Most Popular Categories Right Now
Tracfone has been around since 1996, offering a “pay-as-you-go” mobile phone service. You can pay for service for as many months as you like, and it entitles you to a certain number of minutes and Internet use. Tracfone customers enjoy the convenience of not having to pay any additional activation or cancellation fees. And if you don’t use up your quota of minutes one month, it carries over to the next month.
Originally, they sold phones that could only be used with Tracfone as their provider--and even the Tracfone SIM card could only be used in Tracfone’s phones. But, fortunately, since 2013, Tracfone now makes a SIM that is compatible with other phones as well. That means that you have a lot more options as to which phone to use, with the Tracfone service. You can also keep your current phone, and just go on a Tracfone plan.
But, with these new options, you might want some advice on what to look for when purchasing a Tracfone. We’ll go through some Tracfone specs, to help you make a more informed decision.
You’ll see that there are phones that are GSM, CDMA, or LTE.
GSM stands for “Global System for Mobile Communications”. In a GSM phone, your phone number is stored in a SIM card. If you buy a new phone, you just transfer your SIM card to your new phone.
A CDMA (=Code Division Multiple Access) phone has the customer information hardwired into the phone, and the phone is linked to a particular network. Even if the phone has a SIM card, it can’t be transferred to another carrier. A Sprint or Verizon phone will typically use CDMA technology, while AT&T and T-Mobile make GSM phones. However, nowadays, certain manufacturers make phones that are both GSM and CDMA. The Tracfone website has pages for AT&T phones, T-Mobile phones, and Verizon phones.
There are also LTE (=Long Term Evolution) phones, with faster Internet speeds for data communication, even though it is not ideal for actual voice calls.
Which plan is best for me?: A Tracfone is ideal for casual phone use for light web browsing, talking, and texting. But how much do you get? If you sign up for 1 month of Tracfone service, that gives you 1GB of data. Tracfone says that it translates into enough space for 835 pages, 13,000 emails, 51 hours of Facebook and other social media, or 27 hours of Google maps. Of course, you’ll spread out your monthly usage over several types of content--so take that into consideration when paying for a service plan.
Operating system: The latest version of the Android operating system which is in use in cellphones is Version 11, which was released in September 2020. However, you’ll still see phones using the Android 9 (“Pie”) and Android 8 (“Oreo”) operating systems.
Camera: Tracfones will have a front camera for pictures and video, and a rear camera for selfies. The Motorola Moto Tracfone has a 13-megapixel PDAF (phase definition autofocus) front camera and a 5 megapixel HDR (=High Dynamic Range) selfie camera.
Locked phones: Sometimes you’ll see that a phone that you purchase is “locked”. A locked phone will only work on a particular carrier. An Android phone can be unlocked by the user, or by your previous carrier, if necessary. Once it’s unlocked, you can then insert a new SIM card into your phone, and subsequently, use the phone with the new service provider.
Compatibility of other smartphones: Even if you don’t buy one of the Tracfones that appear here, there are smartphones that are compatible with the Tracfone service. That includes most GSM and CDMA phones. All you have to do is buy an activation kit and Tracfone SIM card and select the plan that you want.
Carryover: One of Tracfone’s advantages is that of unlimited carryover. You’re allotted a certain amount of data and minutes every month. But if you didn’t use all of your minutes, it’s automatically carried over to the next month. And all of your texts and other content is saved as well, as long as you maintain active Tracfone service.
Buy device with airtime bundle: Some deals allow you to buy a Tracfone with an airtime bundle included. That means that you’ll already have $20 or $30 towards Tracfone services such as unlimited talking, texting, and 3 GB of data for one month.
Tracfone Motorola e6 4G LTE Prepaid Cell Phone
The Tracfone Motorola Moto G7 Optimo Maxx 4G LTE Prepaid Cell Phone has a 6.2” max vision HD+ Display, 32 GB of internal memory, and uses the Android 9.0 “Pie” operating system. It comes with a Tracfone SIM card, allowing you to hook up to the Tracfone plan, where you pay in advance for exactly the services and storage that you need. For example, $30 gets you 3 GB of data storage, unlimited talking and texting, and 30 days of phone service!
Tracfone Motorola Moto G7 Optimo Maxx 4G LTE Prepaid Cell Phone
The Motorola Moto E6 XT2005-5 Tracfone is locked onto Tracfone as its service provider. It must be unlocked to be used for another wireless provider. The phone has 2 GB RAM, a 13-Megapixel PDAF main camera, and a 5-megapixel HDR selfie camera. It has WiFi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity.
Motorola Moto E6 XT2005-5 Tracfone
The Samsung Galaxy A01 Smartphone has Tracfone as its cellphone service provider. It has a 13 MP rear camera, and a 5 MP front camera that allows you to take pictures with ease and share them instantly. It has a 5.7” display, and uses both WCDMA and GSM technology.
Samsung Galaxy A01 Smartphone