Most folks haven’t heard of Straight Talk, but they’re America’s largest prepaid operator. They have agreements with all four of the major operators, unlike other prepaid operators who piggy back on just one network. Anyway, this week they’re launching a new phone: the Samsung Galaxy Proclaim. It has a 3.5 inch 480 x 320 pixel display, 1 GHz processor, and a 3 megapixel camera. All that will cost you $180 all in, with the service costing just $45 per month for unlimited talking, texting, and what’s assumed to be 2 GB worth of data. What makes the Proclaim special is that it uses Verizon’s 3G network, which means it’ll work damn near everywhere. Whereas most prepaid phones use Sprint’s network, which can best be described as patchy, Verizon’s network hugs America like a soft warm blanket.
So now for the important question: Should you buy this thing? Considering that you can get a Samsung Galaxy Nexus for $399 straight from Google, then no. It’s worth it to save your pennies and get a much better device. And best part of all, you can order a SIM card from Straight Talk, so you can enjoy that same unlimited talk, text, and 2 GB of data in a device that you shouldn’t be embarrassed to pull out of your pocket. That and the Galaxy Nexus can use either T-Mobile’s or AT&T’s network, so coverage should be fantastic.
While we’re on the topic of prepaid, did you know that Q1 2012 was the first quarter where the number of people on contracts actually dropped? That’s right, it looks like prepaid is the new black, and why shouldn’t it be? You can spend half of what you usually do per month if you’re simply willing to cough up a bit extra for an unsubsidized device. Chances are most people will put that $399 Nexus on their credit card anyway, which means they’ll pay it off over a couple of months.