jan2012 mobilephone plans

7/31/2019 Jan2012 MobilePhone Plans

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34 consumer reports ja nu a ry 201 2

cover story

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smartphonebuy.

Which phone& plan for you?Combinations to suit a range of needs

1 yu qui nl h baiLike 34 percent o readers in our survey,you never or rarely access websites ore-mail rom your phone, which you usealmost exclusively or voice calls and,

probably, texting.Ladig i: A plan with less than450 minutes per month at a reasonableprice rom a carrier with decent readerscores. I you send and receive more than acouple o dozen text messages per monthand want to avoid overpaying à la carte,you should also consider a messagingbundle or a ree texting app (see “How tocut your phone bill,” on page 31).

Alternatively, you can opt or no plan at

all. I you’re like the 24 percent o readerswho made only one or no calls on a typicalday, consider prepaying or minutes andtexts on an as-needed basis. Tough thecost per minute or text may be relatively

high, prepaying will probably still be lessexpensive than almost all traditional plansbecause your usage will be lower than theminimum or those plans.

Whether you go traditional or prepaid,choose the provider and service rst andthe phone second—a simple ip- or slider-styled phone. Pay no more than about $50or the phone, and avoid smart phonesand so-called eature phones, ancierconventional phones sold by some carriers.

With smart phones, you must pay $15 ormore per month or a data plan, whichyou won’t need or voice calls and texting.

Svi: I you’re toward the higherend o “basic”—say, with 150 minutesor texts, or both, per month—consider

Consumer Cellular, a national carrier thatreceived our highest rating or value. Itoperates on the A& network and aims atolder users with airly basic cellular needs.

Consumer Cellular ofers short-termcontract options and bills you monthlylike a traditional cell carrier does, which isless complicated than a prepaid arrange-ment. For example, you can buy a planwith 300 minutes per month or $20,inexpensively add a second line or yourspouse ($10 per month), and get 100 textmessages (and a small data package, orchecking the Web two to our times aweek—up to 4 megabytes o data) or only$2.50 more per month. (Prices and planspecics or all plans was as o press time.)

I you’re a true cell minimalist, considerracFone, among the better prepaidcarriers in our Ratings. Its options includebuying 60 minutes o airtime or $20 thatyou can take up to three months to use, es-sentially giving you basic cell service orless than $7 per month.

Ph: With Consumer Cellular,choose the Doro PhoneEasy 410, which haslarge buttons and other eatures the carriersays make it easier or seniors to use, or theMotorola WX345, which has outstanding

battery lie. With racFone, the LG 420Galso ofers exceptional talk time (morethan 7 hours) on a battery charge.

1 yu wan ‘man up’You’re like the 18 percent o our readerswho said they don’t yet own a smart phonebut want one. You’re not stuck on gettinga big-name model with the latest eatures,you’re not yet sure how much you’ll use aphone or e-mail and other data services,and you’d happily sacrice some pizzazzor a lower monthly bill—no more than$80 per month, including voice, texting,

and data service.Ladig i: A less sophisticated,

i l l u s t r a t i o n B

Y l e o n m

u s s c h e

34-37 CELL PHONES Best Fit_Service Rate 01-12.indd 34 11/10/11 5:48:33 P



jan ua ry www.ConsumerReports.g 35

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dly icd, c a h a lw-icd cai wih dc,hgh caily , c daavic. A la ha d’ c y vay a high lvl daa dwlady igh d.

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Ag aial cai, Si’Evyhig Daa la a laivly ix-iv ad icld li $80 h (450 i ad liid daaad agig).

Ph: T BlackBy Bld 9650,availabl U.S. Cllla, i ixivad caabl. Wih Si ad Cd, valchic icld h Sag Rlih, ach cai wih a w-ya la; h a-h Raig dail.

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l. Alhgh y d’ wa vay vic, y’ willig d $100 h a, widadcvag y h.

Ladig i: A w --h-liAdid h iPh, jy hwid lci a. A cai wihaiyig daa vic, icldig aal (v liid) daa la, ha a a 4G wk.

Svic: Sadad vic (billd hly, d a cac) a ajaial cai i likly allw y g h kid h y wa.

Ag h aj cai, Vizad Si d aiyig daavic, accdig ad. Si d cically wih i SilyEvyhig la, which icld liiddaa, vic, ad x ad c $110 a h. By cai, Vizchag w c $120 liidvic ad xig wih a 2GB daa lii. Adaa hg igh d val gigaby h, which c $10 gigaby.

Ph: Ay h high-ad c-dd Viz ad Si dl a-h Raig hld i y.Ty icld h Al iPh 4S (avail-abl bh cai) ad h -ad4G dl—h Sag Galaxy S II Eic 4Gch (Si), Mla Ph 4G (Si),ad Mla Did Biic (Viz).

1 you’r buing for a crowdY’ a aily, a cl, ha akl vic call ad x, ah. Di aily b havvayig iii—ay, xig h, aig vid Dad, adbil bakig M.

Ladig i: A aily la, which ha w-hid cll-h hav, aily bca i bably avy cad wih lil igl-li acc. I y d cll li, xal, a aily la ca avhgh had i, add-a-li ic,

ad i-wk callig bw ad h kid.Svic: A aj cai ha bill

hly will giv y h wid chic vic wih aily avig. I i’availabl i y aa, U.S. Cllla vidb ha avag val, adaid. I Faily Baic la l y awih a fci lvl i aili ad add x daa— —add li.

O ad ad Si ly avag val b b ha Viz, -Mbil,ad A&. Si lili cyi i aily la ad h i liid ad ially lw-icddaa. Viz g h b x aig h aj cai. Si ad Vizid wih b daa aig ag hbig cai.

S high-ad ibilii aydiai. C Cllla wld’b a gd i aily b wihbig daa d; i la hav lw daalii ad i a-h lci ivy liid. Cd, which h Siwk, i gally xiv haSi—$25 h, xal, 1,400 1,500 i ad liidagig ad daa. S why ay ?

N-cac cai Wala FailyMbil i a ga dal i all y d iliid vic ad x; i dliv a $70 h avig v h aj a

aily wh d w li. B i daala (WbPak) i vicd a $40 gi-gaby, v i all aily b ca hai ad i d’ xi il i’ d .

Ph: Bca aily d ca bdiv, igl dl h ayb iabl vy wh will hah la; cl h Raig. Ta aid,i h d val aily ba cl gh, w-- al cadliv baial avig h.

Wha a diffrnc a fw ar makMoe th 60 pecet of edes we sveed ow ow smt phoe; most boght theis

i the pst two es. Those fcts help expli the dmtic chges i the pecetge of

edes who did the tsks below, m of which eqie smt phoe. Redes e’t

ecessil tlkig less o thei phoes; the’e sig them i lot moe ew ws.

1 Close-up

82%69%

67%40%

65%39%

15%

35%

12%

33%

2009

2011




36 consumer reports ja nu a ry

raing C- svc vSmm Rtigs, eectig ll cities sveed, i ode o ovell scoe.Dieeces i scoe o less th ve poits e ot meigl.

oiw cll-phn i

cover story Whi Ch phone & p lan for you?

5 4 3 2 1

Better Worse

Provider Reader score Servicesatisfaction

Customersupport

O r d e r

0 100

V a l u e

V o i c e

T e x t i n g

D a t a

P h o n e

S t a f f

k n o w l e d g e

I s s u e

r e s o l v e d

A STANDARD SERVICE Billed at month’s end, often under a contract.

1 Consumer Cellular 87 &Z &C — — &Z &Z &Z

2 U.S. Cellular 84 &X &Z &Z &Z &Z &Z &Z

3 Cre do 78 &C &C — — — — —

4 Verizon Wireless 73 &V &C &X &X &C &X &C

5 Spri nt 72 &C &C &C &X &C &C &C

6 T-Mobile 67 &V &V &C &C &V &C &C

7 AT&T 59 &B &B &C &V &B &C &C

B PREPAID SERVICE Billed in advance, without a contract.

1 TracFone 82 &X &C &X &C &B &V &C

2 Straight Talk 78 &X &C &C — — — —

3 T-Mobile 78 &X &C &C &C &V &C &C

4 Virgin Mobile 78 &X &C &C &C &B &V &C

5 Net10 75 &C &C — — — — —

6 Verizon Wireless 75 &C &C &C &X &B &C &C

7 Metro PCS 71 &C &V &B — — — —

8 AT&T GoPhone 67 &V &V &V &V &B &C &C

Stdd cell-phoe sevice, ivolvig bill tthe ed o the moth, is best i o wt sophisticted smt phoe d e pepedto ccept cotct. Pepid sevice, eithep-s-o-go o pls with mothl-mite

lloctio, e sll cotct-ee d oebsic phoes d simple smt phoes.

Best major carriers:

A2 U.s. cllula

A4 vizn Wil

A5 spin

These e the highest-scoig o the big sixcies o ll-eted, stdd sevice. A2 hs covege mp tht’s tiowide, bt itssevice e is limited to 26 mostl Midweststtes; it’s stdot i lmost eve espect.A4 hs edge ove A5 i textig d ikowledgeble st, bt A5 ted bette i vle.

Fine choice if a socially responsible

carrier is a priority:A3 cd

This cie, omel kow s Wokig Assets,dotes potio o its icome to socil cses.While we lcked sfciet dt to omll scoeceti ttibtes, it seems to oe stisigsevice. Reltivel high pices do’t seem to htits vle scoe.

Best choices if your phone and service

needs are fairly basic:

A1 cnum cllula

B1 taFn

These specilize i o-ills cell phoes dsevice. A1 is shot-tem cotct, stddcie imed t seios tht oes stdotcstome sevice d deqte voice sevice.B1 is pepid cie tht oes ve iexpesivepls o miiml phoe ses. A1 ses AT&T’setwok d B1 ses it with some o its phoes.The cies’ eltivel bsic phoes e’t likelto plce hev demds o its dt compoet,which AT&T cstomes od to be wek poit.

Best prepaid values:

B1 taFn

B2 saigh talk

B3 t-Mbil

B4 vigin Mbil

These cies, whose ovell scoes e ot

meigll dieet, opete o mo cieetwoks (see the cell-phoe Rtigs, opge 40), ote o less. The pe-mite cost o B1 is ostesibl high, bt doble- o tiple-mites-o-lie cds ct tht ccodigl, dvle-pl mites e esobl piced. B2 oes limited voice, text messges, d Webccess o $45 pe moth. B3 lets o bpimil wht o wt with pls emphsizigmostl dt, text, o tlk. B4 sells Beod Tlklimited Web, tlk, d text o mkedl lessth pet comp Spit’s Simpl Evethig.

t-Mbil allw u bu phn in w waCosmes with cell-phoe cotcts hvelog pid o “ee” o deepl discotedphoes thogh hidde mothl ees biltito thei oe- to two-e sevice cotcts.Those ees ivibl cotie eve te thephoe hs bee pid o.

T-Mobile hs dded tspec wheit comes to those ees, d it hs doe soi w tht sves moe. I o b ew phoe with oe o the cie’s Vle

pls, which e low-piced vesios o itsClssic pls, o mke dow pmetpls mothl istllmet o $3 to $15 top bck the ll etil pice o the phoe.The ee is i dditio to the mothlsevice ee d is imposed o 20 moths.

Thogh tht might sod ppelig,it’s positive i two ws: The Vle plse piced so low tht o totl mothlbill is sll less th with the mtchigClssic pl, eve with the dded phoe

ee. Ad the bill becomes lowe oce the20-moth pbck peiod eds d the eeis emoved.

Tht c spell sigict svigs. Whewe the mth o the HTC mToch 4GSlide, compig idividl two-e plswith limited tlk d text d 2 gigbteso dt, the Vle pl ws $200 less ththe Clssic pl ove two es d lmost$500 less ove thee es. Those totls

iclde the p-ot cost o the phoe ($200with the Vle pl, $250 with the Clssic)d the Vle-pl phoe time pmets.

Bottom line. Compig the Vled Clssic pls d phoe pices c becomplicted. Bt we thik it might be woththe eot, especill o people who keep phoe pst the cotct’s expitio dte.

T-Mobile’s tspec is welcomestep towd moe stightowd dhoest ppoch to cell-phoe picig.





ratings Cell service by cityI ode o ede scoe, withi 22 metopolit es. Dieeces i ede scoe o less th six poits e ot meigl.

Guide to the ratings

5 4 3 2 1

Better Worse

Prvider Reader scre Ser vice

0 100

V o i c e

T

e x t i n g

D a t a

HoUSToN

Verizon 77 &Z &X &C

Sprint 71 &C &C &C

T-Mobile 69 &C &C &V

AT&T 59 &B &C &B

KANSAS CITy

Sprint 79 &Z &C &X

Verizon 74 &X &C &C

T-Mobile 68 &V &C —

AT&T 66 &C &C &V

LoS ANGELES

Verizon 73 &X &C &C

Sprint 69 &C &C &C

T-Mobile 67 &V &V &V

AT&T 56 &B &V &B

MIAMI

Verizon 74 &X &X &C

Sprint 74 &X &C &C

T-Mobile 70 &C — &C

AT&T 61 &C &C &V

MILWAUKEE

U.S. Cellular 85 &Z &Z &Z

Verizon 74 &X &C &C

AT&T 60 &V &C &B

MINNEAPoLIS-ST. PAULT-Mobile 73 &C &C &C

Sprint 71 &X &C &C

Verizon 71 &X &C &C

AT&T 60 &C &C &B

NEW yoRK

Verizon 71 &X &C &C

Sprint 69 &V &C &V

T-Mobile 66 &V &V &B

AT&T 57 &B &V &B

Prvid er Reader scre Ser vice

0 100

V o i c e

T

e x t i n g

D a t a

ATLANTA

Verizon 74 &X &X &C

Sprint 74 &C &C &C

T-Mobile 70 &V &V &V

AT&T 56 &B &V &B

AUSTIN, TExAS

T-Mobile 74 &C &C —

Sprint 72 &X &C &C

Verizon 72 &X &X &C

AT&T 61 &V &C &B

BoSToN

T-Mobile 70 &C &V &V

Verizon 69 &C &C &C

Sprint 68 &C &C &C

AT&T 60 &B &V &B

CHICAGo

U.S. Cellular 84 &Z — —

Verizon 73 &X &C &C


Sprint 68 &C &C &V

AT&T 55 &B &V &B

DALLAS-FoRT WoRTH

Verizon 76 &Z &X &X

Sprint 73 &X &C &C

T-Mobile 69 &C — —

AT&T 65 &C &C &V

DENVER

Sprint 72 &C &C &C

Verizon 72 &X &C &C

T-Mobile 66 &V &C &B

AT&T 56 &B &V &B

DETRoIT

Verizon 73 &X &X &C

Sprint 67 &C &C &V

AT&T 63 &V &V &B

Prvider Read er scre Ser vice

0 100

V o i c e

T e x t i n g

D a t a

PHILADELPHIA

Verizon 71 &X &C &C

Sprint 71 &C &C &C

T-Mobile 66 &V &B —

AT&T 63 &V &C &V

PHoENIx

Verizon 76 &Z &X &C

Sprint 71 &C &C &C


AT&T 62 &C &C &V

SAN DIEGo

Verizon 74 &X &C &C

Sprint73

&C &C &CT-Mobile 72 &C &C —

AT&T 60 &B &V &B

SAN FRANCISCo

Verizon 73 &X &X &C

Sprint 71 &C &C &C

T-Mobile 69 &C &C &C

AT&T 53 &B &V &B

SEATTLE

Verizon 72 &X &C &C

Sprint 72 &C &C &C

T-Mobile 71 &C &C &C

AT&T 59 &V &V &B

ST. LoUIS

Sprint 74 &X &C &C

Verizon 73 &X &X &C

AT&T 64 &C &C &B

TAMPA, FLA .

Sprint 74 &X &C &C

Verizon 73 &X &X &C

T-Mobile 71 &C &C —

AT&T 67 &C &C &V

WASHINGToN, D.C.

Sprint 73 &C &C &C

Verizon 71 &X &C &C

T-Mobile 70 &C — —

AT&T 60 &B &V &B

Rtigs e bsed o esposes om 66,315 CosmeRepots.og sbscibeswith cell-phoe sevice sveed i Septembe 2011. I the oeall ratngs,

standad cstomes sid the eceive bill te ech moth o sevice; pepad

cstomes sid the pep o sevice s eeded. While some povides moe oe o both tpes o sevice, ol povides o which we hd sfciet dto the specied tpe e iclded i the tble. The ratngs by cty show llpovides with sfciet dt i ech locle, icldig stdd d pepidcstomes. I some cses, cies whose sevice is vilble i ceti cities mot be ted o them. I both chts, “—” idictes isfciet dt. reade

scoe ees to how espodets ted thei ovell stisctio with theicell-phoe sevice d is ot limited to the ctos ted. A scoe o 100 woldme ll espodets wee completel stised; 80 ve stised, o vege;

60, il well stised. voce scoes e bsed o the vege eqec o poblems (o sevice, dopped clls, cll iled, sttic); textng eects thepecet who did ot expeiece poblems (difclt sedig messges,messge did ot ive, messge ived mch-deled). Scoes o voice dtextig ee to poblems i the pst week, e dsted o eqec o se dphoe tpe (smt vs. ete), d e eltive (eectig dieeces om thevege o ll povides i ll es). The ollowig eect me scoes o scleo “Ve poo” to “Excellet”: alue o moe, stisctio with data sevice,ese d speed o echig sppot st thogh the phone sstem, dsppot staf knowledge. issue esoled eects the pecetge who sidthei isse ws stisctoil esolved i timel me, d those Rtigs eeltive s well. Fidigs might ot eect the geel U.S. popltio.




Guid h Raing

Raing Sma sIn perormance order, by carrier. (Carriers listed in order o user satisaction.)

coveR stoRy beSt phoneS & Service

oriw smar phnB1 Samsung

Galaxy S II

Epic 4G Touch

A1 Motorola

Droid Bionic

A5 Apple

iPhone 4S

Overall score is based mainly on display, ease o use, voice quality, phoning, messaging, Web browsing, camera,and battery lie. Display score considers size, resolution, and readability in various lighting. Ease of use mainlyconsiders how easy it is to access eatures and modes, such as phoning, messaging, Web browsing, and camera.We also evaluate programmable shortcuts and touch screens. Voice quality considers listening and talking innoisy and quiet environments. Phoning considers step-saving unctions or making and receiving calls, includinghands-ree capabilities. We judged keypad readability in various lighting. Messaging mainly assesses keyboardergonomics, e-mail readability, attachment and corporate capabilities, text-messaging eatures, and accessing

Brand & model Price Overall score Test results Features

R e c .

R a n k Similar models are

listed in small type withtheir price.

A v a i l a b l e a s

p r e p a i d

0 100

P | F | G | VG | E

D i s p l a y

E a s e o f u s e

V o i c e q u a l i t y

P h o n i n g

M e s s a g i n g

W e b b r o w s i n g

C a m e r a

B a t t e r y l i f e

D i s p l a y

s i z e ( i n . )

C a m e r a

( m e g a p i x e l s )

B r o a d b a n d

4 G d a t a

A VERIZON This carrier was among the more satisfying in almost all cities in our survey.

nd 1 Motorola Droid Bionic $300 77 &Z &Z &V &X &Z &Z &X &C 4.3 8.0f •

nd 2 HTC ThunderBolt 150 74 &Z &Z &C &X &Z &Z &X &C 4.3 8.0f •

nd 3 LG Revolution 200 73 &Z &Z &V &X &Z &Z &C &C 4.3 5.0f •

nd 4 Samsung Droid Charge 200 73 &Z &Z &V &X &Z &Z &C &V 4.3 8.0f •

nd 5Apple iPhone 4S (16GB)(32GB), $300; (64GB), $400

200 73 &Z &Z &C &X &X &X &X &X 3.5 8.0f

nd 6 Motorola Droid 3 200 • 73 &Z &Z &V &X &X &X &X &X 4.0 8.0

nd 7 Motorola Droid X2 100 • 73 &Z &Z &C &X &X &X &X &X 4.3 8.0f

8 Apple iPhone 4 (8GB) 100 71 &Z &Z &C &X &X &X &X &X 3.5 5.0f

nd 9 HTC Droid Incredible 2 150 • 70 &X &Z &V &X &X &X &C &C 4.0 8.0f

nd 10 Casio G'zOne Commando 50 69 &X &Z &C &X &X &X &C &Z 3.6 5.0f

nd 11Sony Ericsson XperiaPlay

50 • 67 &X &Z &V &C &X &X &C &X 4.0 5.0f

nd 12 BlackBerry Bold 9930 250 • 65 &C &Z &V &X &X &X &C &C 2.8 4.9f

13 HTC Trophy 30 62 &X &X &V &X &X &X &C &C 3.8 5.0f

B SPRINT This carrier was among the more satisfying in almost all cities in which it was rated in our survey.

nd 1Samsung Galaxy S II Epic4G Touch

200 76 &Z &Z &C &X &Z &Z &X &C 4.5 8.0f •

nd 2 Motorola Photon 4G 200 76 &Z &Z &C &X &Z &Z &C &C 4.3 8.0f •

nd3 Samsung Epic 4G 100 73 &Z &Z &C &X &Z &Z &V &C 4.0 4.9f •

nd 4 HTC Evo 3D 200 73 &Z &Z &V &X &Z &Z &C &C 4.3 4.9f •

nd 5Apple iPhone 4S (16GB)32GB, $300; 64GB, $400

200 73 &Z &Z &C &X &X &X &X &X 3.5 8.0f

nd 6 HTC Evo 4G 100 71 &Z &Z &C &X &X &Z &V &C 4.3 8.0f •

7 Apple iPhone 4 (8 GB) 100 71 &Z &Z &C &X &X &X &X &X 3.5 5.0f

nd 8 Samsung Nexus S 4G 100 70 &Z &Z &C &X &X &Z &C &C 4.0 4.9f •

nd 9 BlackBerry Torch 9850 150 67 &X &Z &C &X &X &X &C &C 3.7 4.9f

nd 10 Samsung Conquer 4G* 100 66 &X &Z &C &X &X &Z &C &C 3.5 3.1f •

11 Motorola XPRT 100 64 &C &X &C &X &X &X &C &X 3.1 5.0f

12 HTC Arrive 200 61 &X &X &C &X &X &X &C &V 3.6 5.0f

13 Samsung Replenish* 0 59 &C &X &C &X &X &X &C &C 2.8 1.9

CT-MOBILE This carrier was among the more satisfying in about half of the cities in which it wasrated in our survey.

nd 1 Samsung Galaxy S II 230 • 79 &Z &Z &C &X &Z &Z &X &X 4.5 8.0f •

nd 2 Samsung Galaxy S 4G 100 • 78 &Z &Z &C &X &Z &Z &X &Z 4.0 4.9 •

nd 3 HTC Amaze 4G 260 • 77 &Z &Z &C &X &Z &Z &X &C 4.3 8.0f •

Many o the tested phones are fne choices

that we recommend. Those below stand

out or the reasons noted.

Best choices for Verizon:

A1 Mrla Dd b $300

A2 Htc tudbl $150A3 LG rlu $200

A4 samung Dd cag $200

Compatible with Verizon’s 4G network (LTE),these phones have ront-acing cameras andtake HD video. A2’s video rivals that o thebetter HD pocket camcorders. A1 has one o the sharpest displays we’ve seen. Thedisplays on A3 and A4 have excellentreadability, even in bright light.

Best choices for Sprint:

B1 samung Galaxy S ii e 4G tu $200

B2 Mrla p 4G $200

B3 samung e 4G $100

B4 Htc e 3D $200

These models run on Sprint’s 4G network(WiMAX). All have ront-acing cameras andcan record HD video. B1’s huge 4.5-inchdisplay provides excellent readability inbright light; the displays on B2 and B4 areamong the sharpest in our Ratings. B3 has aclearly labeled, well-spaced physicalkeyboard with fve rows o keys. B4 cancapture photos and videos in 3D.

Best choices for T-Mobile:

c1 samung Galaxy S ii $230

c2 samung Galaxy S 4G $100

c3 Htc Amaz 4G $260

c4 t-Mbil G2x $0

These 4G models have ront-acing camerasand can record HD video. C1has a huge 4.5-inchdisplay. It has excellent readability, even in brightlight; so does C2’s display.C4’scamera is amongthe best, producing very good photos and video.

Best choices for AT&T:

D1 samung Galaxy S ii $200

D2 samung ifus 4G $100

D3 LG tll 4G 4 $100

All o these 4G-capable phones can record HDvideo and have ront-acing cameras. D2’s 4.5-inch display has excellent readability,even in bright light; so does D1’s. D3 takes 3Dphotos and videos.

If you want an iPhone:

A5, B5, D4 Appl p 4S $200

This is a great choice or Verizon, Sprint, andAT&T, as are the Android models below.Besides a super-sharp screen, the iPhone 4Shas a ront-acing camera and a voice-activated assistant, Siri, that responds tocommands and questions. Its camera isamong the best, with video quality rivalingthat o the better HD pocket camcordersand very good photos. What the 4S doesn’thave is the reception problem o theiPhone 4. Only the AT&T version, D4, has 4G.

38-40 CELL PHONES Ratings 01-12.indd 38 11/10/11 8:43:44 P




C3 HTC

Amaze 4G

D3 LG

Thrill 4G

D2 Samsung

Infuse 4G

dRecommended

5 Excellent 4 Very good 3 Good 2 Fair 1 Poor

pplictios while o cll. Web browsing mil ssesses bowse cpbilities, icldig mltitoch, Flsh video,

lik selectig, d the phoe’s bilit to hdle moe th oe bowse d mltiple Web pges. It lso cosides dt

coectios, sch s 3G, 4G, d Wi-Fi. Camera cosides still-picte qlit d shtte lg, etes, d messgig

cpbilities; i camera (megapixels) colm, “” idictes sh. Battery lifews tested de stog d wek

cell-etwok sigls d while peomig vios tsks. Broadband “4G” data idictes models cosideed 4G bsed

o cies’ deitios. Price is bsed o two-e cotct i Octobe 2011 om the idicted cies, icldig

ebtes. Scoes m dife om pst Rtigs de to pdtes to o testig d chges i phoe mwe.

Brand & model Price Overall score Test results Features

R e c .

R a n k Similar models are

listed in small type withtheir price.

A v a i l a b l e a s

p r e p a i d

0 100

P | F | G | VG | E

D i s p l a y

E a s e o f u s e


P h o n i n g

M e s s a g i n g

W e b b r o w s i n g

C a m e r a

B a t t e r y l i f e

D i s p l a y

s i z e ( i n . )

C a m e r a


B r o a d b a n d

4 G d a t a

C T-MOBILE continued

nd 4 T-Mobile G2x $ 0 • 76 &X &Z &C &X &Z &Z &X &X 4.0 8.0f •

nd 5 HTC Sensation 4G 200 • 75 &Z &Z &C &X &Z &Z &X &X 4.3 8.0f •

nd 6 T-Mobile Sidekick 4G 80 • 75 &X &Z &C &X &Z &Z &C &Z 3.5 3.1 •

nd 7 T-Mobile myTouch 4G 100 • 74 &X &Z &C &X &X &Z &C &Z 3.8 5.1f •

nd 8 HTC myTouch 4G Slide 200 • 73 &X &Z &C &X &Z &Z &X &C 3.7 8.0f •

nd 9 Motorola Cliq 2 100 • 73 &X &Z &C &X &X &Z &X &X 3.7 5.0f

nd 10 Samsung Nexus S 0 72 &Z &Z &C &X &X &Z &C &X 4.0 4.9f

nd 11 BlackBerry Bold 9900 4G 300 • 69 &C &Z &C &X &X &Z &C &C 2.8 4.9f •

nd 12 HTC myTouch 3G Slide 50 • 65 &C &Z &C &X &X &X &C &C 3.4 5.1f

nd 13 HTC HD7 100 • 65 &Z &X &C &X &X &X &C &V 4.3 5.0f

14 HTC Wildfire S 0 • 64 &C &Z &C &X &X &X &C &C 3.2 5.1f

15 BlackBerry Bold 9780 110 • 63 &C &X &V &X &Z &X &C &X 2.4 5.0f

D AT&TThis carrier scored the lowest in satisfaction in almost all cities in our survey.

nd 1 Samsung Galaxy S II 200 80 &Z &Z &C &X &Z &Z &X &Z 4.3 8.0f •

nd 2 Samsung Infuse 4G 100 80 &Z &Z &C &X &Z &Z &X &Z 4.5 8.0f •

nd 3 LG Thrill 4G 100 77 &Z &Z &C &X &X &Z &C &Z 4.3 5.0f •

nd 4Apple iPhone 4S (16GB)(32GB), $300; (64GB), $400

200 75 &Z &Z &C &X &X &Z &X &X 3.5 8.0f •

nd 5 Motorola Atrix 4G 100 75 &Z &Z &C &X &X &Z &C &Z 4.0 5.0f •

nd 6 HTC Inspire 4G 100 74 &Z &Z &C &X &Z &Z &C &C 4.3 4.9 •

7 Apple iPhone 4 (8GB) 100 73 &Z &Z &C &X &X &X &X &X 3.5 4.9f

nd 8 Samsung Captivate 0 • 73 &Z &Z &C &X &Z &X &C &X 4.0 3.1

nd 9 BlackBerry Torch 9810 50 71 &X &Z &C &X &Z &Z &C &C 3.2 5.0f •

nd 10 Apple iPhone 3G S 0 69 &X &Z &C &X &X &X &C &C 3.5 5.0f

nd 11 BlackBerry Torch 9800 30 66 &X &Z &V &X &Z &X &C &C 3.2 3.1

nd 12 HTC HD7S 100 • 65 &Z &X &C &X &X &X &C &V 4.3 4.9f

13 LG Phoenix 0 • 64 &C &X &C &X &X &X &C &X 3.2 3.1f

14 Samsung Focus 50 • 63 &X &X &C &X &X &X &C &C 4.0 3.1

15 LG Quantum 50 • 62 &X &X &C &X &X &X &C &C 3.5 5.1f

16 Pantech Crossover 0 • 62 &C &X &V &C &X &X &X &C 3.0 5.1

17 HTC Status 0 • 61 &C &X &C &X &X &X &C &C 2.6 1.9f

18 HP Veer 4G 0 60 &C &X &C &X &X &Z &C &C 2.5 5.1 •

19 Palm Pixi Plus 0 • 56 &C &X &C &C &X &X &C &C 2.6 1.9f

*Available from Credo Mobile, which uses the Sprint network.

overview ninuedThe models below, withot lette-mbe

codes, e o smlle cies ot i the

Rtigs.

Fine choice for Consumer Cellular:Mrlabao $165

This eltivel lightweight phoe hs high-esoltio 3.7-ich displ d

decet 3.1-megpixel cme. Bt it lcks

the hd sech ke od o most

Adoid phoes.

Fine choices for Credo Mobile:samung conqu 4G $80This e Adoid phoe hs 3.5-ich

displ d decet 3.1-megpixel cme.

samung rlnsh $30This Adoid phoe hs smllish 2.8-ich

displ, ti phsicl kepd, d decet

1.9-megpixel cme.

Fine choices for U.S. Cellular:Mrla elfy $200A 3G siblig o the high-ted Motool

Photo 4G i the Rtigs.

HtcMg $150This Adoid model hs 3.8-ich displ

d slide-ot kebod.

Fine choices for BlackBerry users:BlakBerry toh 9850 $200 (U.S. cllula)Like ewe BlckBes, this hs toch-

scee displ, the lgest we’ve see t

3.7 iches, bt lcks the sl phsicl

kebod.

BlakBerry Syl 9670 $100 (cdo Mol)A pocket-iedl phoe with ve good

5.0-megpixel cme d 2.7-ich displ.

BlakBerry bold 9650 $130 (U.S. cllula)This model hs smllish 2.4-ich displ.

BlakBerry cu 3G 9330 $0 (cdo Mol)This phoe hs smllish 2.4-ich displ

d decet 1.9-megpixel cme.

BlakBerry cu 8530 (MopcS, $150; vgn

Mol, $180)This model hs smllish 2.4-ich displ.

Fine choices for Virgin Mobile:

Mrla tumh $300This hs lge 4.1-ich displ bt does’t

let o view Wod d Excel les ot o the

box, s o c with most Adoid phoes.

samung in $100This Adoid phoe hs slide-ot kebod

d 3.2-ich displ.

Fine choice for Walmart FamilyMobile:Mrla clq Xt $200This Adoid phoe hs 3.1-ich displ

d cstomizble Motobl itece

tht liks elted pplictios o the home

scee.




40 consumer reports jan ua ry 0

coveR stoRy beSt phoneS & Service

oriw cll phn

A4Samsung

Rugby II

5 Excellent 4 Very good 3 Good 2 Fair 1 Poor

This Rtigs compises models vilble

mil withot cotct, gemet

we thik is sitble o m people who se

cell phoe. Most models e vilble with

pepid sevice d e listed with the pepid

pice. Howeve, Cosme Celll’s phoese ofeed with stdd (billed) sevice with

shot-tem cotct. M phoes listed o

AT&T d Veizo e vilble with cotct

o less th the pepid pice show. We’ve

idetied phoes below tht hve specil

sitbilit o some ses.

For long battery life:c2 Mrla WX345 (csum cllula) $0

D1 LG 420G (Sag talk) $30

e1 samung Gay tXt (t-Ml) $140

F1 LG 420G (taF) $20

F2 samung t301G (taF) $20

H1 LG rum tu (vg Ml) $100

All o these phoes hve ve good o excelletbtte lie d shold ofe tlk timespwd o 5 hos o chge.

If simplicity is paramount:

c1 Dr peasy 410 (csum cllula) $25

This phoe hs big bttos d othe eteso es opetio, sch s emegec-cllete tht lets mil membes.

Tops for texting:

B2 san iud (bs) $130

G2 LG oa (vz) $250

H1 LG rum tu (vg Ml) $100

Exceptiol kebods mke this tio tops

o textig. Also coside o with vegood kebods: the A2 Ptech Impct,B1 Smsg Seek, E1 Smsg Gvit TXT, dG1 LG Cosmos Toch.

For toughness:

A4 samung rugy ii (At&t Gp) $230

This ggedl bilt phoe is desiged towithstd hsh coditios.

Guid h RaingThese phoes wee ssessed o ol two ke ttibtes, so thee is o ovellscoe; models e listed lphbeticll withi cies. Voice quality cosideslisteig d tlkig i ois d qiet eviomets. Battery life epesetstests de stog d wek cell-etwok sigls, icldig btte cosmptiopeomig vios tsks. Display size is digol, i iches. Touch screens eo the sigle-toch tpe, except o A1, which is mltitoch d so lets o pich

to zoom i o ot o Web pges o photos. Voice command llows diligom the phoe cotcts b spekig me o b sig digits, withottiig the phoe. Peset messges e texts tht c be cstomized oselected om list. Price is pepid withot cotct; some phoes m lsobe vilble with postpid pls (d ote cotcts) om AT&T, CosmeCelll, T-Mobile, d Veizo.

Brand & model Price Testreslts

Featres


B

a t t e r y l i f e

D i s p l a y ( i n . )

C a m e r a


T o u

c h s c r e e n

V i r t u a l

P h y s i c a l

V o i c e

c o m m a n d

P r e s e t

m e s s a g e s

A AT&T GOPHONE These use AT&T’s network.

1 HTC FreeStyle $270 &C &C 3.2 3.1 • • •

2 Pantech Impact 200 &C &C 2.6 1.9 • •

3 Pantech Link 60 &C &C 2.4 1.3 • •

4 Samsng Rugby II 230 &C &X 2.2 1.9 • •

5 Samsng Solstice II 180 &C &C 3.0 1.9 • • • •

6 Samsng Strive 120 &V &V 2.6 1.9 • •

B BOOST These use Sprint's network.

1 Samsng Seek⁄ 80 &C &C 2.6 1.2 • • •

2 Sanyo Innuendo 130 &C &V 2.8 3.1 • • • •

C CONSuMER CELLuLAR These use AT&T's network.

1 Doro PhoneEasy 410 25 &C &C 2.0 NA

2 Motorola WX345 0 &C &Z 1.7 1.9 •

⁄Also available with standard (billed) service from Credo Mobile, which uses the Sprint network.€Tested on AT&T network; can be used on T-Mobile network with a different SIM card.

Keyboard

F1 LG420G

C1 DoroPhoneEasy

410

B2 SanyoInnuendo

E1 SamsungGravity TXT

Raing cll sI lphbeticl ode, withi cies.

Brand & model Price Testreslts

Featres


B

a t t e r y l i f e

D i s p l a y ( i n . )

C a m e r a


T o u

c h s c r e e n

V i r t u a l

P h y s i c a l

V o i c e

c o m m a n d

P r e s e t

m e s s a g e s

D STRAIGHT TALk This uses AT&T’s network.

1 LG 420G 30 &C &Z 1.8 0.3 •

E T-MOBILE These use T-Mobile’s network.

1 Samsng Gravity TXT 140 &C &X 2.4 1.9 • • •

2 Samsng Smiley t359 50 &C &C 2.6 1.2 • •

F TRACFONE These use AT&T's network.

1 LG 420G 20 &C &Z 1.8 0.3 •

2 Samsng T301G€ 20 &X &X 2.0 0.3 •

G VERIZON These use Verizon’s network.

1 LG Cosmos Touch 210 &V &C 2.8 1.2 • • • •

2 LG Octane 250 &V &C 2.6 3.1 • • •

H VIRGIN MOBILE This uses Sprint's network.

1 LG Rumor Touch 100 &C &X 3.0 1.9 • • • •

Keyboard




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