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Today, it is not uncommon to be offered a promotional phone when you select a new cell phone plan.  Most of these ‘free’ phones also come with a contract, typically two years, so it is vital to research them and to know how they will perform over the length of your contract.  Below is a comparison of a Samsung flip phone and a Nokia non-flip or ‘candy bar’ phone.  The phones where bought at the same time and used over the period of one year.  Use conditions were the same.  After the year, it was obvious which was the better phone.  Below are the results of a year of scratching, banging and dropping and how the phones handled it.

Nokia – Bought through a T-Mobile plan, the Nokia cell received calls that were free of ‘white’ background noise and clear.  The volume adjust feature was easy to use and the display was crisp and clear.  The battery life was suburb.  We found it usually needed a charge about once ever four or five days.  One thing we didn’t like is how easily the screen got dirty.  If you live in a humid climate, it is likely the screen will get gunky fast.  Luckily, cleaning it was easy – just use a pad with a little alcohol on it.

The back of the phone is a circular, rubber button with the Nokia logo.  For some reason, this button constantly fell off.  This led to a lot of wasted time as I tried to locate the button.  After a couple of times, I used glue to attach it, but until I used superglue, it still fell off.

I did eventually pass this phone off to a friend who put his own SIM card in and reactivated it.  Its performance remains unchanged from the day I received.  Calls received are still undistorted and clear and the battery still has an excellent life.  I did replace it with the latest Nokia model and am equally impressed.  I have actually never had a bad experience with a Nokia phone.

Samsung: Bought through a Verizon plan, the Samsung flip phone was nice and compact.  The phone was smaller that the previously discussed Nokia and because it was a flip phone, the screen was offered additional protection – I was hoping this would alleviate the dirty screen problem, but it really didn’t.  The screen still got streaky and wet.  I was disappointed in the battery life.  It just didn’t last as long as the Nokia.

At the end of the day, the battery was just poorly designed.  The phone ended up being unreliable.  Several months before my contract was set to expire, the battery simply died.  It would not hold a charge, no matter what I did.  Verizon offered little assistance, as I did not want my contract renewed.  I paid the early term fee and was done with it.

One of the best reliable and durable cell phones available is the Nokia discussed above.  Nokia has managed to stay above the curve and with each new release presents an updated phone that is just as reliable as the previous versions.  Consider the Nokia non-flip when you are ready to purchase your next cell phone.

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