose the Valet for the lower price, included Micro SD card, and better processor. But you should make that decision for yourself. Read our recent post with the feature and specs for the ZTE Valet and Samsung Galaxy Centura to help compare these phones.

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.

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