Microsoft Nokia Lumia 521 8GB White Prepaid Smartphone T-Mobile

I was looking for an affordable 4G smart phone to use with the T-Mobile Pay-in-Advance, no contract plan ($30/month for 100 voice minutes and unlimited text and web). The Nokia Lumia 521 has all the features I was looking for. Not all smart phones have Wi-Fi calling built-in, like this one does. With the T-Mobile service, Wi-Fi calling counts towards your monthly minutes. The big benefit of Wi-Fi calling is a strong signal inside buildings that are Wi-Fi hot spots but have weak or no cellular signal, such as the inside of my concrete apartment (using my home wireless network) or in various restaurants. While Windows 8 smart phones don't have as many available apps as others (Apple or Android OS), they reportedly have better security (e.g. less susceptible to hacking), which is preferable in today's world... For initial setup, before powering up the phone for the first time, go onto the T-Mobile website with another PC and activate your Nokia Lumia 521 phone (SIM card is included with phone) and setup your T-Mobile service ($30/month plan). That way, when you power up the smart phone for the first time and go into the Windows 8 initialization, it detects your T-Mobile service and doesn't require that setup process at the same time as the Windows 8 initialization. It makes for an easier and cleaner install process.

I bought a couple of these to be our family's first smart phone and I am very pleased with the purchase. They are nice and thin and get the job done quite nicely. I really like the Windows Phone interface - it was easy to get started and master in a week. My only complaint is that the screen is small, but darn it ... if it wasn't so small it wouldn't slip in a pocket so nicely - so no real complaint. The mapping is very very good too and the GPS is very responsive. Plus Nokia is know for great cameras and a plethora of apps to enhance that ability. You truly can't go wrong with this phone. I got the T-mobile service for $30 a month and that is working great for us too.

Purchased this cell phone for my daughter for Christmas, after checking to see if it would work in my zip code. The Walmart site stated it WOULD work. When trying to activate this phone, it was very frustrating. Kept getting redirected to speak to someone else in a different department. They all told me that the sim card was not scanned when it left the warehouse therefor the phone could NOT be activated. After talking to T-Mobile, I was informed that T-Mobile does NOT work in my zip code. I feel I was misled.

been using this phone as a WiFi device only and it's fantastic, caught it on sale at $79. don't even plan on activating the phone features, use it to check my e-mail acct's, surf, and watch video's/listen to MPS's on the go, basically a 4 inch Windows 8 Tablet...i bought the App Molli Player Pro so i can watch MKV files, works great. Battery life is great it last's all day with continuous use, put in a 32GB MSD card and have plenty of storage, bought a cover with a kick-stand/extra battery & screen protector over at Cellular Outfitter and couldn't be happier. the only thing this Phone lacks is Qi charging support, i can live w/it..highly recommend this item when on sale! .

Purchased this as my first smartphone to replace an old phone on my T-Mobile Family Plan. Used the new sim card that came with the purchase (old sim card is different and would not fit), went to the my account website, logged in, clicked on new sim card, and within two hours my phone was up & running. The next day spent a couple of hours "playing" with Windows to understand the apps and could navigate well setting up what I needed (bluetooth, email, storage, home wi-fi, defaults). Have always liked Nokia phones and this one is no exception. If you want the latest & greatest you may want to look elsewhere, but for a great value and eaze of use, you will like this one.