ZTE Altair (2nd Gen) 3G QWERTY Keyboard Phone - GSM Unlocked

First, let me say that I am not a techy person and I use my Kindle Fire with my ATT data plan. I didn't want a smart phone. Something went wrong with my ATT LG and I was still under contract with ATT so I came here to find an unlocked replacement. First I bought the Pantec P7040 Link. I was very disappointed with this phone, so many things that it couldn't do (see review of it elsewhere) But I just thought I'd suck it up until I could get another freebie with ATT. Luckily, the port was messed up so it became very difficult to charge only three weeks after I bought it and I was able to return it. Then I bought this phone to replace it. So many good things about it. The phone book is better than any phone I have owned. For example,if you accidentally miss pressing the first digit that you are calling but hit the next 3 or 4 digits, it pulls up and lists ANY number that has those 3 or 4 digits in a row. All of my other phones just would read "No such contact" or something to the like and you had to reenter the number. This phone was very easy to pair with the Sync feature in my Ford Escape, works great. The alarm function is much better than any others I've had too. The Pantec would only allow me to set a certain time alarm for "Once", "Mon - Fri" "Fri-Sun" or "Everyday". I work M, W, Th and get up at 4:00 a.m. so this was a serious limitation for me. This phone can be customized very easily. It is also of putting out the LOUDEST alarm that I have ever heard. I am a very light sleeper. So light that I wear earplugs and have a noise machine cranked up so I can't hear a pin drop. This works great but some phones aren't loud enough to overpower the loud noise and my blocked ears. This one does it easily. Shortcuts work well. Messaging is easy. I will say that the one downside is that the buttons are very small. This doesn't matter to me since I am very small, but a larger person may have trouble with the keys.If you don't care about all the bells and whistles of the smart phones and just want a very good phone with pretty good features that are easy to use for little money, this one is for you. I love it. If ATT offered me another phone for free right now to re-up with them, I would decline.

I bought this phone & after about 3 weeks it stopped working properly. Callers could not hear me when using the headset or normal (non-speaker) option. So I had to have all conversations on speaker phone. Thankfully I was still within the 30 day return period & had no issues with returning the item. Because I really liked the phone & it was perfect for what I need (talk & text) only I decided to return it for the exact same phone. Hoping it was just that particular phone with issues. Dumb decision because just after the 30 days return period the replacement phone did the same thing & just stopped working expect through the "speaker" option. I would not recommend buying the phone, although it looks great & has great options for not being a Smart Phone it was a waste of money (having to pay for shipping rates to return it twice) & a hassle to look for another phone.

Nowadays it's hard to find a 3G feature phone that's NOT touchscreen. I prefer a non-touchscreen UI unless I am getting an iPhone/Android/Microsoft phone whose touchscreens are far superior. Since I'm not prepared to pay for an expensive data plan I got the ZTE Z431. The only thing I can say about it is that it all its functions work (except for the AT&T AppCenter which was recently discontinued). The buttons are tactile that I can feel them without having to look at them. Menus are easily customizable. Lastly, the phone doesn't accidentally pocket dial my boss on a Saturday night while I'm out at the bar.The reason why only 3 stars is because 1) You are somewhat limited in customizing the menu. I would like to add certain submenus to my custom menu, but it won't let me. 2) Music sound quality is simply poor overall. There are equalizer presets to help with this, but it still doesn't sound that great. 3) Bluetooth audio is just AWFUL. With my old phone I could connect to my car stereo's BT to listen to my music. The BT audio quality of this phone is so bad that it makes AM radio appear better. I believe this is due to poorly written software. BT audio streaming should work as if you were running a Line-out to your stereo. Instead, streaming appears to function the same way as you would connect earphones. The phone lets you adjust the volume & program the EQ during BT streaming. BT IS NOT SUPPOSED TO WORK THIS WAY.Conclusion: If you don't intend to use Bluetooth or listen to your music at all on this phone, then you will be happy with it. If you do want to listen to music then get a different phone.

When it comes to plain vanilla phones, the ZTE Z431 is hard to beat. Although it's capable of 'smart' phone functions, I use it as a basic phone and it's excellent for both voice and text communication. As someone who avoids texting and the multiple keystrokes that are usually involved, the Z431's QWERTY keyboard makes texting easy and fast. The price makes is right for a phone that fits the bill and gets the job done. I bought an unlocked model because I travel internationally and it allows me to use a GSM SIM card from both US and foreign national cell service providers. I now carry one phone (and three SIMs) instead of three phones... a great cost and space savings. I'd recommend the Z431 to anyone looking for a good basic phone and would buy another if mine were lost or damaged.