LG Ultimate 2 L41C Android Prepaid Phone with Triple Minutes (Tracfone)

I'm returning again to Tracfone Mobile phone services after abandoning them in pursuit of Smartphones. What a disappointing venture that turned out to be! Smartphone users are being grossly overcharged, and in many cases not even getting the services being paid for. Now Tracfone has advanced into the realm of Internet phones with 3G Mobile technology, and allowing better control on how charges are incurred. If not for slapping triple minutes on all their Smartphones, I would have just as well settled for re-activating my old Motorola candy bar phone that always worked so perfectly before and didn't need data.Times change and people may have forgotten that during 100 years of recent history, telephones were actually intended to just make and receive telephone calls. That was really all they did, and the clarity was perfect! That was before they doubled down as a camera too, became an audio recording device, or served as a GPS, and then used as a remote control for operating your TV or your neighbor's garage door, took over the duties of a radio, a television, and a PC, and were then formulated with covert powers to snoop on the neighbors private lives, bank accounts, and shopping list. How long before they are necessarily packed with the duties of a light saber as well? Rather for some of us, a phone has always been more of a convenience than a necessity, and so far I have seldom ever had any need to carry such hi-tech weaponry on my person.ABOUT THAT DATAUsing a Tracfone economically is relatively easy and requires some attention to the phone's settings, which in so saying risks losing the attention span of the millennials. Regardless, having a WiFi connection available is key to accessing the Internet without using any of the available data. In contrast, when visiting the Internet while the phone is not currently connected to WiFi, then all the available data can be depleted very quickly while the Mobile data setting is switched to the ON position. It's all about this settings thing that is particular to Tracfones - best to pay attention to the settings. Make all calls with the Mobile Data setting switched to the OFF position, and that will convey a "No Touch My Data" policy to save your data for when you are away from a WiFi connection and when the phone's stored data is actually needed. You probably get what I mean.ABOUT LGThe new LG Ultimate 2 is a locked CDMA Smartphone getting excellent reviews for its performance, exceeding the abilities of any other Tracfone before it. Despite the Tracfone reputation for mediocrity, this phone is a precision instrument and will not self-destruct quickly. These smaller LG phones are proving their reliability and a scan of the specs and reviews from previous buyers should be convincing. My own comparisons are proving this phone to be exemplary in several ways, even showing a stronger Bluetooth signal than my Samsung GS5.LIFE'S GOODHere is a partial list of things to really like about the LG Ultimate 2:1. LG really did its homework in designing this phone. Perfectly sized, thin, convenient to carry and use. Super-sized hands & pockets are not necessary.2. 1.2Ghz Processor, 1GB System RAM, 8GB ROM, 32GB Max External SDCard.3. Battery is Removable, rechargeable, & replaceable4. A charged battery lasts an amazingly long time while the phone is in standby mode.5. Settings are extremely easy for monitoring and switching on/off WiFi, Bluetooth, Mobile Data, Airplane Mode, etc.6. Bluetooth connects quickly and shows excellent range.7. Fast Internet connections & excellent MP3 and video streaming.8. Faster connection thru USB to a computer allowing immediate media sync, file transfer, and battery charging.9. Even works well as a phone too, with all the same associated abilities and enhancements as other Androids!TERRIBLY SHOCKING & SHAMEFUL DISAPPOINTMENTS!1. LG Tracfone screens are NOT made of Gorilla Glass!2. The new Tracfone billing results in fewer available texts. Call minutes are separate and cannot be used for texting!3. Directing data to the SDCard is app specific and may not always be possible!THE BOTTOM LINEMaybe not as complex as the hugely popular premier phones but check out the differences in associated costs. WiFi and Android apps allow this phone to perform all the things most people love doing with their Smartphones and do so at a significantly lower cost, working perfectly for me.

I have been using Tracfone for several years now. I don't use the phone much (maybe 4-5 calls a week, couple minutes each), but do like to have e-mail, texting, and apps. Most Tracfone smart phones are scaled back versions. No internal memory (very little), and within a month or two would start getting error messages about no memory left (after I put everything I could onto the SD card). This phone has internal memory, enough to run every app that I want or need. I set a calendar reminder to go to the tracfone website to add time every few months (note, I can buy a card tax free in New Hampshire but have to pay tax if I buy it on line, so saves a tiny bit to buy in store and add to phone rather then buying it on line, but very little). Generally spend just the $19,99 every 3 months. My wife travels more, talks more and uses more data, so usually get her the low minutes package, but add on $50 worth of data every 3-6 months. If you run out of data, your texting no longer works, which is how we realized it. Tracfone has not come out with a good way to let smart fone users know how much time, minutes, data they have left, have to log into website, and it will text it to your phone.This is my 4th smartphone with Tracfone, two of theirs, plus one "Bring your own phone" and by far the best. It is probably going to be a downgrade from one of the big carriers newest phones, but makes good calls, keeps me up to date on e-mails, has a newer version of Android (maybe not the latest, but close, so all apps I have tried work fine). The nicest thing, besides not getting error messages is that I will put down the phone next to by bed at night with 90% charge, and in the morning will have 88% left! Just sitting at night, checking e-mail from Wi-fi, doing whatever phones do at night, it uses almost no power. Even moderate use, taking a couple pictures, sending some e-mails and texts, checking facebook a few times... still have plenty of battery into the evening. With lower use days, I will charge it every other day, and might still be at 30-40%. It will be outdated and replaced, but this is the first Tracfone smart phone that I felt was really decent.Note: I believe all Tracfone smartphones work on the Verizon network.