Review: Samsung Galaxy Prevail LTE for Boost Mobile
Screen
The Prevail LTE is a follow-up to the Prevail 2, which means at least some of the specs have to be improved, right? At 4.5 inches, the Prevail LTE's screen is half an inch larger than its predecessor's, but it carries over the same 800 x 480 resolution. That means the pixel density is a bit lower and my eyes spot pixels easily along the edges of text and icons. It's not terrible, not by a long shot, but it's a clear reminder what class of device the Prevail LTE truly is. The low-spec'd screen helps Samsung keep the price low. Pixel-rich it may not be, but it is plenty bright and I had no trouble seeing the screen outdoors under cloudy skies. Sun gives it a bit more trouble, but that's true of most phones.
Signal
Boost operates on Sprint's network. The Prevail LTE's biggest improvement over the Prevail 2 is the addition of LTE 4G. It supports Sprint Spark, which means it can access LTE in the 800, 1900, and 2500 MHz bands. The Prevail LTE performed on par with other Sprint devices I've tested on Sprint's network in the metro NYC area. That means it connected most calls on the first dail, didn't miss any calls, and only dropped one. I was not overly impressed with data speeds on the Prevail LTE, but the Prevail LTE was quick enough (when LTE coverage was available) to load web sites, update apps, and refresh my Twitter feed.
Sound
Call quality was pretty solid across the board. I thought calls were particularly clear in the earpiece, with little noise or interference. Volume was also impressive as long as you set it all the way up. I could maintain conversations in coffee shops and crowded malls, but a noisy basketball game made it more difficult to hear. People said I sounded "really good" when I called them via the Prevail LTE. The speakerphone offers plenty of volume for offices and your home, but probably not enough for a moving car. Quality was solid, though a bit more prone to interference. Ringers and alert tones — which are the same drippy drops found on most Samsung devices — are acceptable, but could be a lot louder in my book. The vibrate alert is excellent.
Battery
The Prevail LTE's battery is larger than the Prevail 2's, but it delivers about the same amount of battery life. The 2,000 mAh power cell is good enough for a full day of use, but not much beyond that. I found it remained up and running from breakfast to bedtime without fail, but it was generally at the 15% mark when it was time to call it a day. So you should be in the clear most of the time, but if you have an extra-long day planned (late night out with friends, etc.), then you may want to have a charger or spare battery handy.
If you find yourself in trouble, you can use Samsung's Ultra Power Saving Mode to improve your chances of making it to bed-time. This mode powers down most extraneous apps and services and leaves only the essentials (phone, text messages) up and running.
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