Ultra Mobile Silver TCL Flip 2 Phone + 1st Month of Service 1GB SIM Kit – Designed for Ages 65+

The phone is perfect when you don't want to mess with a smartphone. It is small and easy to carry the folks that made this cell phone for Ultra Mobile Silver knew what they were doing. The screen is easy to see and all the apps are right there for you to pick one and go right to it. I had no problem setting up the phone and getting my phone number but I did run into problems hooking up to a tower. I called the number listed on the instructions and they tried everything they could with no success so they would issue a ticket notice on the phone and have the techs get back to me but told me it would be a few days. I received a call today on my land line they were still working on it and think it may be my location.

My little drone requires a smart phone to fly it, so I replaced my dumb phone with this. Comes ready to charge with 5V1A Outlet-to-USB-C adapter and USB-C cable. Chip and battery come installed. You also get a trial of phone service for 1 month. Don't throw away the box; info you need is on it, Including an MEPI # that you'll need, to call for activation. Activation and set up was more frustrating than I expected. Fortunately, their excellent help staff is human. They're tech savvy and don't make you feel dumb. They made it much easier. Main thing to know is a searchable User guide in PDF format is downloadable on the TCL site. PDF's worth getting so you don't have to find your magnifying glass to see the illustrations. Reading the guide will help a little, especially if you've set up a phone before. This is one of those minimalist design phones where 3 labelless horizontal lines have multiple functions. [The U lying on its left side is “go back” and frequently useful.] The red button turns it on/off. The other buttons are big enough, with a palpable click. Sound is okay. Included earphones have multiple pads for good fit. Phone measures 4.25” long, 2.25” wide and .75” thick. The phone will transfer your contacts for eMail services such as Gmail, Yahoo, AOL. And it has a browser capable of Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Amazon, and some more. Also it can be a hotspot for others to use the internet connection. the service that comes with it is month-to-month and only $15.

I've had and used this flip phone for about 3 weeks now so I think I've become familiar enough with the features to provide credible feedback, especially from an older person's perspective. There are both pros and cons. Starting with the cons, which did knock one Star off my review: 1) the Quick Start Guide is a small booklet (2.5"x5") with small print and graphics, making it difficult for a typical senior to clearly see (I had to use a magnifying glass); 2) the instructions were not totally complete or specific to the phone I had in my hand so I found them somewhat confusing at the beginning; 3) some terms and icons were not immediately obvious to me, which meant a bit of experimenting was needed (e.g., figuring out how to put a call on speaker after it was answered by flipping it open); 4) I found figuring out how to access my email account and the Internet took several attempts and was cumbersome enough that I doubt I will use the phone for these functions; and 5) it took several days to master the keypad buttons when typing a text message, it's an old school touch button type not a QWERTY keypad so the same button must be pressed quickly and multiple times to get the letter you want to type). The pros, on the other hand, are more important: 1) as a phone it is top notch, with clear sound/good connection, ease of making and receiving calls, ability to set up “quick dial” buttons and make speed calls, a contacts roster, and text messaging capability; 2) it is small (about 4”x2”x1/2”) and light (less than 5 ounces), making it easy to hold and carry in a pocket or purse, plus it vibrates (which helps if in an environment where it's hard to hear without turning the volume up to levels that might annoy others; 3) the screen on the outside of the flip part can be lit up without opening the phone, allowing you to see the date, time and battery life status; 4) the battery life is sufficient to last a full day and doesn't take more than a few hours to fully charge; and 5) the charging cable is a Type C so it doesn't matter which way it's turned to successfully plug it into the phone portal. For me, this is a completely satisfactory phone (since I prefer using my tablet with a larger screen for email and online browsing) and I recommend it. I believe it would be especially useful for older people who really only want to use a phone for calling and maybe even texting.

This phone brings back nostalgia by it's design and features but wa have all gone way past that. The phone looks nice and is compact but that is all the positive that I can say. It has features like old-school texting where I have to press the keys multiple time in order to reach the letters that I am seeking in order to complete words. That is a pain that I do not want to return to. The setup for me is also rather difficult to navigate. The sound of the person I am speaking to is fine and my caller says they hear me just fine. Again, the setup was trying for me and texting a pain. Having said that the service costs are reasonable and I will continue with the phone and service to use as an emergency phone just in case I need it in a clinch.

We always wanted a second phone for my wife and this one fits the bill perfectly!! It's a flip phone and very compact and handy. The monthly service is only $10 a month and very affordable. And that includes internet, texting and email!! We love it!!