Samsung Stratosphere SCH-i405 4G LTE Android Black - Verizon

I love the fact that it's a smartphone with a real QWERTY keyboard with real buttons and not just touchscreen dependent. Samsung tends to make very durable phones in my experience and this one feels like it's got just enough real weight to handle some everyday mishaps, but isn't so heavy or bulky that it feels overdone or outclassed. It's sleek and economic in my eyes, some people think it's "fat" for a phone but hey, that's because of the real button keyboard. I feel like that's an upgrade :)Visually, color is vibrant and the images crystal clear, the camera is awesome and the video is very good quality and keeps up nicely with fast things with very minimal blur or distortion. It has a very intuitive auto-light adjuster that works extremely well when I've tested it, which I find pleasantly surprising for a "lower-end" camera. The sound is sharp, crisp, and clean even at maximum volume, which is fairly loud. The pre-calibration of the touchscreen didn't require any re-calibration on mine, so it's not a hassle to fiddle with to tap the right app and such.As far as functionality, it's got everything I need, but some of those up-to-date techies are gonna find it slow and incompatible with their wants. It does everything a phone "needs" to do these days, email, google search, etc, but gaming is limited and heavy browsing is slower and less efficient than most people prefer. The apps aren't very energy-efficient on the battery or the processor, I have to clean out the RAM on it and charge it about twice or thrice a day using regular apps throughout the day, and there's a lot of new games that it just won't handle. So if you're looking for something that's going to handle intensive usage with power-hungry apps, this one isn't for you.If you're not into gaming with your phone though, this one is great for everything else, and mine came with a pre-installed mobile hotspot capability, tested to be stable at least for fifty feet, which was another huge plus.NOTE TO ANYONE WHO GETS THIS PHONE:I found out that due to some copyright infringement bullsnick between blah-blah and who-the-flip-ever, Verizon being one of these, the pre-programmed function of scrolling wallpapers on the home screens was removed via a mandatory update that's unavoidable once you get any kind of service. In Other Words, if you get this phone for Verizon (not sure about other carriers, do your own research there), you will not get a "proper scroll" on any custom wallpaper when you slide out the keyboard or turn the phone sideways for "widescreen" with the background wallpaper of your main screens. It will stupid-crop the image so that you will see the middle of the "regular" picture, same size as when you're in "standard orientation" (not "widescreen" orientation), and instead of filling out the screen, the sides will be blacked out. Scrolling wallpaper still functions properly with the default wallpapers but not with anything you download or take a picture of. I was a little disappointed in this, but it's not an error, it's a down-date.I give it five stars because it's everything I wanted and it's worth the cost. This is not a pocket-pc $800+ rocket scientist computation device, but it's not meant to be, really. It is as good as advertised and then some, it's simple enough to be easy to figure out and advanced enough to handle average daily functions without a hitch or hiccup, provided you take care of the RAM, and overall I think it outdoes itself for being "minimalist" on the smartphone end in comparison to this current era of technology.PLUS, REAL BUTTONS! :D

With technology "advancing" the way of keyboards is slowly going the way of proper hand writing. So, not being able to play pokemon go (Yes, I'm actually happy about that) I can tell my overly nerdy friends I'm honestly not able to play. As we walk the arboretums or parks, and zoo's while screaming children and nerds search for pokemon. I'm able to enjoy the sights unmarred by people standing around for ten minutes trying to get the perfect pose.The camera on this device is fairly powerful and allows me to zoom about 400% which is useful for detailed shots. The camera picture while many photographers, argue is saturated, I feel catches colors I can't see.And my final, here's why I like this! While not the quickest on the draw for receiving texts (I still get them after five minutes) The battery life can last up to 32 hours, and I can actually make clear calls on it. Aside from the battery pack heating up during a long call. I still pray and hope. This device will be usable for the next couple decades

This is my second Stratosphere I so I know its limitations. I bought this about five months ago and a little bit less for it than it is currently priced (re-furbished). If you compare it with today's phones, you will hate it. However, if you are looking for a cheap 4G phone with a keyboard and don't need to install alot of apps and games, this is an affordable option. This runs on the Verizon network so if you have unlimited data on Verizon still and are looking for a replacement 4G phone to swap a broken phone, this is one of the few options available. However, do note that Stratosphere have several known problems: the charging ports frequently malfunction so buying a second battery and external charger is essential and since accessories for this phone may not be around for much longer, I would recommend you do so at the beginning. I recommend getting a case for it as well as this phone has a slippery back on it.As other reviewers have noted, this does not have the best battery life, depending on your settings. However, I can get a full day and sometimes a day and half with the right settings. Disabling Wi-fi when not using it and disabling the "Notify me when networks are available" and disabling "auto connect" under wifi settings are some of the best ways to save battery life. Like wise, disabling bluetooth settings, disabling animation, and dimming the display and enabling power saving mode help also.The keyboard is great. One of the best on any phone I have a had on any phone. The phone itself is very sturdy but a case is recommended.It has a slot for an extermal card. You will need one = there is not enough storage space. The camera is not the best and it does not compare well with newer phones. (I had several LG feature phones before I had a blackberry and the stratosphere and both the older LG phones took far better pictures.Note that it is a verizon phone so it comes with bloatware (including an NFL app) and it is impossible to remove.It does have an task manager built in that lets you close apps and clear memory. I do so about every other day to ensure I have the most memory available. Like most smart phones, it is important that you clear out your internet data using the settings menu in the browser daily as this helps the browser run faster.It appears that cases, chargers, screen protectors and batteries are still available for this phone. I really like that it has removable batteries and an external card slot. The keyboard is simply the best - easy to use and good layout.