It's okay but not great.

[tanstaafl]

Like the fellow in another thread I could not resist the $99.99 price at BB especially because I got a $50 BB giftcard for Xmas. (I have Metro PCS.) I have an LG F6 which is a nice phone for $79 except for its woefully lacking storage space. The Avant has way more storage space, but the screen is inferior; the Avant's screen is the same size and resolution but it is not as vivid, has worse viewing angles, and is not made of gorilla glass. The Avant's camera also is worse in indoor light conditions compared to the F6, for both pics and vids. The Avant is sluggish compared to the F6 for basic swiping/opening/pressing tasks compared to the F6 (maybe this is due to the Samsung bloatware discussed on other threads), but games run smoother once they're loaded and web pages load faster.

Another reason I got this phone is that my wife got me a Gear Fit watch that I could not get to work with the F6. It seems to be working with the Galaxy Avant, though I have not fully tested it; I had to sideload the Samsung Health Service and Samsung S Health (there is a thread on this on the Gear Fit forum). (The Gear Fit is also nothing to write home about, but that's another story...)

Probably this is a good phone for $99, but you get what you pay for. The LG F6 can be had for less $$ for Metro PCS but there is so little space for apps you probably don't want that one. BB had a Metro PCS Galaxy S4 for $299 on sale when I was there; if you can swing that $$ it might be a better way to go, though I have not tried that phone.

 

[Fox Mulder]

Well coming from the F3 I find the display to be ok. Although the F3 did have an IPS screen, the Avant's is a bit larger with somewhat higher resolution so overall a small step up. No it's not HD or AMOLED but not a dealbreaker in my case since I don't play games on it or watch lots of videos. Obviously others will have different priorities and the display will be more important. As for the lack of Gorilla Glass that is unfortunate as well, but I've already put a Zagg shield on it as I do with all my phones so it's not really an issue.
I was actually somewhat close to pulling the trigger on the $299 S4, but by the time I got around to it there weren't any left in the stores here. Otherwise I might have that now instead.
One other consideration for those who may care about such things, the Avant is currently the only Metro branded phone that is band 12 capable. This is significant to those in areas where this band may be rolling out in the near future and can take advantage of the improved coverage.