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Dirt-cheap clamshell phone with bare-bones features
- About as cheap as you can get
- No carrier contract
- Some like the "rubbery" body
- Smaller screen is monochrome, hard to see
- No camera, no MP3 player, no Bluetooth
- Just 250-entry contact list
- Feels cheap to some
- Battery life isn't great
The Virgin Mobile TNT! is a very basic clamshell cell phone, and the gist of most reviews is: What do you expect for 20 bucks and no requirement that you buy a service contract? The TNT! is also known as the Kyocera Adreno S2400. In a sense, the price leaves the Virgin Mobile TNT! in a class by itself, although for $10 more, Virgin Mobile offers the LG Flare, which has Bluetooth and color on the small external screen. The Virgin Mobile TNT! has a 1-inch monochrome external screen that some reviews say you'll need glasses to read, and the 1.75-inch, low-res color internal screen doesn't draw many raves, either (one says the screen is very slow to respond). Another downgrade is a contact list that can hold just 250 entries.
Neither the TNT! nor the Flare has a camera or a music player. CNET tests battery life at two hours and 50 minutes, which is not very good, but it does say the call quality is decent, though there is a "tinny" quality on the speakerphone. The TNT! features voice dialing, a voice recorder and a basic WAP 2.0 web browser that a couple of owner reviews say responded better than they expected. While some owner reviews say the Virgin Mobile TNT! feels cheap, especially when you try to remove the battery cover, others say that overall they like the body's slightly rubbery feel.
We found the only thorough professional review at CNET, which does things like test battery life, while the review at About.com just lists the manufacturer's promised time. Usual stalwarts PCMag.com and Consumer Reports had not covered the Virgin Mobile TNT! at this writing. We also didn't find many owner reviews in any one place. But combined, there is a decent sampling at CNET, Target.com, Amazon.com, PhoneScoop.com and RadioShack.com.
Our Sources
1. CNET
CNET rates the Virgin Mobile TNT! as "good" for its price, with acceptable call quality but slightly "tinny" voices on the speaker. There is a handful of owner reviews, mostly negative. Most of the complaints concern activation difficulties.
Review: Virgin Mobile TNT (Kyocera Adreno S2400), Kent German, Aug. 14, 2008
2. About.com
The advice here is to spend a little more and get a better phone. Fendelman's key observation is: "There's actually a minor delay in the TNT!'s primary screen when responding to your actions and repainting the screen." (Note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but the two don't share an editorial affiliation.)
Review: Cheap Cell Phones: Virgin Mobile's Ultra Low-Priced TNT! Flip Phone, Adam Fendelman
3. Target.com
About 10 owner reviews combine for a mediocre score. Just about everyone says the Virgin Mobile TNT! feels cheap, although some add that it's actually stronger than their first impressions led them to believe. The most detailed review is essentially positive.
Review: Virgin Mobile TNT! Pay-As-You-Go Cell Phone, Contributors to Target.com
4. Amazon.com
A handful of owner reviews give the Virgin Mobile TNT! fair to excellent grades. Most say it's good for the price, and they like the slightly rubbery feel, but they say you'll need your glasses to read the small exterior screen.
Review: Kyocera TNT Prepaid Phone (Virgin Mobile), Contributors to Amazon.com
There are just a couple of owner reviews here, but they are longer and more detailed than user reports on other websites. Among the plusses is the rubbery exterior; another is a keypad that allows for surprisingly fast typing.
Review: Kyocera Adreno S2400 / TNT!, Contributors to PhoneScoop.com
