Samsung Zeal

“Rattling off the other features of the Zeal - QWERTY keyboard, 2 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, GPS, microSD expansion, QVGA display- and it could almost be any other feature phone on the market over the past few years. Because of this we are willing to compare the Zeal with newer devices on the market. More and more feature phones have touchscreens these days, but there is still a significant segment of the market that wants either a flip phone or a non-touch messaging device and because of this the Zeal still has a legitimate spot in Verizon’s lineup, even if the phone is a year and a half old.”

“The new Samsung Zeal for Verizon Wireless is an almost identical rebranding of its 3G Verizon ancestor, the Samsung Alias 2. Very little has changed in the phone's design, which isn't a problem considering we've always liked the interesting dual-flip design and chameleonic e-ink keypad/keyboard. Yet, the trouble with mimicry is that Samsung should have upgraded old-school external features like the 2.5mm headset jack and the proprietary charging port. As much as we may enjoy seeing the Zeal's e-ink revival, the outdated hardware sockets are a sign of inexcusable laziness.”

“In all, I was mildly pleased with the Zeal, but after considering that Samsung didn't do anything to update the phone, I was disappointed. As a consumer, I would not want to pay full-price for a phone that is essentially a year old. The e-ink technology was cool, but it turned out to be not very practical. The Zeal is available for $79.99 as of the writing of this review. Is it worth it? Possibly, if you simply like having a device that stands out and doesn't fit into the usual mold. In terms of usage and and everyday practicality though, I would recommend looking into something else.”