I have a Samsung from t-Mobile and its fine. I hate my Nextel, although my current phone (Blackberry) is better than the old one (Motorola) I had. I hate Motorola phones. They have poop for battery life. Your service concerns will be highly dependant on where you're at too. t-Mobile service in Phoenix is fine. Only dead zones I have found were shared by multiple networks. I actually have to use my personal phone over my work Nextel in some work situations because I have no Nextel coverage in a couple of my locations.