Review of the Straight Talk Samsung Galaxy Proclaim Cell Phone

My wife and I have used Straight Talk pre-paid cell phone service for a little over 2 years now and, for the most part, have loved it. We are usually on a tight budget and the $45/month per phone for unlimited voice, data and texting is perfect for us.

However, last Christmas, I bought a couple phones from Straight Talk that didn’t live up to our expectations. The phones themselves weren’t terrible. But, they used AT&T;’s towers and our reception was sub-par. In fact, the entire south side of town (where we live) was a big dead zone for us.

As a result of this, I decided to once again buy us a couple new cell phones as Christmas gifts. This time, it was the Samsung Galaxy Proclaim cell phones I found at Walmart.com for around $150. So far, I couldn’t be happier with this decision.

I bought these phones a little over a month ago and, mostly because of the problems we were having with our current phones at the time, treated them as early Christmas gifts and started using them right away. We noticed a major improvement immediately.

First, I love the fact the phones use Verizon towers. Unlike the Straight Talk phones that used AT&T; towers, these have fantastic reception. It doesn’t matter if we are in our house, at the store up the street or my basement office at work, these phones work just fine.

I also like the fact these phones offer so much more in terms of additional features and applications than our other phones did. The screen is large enough for me to watch Netflix movies off of (something I wouldn’t even attempt to do with my other phone) and I have a much larger selection of games I can download for free. I also like the selection of free books which, because of the larger screen, are easier to read. Since it is pre-paid, I’m sure there are some applications/features that aren’t available. But, so far, I haven’t found any I couldn’t live without.

My only real complaint about this phone is the battery life. I can’t go a day without needing to charge the phone and have had the battery half-dead by noon on some occasions. In comparison, the phones we owned before could go 3 or 4 days between charges. However, to be fair, because of the better signal, we also use these phones much more and that could be making the difference.

Another thing I don’t like about the phones is the screens seem to be a bit sensitive. I have accidentally brought up apps without even touching the screen. I haven’t completely read my manual yet so there’s a good chance there’s a way to adjust this. But, for now, it is a slight pain.

Overall though, I think this was a fantastic purchase. The phones aren’t perfect. But, they more than meet our needs and still fit our budget. In fact, it might be the best Christmas present we get this year.