Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I rarely write reviews, I'm lazy. However, I had such a hard time finding any in-depth reviews before I bought this phone that I thought I'd provide one. This is coming from a long-time android smart-phone user. Like a lot of other people, I was sick of $200 phone bills and sick of the time suck that comes along with having a computer in your hands all day long. I decided to go back to a basic phone, and wanted something rugged. It was purchased used from another website. PROS: It is rugged. It feels tough in your hands, it has a strong hinge, and all the necessary plugs to make it water resistant. I haven't submerged it yet, but I have used it in pretty heavy rain/snow with no issues, and I've already dropped it from waist height onto asphalt with no damage. I've used it for long periods in sub 20-degree temps with no problems with the phone or the battery. The flashlight is bright and fast to activate (dedicated button). This was important to me. I use my flashlight all the time, and hated having to open an app to use the flashlight on my smart-phones. Whenever I read reviews on flip phones, they all have the same complaints: small buttons, small text, too quiet to hear. The truth is that it's mostly the shuffleboard set that is still buying basic phones. EVERYTHING is hard for them to see or hear. None of that is true with this phone. It is loud. Both the inside speaker and the two large outside speakers are the loudest I've ever had on a phone, both for in-call volume and ringer. The interface is intuitive, and the buttons are large and well laid-out. The software is quite customizable. You can assign different buttons to perform different tasks. You can adjust text sizes, colors, etc. I was able to transfer my contacts through Verizon backup assistant with no trouble. I have been able to forward my gmail to come into my phone as text messages, so no issue missing out on those "the meeting has been canceled" emails. There is also a very basic web browser (Opera Mini) where you can get the weather or news in a pinch, but that's not the point with this phone. No more pandora for me, but I installed an 8 gig micro sd card loaded with music and even a couple audio books. They work no problem and the phone has a pretty good music interface. The camera is passable. Don't expect greatness, but it is 5 mega-pixel and takes average pictures and videos. You can adjust resolution, brightness, white balance etc. but I haven't bothered. The battery life is REALLY good. I'm sure it's a combination of the battery size and the fact that I'm just not on my phone as much, but I can go three days of regular use without a charge. It is such a blessing not having to think about where I'm going to plug in throughout the day. CONS: It is big, heavy, and THICK. I was expecting some of that, but was still surprised at the sheer size of the thing. It's probably twice as thick and a good inch longer than the standard flip-phone that you see for sale at the local prepaid joint. Speaking of which, this phone is NOT able to be used through Verizon prepaid service. It has something to do with the Push-to-Talk capability. That's something that I'll never use, but it prohibits the phone from being put on the prepaid plan ($15/month). I had to attach it to our existing post-paid plan, and it looks like I'll be paying $30/month for unlimited phone and text, no data. Texting is painfully slow with the old T9 style of texting. It does have XT9, which speeds things up a bit, and I'm hoping that my speed will improve with use. There are no games but again, not an issue for me. You can download some games from a small "app store" in the phone, but they all cost money either upon download or within the game. I know it's old school, but I really wish this phone had an FM receiver. BOTTOM LINE: I really like this phone. Most of my gripes are due to the adjustment that I'm making from smart-phone to basic. I would have no problem recommending it to anyone. P.S. I've attached a couple pics with the Convoy next to an average flip phone, for comparison.