Let me start by saying this little gadget has been a game-changer for my international trips. The 400Mbps download speed isn't just marketing fluff - I consistently got strong connections across Germany and Belgium, often outperforming my phone's signal.
The battery life is impressive. On a full charge, I got about 9 hours of continuous use (not quite the claimed 11, but close enough). The color display is super handy for monitoring data usage - something I wish more hotspots offered.
Now for the not-so-great parts: Setup can be frustrating. Like other reviewers, I had APN issues initially with my Google Fi SIM. The manual might as well be decorative - I ended up Googling solutions from fellow users. Once configured properly though? Smooth sailing.
The build quality gave me pause. The SIM tray feels flimsy, and I've heard horror stories about connections breaking. Mine's held up through three countries so far, but I baby it like fragile china.
Pro tip: If you're using Google Fi like me, enable roaming in settings before traveling. This thing saved me when my phone couldn't get signal in rural Netherlands - worth its weight in gold for that alone.