I've taken two of the Verizon classes, one general Android and one specific to my phone, both worthwhile.
If you are not certain what phone you want, I suggest taking the class before purchase and telling the instructor what phones you are considering. Suspect you'll get a loaner, and even if you don't, the other students will be friendly and helpful.
I have a Note 3 for its large screen, big enough that the touch screen keyboard is usable. Next phone is going to be a tablet and then I'm going to ditch the laptop for most trips. I decided that at one of the classes where there were several elderly couples where each person had their own tablet, they were all full-time RVers, each wanted their tablet to do something different, and all were satisfied with their hardware choice.
I also see many people here use 3G. I got this phone when 3G speeds on my prior phone became intolerable for hotspot use. The 4G is far better if you are going to be in areas that have it (or will have it during the life of your phone). I think all 4G phones can also use 2G and 3G but you'd want to be sure. Here is a good coverage map.
