User Review History
GravityFails's review of the Samsung Galaxy Express
original version, submitted Jul 23, 2013, 1:40 AM:
It Starts With an Earthquake
What does it mean when one of the wireless industry's perennial prepaid tightwads introduces a phone like the Samsung Galaxy Express? That is, a phone with no creaks, no rattles, no second-rate materials, and no dim, washed out screen? With access to LTE data? Surely it's the end of the world as we know it. And I feel pretty good.
Since T-Mobile and Sprint (via Boost and Virgin) have offered decent Android handsets for their prepaid accounts for a couple of years now, and since AT&T's rate of policy change can be most accurately measured by glacial striation, it's just about time for Big A to unclench and cough up a high-quality, company-branded, relatively inexpensive prepaid smartphone that doesn't suck. The Galaxy Express is that phone.
Actually, it's more than that phone. The Express has a great build, with good quality plastic and a smooth Super AMOLED Plus screen, both of which give it a decidedly upscale flavor at a fraction of the cost -- sure, you can get a 16 GB iPhone 5 or Galaxy S 4 for less up front, but you'll be piloting a two-year contract that will set you back at least $50 more per month (including fees and taxes) than the most expensive GoPhone plan.
The LTE is reliable and faster than a greased weasel, and I appreciate the extra half inch on the screen after using the small-but-spectacular screen on the iPhone 5 for seven months. As far as gripes go, the notifications and ringtones could be a little louder, but that's really all I've got.
Pros:
Great 4.5-inch screen
Quality construction
LTE
Android 4.1.2
Not made by ZTE
Good voice quality
Impressive battery life
No mustard
Cons:
Notifications and ringtones aren't loud enough
If you're a current smartphone user with GoPhone, you've probably already sampled some of their early offerings from ZTE and Huawei, and for that I am truly sorry. But thanks to the Galaxy Express, the days of sub-par smartphones on AT&T prepaid are over.
edited Jul 23, 2013, 1:42 AM to read:
It Starts With an Earthquake
What does it mean when one of the wireless industry's perennial prepaid tightwads introduces a phone like the Samsung Galaxy Express? That is, a phone with no creaks, no rattles, no second-rate materials, and no dim, washed out screen? With access to LTE data? Surely it's the end of the world as we know it. And I feel pretty good.
Since T-Mobile and Sprint (via Boost and Virgin) have offered decent Android handsets for their prepaid accounts for a couple of years now, and since AT&T's rate of policy change can be most accurately measured by glacial striation, it's just about time for Big A to unclench and cough up a high-quality, company-branded, relatively inexpensive prepaid smartphone that doesn't suck. The Galaxy Express is that phone.
Actually, it's more than that phone. The Express has a great build, with good quality plastic and a smooth Super AMOLED Plus screen, both of which give it a decidedly upscale flavor at a fraction of the cost -- sure, you can get a 16 GB iPhone 5 or Galaxy S 4 for less up front, but you'll be piloting a two-year contract that will set you back at least $50 more per month (including fees and taxes) than the most expensive GoPhone plan.
The LTE is reliable and faster than a greased weasel, and I appreciate the extra half inch on the screen after using the small-but-spectacular screen on the iPhone 5 for seven months. As far as gripes go, the notifications and ringtones could be a little louder, but that's really all I've got.
Pros:
Great 4.5-inch screen
Quality construction
LTE
Android 4.1.2
Not made by ZTE
Good voice quality
Impressive battery life
No mustard
Cons:
Notifications and ringtones aren't loud enough
If you're a current smartphone user with GoPhone, you've probably already sampled some of their early offerings from ZTE and Huawei, and for that I am truly sorry; now, thanks to the Galaxy Express, the days of sub-par smartphones on AT&T prepaid are over.
edited Jul 23, 2013, 1:43 AM to the current version:
It Starts With an Earthquake
What does it mean when one of the wireless industry's perennial prepaid tightwads introduces a phone like the Samsung Galaxy Express? That is, a phone with no creaks, no rattles, no second-rate materials, and no dim, washed out screen? With access to LTE data? Surely it's the end of the world as we know it. And I feel pretty good.
Since T-Mobile and Sprint (via Boost and Virgin) have offered decent Android handsets for their prepaid accounts for a couple of years now, and since AT&T's rate of policy change can be most accurately measured by glacial striation, it's just about time for Big A to unclench and cough up a high-quality, company-branded, relatively inexpensive prepaid smartphone that doesn't suck. The Galaxy Express is that phone.
Actually, it's more than that phone. The Express has a great build, with good quality plastic and a smooth Super AMOLED Plus screen, both of which give it a decidedly upscale flavor at a fraction of the cost -- sure, you can get a 16 GB iPhone 5 or Galaxy S 4 for less up front, but you'll be piloting a two-year contract that will set you back at least $50 more per month (including fees and taxes) than the most expensive GoPhone plan.
The LTE is reliable and faster than a greased weasel, and I appreciate the extra half inch on the screen after using the small-but-spectacular screen on the iPhone 5 for seven months. As far as gripes go, the notifications and ringtones could be a little louder, but that's really all I've got.
Pros:
Great 4.5-inch screen
Quality construction
LTE
Android 4.1.2
Not made by Huawei
Good voice quality
Impressive battery life
No mustard
Cons:
Notifications and ringtones aren't loud enough
If you're a current smartphone user with GoPhone, you've probably already sampled some of their early offerings from ZTE and Huawei, and for that I am truly sorry; now, thanks to the Galaxy Express, the days of sub-par smartphones on AT&T prepaid are over.
