Review – Samsung Galaxy Victory™ 4G LTE Android Prepaid Cell Phone

For the past couple of years, Samsung’s phones have cultivated a reputation for reliability, speed, and functionality, and the new Samsung Galaxy Victory™ 4G LTE Android prepaid cell phone from Virgin Mobile offers those qualities as well. With a slim form factor, a bright screen, and 4G LTE connectivity, the Victory is one of Virgin’s best offerings yet.

On the hardware end, the Victory features a 4-inch display, a 5-megapixel camera, 4 GB of internal memory, and a 1.2 GHz Dual-Core processor. Despite being a budget phone, Samsung didn’t cheap out. It displays very deep blacks and dark colors, without letting the whites and bright colors overpower the screen. The camera proved very capable for taking whatever kind of pictures one desires. It has a built-in LED flash for low-light situations, while the front-facing camera is perfectly adequate for apps like Instagram or Snapchat. The 1.2 GHz processor is speedy, and apps boot up very quickly. A subtle but appreciated touch is the inclusion of a dedicated camera button on the side of the device, something that I’ve always enjoyed on phones. It also includes NFC, or near-field communication, allowing the phone to communicate with certain nearby devices. It can also record in 720p full HD video, which is a welcome addition to the phone’s capability.

The Victory comes with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean installed, the latest version of the Android OS that is streets ahead of any other. It’s faster, easier to use, and cleaner (or it would be if TouchWiz wasn’t in the way) than previous versions. The most notable addition to the system is the inclusion of Google Now, Mountain View’s response to Siri. Instead of acting like a personal assistant, Google Now works by including some of the most frequent search topics and linking them all together in one screen, so a lot of important information can be accessed in one place. If you search for the weather or baseball scores, or you’re following a news topic, Google Now will link any and all information it can find online right to one screen, which is at once incredibly simple and deviously brilliant. It can also function as Siri does, setting up dates on the calendar, setting alarms, or sending emails. Battery life is reasonable, especially if you watch your Bluetooth and Wi-Fi settings, which can quickly drain battery life on any phone.

However, despite the brilliance and advances of Jelly Bean, its effectiveness is hampered by the presence of Samsung’s TouchWiz UI. TouchWiz has been present in nearly every major Samsung release, and still has a way to go to reach GUI nirvana. Its icons possess a unique sense of kitsch, and place certain features within easy reach; other, often more important, options and settings are relegated far away. It’s a minor gripe, and can be worked around, but nevertheless, we wish Samsung would pare back on TouchWiz, and allow Jelly Bean to strut its stuff unhindered.

Luckily, those minor UI’s issues can’t impede the success of the Samsung Galaxy Victory from Virgin Mobile. It’s affordable, dependable, easy to use - just a great phone all around. If you are within range of a clear 4G network, it speedily surfs the web. Videos and downloads are very swift as well. Coupled with Virgin Mobile’s affordable and non-contract Beyond Talk pricing plans starting at $35 a month, the Samsung Galaxy Victory™ 4G LTE Android prepaid cell phone from Virgin Mobile comes highly recommended.

Thomas Fogel, with additional reporting by Nancy Burlan, Posted 6/14/13.

For more information on the Samsung Galaxy Victory 4G LTE from Virgin Mobile visit: www.virginmobileusa.com