Our friends over at Virgin Mobile have sent us the Samsung Galaxy Victory 4G LTE for us to review! With the announcement of this device Virgin Mobile now offers a 4G LTE device. As you may recall the Galaxy Victory 4G LTE was first a device on Sprint, and you can still get it there. Check Out Our Review Of The Samsung Galaxy Victory 4G LTE For Sprint, By Clicking Here. It has landed on Virgin Mobile as their first 4G LTE device and it has some nice features. In terms of the plans on Virgin Mobile, having a 4G LTE device does not change-up the plan. Keep in mind that Virgin Mobile is a no contract brand, so the Galaxy Victory 4G LTE will cost $299.99 plus the monthly plan. Will the Victory 4G LTE be your next smartphone? Let’s dive into the full review to find out!
Software
The Virgin Mobile Samsung Galaxy Victory 4G LTE is running Android 4.1.2 with a Samsung user interface. Granted this is Jelly Bean but, it is not the newest version though. However, many devices are still shipping with Ice Cream Sandwich, so this is really not an issue. It is similar to the software experience on the Sprint variant of the device as well. Powering the Victory 4G LTE is a 1.2GHz dual core processor with 1GB of RAM. While it is not the fastest device on the market, it runs very smoothly. Multitasking is quite easy to use and does not slow down the software. Swiping from home screen to other screens and opening or closing applications works quickly. Everyone once in a while if you have a large amount of applications open, it may slow down the device a bit.
For those of you who like Near Field Communications or NFC, you will be quite happy with the Victory 4G LTE. It does have NFC built-in and Google Wallet is pre-loaded on the device! Google Wallet lets you pay just by simply tapping your phone on to the pad at certain retail locations. You can add your credit or debit card on to the account, buy pre-loaded cards to add, and even some reward cards will work with the system. With Google Shopper you can shop right on your smartphone and it has a nice user interface to it. Near Field Communication smart tags like Samsung TecTiles will work on the Victory 4G LTE as well. These NFC tags will let you automate tasks and make your life easier. Near Field Communications is built into the 2100mAh battery. One last awesome NFC tool that is available on the Victory 4G LTE is S Beam. This will let you share images, videos, websites, contacts, and more all with the simple tap of 2(two) devices together. S Beam works on many Samsung devices like the Galaxy S III, Note II, Note 10.1, and several others. As long as both devices have S Beam turned on you will be able to easily share photos and much more. This is a very nice feature of the Victory 4G LTE.
The Samsung user interface on the Virgin Mobile Galaxy Victory 4G LTE is very similar to the interfaces on many other Samsung devices. It does seem to be the nature user interface that launched with the Galaxy S III. On the home screens you have a weather widget and the nice nature lock screen. It does have the nature sound effects as well. Samsung brought some high-end software features to the Victory 4G LTE as well. For starters you get S Voice and this is your smartphones virtual assistant. You can ask it for facts, find places to eat, check up on the weather, send messages, and more. You can even have it get voice directions and write memos for you. Speaking of which S Memo, which premiered on the Galaxy Note family, is found on the Victory 4G LTE as well. This is en easy way to jot down your thoughts and S Voice can help you with as well. I am happy to see that Samsung is adding these high-end features on to the Victory 4G LTE.
In terms of pre-loaded applications on the Virgin Mobile Samsung Galaxy Victory 4G LTE, there aren’t that many. As you may have guessed this a very nice thing to see. Virgin Mobile has pre loaded My Account, which will let you keep updated with your account and everything Virgin Mobile. You can easily see your balance and if needed you can “Top Up”. There is a suggested applications area that will let you know about some cool applications available for download. You can see tutorials and find support for your device, as well as staying up to date on the latest news. Mobile ID is found on the device as well, this will let you customize the device to your liking. There are many different themes like Virgin Mobile, MTV, Samsung(pre-set), and many others. The Google App Suite, Music Hub, Music Player, Samsung Apps, Play Store, VPN Client, YouTube, and a few other applications are pre-loaded.
Design
As I stated in the original Sprint review of the device, Samsung did not give this most beautiful design. It is not flashy and certainly does not have the pop of the Boost Mobile HTC One SV. It has a silver color going all around the device, with some grey through in here and there. The back of the device is a shiny plastic, that does not provide any grip. It is a tad bit slippery, but for the most part the rest of the device is not. One big thing to mention is that Virgin Mobile does not have any branding anywhere on this device. You only have 2(two) Samsung logos and I am happy about this. Sometime the carriers put a little too much branding, but I was quite surprised when I saw this. It would have been nice to see an update to the colors of the device though.
In terms of the layout of the device, it has not changed since the Sprint device. On the back of the device you have a 5 megapixel camera with LED flash and a Samsung logo. The speaker is located on the bottom of the back as well. The back cover is made out of plastic and easily comes off. The only thing under the cover would be the 2100mAh battery. Your micro SD card slot is on the left hand side of the device along with the volume rocker. The Victory 4G LTE does have a dedicated camera shutter button on the right hand side. I am always happy to see this as it makes using the camera much easier. The main microphone along with the micro USB port can be found on the bottom. While the top of the device has the another microphone, a headphone jack, and the power/sleep button. Above the display you will find the you have a Samsung logo, a front facing camera, a earpiece, and a LED notification light. Under the display you have almost a silver lip and this connected to the silver siding that goes all around the device and partially on the back. On this silver lip, that is under the screen, you have your menu, home, and back buttons. They light up and are slightly raised from the lip itself. The Galaxy Victory 4G LTE for Virgin Mobile weighs in a 4.8-ounces and is .5-inches thick, so it is not the thinnest or lightest device on the market.
Network
The Galaxy Victory 4G LTE is Virgin Mobile’s first 4G LTE device! Keep in mind that Virgin Mobile is using Sprint’s 4G LTE network which is still in the rollout phase. It might not be available everywhere just yet. If you are not covered yet you will be running on Sprint’s 3G EVDO network, which is not the fastest one out there. The Galaxy Victory 4G LTE will work on Virgin Mobile’s No-Contract Beyond Talk unlimited data and messaging plans that start at just $35 per month. For $35 a month you will get 300 anytime minutes, unlimited messaging, and unlimited 3G and 4G(WiMax/4G LTE) data. For $45 a mont you get 1200 anytime minutes, unlimited messaging, and unlimited 3G and 4G(WiMax/4G LTE) data. Lastly, for $55 a month you will get unlimited talk, text, and 3G/4G WiMax/4G LTE data! Keep in mind that speeds may start slowing down after 2.5GB’s of data have been used.
Hardware
Samsung is known for putting some nice hardware into their devices, let’s see what is inside the Galaxy Victory 4G LTE. In terms of connectivity you get access to 3G and 4G LTE networks, WiFi, BlueTooth 4.0, and Near Field Communications. It is nice to see Bluetooth 4.0 included, as it is the latest version available.
For storage you will get 1.5GB available out of the box and this is internally. The Galaxy Victory 4G LTE does support a micro SD card. In my testing a 64GB micro SD card worked fine. You can use cloud storage options as well to store your data. For instance with DropBox you can have it automatically sync your camera roll. It would have been nice to see a larger amount of internal storage.
Now we will move onto the cameras of this device. On the front you have a 1.3 megapixel front facing camera, and this works great for video chatting but is not the best for taking “selfies” or self portraits. And on the back you get a 5 megapixel back camera. If you are coming from a feature phone or a lower grade smartphone, you will be quite impressed with the camera. However, images can either be good or bad all depending on your environment. And the camera will record video in 720pHD.
There is not a Super AMOLED display on the Galaxy Victory 4G LTE, instead you get a 4.0-inch WVGA LCD Display that has a resolution of 800 X 480. I was not surprised by the lack of the Super AMOLED display for the Sprint version, but I thought Samsung might have made an update is this is now the big device on Virgin Mobile. For a mid-range smartphone this screen size is average, colors look vibrant and images look real, and viewing angles are pretty good. Typing on the screen can sometimes be an issue, but using swipe or voice dictation may be the answer.
Bottom Line
The Galaxy Victory 4G LTE is a great device and I would say it is the best device on Virgin Mobile as of the time of this review. Giving customers the access to 4G LTE is great and if you are in an area that currently has coverage, you should most certainly look in to the Victory 4G LTE. Virgin Mobile provides 3(three) great plans to run the device on as well. Samsung has certainly been showing their love to Virgin Mobile, as they already have the Galaxy Reverb and Galaxy S II 4G(WiMax). The Galaxy Victory 4G LTE has some high-end features like S Voice, S Memo, and S Beam. They are unique features that make this device better and give it some edge. Although the 4G LTE connectivity is the largest feature on the device. The 1.2GHz dual core processor keeps the device going and it does not slow down too much. It has a great software experience and it will let you use Google Wallet. If you are looking for a new smartphone, I suggest you take a look at the Galaxy Victory 4G LTE. The Virgin Mobile Samsung Galaxy Victory 4G LTE is available now and will cost $299.99 . For More Information On The Virgin Mobile Samsung Galaxy Victory 4G LTE, Please Click Here. We would like to thank Virgin Mobile USA for providing us with a copy of the “Virgin Mobile Samsung Galaxy Victory 4G LTE”.
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