Samsung S390G Review - Tracfone

Review of the Samsung S390G Prepaid Cell Phone from Tracfone

The Samsung 390G is a qwerty keyboard prepaid mobile phone from Tracfone with WiFi, 2MP Camera and Triple Minutes for Life.

This phone easily competes with Tracfone's other top-of-the-line phones, such as the LG 530G, providing a number of great features.

However, with Tracfone's release of new Android Smartphones, which you can see more about on our cell phone reviews page, the Samsung is now a little outpaced by these new smartphones.

This review of the Samsung S390G will cover the key features for the phone, our likes and dislikes about it, and finally the overall rating as well as a buying guide for getting a good deal.

To get a better idea of how this phone stacks up, take a look at the list of features below.

Samsung S390G Features and Specs

• Triple Minutes for Life
• Full Qwerty Keyboard
• Mobile Web
• WiFi Capability
• 2 Mega Pixel Camera and Video Recorder
• MP3 Player (Compatible with up to a 32GB microSD)
• Hands Free Speaker
• Voice Command
• 2,000 Entry Phonebook
• Bluetooth Wireless Technology
• Battery and Wall Charger
• And many other common features such as Voicemail, Caller ID, Airtime Balance display, Auto Redial, and no activation or hidden fees

The battery life for the S390G is also a key feature, lasting 12.5 days on standby. With average use, the battery will last 4 to 7 days, which is outstanding for nearly any cell phone and especially good when compared to most smartphones which need charging every 12 to 48 hours! 

Now, time to look at some of the Likes and Dislikes for this phone from Samsung.

Likes and Dislikes for the Samsung S390G from Tracfone

The S390g from Tracfone

It is easy to start with the likes for this phone, because it has plenty of them:

Triple Minutes for Life is now pretty much standard on all of Tracfone's newer cell phone offerings but it is still a wonderful feature. For those who might not know, Triple Minutes for Life means that if you add a 60 minute card, you will get 180 total minutes.

The MP3 player with compatibility for a 32 GB MicroSD card means that you can put, and play, enough music to last you quite a while. Older phones from Tracfone could only handle 8 or 16 GB cards (which is still plenty of space), so this is a nice improvement. 

The best way to get music onto the Samsung S390G is to either connect the phone to your computer with a cable (which can be purchased from amazon) or take the MicroSD card out of the phone, and put it into the slot on your computer. Then, simply convert any songs you want to MP3 format, and transfer to the card. This phone uses a standard 3.5mm headphone jack for easy listening.

It is important to note that this phone does not come with a MicroSD card, so that must be purchased separately.

Several other great features for the S390G worth mentioning in this review are the 2MP Camera, Voice Command, and the Qwerty keyboard. While the cemera is nothing to write home about, it is quite adequate for taking pictures when no other cameras are around. Voice Command allows the user to make calls to contacts by saying "call (contacts name)". And the Qwerty keyboard is easy to use and get accustomed to.

Finally, one of our biggest likes for the S390G is the WiFi Capability. While it is not perfect and sometimes gives users more grief than it might be worth, it is amazing to be able to surf the web on a prepaid phone from Tracfone.

To be clear, when using WiFi (not Mobile Web) on the Samsung S390G, it is free and will not deduct minutes from you!While using the WiFi on the phone you can watch YouTube videos, check email, and surf the web all for free. 

The WiFi can be a little challenging to figure out, but like most electronic devices, there are plenty of guides online and if all else fails, give it to a teenager to figure it out.

Now, there a few Dislikes for this phone.

One of the most common dislikes for the S390G is that the WiFi is a little hard to use and set up. But, as mentioned above, it is very possible and makes for free web surfing from your Tracfone.

Another dislike for the phone is that some users have had problems with error messages showing up, or even the phone mistakenly dialing 911. If this or other serious problems are showing up on your phone, simply contact Tracfone and have them send you a replacement.

Our last dislike about this phone is that it is a relatively basic phone when compared to smartphones. If you might be thinking this is a smartphone and switching from a major contract carrier, you  might be a little disappointed with the limitations of this phone. However, if you are using an older Tracfone, this phone is a really great value for the money, and priced significantly below many other cell phone options on the market.

Overview of the Samsung S390G from Tracfone

This phone is a really good option when considering buying a Tracfone prepaid mobile phone. Determining whether to get this phone or not depends on what you are looking for in a phone. If you want WiFi, but don't want a touchscreen phone, this is one of the best options. (the LG840G is a touchscreen phone with WiFi from Tracfone and also a great option)

Our minor dislikes about this phone are easily overshadowed by the WiFi Capabilities, Triple Minutes for Life, and great battery life of the S 390G. 

The Samsung S390G typically retails in most stores for around $50. But great deals can be found on Amazon for sometimes as low as $30. View the Samsung S390G on Amazon to see more buying options.

Learn how to save even more money with our Review of Tracfone's Family Value Plan.