Consumer Reports best mobile phone

7/31/2019 Consumer Reports best mobile phone

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over story best phones & plans

Find the best ftWe pick phones and plans to suit varying needs

only or the minutes or texts you use orless than $15 a month, possibly muchless i you use the phone very little. Iyou’re buying a phone or a amily mem-ber, you can add a line to your existingamily plan or as little as $5 a month at-Mobile. Be sure the plan has enoughshared minutes to accommodate the ad-ditional users.

Sa hi ild:

• Common Cents Pay As You Go RoundDown ($8 per month). Tis is a prepaid no-contract brand o Sprint’s, but none o theSprint phones rom our tests were amongthe small number o phones the carrier o-ered at press time.

1 yu wan i allYou want to do everything with your phoneincluding using a host o applications.

A f lidia a h. TeiOS and Android operating system lead theway in apps and multimedia navigationso a phone using one o those systems isyour best bet—but buying an iPhone locksyou into low-rated A&, at least or now.

A a vyhig la. Figure on700 talk minutes, 700 text messages, and400MB o data per month per line. For thatplus a signature handset, your best bet isto go with a major carrier.

Sa hi ild:

• Sprint Everything Data with Any MobileAnytime 450 plan ($70 per month) or Everything Data Family with Any MobileAnytime 1500 ($170 per month), plus theSamsung Epic 4G ($250).

• Verizon Nationwide alk and ext 450($90) plus Motorola Droid X ($200).

1Minimal phn uYou want a phone mostly or emergen-cies or occasional calls on maybe 10 daysper month, with ewer than 100 voiceminutes, 20 texts, and no Web surfngor e-mailing. Or you want a simple frstcell phone or your tween or teen.

A bai -a h. It has aminimum o eatures, but you don’tneed many bells and whistles. You’ll payor the phone, but most o the “ree”phones that require contracts havehigher monthly ees.

A ay-a-y-g -a la. You can get a plan in which you pay

1talk and xYou use your phone airly requently butrarely to sur the Web or or e-mail.

A -alld a h. It has aQWERY keyboard or easy typing, a Webbrowser, and multimedia capability butnot the integrated multiple e-mail ac-counts and countless apps o a smartphone. Many eature phones scored highin our cell-phone Ratings. With some,you’re required to add a monthly data planor a messaging plan i you sign a contract.With others, you’re not obliged to add any-thing. Choose a phone that won’t requireyou to pay or add-ons that you won’t use.

A alk ad xig la. Te averageconsumer uses about 700 voice minutesper month per line and sends 700 texts.Good options include -Mobile and somesmaller, no-contract carriers. Te beststack up well against the big names orvoice and text service and cost less. But

you might have to buy more minutes thanwith a contract plan, which usuallyincludes “ree” nights and weekends, in-network mobile-to-mobile, and calling-listminutes. Most no-contract plans chargeor every minute.

Want mostly texting? Tere are slimpickings. Forget Verizon’s NationwideMessaging Plan with No Voice Minutes,which costs $35 to $55 a month, plus 25 to40 cents a minute. Instead, try -Mobile’s$15 Prepaid Monthly Unlimited ext planwith 10-cent-a-minute voice or Virgin Mo-bile’s $25 Beyond alk 300, with unlimit-ed texting, e-mail, data, and Web.

Sa hi ild:

• Tese -Mobile contract plans: EvenMore alk + ext 500 or an individual ($50a month) or couple ($80 a month). For aamily, Even More Family alk + ext 1500or our lines ($110 per month). For thephone, one o several Samsung modelsthat ared well in our Ratings, includingthe Gravity ($75 with a two-year contract)and the Comeback (ree).

• Straight alk All You Need ($30 permonth per line). (We don’t have a testedphone to recommend or this plan.)

• Cricket Wireless Basic $35 ($35 permonth or the frst line, $30 or each ad-ditional line). (We don’t have a testedphone to recommend or this plan.)

• Consumer Cellular Anywhere 1500 planor a two-line couple ($76 per month withAARP discount) plus the Nokia 2680 ($20).


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1Ardent e-mailerE-mail is your top priority. Talking andtexting are important, too; Web surng,less so.

A (faily) a h. In addition toallowing you to manage multiple ac-counts, smart phones have the ability tolink with corporate e-mail services such asBlackBerry Enterprise or Microsot Ex-change servers, which allow you to opene-mail attachments. Some phones evenallow you to edit those documents.

But you don’t need a brainy, top-ratedsmart phone or e-mail. A less expensivemodel urther down in the Ratings shouldsufce, including a number o BlackBerrys,the phones that pioneered mobile e-mail.Since you’ll be typing lots o e-mail, con-sider a phone with a physical keyboardand not just a virtual one on its touchscreen; some models have both.

A la wih da daa lii.Unless you’re downloading a lot o attach-ments, such as hety documents, you won’teat up a lot o data megabytes with e-mail.So a plan that oers low-to-middling band-width should be ne. One survey oundthat owners o BlackBerrys used just 80MBo data a month on average.

Some no-contract carriers, includingConsumer Cellular, Net10, and Tracone,don’t oer smart-phone service at all.Others oer relatively ew smart phones,and those they do oer might not beserved ully. For example, the BlackBerryplans at Virgin Mobile, which cost as lit-tle as $35 all-inclusive, don’t include sup-port or corporate e-mail—a big reasonthat many people buy a BlackBerry in therst place.

Sa chic icld:

• Straight Talk Unlimited ($45 per month,no-contract plan). (We don’t have a testedphone to recommend or this plan.)

•Walmart Family Mobile ($50 per month,no-contract plan) plus the Motorola CliqXT ($250).

How risky is cell-phone radiation?The Food and Drug Administrationsays the “weight o scientifc evidencehas not linked cell phones with anyhealth problems,” including braintumors rom the low-level radiationthat phones emit in normal use.Yet in the past year San Franciscolawmakers have enacted anordinance requiring that cell phonesdisclose the amount o radiationemitted, and Rep. Dennis Kucinich(D-Ohio) announced plans to push orradiation warnings on all cell phones.

Phoe mctes e eqied bedel lw to pckge eve cell phoewith iomtio bot its specicbsoptio te (SAR) vles. The highethe SAR vle, the moe ditio the

bod bsobs. Bt thee’s sll oexpltio povided with thosembes, ot eve the ct tht llphoes sold hve levels lowe th whtthe FDA cosides coce.

I Septembe 2010, the FedelCommictios Commissio evised itsWeb pge to ddess some o thecosio bot SAR vles. The pdtedFCC ct sheet (www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/sar.html)sttes tht SARvles idicte the mximm possibleexpose om give phoe, ot thevig levels o expose i oml se.

So phoe with lowe epoted SARvle is’t ecessil se th oe with highe vle, d SAR vles c’t besed to elibl compe cell-phoemodels. The FCC ss it eqies SAR

vles ol to ese tht mximmditio expose lls below the level twhich expets gee thee cold bedvese helth eects.

Still, cosmes e cght i the middle,tig to esolve cofictig messgesom egltos d legisltos. (Theltte iclde those i the EopePlimet who hve clled o stictelimits o expose to cell-phoeditio, which hve bee citicized bm scietists.)

Cosmes Uio believes mbe o meses wold beet cosmes:

•The U.S. eeds tiol esechpogm o cell phoes d helth. Rep.Kciich hs clled o sch eot s

pt o his cell-phoe set poposls.•The FDA d the FCC shold step pthei eots to povide bette d moevisible gidce to cosmes o theisks, i , o cell-phoe ditio.

•The FCC shold mdte tht the SARiomtio iclded with phoes bemoe cosistet. The iomtio tht’scetl povided vies getl i itsomt d detil, s the photogphsbelow illstte.

Bottom lne. We will cotie to tckthe esech. I the metime, i o ecoceed bot ditio, miimizeexpose b sig speke phoe ohds-ee hedset, holdig the phoew om the hed d bod (especillwhe cll is coectig), d edcigse, especill b childe.

1 CLOSE uP

iNCONSiSTENT A phone might include a simple measure o radiation absorption (let),a statement that the phone meets the saety standard or radiation (center), orcomprehensive test data and background inormation (right).


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oiw sma phnPhoes e goped b the cies tht sell

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ovell scoes i o Septembe 2010 sve

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CosmeRepots.og sbscibes. I

dditio to ovell scoes, coside cie’s

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costs, opetig sstem cpbilities, d pps.

drmmnddThese e high-scoig models ovell; some

oe specic stegths, descibed below.

Best choices for Verizon:A1 Mla Drid X $200

A2 samung Fci $200

A3 Mla Drid 2 $200

A4 Htc Drid Icrdi $200

A5 LG ay $50

A10 Palm pr pu $50

A1 hs ext-lge displ d HDMI ck, bt it’s lge d hevie th most. A2is eltivel thi d its displ is mog theesiest to see i bight light. Its six-xis motiosesig ehces gmig. A3 hs ve goodslide-ot kebod bt is hevie th most.A4 is eltivel thi d complemets itstoch scee with opticl ostick o esiephoe vigtio. A5 is il low-picedAdoid phoe with ve good slide-otkebod, bt it’s hevie th most. A10, compct model, lets o she mltiplepplictios o its toch scee like deck o cds withot losig o plce. Yo fick pp o the pge to close it. A1, A2, d A3 cshe cotet vi Wi-Fi with comptible TV,

pite, o compte. A1, A2, A3, d A4 sppot vesio o fsh video tht willehce most Web bowsig. A1 d A2 cecod 720p (o HD) video.

Best choices for Sprint:

B1 samung eic 4G $250

B2 Htc ev 4G $200

B3 samung Irc $100

B5 BlakB bd 9650 $200

B6 Palm pr $50

B1 d B2 sppot Spit’s ltst 4G WiMxetwok. The c ecod 720p (o HD) videod sppot vesio o fsh video tht willehce most Web bowsig. B1 hs top-otch, ve-ow, phsicl kebod; displ tht’s mog the esiest to see ibight light; d six-xis motio sesig thtehces gmig. It c she cotet viWi-Fi with othe comptible cetied devicessch s TV, pite, d compte. Bt it’shevie th most. B2 hs ext-lgedispl; secod, ot-cig cme; d HDMI ck. Bt it’s lge d hevie th

most. B3 is il low-piced Adoid phoewith ve good slide-ot kebod. B5 is ve good choice o Spit tditiolBlckBe ses bt is ot toch-sceemodel. B6, compct model, lets o shemltiple pplictios o its toch scee like deck o cds withot losig o plce. Yofick pp o the pge to close it.

Best choices for T-Mobile:

c1 samung Vir $200

c2 t-Mbil G2 $200

c3 Htc mytuc 3G sid $180

c8 BlakB bd 9700 $130

C1’s displ is mog the esiest to see i bightlight. Its six-xis motio sesig ehcesgmig, d it c she cotet vi Wi-Fi withcomptible devices sch s TV, pite, ocompte.C1 d C2 c ecod 720p (o HD)video d sppot vesio o fsh video thtwill ehce most Web bowsig. C2 dC3 eve good Adoid phoes with hd slide-otkebod, bt the’e hevie th most. C8 is ve good choice o T-Mobile tditiolBlckBe ses, bt it’s ot toch-sceemodel. It’s beig eplced b the Bold 9780.

Best choices for AT&T:D2 samung Civ $200

D3 Appl ip 3G s (8Gb) $100

D4 Htc ari $130

D5 BlakB trc 9800 $200

D9 Palm pr pu $50

D2’s displ is mog the esiest to see i bightlight. It c ecod 720p (o HD) video dsppots vesio o fsh video tht willehce most Web bowsig. It c shecotet vi Wi-Fi with comptible devices sch

s TV, pite, o compte. D3 hs the bestMP3 ple, ccess to the most phoe pps, dthe lgest sigle collectio o msic we’ve seeIts displ is mog the esiest to see i bightlight. (The ewe D1 shes those ttibtes, btwe do’t ecommed it becse o its eceptiopoblems.) D4 is compct model with itece simil to A4’s. D5 is ve good choiceo tditiol BlckBe ses iteested iddig toch-scee itece d itegtedsocil etwokig, bt it’s hevie th most.D9 is compct model tht lets o shemltiple pplictios o its toch scee like deck o cds withot losig o plce. Yo fick pp o the pge to close it.

A1 Motorola Droid X B1 Samsung Epic 4G D3 Apple iPhone 3G S

See the cell-phoe Gide to the Rtigs (pge 34) o iomtio o eties thte shed b cell d smt phoes.Overall score is bsed mil o displ,vigtio, voice qlit, phoig, messgig, Web bowsig, mltimedi, dbtte lie, s well s docmet editig ot o the box, size, d weight. Udesize, S is o smll, M o midsized, d L o lge. Ude operating system, A iso Adoid; B, BlckBe; i, iOS; P, Plm webOS; S, Smbi; d W, WidowsMobile. Displayscoe cosides displ size d esoltio d evlteslegibilit i dieet lightig. Phone navigation idictes how es it is to ccessetes d modes, sch s phoig, messgig, cme, etc. We lso cosidepogmmble shotcts, toch scees, d se gides. Phoningcosides thembe o step-svig ctios o mkig d eceivig clls, icldighds-ee cpbilities sch s voice commd d Bletooth, speed dilig,DTMF d ige cotols, secit optios, d moe. We lso evlted kepdedbilit i dieet lightig. Messaging mil ssesses kebod egoomics,

e-mil edbilit, ttchmet cpbilities, d text-messgig etes. We lsoweigh how es it is to schoize the phoe with compte d to ccesspplictios while o cll. Web browsing mil ssesses bowsigcpbilities, icldig the bilit to hdle moe th oe bowse, fsh video,d Jv, s well s dt coectios sch s 3G d Wi-Fi. Multimediamilcosides the cme d msic ple, pls GPS vigtio, voice memo, dstemig o live dio d/o video. Bluetooth data is the bilit to exchgeles with othe Bletooth devices ot o the box. All smt phoes c ecodvideo d hve msic ple d Bletooth steeo hedset cpbilit. All smtphoes ete Web bowsig vi Wi-Fi (except B8 Plm d C11 Noki) dsppot GPS vigtio o mps with spoke t-b-t diectios (except C9BlckBe). Price is bsed o two-e cotct i Octobe 2010 om theidicted cies, icldig ebtes. Veizo d T-Mobile phoes e lsovilble s o-cotct models.

Guid h raing

A2 Samsung Fascinate C1 Samsung Vibrant



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Brand & model Price Overall score Test results Features

R e c o m m e n d a t i o n

R a n k Similar models and other

carriers ofering comparablemodels are listed in smalltype with the phone's price.Perormance and eatures

might vary somewhat romthe tested model's. R e q u i r e s d a t a s e r v i c e

R e

q u i r e s m e s s a g i n g

s e r v i c e

S i z e

O p e r a t i n g s y s t e m

0 100 P | F | G | VG | E

D i s p l a y

P h o n e n a v i g a t i o n

V o i c e q u a l i t y

P h o n i n g

M e s s a g i n g

W e b b r o w s i n g

M u l t i m e d i a

B a t t e r y l i f e

D i s p l a y s i z e ( i n . )

T o u c h s c r e e n

P h y s i c a l

V i r t u a l

B r o a d b a n d d a t a

C a m e r a ( M P )

M e m o r y - c a r d s l o t

E d i t i n g i n c l u d e d

V o i c e c o m m a n d

B l u e t o o t h d a t a

W o r l d p h o n e

A VERIZON This carrier was among the more satisfying in almost all cities in our survey.

nd 1 Motorola Droid X $200 • L A 75 &Z &Z &V &X &Z &Z &Z &X 4.3 M • EV-DO 8.0 • • • •

nd 2 Samsung Fascinate 200 • • M A 75 &Z &Z &V &X &X &Z &Z &X 4.0 M • EV-DO 4.9 • • • •

nd 3 Motorola Droid 2 200 • • M A 75 &Z &Z &V &X &X &Z &Z &X 3.7 M • • EV-DO 5.0 • • • •

nd 4 HTC Droid Incredible 200 • M A 73 &Z &Z &V &X &X &Z &Z &C 3.7 M • EV-DO 8.0 • • •

nd 5 LG Ally 50 • M A 72 &Z &Z &V &X &X &Z &Z &X 3.2 M • • EV-DO 3.1 • • • •

6 Samsung Omnia II 50 • M W 71 &Z &X &V &X &X &Z &Z &X 3.7 S • EV-DO 4.9 • • • •

7 HTC Imagio 50 • M W 70 &Z &X &V &X &Z &Z &Z &C 3.6 S • EV-DO 5.0 • • • • •

8 Motorola Devour 80 • L A 70 &X &Z &V &X &X &Z &Z &X 3.1 S • • EV-DO 3.1 • •

9 BlackBerry Storm2 9550 150 • M B 70 &X &X &V &C &Z &Z &Z &C 3.3 S • EV-DO 3.1 • • • • •

nd 10 Palm Pre Plus 50 • S P 66 &X &Z &V &C &X &Z &Z &C 3.1 M • EV-DO 3.1

11 HTC Ozone 0 • M W 64 &C &C &V &X &Z &Z &X &X 2.4 • EV-DO 1.9 • • • • •

12 Palm Pixi Plus 0 • S P 63 &C &X &V &C &X &Z &X &C 2.6 M • EV-DO 1.9

B SPRINT This carrier was among the more satisfying in a large majority of cities in which it was rated in our survey.

nd 1 Samsung Epic 4G 250 • • M A 76 &Z &Z &C &X &Z &Z &Z &X 4.0 M • • WiMAX 4.9 • • • •

nd 2 HTC Evo 4G 200 • • L A 74 &Z &Z &V &X &X &Z &Z &C 4.3 M • WiMAX 8.0 • • •

nd 3 Samsung Intercept⁄ 100 • • M A 70 &X &Z &V &X &X &Z &Z &C 3.2 M • • EV-DO 3.1 • • •

4 HTC Hero 150 • • M A 69 &X &Z &V &X &X &Z &Z &C 3.2 M • EV-DO 4.9 • • •

nd 5BlackBerry Bold 9650Verizon, $150, U.S. Cellular, $160.

200 • • M B 68 &X &X &C &X &Z &Z &Z &C 2.4 • EV-DO 3.1 • • • • •

nd 6 Palm Pre 50 • • S P 66 &X &Z &V &C &X &Z &Z &C 3.1 M • EV-DO 3.1

7 BlackBerryCurve 8530€ Verizon, $30, U.S. Cellular, $0.

50 • • M B 64 &C &X &V &X &Z &Z &Z &C 2.4 • EV-DO 1.9 • • • •

8 Palm Pixi 0 • • S P 60 &C &X &V &C &X &X &X &C 2.6 M • • EV-DO 1.9

C T-MOBILE This carrier was among the more satisfying in more than half of the cities in which it was rated in our survey.

nd 1 Samsung Vibrant 200 • • M A 76 &Z &Z &V &X &Z &Z &Z &Z 4.0 M • HSDPA 4.9 • • • • •

nd 2 T-Mobile G2 200 • • M A 75 &Z &Z &V &X &Z &Z &Z &Z 3.7 M • • HSDPA 5.0 • • • • •

nd 3 HTC myTouch 3G Slide 180 • • M A 72 &X &Z &V &X &X &Z &Z &Z 3.4 M • • HSDPA 5.1 • • • •

4 HTC HD2 100 • • L W 71 &Z &C &V &X &Z &Z &Z &X 4.3 M • HSDPA 5.0 • • • • •

5 Motorola Cliq XT‹ 90 • • M A 71 &X &Z &V &C &X &Z &Z &Z 3.1 M • HSDPA 4.9 • • •

6 Samsung Behold II 100 • • M A 71 &X &Z &V &X &X &Z &Z &X 3.2 S • HSDPA 4.9 • • • •

7T-Mobile myTouch 3G3.5mm Jack

50 • • M A 70 &X &Z &V &C &X &Z &Z &X 3.2 S • HSDPA 3.1 • • •

nd 8 BlackBerry Bold 9700› AT&T, $20 0.

130 • • M B 69 &C &X &C &X &Z &Z &Z &X 2.4 • HSDPA 3.1 • • • • •

9 BlackBerry Curve 8520 0 • • M B 65 &C &X &V &X &Z &X &X &X 2.4 • EDGE 1 .9 • • • • •

10 Garmin-Asus Garminfone 50 • • M A 64 &Z &C &V &V &X &Z &Z &X 3.5 M • HSDPA 3.1 • •

11 Nokia 5230 Nuron 0 S S 61 &X &C &V &X &X &X &Z &X 3.2 S • HSDPA 1.9 • • • •

D AT&T This carrier scored lowest in satisfaction in almost all cities in our survey and was the worst-rated in almost all other respects.

1Apple iPhone 4 (16GB)Apple iPhone 4 (32GB), $300.

200 • M i 76 &Z &Z &C &X &X &Z &Z &Z 3.5 M • HSDPA 5.0 • •

nd 2 Samsung Captivate 200 • M A 76 &Z &Z &V &X &Z &Z &Z &Z 4.0 M • HSDPA 4.9 • • • •

nd 3 Apple iPhone 3G S (8GB) 100 • M i 74 &Z &Z &V &X &X &Z &Z &Z 3.5 M • HSDPA 3.1 • •

nd 4 HTC Aria 130 • S A 74 &X &Z &V &X &X &Z &Z &X 3.2 M • HSDPA 5.1 • • • •

nd 5 BlackBerry Torch 9800 200 • M B 74 &X &Z &V &X &Z &Z &Z &X 3.2 M • • HSDPA 5.0 • • • • •

6 Motorola Backflip 50 • M A 69 &X &X &C &C &X &Z &Z &X 3.1 S • • HSDPA 4.9 • • •

7 BlackBerry Bold 200 • M B 69 &X &X &C &X &Z &Z &Z &C 2.6 • HSDPA 1.9 • • • • •

8 Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 150 • M A 68 &Z &Z &V &C &X &Z &Z &X 4.0 S • HSDPA 8.0 • • • •

nd 9 Palm Pre Plus 50 • S P 67 &X &Z &V &C &X &Z &Z &X 3.1 M • HSDPA 3.1 •

10 Palm Pixi Plus 0 • S P 64 &C &X &V &C &X &Z &X &X 2.6 M • HSDPA 1.9 •

⁄Also available from no-contract carrier Virgin Mobile for $250.€Also available from no-contract carriers: $250 from Boost, $280 from MetroPCS, $250 from Virgin Mobile, and $180 from

Cricket.‹Available from Walmart Family Mobile without a contract for $250.›To be replaced by Bold 9780.

Keyboard

ratings smart phoneI pefomce ode, b cie. (Cies listed i ode of se stisfctio.)

dRecommended

5 Excellent 4 Very good 3 Good 2 Fair 1 Poor

Where are Windows Phone 7 models? These ivedtoo lte to iclde i o Rtigs. See pges 28 d 29.


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R

a n k

R e q u i r e s d a t a s e r v i c e

R e q u i r e s m e s s a g

i n g

s e r v i c e

0 100

P | F | G | VG | E

E a s e o f

u s e

V o i c e q u a

l i t y

M e s s a g

i n g

B a t t e r y

l i f e


T o u c h s c r

e e n

P h y s i c a l

V i r t u a l

B r o a d b a n d d

a t a

C a m e r a ( M P )

V i d e o r e c o r d

i n g

M e m o r y - c a r d

s l o t


A VERIZON This carrier was among the more satisfying in almost all cities in our survey.

nd 1 LG enV Touch $ 40 • 74 &Z &C &Z &C 3.0 S • • EV-DO 3.1f • • •

nd 2 Samsung Alias 2 25 • 72 &X &C &Z &X 2.6 • EV-DO 1.9 • • •

nd 3Casio G'zOneBrigade

200 • 71 &X &V &Z &X 2.9 • EV-DO 3.1f • • •

4 Samsung Reality 50 • 69 &X &V &Z &C 3.0 S • EV-DO 3.1 • • •

nd 5 LG enV3 80 • 69 &X &C &Z &C 2.6 • EV-DO 3.1f • • •

6 LG Chocolate Touch 40 • 69 &X &C &X &C 3.0 S • EV-DO 3.1 • • •

7 Nokia 7705 Twist 25 • 66 &X &V &Z &C 2.4 • EV-DO 3.1f • • •

8 LG Cosmos 0 63 &X &V &Z &X 2.0 • 1xRTT 1.2 • •

nd 9 Samsung Convoy 70 62 &X &C &C &C 2.2 EV-DO 1.9 • • •

nd 10 Samsung Jitterbug J 100 60 &C &C &C &C 2.1 •

11Verizon Wireless Escapade

30 58 &X &C &C &C 2.0 EV-DO 1.9 •

B SPRINT This carrier was among the more satisfying in a large majority of cities in which it was rated in our surve

nd 1 Samsung Instinct HD 50 • • 66 &X &C &X &C 3.2 S • EV-DO 5.0f • • •

nd 2 LG Rumor Touch⁄ 30 65 &X &C &Z &X 3.0 S • EV-DO 1.9 • • •

nd 3 LG Lotus Elite€ 0 62 &X &C &Z &C 2.4 S • EV-DO 1.9 • • •

4 LG Remarq 0 62 &X &C &Z &C 2.4 • 1xRTT 1.2 • •

5 Sanyo Incognito‹ 50 61 &C &C &Z &C 2.6 S • EV-DO 1.9 • • •

6 Samsung Seek‹ 20 60 &C &V &Z &C 2.6 S•

1xRTT 1.2 • •

⁄Also available from no-contract carrier Virgin Mobile for $150.€Also available from U.S. Cellular as LG Mystique, $100. ‹Also avafrom no-contract carrier Boost; B5 is $100, B6 is $150.

Keyboard

raing C I peomce ode, b cie. (Cies listed i ode o se stisctio.)

oiw cll phnThe tested phoes wee ll competet,

so low-piced model i the Rtigs

oes e vle. Bt lso coside the

cie’s tck ecod i o sevice

Rtigs. Pices om cies e bsed

o two-e cotct, icldig

ebtes. Phoes with $0 o pice e

povided t o ext chge whe o

sig ew two-e cotct.

drmmnddThese e high-scoig models ovell;

some oe specic stegths, which e

descibed below.

Best choces for Verzon:

A1 LG V tuc $40

A2 samung ai 2 $25

A3 cai G’zo brigd $200

A5 LG V3 $80

A9 samung Cvy $70

A1 hs il lge, extel toch scee;iside, thee’s egl scee (whichshows ldscpe view o whteve wso the exteio scee) d kebod. A1,A2, A3, d A5 hve geeosl sizedphsicl kebods, d A1 lso hs vitl oe. A1 d A3 c view Ocedocmets, sch s Wod, Excel, dPowePoit. Bt A1 d A3 e hevieth most. A2 hs 2.6-ich scee with dl-higed desig tht itegtes kebod with phoe cotols. Its bcklitkes chge om mbes to lettes,

depedig o how o se the phoe.Ope the phoe veticll d the bttosbecome mbeed kepd with cotolso mkig clls; ope the phoe om thesides d the bttos become kebod.A5 hs smllish extel displ d oom kepd, d it opes p to evel 2.6-ich scee, steeo spekes, dkebod. Bt some phoe ctios eccessible ol whe the phoe is ope.A3 d A9 e mde to be ggedized,wethe-esistt phoes.

if smplcty s paramount:A10 samung Jirug J $100

A10 hs big bttos, comotbleepiece, d eve dil toe. The povide,Get Cll, oes ee diecto ssistced will pdte o cotcts i o phoe,x, o mil them. Yo do’t eed cotct,bt sevice is pice. The phoe is thick dlcks commo etes.

Best choces for Sprnt:B1 samung Iic hD $50

B2 LG Rumr tuc $30

B3 LG lu ei $0

B1 hs lge, 3.2-ich toch-scee displ

B1 Samsung Instinct HD B2 LG Rumor Touch

Guid h raingOverall score is bsed mil o ese o se, voice qlit, messgig, d btte lie. Scoes e oded; modelse listed i ode o pecise ovell scoe, withi ctegoies. Ease of use mil cosides step-svig ctios omkig d eceivig clls, s well s displ d kepd edbilit d mltimedi vestilit. Voce qualty cosides listeig (wht we hed) d tlkig (wht ws hed t the othe ed) i ois d qiet settigs siglive phoe clls; we show the lowe o the two scoes. Messagng ssesses kepd egoomics, text-messgigetes, sppot o Micosot Otlook, d whethe the phoe c ope e-mil ttchmets. Battery lfe is vege o tlk time with stog d wek etwok sigls, d cosides stdb d displ times. Dsplay sze isdigol, i iches. Ude touch screen, S idictes sigle toch d M idictes mlti-toch tht lets o pich tozoom i o ot o Web pges o photos. keyboard idictes phsicl o vitl QWERTY lot. Broadband data is stest U.S. bodbd etwok sppoted. WiMx is speediest. EV-DO d HSDPA e ste th 1xRTT dEDGE. Camera (MP) is esoltio i megpixels; f idictes fsh. Vdeo recordng is vi cme. Memory-card

A1 LG enV Touch


http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/consumer-reports-best-mobile-phone 6/10 jan ua ry www.ConsumerReports.g 35

5 Excellent4 Very good3 Good2 Fair1 PoordRecommended



R

a n k

R e q u i r e s d a t a s e r v i c e

R e q u i r e s m e s s a g

i n g

s e r v i c e

0 100

P | F | G | VG | E

E a s e o f

u s e

V o i c e q u a

l i t y

M e s s a g

i n g

B a t t e r y

l i f e


T o u c h s c r

e e n

P h y s i c a l

V i r t u a l

B r o a d b a n d d

a t a

C a m e r a ( M P )

V i d e o r e c o r d

i n g

M e m o r y - c a r d

s l o t


W o r l d p h o n e

C T-MOBILE This carrier was among the more satisfying in more than half of the cities in which it was rated in our survey.

nd 1 Samsung Gravity T $ 75 69 &X &V &Z &Z 2.8 S • HSDPA 1.9 • • • •

nd 2 LG Sentio 0 66 &X &V &X &Z 3.0 S • HSDPA 3.1 • • • •

nd 3 Samsung Comeback 0 64 &X &V &Z &X 2.6 • HSDPA 1.9 • • • •

4 Samsung Gravity 3 50 63 &C &V &Z &X 2.4 • HSDPA 1.9 • • • •

5Sony Ericsson Equinox

0 61 &X &V &C &X 2.2 HSDPA 3.1 • • •

D

AT&T This carrier scored lowest in satisfaction in almost all cities in our survey and was the worst-rated in

almost all other respects.

nd 1SamsungImpression

130 • 68 &X &V &Z &X 3.2 S • • HSDPA 3.1 • • •

nd 2 LG Vu Plus 150 • 68 &X &V &Z &X 3.0 S • HSDPA 3.1f • • • •

nd 3 Samsung Solstice› 30 • 68 &X &V &X &X 3.0 S • HSDPA 1.9 • • • •

4 Samsung Sunburst 20 • 68 &X &C &X &Z 3.0 S • EDGE 1.9 • • • •

5 Samsung Strive 20 • 65 &X &V &X &C 2.6 • HSDPA 1.9 • • • •

nd 6 Samsung Rugby II 100 64 &X &V &C &Z 2.2 HSDPA 1.9 • • • •

7 Pantech Linkfi 0 • 63 &X &V &X &Z 2.4 • HSDPA 1.3 • • •

8 Pantech Breeze II 20 62 &X &V &C &X 2.2 HSDPA 1.3 • • • •

9 Pantech Impact 0 • 62 &X &V &Z &X 2.6 • HSDPA 1.9 • • •

›To be replaced by Solstice II. fi Also available from no-contract carrier AT&T GoPhone for $60.

Keyboard

with vitl kebod. Its ll-eted,

5-megpixel cme c ecod HD video,

which o c otpt to TV. Video qlit

ws o p with tht o the bette pocket

cmcodes we’ve tested. Ad its Wi-Fi

coectio, e i covetiol cell

phoe, llows the stest Web sg. Bt

it’s bit slow whe opeig mltimedi

pplictios. B2 hs il lgetoch-scee displ d geeosl

popotioed kebod tht slides ot o

esie textig. Bt it’s hevie th most.

B3 hs dl displ. Whe the Lots is

olded sht, its wide, sqe shpe looks

moe like cosmetics compct th

phoe. The ote toch-scee displ lets

o esil ccess the phoe’s mi

ctios b swipig to the let o ight o

the home scee. Flippig the phoe ope

evels kebod o tpig text

messges d dilig phoe mbes. B2

d B3 c view Oce docmets, sch s

Wod, Excel, d PowePoit.

Best choices for T-Mobile:

c1 samung Graviy t $75

c2 LG senio $0

c3 samung Comeback $0

C1 hs 2.8-ich, toch-scee displ

d ve good kebod tht slides ot

o esie textig. The eltivel thi,

pocket-iedl C2 hs 3.0-ich toch-

scee displ tht sppots vitl

kebod. C3 hs 1.5-ich ote displ

d kepd tht cilittes phoig. It

opes p like eeglss cse to evel

2.6-ich scee d kebod tht shold

stis most textes. Bt it’s blkie th

most. C1 dC3 c view Oce docmets,

sch s Wod, Excel, d PowePoit.

Best choices for AT&T:

D1 samung Imreion $130

D2 LG Vu plu $150

D3 samung solice $30

D6 samung Rugby II $100

D1, D2, d D3 hve eltivel lge

toch-scee displs. D1 d D2 hve

geeos slide-ot, phsicl kebods. D1

lso hs vitl kebod, s does the

slimme D3. D2, D3, dD6 c view Ocedocmets, sch s Wod, Excel, d

PowePoit. Tochig the top side o D2’s

stdb scee povides hd dop-

dow me tht lets o ccess the msic

ple, Bletooth, messgig, d moe.

D3 hs hdwitig ecogitio ete

tht lets o ot dow mbes, lettes,

smbols, d pcttio, which e the

coveted to tped text. D1 lcks stdd

voice-ctivted dilig. D6 is mde to be

ggedized, wethe-esistt phoe. D1

d D6 e hevie th most. All sppot

AT&T’s Video She, which lets o stem

live, oe-w video to comptible phoe.

C1 Samsung Gravity T D1 Samsung Impression D2 LG Vu Plus

slot ccepts fsh-memo cds. Cell phoes A10 Smsg d A11 Veizo Wieless lck memo-cd slot. Voice

command llows dilig om the phoe cotcts b spekig the me o dilig mbes b sig the digits,

withot tiig the phoe. All models c be sed with Bletooth moo hedsets. All covetiol cell phoes

sppot Bletooth dt d c exchge les with othe Bletooth devices ot o the box, except A10 Smsg.

The ollowig models lck Bletooth steeo hedset cpbilit: A8 LG, A10 Smsg, d A11 Veizo Wieless. All cell

phoes sppot GPS vigtio o mps with spoke t-b-t diectios, except A10 Smsg, B4 LG, d B6

Smsg. The B1 Smsg sppots Web bowsig vi Wi-Fi. World phones sppot GSM bds mostl od i

Eope. Some phoes eqie dt pl o bowsig the Web o ccessig e-mil d othe medi sevices d/o

eqie messgig pl to sed d eceive texts o picte d video messges. Price is bsed o two-e

cotct i Octobe 2010 om the idicted cies, icldig ebtes, except A10 Smsg, which eqies o

cotct. Veizo d T-Mobile phoes e lso vilble s o-cotct models.


http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/consumer-reports-best-mobile-phone 7/1036 consumer reports ja nua ry


raing C rvic y ciyI ode o ede scoe, withi 23 metopolit es. Dieeces i ede scoe o less th six poits e ot meigl.

oiw cll-phn i We’ve divided o ovell Rtigs ito septe

chts tht efect expeieces with cell-phoe

cies de cotct d withot

cotct, dw om ll sve espodets.

I dditio, whee we hve sciet dt,

we’ve dw o the expeieces o cotct

d o-cotct cstomes to cetecit-b-cit Rtigs.

Best choice overall for most people: vizn Wil

spin

These e the highest-scoig tiollvilble cies o cotct sevice.Veizo Wieless hs edge i voicesevice ovell. Spit scoed bette isome spects o cstome sevice, whichis emkble tod om pstes whe tht ws wek poit othe comp.

Provider Reader score Service

0 100

N o

s e r v i c e

D r o p p e d

c a l l s

T e x t i n g

D a t a

ATLANTA

Verizon 76 &X &X &C &Z

Sprint 73 &C &C &X &C

T-Mobile 70 &V &C &V &V

AT&T 60 &V &B &V &B

BOSTON

Verizon 71 &C &C &C &C

Sprint 70 &C &C — —

T-Mobile 68 &B &C — —

AT&T 62 &B &V &C &B

CHICAGO

Verizon 74 &X &C &C &X

Sprint 71 &X &C — —

T-Mobile 68 &V &C &B —

AT&T 58 &B &B &B &B

DALLAS-FORT WORTH

Verizon 75 &Z &X &X &X

T-Mobile 73 &C &C — —

Sprint 73 &C &C &C &C

AT&T 63 &C &V &C &V


0 100

N o

s e r v i c e

D r o p p e d

c a l l s

T e x t i n g

D a t a

DENVER

Verizon 73 &X &X &X &X

T-Mobile 67 &V &C — —

AT&T 55 &B &B &V &B

DETROIT

Verizon 75 &X &X &C &X



AT&T 63 &C &V &C &B

HOUSTON

Verizon 77 &Z &X &X &Z


T-Mobile70 &

V&C — —

AT&T 61 &C &V &C &B

INDIANAPOLIS


Sprint 72 &C &C &X —

AT&T 64 &C &V &C &B

KANSAS CITY

Sprint 80 &X &C &C &X



AT&T 67 &C &C &C &C


0 100

N o

s e r v i c e

D r o p p e d

c a l l s

T e x t i n g

D a t a

LOS ANGELES




AT&T 55 &B &B &B &B

MIAMI

Sprint 77 &X &C &X —

Verizon 75 &Z &C &C &X


AT&T 63 &C &V &C &V

MILWAUKEE

U.S. Cellular 84 &Z &Z — —

Verizon73

&X &C &X &ZAT&T 59 &B &V &B &B

MINNEAPOLIS-ST.PAUL


T-Mobile 72 &C &C &C —

Sprint 67 &C &C &C —

AT&T 58 &V &B &V &B

NEW YORK



T-Mobile 69 &B &C &C —

AT&T 57 &B &B &B &B

Best regional carrier overall:U.s. cllula

This cie oes sevice i 26 sttes. Itstds ot o vle, voice sevice, dcstome sevice. (We lcked sciet dt tote it o some spects. It’s iclded i theMilwkee Rtigs.)

Best choices if your phone and

service needs are fairly basic:cnum cllula

taFn

These e the stdot cies o sevicewithot cotct. Like most o-cotctcies, the oe ewe phoes (d osmt phoes) th the mo cies.The se AT&T’s etwok, thogh theieltivel bsic phoes e’t likel to plcehev demds o its dt compoet,which AT&T cotct cstomes od to be wek poit.

Also consider:Thee pepid o-cotct cies (ot tedde to isciet dt) might be woth t o thei ttctive picig. Stight Tlk,sold thogh Wlmt, oes limitedvoice, text messges, d Web ccess o $45 moth, d 1,000 voice mites dmessges d 30MB o Web ccess o $30

moth. It ses the Veizo pepid etwok,which is lmost s compehesive s theegl Veizo etwok. I o live i cit itseves, coside MetoPCS. Its limitedlocl pls stt t $30 moth. WlmtFmil Mobile is too ew to te bt is wothcheckig ot. It oes o -cotct pls. Welike the low pice d the ct tht o bdt sevice o the ccot, ot ech lie,so the dt bdle is shed mog llhdsets d does’t expie til it’s sedp. WFM is pivte-lbel bd o T-Mobile,which hdles evethig. Yo c b T-Mobile smt phoe with o cotct dmove it to o WFM pl.


http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/consumer-reports-best-mobile-phone 8/10 janua ry www.ConsumerReports.g 37

ratings Cell-phoe service with a cotractSmm Rtigs, efectig ll cities sveed, i ode o ovell scoe.Dieeces i scoe o less th o poits e ot meigl.


0 100

N o s e r v i c e

D r o p p e d c a l l s

T e x t i n g

D a t a

PHILADELPHIA



AT&T 63 &C &V &V &B

PHOENIX


Sprint 74 &X &X — —


AT&T 59 &V &V &V &B

SALT LAKE CITY



AT&T 62 &C &V &V &B

SAN DIEGO

Sprint 76 &X &X &X —



AT&T 60 &V &V &V &B

SAN FRANCISCO



Sprint 68 &C &C &C —

AT&T 51 &B &B &B &B


0 100

N o s e r v i c e

D r o p p e d c a l l s

T e x t i n g

D a t a

SEATTLE

Verizon 73 &X &X &C &C


T-Mobile 71 &C &C &V &V

AT&T 59 &V &B &B &B

ST. LOUIS



Sprint 71 &X &C &C &C

AT&T 67 &C &C &C &V

TAMPA, FLA.


Verizon 72 &Z &X &X &XSprint 72 &C &C &C —

AT&T 67 &C &C &C &C

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Sprint 73 &C &C &C &X



AT&T 62 &V &V &V &B

Rtigs e bsed o 58,189 esposes omCosmeRepots.og sbscibes sveed iSeptembe 2010. Rtigs b cit iclde esposesom cstomes with covetiol (cotct) do-cotct sevice. Septe lses weecodcted o ovell tigs o cotct d

o-cotct cies. Ol povides with scietdt o tigs e iclded i ech cht. Reader

score efects espodets’ ovell stisctio withthei cell-phoe sevice d is ot limited to ctoslisted i the Rtigs chts. A scoe o 100 woldme ll espodets wee completel stised;80 wold me ve stised, o vege; 60, ilwell stised. Rede scoes e ot diectlcompble mog the thee Rtigs chts. Value

efects the pecetge o espodets tht ted thcie s ve good o excellet i vle o moe.Voce sevice efects the pecetge o espodetswho sid the expeieced vios poblems whemkig clls. I the cit cht, two specic voicepoblems e ted: no servce d dropped calls.

Textng efects diclties, icldig texts ot bei

set o eceived o beig mch deled. Voce dtextng scoes e bsed o the pecetge whoepoted o poblems i the pevios seve ds,sttisticll dsted o cell-phoe sge tes.Scoes o Data efect the pecetge o espodets who gve ve good to excellet scoeso the ovell expeiece with Web ccess d e-mom thei phoes. Customer support is bsed othe qlit o the cie’s website, ese d speed oechig sppot st b phoe, e-mil helpless,d kowledge d competece o sppot st.issue resolved efects the pecetge who sidthei isse ws stisctoil esolved i timelme. Rtigs e eltive, efectig dieecesom the vege o ll povides i ll es. “—”idictes isciet dt. Respodets might ot

efect the geel U.S. popltio.

Guide to the ratings

Provider Reader score Service Customer support

0 100

V a l u e

V o i c e

T e x t i n g

D a t a

P h o n e

W e b s i t e

E - m a i l

S t a f f k n o w l e d g e

I s s u e r e s o l v e d

U.S. Cellular 82 &Z &Z &C &C — — — &Z &Z

Verizon Wireless 74 &C &X &C &C &C &C &C &C &C

Sprint 73 &C &C &C &C &C &C &X &C &C

T-Mobile 69 &V &V &V &V &X &C &C &C &C

AT&T 60 &B &B &V &B &B &B &B &B &B

Provider Reader score

0 100 V a l u e

V o i c e

Consumer Cellular 87 &Z &C

TracFone 82 &X &C

T-Mobile 79 &C &V

Verizon Wireless 76 &V &C

Virgin Mobile 75 &C &C

AT&T GoPhone 68 &B &V

Smm Rtigs, efectig ll cities

sveed, i ode o ovell scoe.Dieeces i scoe o less ththee poits e ot meigl.

5 Better4

3

2

1 Worse

5 Better4

3

2

1 Worse

5 Better4

3

2

1 Worse

ratings no-cotract service


http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/consumer-reports-best-mobile-phone 9/1038 consumer reports jan ua ry


F 911 all, i a ll phn a af a a landlin?A Aic icigl cicwill, 60 c h i’240 illi 911 cll lcd hgh cllh. A 2010 C R NilRch C v h 2,000bcib wh d l 911 cll i

h vl h 71 c gc cll cll h, h h w vilbl.

Th’ lgl bc gci cc w h—, c ccid—b 12 c CR.g bcib d b25 c Aic w hv ldlii hi h d l cll h. Thi cc b h liv libili gc cll lcd hgh cll hv. ldli h. Dig ldli cb -wi, b cld i b d-lihi d cll 911 h?

N cil. Ovll, w hik h

dig h ldli d kigll cll—icldig 911 cll— cllh i gll b, bd li d d v. Thcidi c hl dcid whhi’ wh h ik c h cd:

E-911 is p and rnning. J v 97 c h li d 90 c hi’ 3,135 ci cvd b wilE-911. Th cll c c idi cll-h b cllbck wll h’ lid d lgid wihib 55 330 d— ci blck w—ig cll igl d ih GPS

gd-bd igli, ccdig hNil Egc Nb Acii.Th ck v wll gi ldli 911,which cv 99 c h lid 96 c ci.

Rral areas have less E-911 coverage. I liv i l vci

h i lci, E-911 igh bvilbl, w ill, h igh vb cll igl. Chck h E-911 i c nena.ddti.net.Exi

ci’ cvg . I d hli cvg i , chck whh hci hv b cvg.

Cell callers at home reached E-911. Bh i hd dicl. Villll (98 99 c) h 841 dwh clld 911 h g hgh 911 , whh h d cll h,diil ldli, VIP ldli. B9 c h cll cll hd dicl gig hgh, d 1 c hd l bl, icldig d ddcll, igl, d cci.(Clll vic c wih h ih ik

ic wh, i, dbc.) B ci, 3 c ldlicll d 1 c VIP cll hd idicl gig hgh 911 .

Rescers ond almost all cell callers.Al v v d (96 98 c) wh clld 911 h id

lic d h gc dd h, gdl hw h clld.Th w iicll igicdic whh h d cll h,diil ldli, VIP h.

B wih ldli d VIP 911,

w igicl likl d cllb diig h lci h h.M h -hid ldli d VIP w lcd i h cdwih l 7 c cll cll. Ldlid VIP 911 giv h hdd, icldig b i i h bill. Wih clll, l gghic cdi.

Wih ll h chlgi, h kd d hi lci h h cll i l h v cll, h i l vi h dd h c ldli d VIP cll. B i c’ k—i ’ iccid

digh, xl—i’ cll hgdvg i dd icllhw h ’ c.

Cell service is better in a natral disaster.Tlh ldli d cll-h w qll vlbl h vg v wh, hqk, d hl di—which i wh d cll 911. B clll cic il vic. Th hvf bil cll w il ckhgh h c h c b dld vic qickl h hd ch.

Yor cell phone might not work at home.Ab 11 c Consumer Reportsbcib d h bl i 2009 v. I hv cll vic,d’ l i. Eih k ldli wich wil ci h vid g igl h.

Hw n ba lifOur tests found that this year’s smartphones last longer on a charge than theirpredecessors, but they can still easily runout of juice before the day is up. Here areways to maximize battery life, either bymodifying your habits or tweaking yourphone’s settings, which are easily accessedvia a desktop icon (usually a gear or tool).

Seek strong signals. Ph wwh h’ ig cc wk wkigl. Avid hig h h i cwdd bic iid lw dkdw. I c b hd h g igl i h lc.

Sht of access. Wh ’i wh kwh’ igl w’b ig h whil, i i il d. Ohwi iwill k kig il,w-ig cc h ci’wk. Al Wi-Fi,Blh, d 3G (i ibl)wh ’ g w’ b ig h .Ad GPS l wh d i.

Redce screen brightness. Sbigh A, which kh c l bigh dd h ligh cdii.(I h h h A ig,lw c bigh l.)Sig h c h h h id iciviigh hl.

update less oten. I ibl,dc hw h hd -il, w, cil-wk d, d h , , c v hl-h.

1 CLOSE uP


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