Straight Talk by WalMart now has many smartphones available – all using the Android operating system. Two phones are even available on the Verizon network. With a phone starting as low as $79.99 plus the lowest monthly rate around of $45.00 per month, there is a smartphone in your future.
If you already have a smartphone, you may be one that will benefit from exiting their Verizon, Sprint or AT&T $90 to $100/month plan and going to Straight Talk at 1/2 the monthly cost.
Below, we’ll look at the smartphones available from Straight Talk, review the service plans, compare prices to the major providers, and also compare the monthly prices for unlimited service plans of several Straight Talk competitors.
Straignt Talk offers 13 Android-based smartphones in its lineup – all sporting large touch screen displays and even one with a slider keyboard. Email, web browsing, photo taking/viewing, GPS, text messaging, listening to MP3s, and using hundreds of thousands of apps are all possible on any of these phones giving you everything you expect in a smartphone. All you need to do is to choose a phone that matches your tastes and add a service plan. You can have a smartphone for less than 1/2 the monthly rate when compared to the service plans of the major service providers.
The Straight Talk Unlimited plan is truly unlimited – there is no minutes meter for talk and no data meter for text or web. Straight Talk service is simply priced at $30/month for Limited service, $45/month for Unlimited service, and $60/month for International Unlimited service. The Android smartphones are not available with the $30/month Limited plan so, you’ll need to get the $45/month Unlimited plan. You may also choose the International Plan if you need that.
If you look at the Verizon, Sprint, or AT&T ‘unlimited’ plans, you usually see a 2GB limit on data – a recognition that downloading movies is a growing phenomenon and must be restricted. You MIGHT be able to hit the limit if you stream a lot of music. However, if you’re only checking email and surfing web pages, you’ll never hit that monthly limit offered by the major service providers. But, with Straight Talk, you don’t even need to worry about it. With Straight Talk, you get to use the network of the major providers – either Sprint or Verizon, but you won’t need to pay the higher rates of those providers.
There are several companies competing with Straight Talk – offering service with no contracts. Their ‘unlimited’ plans cost more monthly compared to Straight Talk, are usually not ‘unlimited’, and none offer the Verizon network. Let’s compare the prices of unlimited plans from competitors:
- Straight Talk – $45/month using either Sprint or Verizon. ‘Unlimited’ is truly unlimited.
- Virgin Mobile – $55/month but the Virgin Mobile network does not have good coverage.
- Cricket – $50/month ‘unlimited’ but there is a 1 GB data limit – how can they call that ‘unlimited’?
- Boost Mobile – $55/month for Android smartphones and can shrink to $40/month after 18 on time payments, but the network does not have good coverage.
The following table is a complete list of smartphones as of December 2012. All Straight Talk phones use the Android Operating System. The first smartphone to appear was the Samsung Precedent in 2011. Since then 12 other phones have joined the list in 2012. Personally, I prefer the Verizon network because of the coverage and signal strength. There are now 2 Straight Talk phones available on the Verizon network. All other Android phones use the Sprint network – a worthy network, but why choose the 2nd best.
Phone | Price | Operating System | Screen Size | Network | Other | 3G or 4G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LG Optimus Dynamic | 79.99 | Android 2.3 | 3.2 | Sprint | 3MP Camera | 3G |
| HUAWEI Ascend Y | 99.99 | Android 2.3 | 3.5 | Sprint | 3.2MP Camera | 3G |
| LG Optimus Logic | 89.99 | Android 2.3 | 3.2 | Sprint | 3MP Camera | 3G |
| Motorola Defy XT | 199.99 | Android 2.3 | 3.5 | Sprint | 5MP Camera with autofocus and flash | 3G |
| Samsung Galaxy S II | 349.99 | Android 2.3 | 4.3 | Sprint | 8MP Camera | 4G |
| LG Optimus Zip | 179.99 | Android 2.3 | 3.2 | Verizon | 3MP Camera; Slider keyboard | 3G |
| ZTE Merit | 129.99 | Android 2.3 | 3.5 | Sprint | 5MP Camera | 3G |
| Samsung Galaxy Proclaim | 149.99 | Android 2.3 | 3.5 | Verizon | 3MP Camera | 3G |
| LG Optimus Black | 299.99 | Android 2.3 | 4 | Sprint | 5MP Camera | 3G |
| LG Optimus Q | 179.99 | Android 2.3 | 3.2 | Sprint | 3MP Camera; Slider keyboard | 3G |
| Samsung Galaxy Precedent | 79.99 | Android 2.2 | 3.2 | Sprint | 2MP Camera | 3G |
| HUAWEI Ascend II | 99.99 | Android 2.3 | 3.5 | Sprint | 5MP Camera | 3G |
In conclusion, the best value is to pick one of the 2 smartphones – the Samsung Galaxy Proclaim or the LG Optimus Zip – that run on the Verizon network. You’ll pay one time for the phone, then pay $45/month, and have the best possible service. Read more about the Samsung Galaxy Proclaim here.
Also, for basic information about the difference between WiFi and cellular service, read the article Smartphone WiFi and Cell Basics.
Leave us a comment if this article was helpful or if you’ve decided to get yourself a Straight Talk phone too!
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