The Good: This sleek and sexy dual-band flip phone has a fine polished finish and a 1.3 megapixel camera. The internal 2.2” display is crystal clear, showing web pages and photographs in true, vibrant color. There are a range of personalization options, most notably themes which change the menu interface. A touch-sensitive panel on the front allows operation of the music player and the internal keypad feels firm and secure.
The Bad: Being only a dual-band phone makes it unusable in parts of Europe and Asia, not ideal for the frequent traveller. The shiny finish, while attractive, is prone to unsightly fingerprints. The front panel is difficult to operate, and due to the lag time before buttons are de-activated, it is too easy to accidentally skip forward a track or stop playback altogether.
The Bottom Line: This is a generally satisfactory phone for the average consumer within the domestic market, its strongest asset being by far the internal color display. However, buyers looking for a travel phone or one with the latest technology may wish to look elsewhere.
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The Good: This quad-band world flip-phone has two displays, a simple interface and a slim, light and compact design. It supports web browsing and e-mail, and is able to play videos received via MMS. The rubberized keys make dialing easy, and the large address book provides storage room for up to 1000 contacts.
The Bad: The plastic casing of the phone feels cheap and insecure, and the lack of a camera makes the photo Caller-ID function somewhat pointless. The external 0.8” display is hard to read, and the 3MB internal memory is prohibitively small. The talk time of just 5 hours is fairly standard. The games included on the phone are only demos and require additional payment to download full versions.
The Bottom Line: This is a phone that is definitely overpriced, yet with a feature set aimed at those who want something cheap and simple. The Samsung SGH-X507 is a real let down compared to other models in the Samsung range.
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The Good: The Samsung SCH-A990 is the first phone in the United States to have a 3.2-megapixel camera. The camera includes autofocus and video-recording capabilities as well as a protective sliding cover and self portrait mirror. The Samsung SCH-A990 also supports EV-DO and Verizon’s 3G services, has integrated Bluetooth, a swivel screen, a speakerphone, and strong call quality.
The Bad: Sometimes the multimedia features on this phone are a bit sluggish. It also has some problems when using Bluetooth and the music feature. The music player itself is pretty rudimentary and the phone doesn’t include very many accessories.
The Bottom Line: While this phone is quite pricy and has a few glitches and restrictions, the Samsung SCH-A990 is a good high-end multimedia phone that boasts a sharp camera and good call quality.
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