20 Best Tracfones For Seniors (2022 Updated)

I remember Motorola from my teen years, in the mid to late 90’s, because my first ever pager 📟, was from Motorola, so I kind of have a soft spot in my heart for this brand, though this is the very 1st phone I’ve owned from them! I’ve only had this brand new phone for maybe a week now even though there are SOOOOO MANY different amazing functions personalization options, I am STILL getting used to it all the different new functions I had no idea about! So far, it’s been an amazing phone, no complaints here! My ONLY complaint is for ALL BRANDS of phones, not just this one that is that they NEVER send an actual, physical paper manual about all the different settings, styles, functions, ectera! I’m a VERY visual person having a manual in front of me as opposed to flipping between screens, is so much more easier! The phone itself is setup in Android style, which I very much like, as opposed to my daughter’s iPhone that she seems to have problems with ALL THE TIME! I enjoy the setup of it there are so many different styles options for the phone other applications! You can totally set it up to your own preferred preferences! There are SOOOOO many ways to personalize this phone that I’m STILL getting used to all of it! But I will admit that they have several live tutorials that have helped me to figure many things out they will ask you if you want to go through the tutorials several times! I’m just a book worm, tutorials are good but I like to do it for myself rather than being shown, but that’s just a personal preference! 📱 Details Functions 📱: *64 Gigs of Internal Storage, plus the storage on my sim card adds WAY MORE, *The camera itself quality are awesome! It is a Digital Camera as it has 50 Mega Pixels a quad camera which includes a front camera of course, BUT in back it also includes a Depth Camera, the Main Camera, a Macro Camera a Proximity Sensor, *Has facial recognition a fingerprint sensor on the back as many others do, *Speaker is good, could be a bit louder but it does have audio effects on the pull down screen on the main page, *HD calling, HD pictures videos, the screen is nice big-beautiful, clear movies, shows, videos pictures, *Quick screenshot action by holding 3 fingers down on the screen or image you’d like to capture, *Also has a Live Screen Record function, which my other, way older phone did not have! There are SO MANY things this phone CAN DO that I KNOW I’m forgetting some main things, but I’m STILL getting used to it STILL figuring out all this baby can do! So, I will update this review in the near future!!!!!! Overall, so far, so good! No complains here! It’s fast very functional! I have all the space I need to create my videos, pictures, ectera! It’s the perfect phone for me as I take tons of videos pics, do tons of research writing/blogging regarding my products my product reviews so I believe that I’ve finally found a phone that can keep up with me.

Lol 😂!!!! #phone #haul #tech #techhaul #mobilephones #5G #Motorola #shopping #influenster @mummah. darling. reviews (IG).

Bought is last year in June from Target, and a year later I’m still very happy with my purchase. I found the phone very easy to use, the battery life about as good as advertised, with the camera in low light settings the only small drawback.

The fingerprint reader is quite responsive and reliable. The screen is excellent for my purposes, emails, web browsing, reading ebooks and watching Netflix and HBO Max. I’ve never had any problems making or receiving calls, or sending or receiving texts, nor with setting up voicemail in both Google Voice and Mint, a T-Mobile reseller.

Although the phone doesn’t have Wi-Fi 6 or G5, connectivity is plenty fast for my purposes. One thing I particularly like is the gestures and shortcuts Motorola puts in their phones, one of my favorites being – even with the phone off – simply shaking it turns on the flashlight, very helpful!One thing to remember is that this is a budget phone, though a very good one, with a relatively slow processor – compared to higher priced phones – with 4 GB RAM and up to 64 GB internal storage.

It is plenty-fast for everyday use, but if you are into a lot of gaming, extensive video editing or anything like that you’ll probably want to consider something with better specifications. As a tech geek I help friends with their phones and computers, and those friends who’ve bought Motorola phones generally have been quite happy, including one who reluctantly switched from iPhone to a Motorola phone and is now a happy Android convert.

Please note that I did not receive any benefits or remuneration for writing this review.

The Moto G Power has excellent battery life, excellent CPU performance and plenty of storage. Battery typically lasts 4 days or more. Downsides: Older version of Android, mediocre camera performance (especially at night), disappointing 4GLTE mobile data performance and only average screen.

The biggest disappointment was the camera. Daytime photography is good, however the AI is weak – especially at night. The camera appears to have a problem with white balance – especially at night and in the presence of strong blue-tinged lights (daylight bulbs, IPS screens etc).

The white balance suddenly shifts to lurid yellows which is very unpleasant. Tried photographing Halloween decorations and the results were very poor compared. Although the camera has 3 lenses, the performance overall is no better than my old Moto G7.

Mobile data (4GLTE) was also a disappointment – again, inferior to my older Moto G7. This could be a problem specific to my camera rather than a systematic issue with the model. Fortunately I primarily use wifi for data and making phone calls – here the Moto G Power works fine.

I will probably spend some time researching phones with 5G, FHD displays, the latest version of android and superior camera performance. Then retire the Moto G Power to backup phone status. The older Moto G7 was at the forefront of economy phones in features and value, but that was 3 years ago and the market has moved on.

Motorola has also moved on – I should’ve done more research but I was in a hurry to replace my dead phone. That said, the Moto G Power is a solid last-generation phone and the battery is excellent.

Don’t buy, incompatible with apps. Posting this for my Dad, a veteran with this phone I tried to set up for him with e banking and vet apps. Can’t install the banking app, can’t install the Veterans Admin Health Apps; the apps refuse to install because the Jitterbug’s Operating System is TOO OLD.

All Jitterbug Smart phones, even the newest Smart 3 runs Android 7. 0 and there is NO UPDATE plan. Just skip these phones until the vendor comes to their senses and updates the OS immediately to Android 9 or higher and makes a commitment to stay up to date.

Granted, the interface and Home Screen for seniors is great. It really is. But that’s NOT SUFFICIENT… The compatibility of these “senior friendly” systems must be kept up to date with the latest OS for security updates the phones need to be safe on the internet and meet install requirements of Play Store Applications that you will likely want to add to the phone.

And this company does NOT keep up to date, making this phone OBSOLETE on purchase, unless you “never plan on adding any modern application, like electronic banking or VA apps” that I’ve failed to get installed recently.

The Jitterbug phones aren’t speed demons, but they can get the job done if they at least have the chance to install the apps. [Own a Jitterbug Smart 2 running Android OS 7. 0 Nougat].

Mom has one, I’m the tech-support guy, and we’ve been using it about 8 months now. These things are probably the easiest-to-use senior phones out there, but they still have major, inexplicable issues.

Mostly with their user interface. You can somewhat control what options appear on the home screen. But several unwanted options (internet, etc. ) cannot be hidden. Stripped-down, super simple, is the only way to go when you’re dealing with 80-year-olds, but Lively can’t be bothered to improve your options here.

Making a call is not easy. It’s oddly a five step process. If the contact only has one number it still makes you select it, still makes you choose between call and text, and finally lets you “place call.

” Try explaining that to your grandma. Also, if it’s easier to use the SPEAKER option for some people, it’s hard to tell if it’s enabled or disabled: The button is either blue or white, but the icon stays the same and it just says SPEAKER.

Voicemail. Accessing “visual” voicemail is also a way-too-many-steps process. Visual voicemail should be dead simple, but this is another 5-step series of button pushes that could and should be greatly simplified.

Again, if an 80-year old can’t manage it, than something is wrong. Spam: No way to quickly block spam callers/texters. You have to leave the Lovely system, get into the Android system, and copy/paste numbers you want blocked.

Ugh. Finally, OS updates undo all the access and permissions you’ve already enabled or disabled in the past. Why doesn’t it save them? And the UPDATE banner doesn’t go away, either, so you kind of have to update.

This is supposed to be a simplified phone for seniors to use. Overall I think this is reasonably successful; however, there are some major limitations if you are used to most Android phones. The biggest issue my friend has is with making calls while using other apps.

Key example: Her physician sees her by telemedicine. She uses an app to request call @ appointment time. By phone call she receives 12 character confirmation code for security. At that point the app is blocked from completing setup because the Dial Pad has a bubble banner at the top of the screen “to return to phone call”.

App will not open next step because it is blocked by the Dial Pad banner which is a popup. Have to hang up before can continue. Any web app or android app which utilizes input in the top 1/2″ of the screen will not work phone call in progress because Dial Pad banner blocks input in that part of screen & that part of screen is not visible.

Extended call with Tech support. No good Answer. I was going to use another Dialer app; however, Lively has programed it to prevent any other Dialer app from working. Lively resets Dial Pad as default dialer every ~20 seconds.

This phone feels about right — nice screen, perfect size and decent camera. I’ve had S series and note series Samsung phones in the past but this time I wanted to give one of their A series a go and liked the clean lines of the A32.

AMOLED is important and so too regular updates but equally important is smooth operation and this is the one area where I think Samsung cheaped out a bit. The G80 is by no means a bad chip but it would have only cost Samsung a few dollars more to have used a Dimensity SOC and this phone would have been almost perfect for the money.

I am not devastated by the use of the G80 as it performs very well under most circumstances but with other manufactures using better silicon in cheaper phones I do wonder if this was a missed opportunity.

Regardless, I love the phone and have no regrets buying it. I bout the official Samsung S-View wallet case for it and it looks superb. There are some better value phones out there for the money but at the end of the day they are not Samsung and they certainly won’t be receiving the updates Samsung is promising for this device.

All in all I am happy.

I bought this phone a week ago and so far i am plesently surprised. I decided on purchasing it because of the price point, battery life, screen size, and fingerprint reader. Throughout the week i found that i only need to charge it every other day even though use Spotify to stream music or podcasts my entire 8 hour work day and during my commute.

The fingerprint scanner has proven reliable, if your having trouble with it i recommend adding your preferred fingerprint 2 or 3 times and ensure your finger is clean. The performance is way better than what i expected at the price i payed.

Its faster than the a21 i had previously. Dont expect to run 14 apps at once though. I also dont play games on it because thats not my thing. Movies come out crystal clear and play smooth with good sound quality.

Calls come in clear and with the volume all the way up it has hurt my ear at times. Not a bad thing because some people talk super quiet. Ive had no one ask me to repeat myself. Connection seems strong unless im in a rural area where no phone has service.

Internal storage is smaller than i would like but a sd card helps upgrade the phone. The camera takes a decent picture and it has most of the modern features. I will continue to use it everyday and promise to update this review if anything changes.

Before you buy just remember its a 79. 99 dollar phone. If your expecting s22 ultra super features you will be disappointed. Also Its 4g and ive never used 5g so cant compare. plenty fast for me.

As a long time Samsung mobile user, I have very disappointed with this once. The fingerprint scanner is next to useless for starters which makes answering calls a pain let alone accessing the phone for anything else.

The camera is unimpressive and I don’t get the same quality of pics I was getting on my Note 5+ or my S8+ even those models are so old. I didslike that when I try to MOVE pictures from the Gallery into a folder, they remain in the Gallery and the folder.

I was given support on a work around but that didn’t work at all so appears to be a defect. I used the supplied weather app widget to load up a couple of different world wide locations to get time and weather but on the old phones, I was able to carousel the view between those locations via the widget without my having to open the app, go to the menu and select which other location I wished to view.

Grrrrrrrr. I don’t get any light flash notifications to indicate I have messages waiting. All in all, a very disappointing phone – it does the basics but that’s all. I will be changing to another brand going forward.

I had this phone for less than 2 months, then replaced it with a Motorola model. Things I disliked about the phone:1- the interface is not standard Android. A Huawei phone I had 3 years ago had better features and ease of use2- it installs a bogus “Free” application to the left of the 1st home screen that has Samsungs streaming entertainment channels — whether you ask for it or not! And whenever you page too far to the left of your home screen, it actually runs the app, whether you wanted to or not.

So you have to go into the active app list and kill it. And guess what — its impossible to find the feature and delete it3- the screen is too dim to see it in daylight when using the camera. I could not use the camera outside on a sunny day4- It has a “Samsung” series of apps that are together a huge memory hog, just bloatware, with no way to turn off or move to the SD card.

They are largely redundant with Google apps. Kinda dumb for a phone with 32 gig of internal memory. I was being told constantly by the phone I was running out of memory and to delete some apps, but on the new Moto phone, I have 40% free memory <>5- The phone is too wide to fit in my (standard size) carpenter’s pocket on the thigh of my trousers.

It won’t reliably go in the pocket. In fact, when getting ready to kneel, the phone fell out from my pocket about 24 inches onto a hard floor, causing the screen to shatter into several hundred pieces, <> (it was fully protected from doing so by the lip of the phone case).

First damaged screen I have ever had in 16 years of smartphone use. Now for the best part — after I saw the phone was trashed, I was gleeful !! I called my cell provider that night and ordered a new phone6- the home wallpaper is rendered at significantly lower resolution than the screen.

Also, the wallpaper does not “page” with navigating the home screens, as all my phones have done for the last 4 years, including the new Moto. 7. The fingerprint sensor integrated with the on/off power button on the side only has about 1/4 of the area of a standard on-the-phone-back sensor.

I would estimate its success rate in getting a print to be accepted was about 30%8- All this and it was $40 more expensive than the Moto Pure G I replaced it with !!All I can figure is that Samsung added all these endearing features to make sure it would not compete with their much pricier flagship Galaxy models.

Run, don’t walk, away from this engineering nightmare.

Its good value and good battery life. My 2 concerns are well known to a12 owner. The wi-fi drops out and the screen sways between too sensitive and not sensitive enough, which might sound odd unless you have the slightest tremour or shakey hand.

Its the difference between actuating an on screen button or slightly moving the display. If the display moves even half a millimetre then the button you wanted to press – isnt pressed. This can be frustrating if youre an old git like me.

But at times I know the display didnt move at all, the touch simply didnt register. Ive had this with other Samsung screens in the past 5 years, before my hand tremour was a thing. Years ago it wasnt a problem, but their screens seem to have gotten worse instead of better.

Ive got a spare eight year old Samsung Galaxy, which does not have this problem. Otherwise its all good, good sound, but as said wi-fi drops out, if you look online, its a common problem with the A12, and can be embarrassing at best and very inconvenient, or costly at worst.

This phone is the worst I’ve had in a long while. The internal storage space (32GB) is abysmal. Even if you buy a MicroSD card to expand your storage- not all apps can be transferred to external storage.

To make matters worse, this thing is also incredibly frustrating to use every day. It lags on everything- even trying to make a phone call, trying to bring up the keypad can take 3-5 seconds. Even trying to look at certain settings deep in the settings menu sometimes will simply cause the settings app to stop working.

If you want to multitask while texting, talking on the phone, or even using an app- be prepared to pull your hair out while your phone struggles attempting to do so. Be happy if it doesn’t just crash the app in the process.

I’ve gotten notifications that the system UI has “stopped working” way too many times for it to be a fluke, not to mention certain settings menus, etc. This is just not a very well designed phone. Every time you want to do anything on this phone, be prepared to count to at least 5 and sometimes even upwards of 10 before your phone reacts to your input.

Avoid this phone if you can.

As someone who has never used a smart phone until now, I would say this is a fairly good one. It depends on what your needs are. I just wanted a phone that is easy enough to learn to use. (My old flip phone was actually fine.

I just had to change it because the cell phone carriers were phasing out the 3G phones so my flip phone would no longer work by March 2022. I didn’t get another flip phone because the ones that were available didn’t have much to offer and were worse than my flip phone.

So basically I was “forced” into getting a smart phone. ) The iPhone SE seemed the easiest to use because of the home button. It was also smaller and more lightweight than the regular smart phones. I won’t give it 5 stars because comparing to my old flip phones the battery doesn’t last anywhere near as long.

It also doesn’t come with the charging adapter, just the cable, so you have to buy the charger separately. It is very cheap of Apple to make their phones like this. It doesn’t come with instructions either (another cheap move) so you will spend time googling stuff online if you have any questions about it.

I am not tech savvy at all so I did a lot of that the first 2 weeks. If you just want to talk, text, and take an occasional photo, this phone is okay for that. I found the video to be poor quality when uploading it to a computer but maybe I just can’t figure out the right setting for it.

That’s why I wish it came with detailed instructions. The iPhone SE is pretty good for a first smart phone and more affordable than the regular iPhone so I’ll give it that. But it is not for everyone.

My parents for example could never figure this out and would have to settle for what ever flip phone is available these days. I would actually give it 3. 5 stars if that was an option.

I got the SE 2020 after my iPhone 7 I owned for three years started acting strange and gave up on me. It took five months to get a new phone and when I got the iPhone SE 2020, I’m absolutely happy with it.

This thing is incredibly inexpensive and had a home button like my old 7 which is nice. I don’t mind the SE 2 not having 5G since that’s less of a concern to me. My 7 doesn’t have 5G either but I certainly don’t mind it since it has LTE which still gets the job done.

Battery life seems pretty decent to me too. The camera got a nice quality but then again, I’m really not much of a photographer and I rarely take photos with it. Not sure about gaming which I don’t play often unless I’m bored or if I have free time although I’m thinking getting a decent tablet for gaming.

And the best thing is that my SE 2020 is on MetroPCS which has decent and excellent service in my hometown whereas my iPhone 7, which is on AT&T, has very terrible signal; I could barely get any bars on it when I’m using my 7.

But when I’m out of the house and went to the park yesterday, my SE 2 got a pretty great service (it has like three or four bars) so that’s nice. The only issue is that I wish my SE 2 had 128GB of internal storage for reasons but other than that, the SE 2020 is a great phone.

It serves me well. I hope there’ll be more iPhones with home button in the future. Not everyone needs a $1k gigantic phone. (June 9, 2022).

Knocked 2 stars off (iPhone = 5 stars) because of the 3rd party conditions. The description is wrong for ‘includes:’ you do not get USB Power Adapter. You must buy USB-C Power Adapter separately ($20).

You do not get a lightning to USB cable. You get a Lightning to USB-C cable. Devices that you’re going to connect to or charge with must have a USB-C connection. If no USB-C connection, you must have or buy a USB-C to USB adapter ($20), or have a USB cable (slower charge) to then connect to your older USB-connection device.

Be warned, there’s a short time frame to activate for people w day jobs in order to qualify for the $140 promotion. Difficult to coordinate one’s schedule with their short availability of in-store personnel (3rd party/not Target) to activate the iPhone outside of Black Friday.

Call to see if person is scheduled/available in-store before you go outside of Black Friday. The iPhone itself is excellent. Because of the short time, difficult-to-find, qualified, few in-store personnel scheduled, I wouldn’t recommend unless you have the time in your schedule to meet their schedule.

You’re going to have to work for this deal.

I can rate the delivery experience and what is included with the phone but it’s impossible to give a review of the actual product since every phone’s condition will be different and there are various vendors supplying the restored phones.

The phone arrived quickly and was packaged well. It came with a charger, sim removal tool and a screen protector. The battery was at 85% and it was listed as being better than 80% so that was good. On my phone there were 6 noticeable scratches on the screen.

Two of them bigger than the others and one near the middle of the screen. It’s not too deep but I can see it when the phone is in bright light. There is supposed to be a 90 day return period but I don’t think I care enough to swap this phone for another one that might be in worse condition.

You are buying a used phone so expect it to look used. The setup process was easy. I was able to transfer the data from my old iPhone by putting it near the other phone. This phone doubled the storage of my old phone so that’s pretty awesome.

I would suggest getting a case as soon as possible for the phone. It’s very slippery and I almost dropped it 5 times before the new case arrived. This phone will support iOS 16 which is why I upgraded from the iPhone SE original.

It’s slightly larger than the old SE model and my tiny hands have trouble reaching the whole screen if I use one hand. My thumb can’t reach the one corner of the screen. I had to rearrange my icons so the important ones were within thumb reach.

It also has an extra row of icons since the screen is slightly bigger. It has 24 app icons per screen. This phone doesn’t have a headphone jack but there are lightning to 3. 5 mm jack adapters out there.

I ran a free IMEI check on the phone to make sure it wasn’t stolen and ran a free diagnostic program to make sure everything was working as it should. Both checks were successful. Overall I’m happy with the purchase.

It was a good price but I do wish the screen didn’t have that light scratch right in the middle of the screen.

I’ve had this phone since it was released, so coming up on 2 years in the spring. I have had problems with it since I received it. I love the size since I have small hands so it fits well into my hands & is easy to text.

However functionality-wise it leaves a lot to be desired. The signal seems weak in most places; I can’t use it in my bedroom on network or WiFi. I drop calls in the car everyday, regardless of where I am.

It used to be that 3 out of 4 bars was still considered a decent strength signal; on this phone, it barely works with 3 bars – pretty much everything I try to do outside of texting results in a spinning wheel on the phone & a delayed or no response.

It can be incredibly frustrating at times especially when I need GPS to work or need to make a call. The camera is fine; there are some features that don’t work or just disappear like if I take a picture from a text thread.

A lot of times my keyboard or my ‘send’ key will disappear, so I have to close out & start over. Bottom line, I’ve had a lot of performance issues with this phone since I got it so I would not recommend it.

Both my elderly Mom and handicapped sister are very happy with their phones. Their old phones were the iPhone 6s Plus, and they were afraid to move away from having the old ‘home’ button. My sisters’ hands are twisted from her motorcycle accident many years ago, so she’s delighted with the smaller size of this SE phone.

My Mom would have preferred the Plus size again, but I gave her the choice between the home button or the larger phone and she choose the iPhone SE. Both of them are extremely pleased with the operation of their phones.

Mom says that hers is ‘nice and loud’ so she can hear it in the next room. As an artist she is always taking pictures and she’s enjoying the picture quality on the phone. They both are pleased with the phone purchases.

That’s a win! My husband and I also upgraded our iPhone XS Max to the new iPhone 13 Pro Max and are very pleased. Verizon has taken good care of us over the years.

I upgraded from an iPhone 6, to this phone around a month ago, and I’m so happy I did. I’m not supposed to say how much I paid for it, but I got it on a really good black Friday deal, if it had been the original price, I do not think I would have bought it.

The camera app is glitchy sometimes, it’s a little bit slow occasionally, but those are really the only two gripes I have. The screen is gigantic, if you have small pockets, I’d recommend a smaller phone.

It’s really tall vertically, which makes for an odd contrast ratio, and at times awkward looking pictures and selfies, when you’re looking at them from other devices. Pictures are pretty good, not phenomenal such as an *ahem* goggle piksul *ahem* (I’m not allowed to mention competitors) but I’ve been satisfied with almost all the pictures I’ve gotten.

The shutter speed is quite slow sometimes, which is SUPER annoying when it happens. The audio it picks up though is great, unless you’re recording voice notes in the messages app. The battery life is absolutely phenomenal.

Sometimes I have ended the day with 2 1/2 hours of screen on time, and 80% battery. It’s RARE that I will end the day with less than 50%, and I have an app installed that tracks my location at all times, so that drains more battery than normal as well.

The fingerprint sensor is also very fast, and reliable. Speakers are super loud, which comes in handy. If you have only $250-$300 to spend on a phone, this would be one to consider, but if you can get this on a deal that puts it at $200 or lower, it is amazing value for the money.

Another amazing thing I’ve loved about this phone is just how much I can change about it. With my iPhone 6 there was none of it, but with this phone, I can change almost anything I want. Oh also, haptic feedback (vibrations when you touch a key) are good, not great, but not horrible, in my opinion.

I had gone through a living hell trying to replace an old Moto Z2 Force phone which was no longer being supported by Tracfone (the SafeLink carrier) Even though they made my phone unusable, they refused to replace it! I did not have a link and I did not feel safe so I had to suck it up and buy an unlocked phone.

While the Best Buy sales associate was unable to confirm that this phone would be compatible with my SafeLink account, he did go well out of his way and tried. I have learned not to place much stock in Best Buy employees but I found that this one particular employee did the absolute best that he could despite the dodgy service I come to expect from Best Buy.

I decided to take the gamble provided I could return the phone if unusable. I was shocked to discover that Best Buy would charge a restocking fee if I did return the phone – a sum that amounted to roughly a third of the price! Needless to say, I cannot recommend ever doing business with Best Buy but due to healthcare issues, I needed to make a purchase, asap.

To my pleasant surprise, I was able to install my TracFone/SafeLink sim card and after securing the phone through my Google account, the phone worked beautifully! I don’t live on the telephone and have a wonderful Leica for taking pictures.

I’d no sooner listen to music on a cell phone than eat convenience store sushi but this phone’s camera is awesome enough and the headphone jack feeds my pro-level, power-hungry headphones with crisp, clean audio.

Every other phone I have owned drained power just on account of it being a phone. This phone seems not to know it’s on unless I am actively surfing, texting, or making calls. Going 3 or 4 days without charging is the norm.

It is a heavier phone than some but I’d like to think my portal to the free world has some heft! It is a nice solid phone with a responsive screen. The finish is not slip-proof but inasmuch as phones should be in protective cases, that is not really a big deal.

I would, and have recommended this phone to friends but not without mentioning that It can be bought elswwhere.

This mint iPhone XR is a great phone at a great price. Keeping up with technology can be daunting these days. I choose to stay with state of the market models rather than state of the art. Personally, I buy my used Apple iPhones and iPads a couple generations back.

Swappa gear meets my needs. These folks are a terrific source for used technology at a fraction of the price of brand new models. As an engineer in the computer industry, I am well aware that most of the gee-wiz features and functions of the latest technology are rarely worth the often insane prices charged.

In my experience, the bells and whistles rarely justify the price. I just replaced my iPhone 8 Plus (great phone) with an iPhone XR (frankly, a very minor upgrade — nearly the same phone minus the home button).

Savvy buyers often buy mint used gear and turn it over every couple years or so. Candidly, this way, the out of pocket cost for staying relatively current on personal tech become more like a small rental fee.

Swappa is the best place I’ve found to get mint condition used products at attractive prices. After several satisfied purchases, I am completely confident the item I see listed on Swappa is the product I will receive.

If you live in a rural area with limited carrier availability, DO NOT BUY A STRAIGHT TALK PHONE ONLINE. The phone itself is great but my middle of nowhere town does not have Verizon towers and the phone that I was sent is locked to them.

Straight Talk reps are not very knowledgeable about their service, phones or even the activation process. Even though my phone CAN operate on the correct towers they say they can’t switch it over until I complete 12 months of paid service.

which I can’t do since I can’t activate the phone. The superviser that I spoke with actually told me to just call Apple and they will switch the phone for an unlocked model or even unlock this one. After a long convo about the reasons and legalities of why Apple can’t carrier unlock any phone – legally, I think she got it.

However, no amount of explanations about how there is no way that Apple is going to exchange an unlocked phone for one thats box has been opened, setup and is locked to a carrier worked. This was my 8th call to them and all but 2 or 3 reps were completely without the knowledge to be of any assistance.

Now my son’s SURPRISE AWESOME Christmas gift is a wifi only phone and I am stuck with a non-refundable $35 plan card that I can’t use.

Having owned the 1st gen SE for five years the battery was shot and I was contemplating replacing it for a while, but I’m glad I waited for the 3rd gen SE to come out – with the same A15 chip as the current flagship iPhone 13, and even the upcoming iPhone 14, it has performance to spare and is future proofed as far as any phone can be.

Apps launch instantly, mobile 4g and 5g speeds match wifi performance (depending on the signal of course). I find battery life to be excellent – after a full day of use (for me that’s at least 3 hours screen time using web, navigation, email, texting, photos/video, a few 10 min calls) I often still have 60% battery left the next morning.

Whilst the LCD screen is small and unfashionable with its bezels, it is adequate for all my daily needs including email, etc. if you know you need a large screen for work or gaming, you’re unlikely to be considering this phone anyway.

For those who prefer a pocket sized phone, the screen is sharp and works well in all lighting conditions except direct bright sunlight where high contrast text is legible, but subtle tones and details in photos are hard to see (I’ve yet to see a screen that works well in such conditions).

It also retains the home button and Touch ID which I appreciate and prefer to Face ID, especially when using banking apps and Apple Pay. The main camera is adequate for most situations and has Apple’s latest image processing so the quality of photos and video is high.

The front camera is of a lower resolution so selfies are not to the same standard. John Lewis sell at the same price as other retailers, but include a 2 year warranty which no one else does so represent excellent value for money.

See my YouTube review for the iPhone SE (2022) by typing: “iPhone SE 5G (2022) Starlight Review: Apple’s Best Budget iPhone!” into the YouTube search. The Positives: • It has the A15 Bionic Chip. The most powerful smartphone chip in the world! • It takes great photos • It is 5G enabled • It has a longer battery life than the previous model • It will be supported with Apple iOS software updates for many years The Negatives: • It is an old design • It has a 7 megapixel camera on the front • There is no night mode • The phone is not as feature rich as the iPhone 13 models The Design The design of the SE is the same as the iPhone 8, a phone that was released almost 5 years ago.

By today’s standards this is old, but old doesn’t necessarily mean bad as the SE is lightweight, comfortable to use and easy to carry on your person. The Camera The camera lenses/sensors are the same as the previous SE from 2020.

There is a 12 megapixel lens on the back and a 7 megapixel lens on the front. However, although these are the same as the previous model the images this phone takes are fantastic, thanks (in part) to the SE’s new image processing.

For more information see my video review. The Performance! The new SE includes the latest A15 Bionic chip, the most powerful smartphone chip in the world. The Battery The battery should comfortably last over a day with medium use thanks to the larger battery and power efficiency of the A15 Bionic chip.

5G 5G is another big plus for this phone, but it’s only useful if: a) You are in a 5G enabled area b) Have a good data (SIM) plan For the price the iPhone SE (2022) this is the most powerful phone you can get, a phone which will last many years to come.

iPhone SE 2022 Review I felt compelled to write this review after I had read so many other reviews before making this purchase. And I think this little powerhouse of a phone deserves it. I have just spent a year with the IPhone 13.

But moved to this phone. The iPhone SE 2022 is quite literally punching above its weight. With the same A15 Bionic CPU that is found in Apple’s flagship model (13 Pro), extended battery life, 5G network capabilities and the option of larger memory size.

This mobile really stands up for itself. One thing I’ve read so much about from trusted reviews and other comments is the criticism of the form factor / screen size. For me, the size of this was one of the MAIN reasons to get this phone.

I don’t want a huge, heavy phone in my pocket. The 4. 7″ is in my opinion just perfect, and with the iPhone SE you hardly notice it at all. Its easy to hold and use and very light. It also uses Touch ID which I actually prefer than FaceID as it’s quicker and more convenient.

It was a shame to hear that this could be the last time Apple support this smaller size and are moving the next SE to a larger screen, another reason why I wanted to get this version before they do. This phone for me is perfect in every way, and if you are able to, I would go for the larger 256GB memory size to really future proof this device.

Purchased the product a couple of months ago, and it has tons of things to like about it but also some noticeable flaws. The Good: 1) The design is gorgeous! I love the victus glass on the back of the phone, and the way Samsung implemented the “bump” for the large camera censors, it is just gorgeous and uniqe! The black versions look slick, the silvers look classy, and the different tones between the glass and the “bump” are really nice, yet the violet-rose gold and red-gold versions are the real unique ones, again, prettiest phones I ever saw! 2) Samsung interface is always the nicest out of the android devices 3) The battery- gets you through the day even if you game or open tons of tabs on chrome, really stands out for me.

4) Great screen and performance overall 5) phone supports wifi 6 6) Samsung Dex is pretty unique and a really nice feature Samsung should advertise more. 7) except for the camera, the S21+ offers almost the same specs as the S21 Ultra which costs way more The bad: 1) Price- The competition today is tough, and other companies offer way cheaper phones for performance and specs close to what Samsung has to offer, I still prefer Samsung as I owned plenty of their devices so far and loved them, but aside of design, it isn’t that tempting for people who consider switching from other companies.

2) The Exynos chip- in the US Samsung offers the snapdragon 888 chip, but outside the US they offer their exynos chip which is not really that great, it isn’t as good performance wise, consumes more battery, and gets way hotter, and therefore after some time during heavy loads the devices gets hotter and slows down a bit.

Next generation of Exynos should feature AMD Zen 2 graphics which should be epic, but the current Exynos chip is a a little disappointing. *Most people won’t really feel the difference* 3) Heat- just want to repeat it, the device gets way hotter than I feel comfortable with during gaming or heavy tasks, both the screen and back are seriously hot.

*Temperatures are normal during casual use* 4) The camera- the design is really good, but the cameras performance is very inconsistent. sometimes I get really good photos and videos with vibrant colors and great skin textures, yet at times they get blurry or the colors are way off.

I know it is not the S21 Ultra’s 108 MP camera, but the Iphones and others take way better photos with 12 MP cameras. I expect better at this price with 64 MP. overall I love the device yet I think people should know the pro’s and cons before purchasing.

Well I was very skeptical about switching from my Motorola to a Samsung because Samsung’s just aren’t as durable. You drop it & either the screen breaks or more often it won’t power on anymore or will only get to the startup screen & then restart (eye roll emoji) but I switched.

Sigh. Smh :’-( 1) Says it has a fingerprint sensor however getting it to actually work is virtually impossible! I’ve tried different fingers, angles, positions, times, days, moods lol heck I’ve even had other people try to see if it was just me & nothing works! Grrrr (insert angry face emoji) Was able to do 1 fingerprint however I still can’t get it to ever unlock that way.

Talk about a hassle! Plus there seems to be dead spots or something on the screen. I’ll touch it sometimes (several times) in the same spot & nothing but if I scroll & then click it works but idk maybe that one is an operator error.

It could use more storage (but I also have a lot of vids) The fingerprint sensor grrr! Wireless charging is a pain, spent $60 on a wireless charger & never use it cause it seems like no matter how I set my phone on it it won’t charge.

Did I mention how terrible the fingerprint sensor is? 🙁 Cause it is. I will say the camera is fantastic! Love it, takes great photos so many options, lenses, stabilizer, different modes, the night mode is very impressive & the zoom.

Wow! And I do like the ways you can customize it. Thousands of themes, fonts, screensavers, AOD’s. It’s also a very heavy phone! I have carpel tunnel and holding this phone hurts my hands and wrists so don’t get it if you have trouble with yours cause between the weight & the stupid fingerprint sensor you’ll regret it.

After reading all the negative reviews on this phone I can only come to the conclusion that all electronics are not equal however, there’s people that unfortunately are limited on tech knowledge as well.

Not saying im any kind of tech expert but I know enough to know expectually with phones loaded with bloatwhere it is critical to remove any apps possible if you don’t plan on ever using them. Keep adaptive brightness on at all times because the phone is smart enough to know when to dim or brighten for best viewing results.

If you keep phone clean and apps removed from back ground functioning you will be amazed on how much time you’ll get with battery time. I can get a day and a half up to 2 days with moderate use and than some.

So just keep in mine that even though these phones are smart their not going to have terrific battery life out of the box. They must be configered according to use and demand depending on personal preferences.

If you compare these Samsungs to iPhones that have minimal configuration abilities they go much longer hands down and I can back that information because Ive had almost every Apple iPhone known to man and many many Samsungs as well and rarely have I seen an iphone with better battery life than an Android phone.

It all comes down to how it’s configured for the user. This Samsung S20 FE is one of the best phones ever built for the price that i’ve ever seen. There are faster Samsung phones but not with better battery life.

Hope this helps people when there reading the reviews on this phone because they can be very conflicting and some better not said in my opinion. Excellent phone for people on a budget or prefer not paying tons of money for a phone that still performs well with good battery life.

I had reservations about switching to iPhone as I’ve been an Android user for the past 10 years or more. The reservations I had were about the battery life, iOS, being locked to the apple store and the lcd screen on this phone.

The specs on paper are nothing to write home about and if it was an Android I would have probably bypassed this phone. So glad I didn’t. 1. The battery life is amazing, I’m a moderate user, calls, banking, messages, watching YouTube and using sat nav.

By the end of a day I still have around 40-50% battery left which I never got on my Android. My Android phone had a 4500mah battery and this one I think is 3400, I’m not sure what wizardry they have under the hood but it’s incredibly efficient without compromising on performance.

The Apple store has all the apps I was using with Android and all apps work smoothly and seamlessly. My Android phone was a super amoled compared to this lcd the Android screen is better but marginally.

The Liquid Retina display on this thing is amazing, and yes the blacks are not as deep as an amoled but the difference is very little, I was so pleasantly surprised. Face unlock is super responsive. The iOS does take some getting used to but I adjusted very quickly to it.

Only negative points were remembering all the passwords to the apps, downloading my CDs onto the iPhone which I watched a YouTube video and managed and having to buy a usb adaptor so I could charge the phone.

Apart from these minor gripes I’m so glad I switched this really is a well built and quality phone. Yes you can get a very decent mid range Android with better specs but this will blow it out of the water.

It took me ages to take the plunge but do not regret it one bit. Furthermore, got this with a further 10% cash back from Very. Win win.

I really do like this phone, and the Straight Talk Customer Service was very helpful, which is why I gave this 3 stars. However, it was a pain to get it going. First, I did not realize Apple doesn’t send a way to charge this phone.

They send a charger, but nothing to plug it into, like a wall adapter. When I got the phone, I was broke and having to quarantine, so it was another week before I could go to the store to purchase something to help charge the phone, which meant I could barely use it for the first week.

Also, I almost threw away the activation and SIM card because they blended in so much with packaging. I was looking for a big red card and instead it was in a small gray envelope attached to the plastic wrap.

I only found it a week later after I got a charger, because thankfully I saved all the packaging. Then the phone still would not activate, and I had to spend all weekend getting this fixed. Thankfully, I was able to chat with Straight Talk customer service, and they were really helpful.

It turned out after spending all day today trying to get this fixed that it needed to run an update for about 30 minutes before working right. I can say now I like a lot about this phone, like the camera, having more space, and the sound quality.

I had to buy wireless earbuds, but I am able to use some $25 Skull Candy bluetooth ones instead of buying higher dollar Apple ones. I’m also glad to see Spotify is compatible, because that is the main app I use.

I think I will love my phone now that I can finally use it, but it has taken about two weeks of worry trying to get to this point.

This phone is fast, it’s simple, and it’s easy, much like previous iPhones. I admit the lack of home button scared me at first, as I had previously only owned an iPhone 8 and iPhone 6, however the transition is smooth and rather satisfying to swipe away the apps rather than click… a feature I had not noticed before in previous makes.

I admit when making this purchase I bought it for the camera, I had hopes of this amazing camera I could use for photography or simply to just take photos of day to day life and capture the exact beauty… whilst this camera does come with noticeable improvements from previous iPhones, it isn’t amazing.

I would have wanted something more from a camera that had been the main focus of the phone. Despite this, the camera is still good! The features to expand photos to get more of the scenery in is amazing, the way it makes dark photos lighter, or even the detail you can capture in video, especially with higher settings.

Something I had noticed that I wish this phone had, is fingerprint recognition. Whilst yes, the face recognition is cool, there are times where, it simply doesn’t recognise my face, or I’m wearing a mask so I can’t use it, or I’m laying down in the dark cuddled up in my blanket, face smooshed to unrecognisable proportions… and those times I have to type in my passcode just to see my notifications in further detail because the phone cannot see me.

I have noticed that android phones still have the finger print recognition, despite the lack of a home button, and as well as face recognition. This is something Apple must think about in its upcoming products.

I miss the simplicity of fingerprint recognition and it’s the one thing this phone is lacking. As for battery life. It isn’t amazing, but it isn’t as bad as previous generations. There is still a lot of work to do when it comes to battery life, especially when comparing my iPhone to my boyfriends android, his can last days where as mine is lucky to last the same day, with both of us using our phones just as much as each other.

As for the waterproof features… yes this phone is waterproof, though even getting water inside the charging port will prevent you from charging. This feature helps to protect your phone from damage caused from water meeting electricity in the charger needed to charge your phone… you are also given the option to force a charge if it is an emergency and are warned of the risks.

The best option for this is to having a charging pad, rather than a charging cable… though it isn’t exactly something I would have wished for a “waterproof” product to have. I think the next step is to find a more water friendly way of charging without there needing to be a risk warning at all, yet still being as handy as the lead charger, in which you can still pick up your phone.

I would not recommend purchasing this phone or staying with Tracfone, especially if you live in a rural or any area serviced only by AT&T. Besides having some of the problems described in the other 1 & 2 star reviews here (Repeated Booting, Checkerboard Screens, etc.

), Tracfone was not able to activate this phone with our old TracFone telephone number that we have used for the last 5 years in our rural Texas area covered only by AT&T! The only reason I purchased this phone from TracFone was to replace our old TracFone LG51A which had started texting messages that it would not work after 2/22/2022! After spending over two weeks constantly phoning and chatting with Tracfone Customer Service Representatives (CSR’s) often giving conflicting and/or confusing advice, I had to return this phone (Samsung Galaxy A32).

Currently, I can’t use even my old Tracfone because they say they couldn’t reactivate it due to the phone number being a Verizon phone number???? Yes, the very same Tracfone phone number that has been working in an AT&T only coverage area for the past 5 years????? So now I’m without Tracfone Service, even though I paid around $125.

00 for an annual plan that was supposed to last to July 2022. The final straw was when talking with the last Tracfone CSR. The CSR said they could activate the Galaxy A32, but I would have to get a new phone number, however my current annual plan and minutes would not be carried over! I would also then have to purchase another Tracfone plan! I’ve been a Tracfone customer for over 20 years and never had any problems.

However, after this I guess I’ll go elsewhere.

I purchased a Galaxy A32 after my Pixel 3 stopped charging in Aug ’21. Every day I have owned this phone it has found a new way to irritate and vex me. -Fingerprint sensor is horrible. No, really, Samsung should be ashamed of this sensor, it is really, really bad.

-WiFi drops for no apparent reason. At first, I thought it was a weak signal issue but no, I can be standing right next to a wifi AP and the good old A32 will just drop the wifi connection and complain it will reconnect when “signal quality improves.

” Never had this issue with any Pixel or iPhone I’ve owned. -Caller volume on phone calls is a joke. I have excellent hearing but understanding what a caller is saying to me on the A32 is almost always impossible (unless I’m in a room that is dead silent).

As a result, I have to put most of my calls on speaker and I end up looking like a tool to anyone around me. -GPS is also horrible. I’m an avid cyclist and use the Ride With GPS app quite a bit. It was absolutely fine on my Pixel and iPhones but of course, the A32 drops the GPS signal during a ride for no apparent reason.

It also has the same connection dropped issues with Google maps when driving. – Phone randomly reboots. I first i thought it was performing OS updates but the reboots occur so often (once or twice a week) that I’m fairly certain that is not the case.

I don’t know what this crazy phone is doing. I’m going limp along with this Galaxy A32 for a few more months because I really don’t want to spend any more money. But I will be in the market for a new phone come the holidays.

Recently broke my Motorola Moto G stylus and needed a new phone and didnt want to spend $300+ on a new one. as a Samsung fan, i have started to assume Samsung makes quality products, the A32 is NOT a quality product.

I wish i would have bought another Motorola! The finger print sensor works too well without a phone case, meaning. the slightest touch from the finger you have saved on the power key (say as youre putting your phone in your pocket) unlocks your phone as youre putting into your pocket! Then.

if and when you buy a phone case, the fingerprint sensor becomes impossible to use! The phone is lagging. i often have to press things multiple time before the phone will respond and do something as simple as open an application.

Camera is horrible. One option for 48mp camera, but no zoom. Front camera is the worst ive seen in years. seriously think i owned flip phones that had better images! Not impressed. Literally would give this thing for free to anyone interested.

First of all the phone is described as Grade A. Upon receiving phone you could tell that this phone has been significantly used. The color on the side were practically rubbed off and could see the base color underneath.

To the point where I debated on returning the phone for a day or two. I also noticed the screen had been replaced and a poor job at that you can actually see on the screen where the suction cups were pulled so hard that it damaged the screen and could actually see the shape of the suction cups on the screen.

The phone speaker was low during calls I had to actually clean it out with alcohol to be able to hear the caller on the other end. Face ID is also hot or miss doesn’t completely work all the time. It also seems the camera glass was replaced and was not cleaned when installed.

Pictures and videos at night are so blurry due to the dirty lens that can’t be cleaned from the outside. I was also given a charging brick with the phone that started to smell and smoke the night I finally decided to use it.

I was given a 10% partial refund for the issues with the phone. I’m sure if the phone were to be replaced it would be replaced with phone with just as many issues on account of the reviews. It seems like a great deal but save your money and buy refurbished from a trusted seller.

After using this phone every day for nearly a year and a half I’ve come to form my own take on this device. At first glance the Iphone 11 is a large yet slim looking device, much larger than my previous phone the Iphone 8.

At first, I thought this would allow the phone to be more vulnerable to getting damaged when dropped although even when in a basic case with no screen protector the phone as survived every drop. For its larger size the phone is light weight and able to fit comfortably in my clothes pockets.

A positive to this phone is that it is larger, I am a little bit on the taller side so the phone is able to fit comfortably in my hands, it’s nice to watch videos on and I had no problem adjusting quickly from the smaller size of the Iphone 8 to the size of the Iphone 11.

This might be a con for shorter people, women and children might not be able to fit it as easily into their hands or clothing’s pockets. The battery life is outstanding with the Iphone 11 being fitted with the newer batteries, I’m able to go about 8/9 hours with heavy usage and about 15 hours on a regular day of being active with work or school with light to moderate usage.

Maybe you forgot to plug your phone in the night before (I know we have all been there) or you’re just caught at a bad time and need a little extra charge, 20-30 minutes of charging is worth a few more hours of screen time if you need it.

Another addition is the new ultrawide lens camera which allows you to capture more of the environment, creating more opportunities to capture even more of a crisp clear image with the amazing camera.

Videos are also of amazing making it very easy for me to film better quality (4k 60fps) videos while doing various physically intense activities like long boarding or running making it very easy for anyone to get into videography or photography.

The speakers are another thing to note having the ability to play a loud music in a quite room making it enjoyable listen to outside or to blast music while in the shower. As for the IOS it is as good as its ever been still loading applications at super-fast speeds making everything you do on the phone like Face ID, watching Netflix or using a heavy app as smooth as butter.

Overall, I have no complaints for this phone, it crosses everything off my list of things I want and need in a phone and goes above and beyond. This phone will easily last me years to come and I’m excited as well as satisfied.

Bought iphone 8 certified pre-own. Got the phone activated on my carrier. After a day I learn the battery was badly degraded. Went back to see if they’d replace the battery under the parts warranty for certified preown phones.

Was told I needed to pay $49. 99 for a new battery or exchange the phone for a different one. Since it was already activated on my account, I didnt want to pay another $30 to re-activate a new phone since my carrier doesnt allow SIM card transfers from one phone to the next if the phones IMEI is not registered to my account.

I would then have to pay another $30 to activate a different phone. Plus there was the risk that the replacment phone also would have a bad battery; these things are getting older. Buyers please know that there is absolutely no warranty on these preowned phones period! I ended up going somewhere else to replace the battery, less headache.

I suppose my expectations were set too high, disappointed that I spent way too much money on a used phone. But it works and I’d never buy another.

I’m actually surprised to receive this but happy to be honest. Transaction was fine although the phone was tossed in a MUCH bigger box than the phone with absolutely nothing inside the box but the charging cable.

As a result the phone knocked around for thousands of miles inside that box with no padding no tissue paper no tape no nothing and the phone got fairly scratched up because of this. Totally unprofessional and unnecessary it would’ve taken two minutes to wrap it in some tissue paper to protect it.

The phone turns on the phone turns off it accepts calls but quite frankly it looks like it’s been through World War II and the screen wasn’t even replaced in the refurbishment process. Overall Wayover priced for what you get as I’ve purchased another one through adorama that doesn’t have a single blemish and looks like it’s absolutely brand new for 10 dollars more.

As I said the phone works but it looks like ****.