Bought to replace my BLU Studio 5.0 C HD. This is a tremendous upgrade (LTE, 12MP Camera, Android 5.0.2, etc). I use Net10 (AT&T Network) and I did have to order a NET10 nano SIM to use with this but it was only $1 on Amazon. I called NET10 and ported my number to the new SIM and it was up and running in about 1 hour. LTE is so much better than HSPA+ and this phone's octacore processor makes multitasking swift. I woke up the second day with the device and the upgrade was waiting to take me from 4.4.2 to 5.0.2. Another neat thing was when I ported my phone number, the phone automatically received the correct APN settings from NET10. I didn't have to fool around with different APN's to get my LTE and picture messaging to work.
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DISPLAY
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The display is great for a 720P. My old phone was an HD 720P display and the Super AMOLED blows it away. The color saturation might be just a bit to much but you can change that in the settings.
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Build Quality
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This is my first Samsung device so I can't compare to say another Galaxy phone, but this phone feels as rock solid as my coworkers iPhone 6. The aluminum frame feels great and the textured back feels really nice. The capacitive buttons work great and the physical buttons (Power, volume, home) are very rigid and defined. The home key is almost too hard to press but all in all it feels very nicely built. The phone is very, very light. My wife couldn't believe how light, yet sturdy it feels compared to her Galaxy S3.
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Camera
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The 12MP laser autofocus camera was my main reason for upgrading. My old phone's 8MP camera was decent but absolutely nothing compared to this one. I haven't gotten to use all the features yet but it suits me for what I need wonderfully. The front 2.1MP camera does pretty well for snapchat, etc.
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Battery
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I've only used this one day so it is hard to say since I have been on it so much more than a typical day but battery life may be a bit of a let down for some people. I, however, can charge my device all day at work when I want to, in my car, and at home so battery life isn't a dealbreaker in a phone to me.
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Sound Quality
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Call quality is a huge improvement over my old BLU phone. Ironically, I probably use this phone as a "phone" less than I do anything else. But it's nice to have great quality. The sound out of the bottom speaker is decent and doesn't sound muffled or tinny. With headphones, it sounds extremely good. I have no complaints there.
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Summary
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I am very happy with this purchase. I purchased the phone new for $284 on Amazon and it was shipped next day air with my regular Prime Shipping so that was nice. I was contemplating buying this, the LG G4, or the Galaxy S5. I personally like a smaller phone so I went with this and it happened to be about half the cost of the other options so it was a no-brainer. I would recommend this to anyone on a MVNO such as NET10.
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|__________|||||||____| Battery
|_____________|||||||_| Display
|______________|||||||| Features
|_____________|||||||_| Build Quality
|______________|||||||| Camera
|____________|||||||__| Speaker
|______________|||||||| Call Quality
|______________|||||||| Ergonomics
|______________|||||||| Processing power
|_|||||||_____________| AT&T Bloatware
|_____________|||||||_| OVERALL
| Product Dimensions | 5.21 x 0.26 x 2.58 inches |
|---|---|
| Item Weight | 4.1 ounces |
| Manufacturer | Samsung |
| ASIN | B00UCJ0IBU |
| Item model number | G850a |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Date First Available | March 6, 2015 |
