Plain old cell phones are getting harder to come by, even on contract-free carriers like Virgin Mobile. But not everyone is ready for a smartphone. If you're content to talk, text, and not do much else, the $49.99 Samsung Montage from Virgin Mobile is a pretty good deal. It's a simple feature phone with a decent slide-out QWERTY keyboard. It doesn't have 3G, and its feature set is pretty limited, but it'll keep you connected with an inexpensive payLo plan.
Virgin Mobile Differences and Conclusions
It has a different name, but the Montage is the same phone as the?Samsung Array?we reviewed over on Boost Mobile. For a closer look at the phone, read our review of that phone and check out the slideshow below. It's the same device, and since both Boost and Virgin run on Sprint's network, we expect it to perform similarly.
The difference is in the plans: Boost offers unlimited talk and text plans for just $45 per month, and you don't have to sign a contract. For every six months you pay your bill on time, your monthly fee reduces by $5, until you reach $30 per month.
Virgin Mobile is also contract-free. The Array is available with payLo plans that start at $20 per month for 400 minutes, to $30 per month for 1500 minutes, 1500 text messages, and 30MB of data, or $40 per month for unlimited talk, text, and 50MB of data. Since you're getting the same phone in either scenario, go with the carrier whose plan better suits your needs.
The Samsung Montage is a better phone than the keyboarded Kyocera S2300, which has shorter battery life and a terrible camera. We haven't reviewed the Samsung M575 yet, but it looks to be the spitting image of the Samsung Restore. In that case, it should perform similarly to the Montage, though 3G support means it will hit faster data speeds. If you're willing to step up to a smartphone, the Kyocera Rise? is the best keyboarded smartphone available on Virgin right now, though it's not Virgin's best smartphone in general. Still, you'll be getting a bigger touch-screen display, a better camera, more multimedia capabilities, and access to hundreds of thousands of apps.?
More Cell Phone Reviews:
??? Samsung Montage (Virgin Mobile)
??? ZTE Warp Sequent (Boost Mobile)
??? ZTE Anthem 4G (MetroPCS)
??? Samsung Galaxy Rush (Boost Mobile)
??? Apple iPhone 5 (AT&T)
?? more
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/dUqce72wM0c/0,2817,2410773,00.asp
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