Intuitive display, 3.5 mm phone jack, 3 home screens, 3.2 megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth, GPS

Against:

Not as good as Samsung Rogue. Photo quality could have been better.

The Whiz Kid Speaks:

Samsung Reality SCH-u820 is based on CDMA2000 1X technology, it has 128 MB internal memory, phone book capacity is of 1000 entries, downloadable content includes Screensavers, Wallpapers and Ringtones. The 3.2 megapixels camera has the following options for resolutions – 320 x 240, 800 x 480, 1280 x 720, 1920 x 1080, 640 x 480, 1024 x 768, 1600 x 1200, 2048 x 1536. The camera has 9x digital zoom.

The screen is three inches big and has a resolution of 240×400 pixels. Supported audio formats are AAC+, MP3, AAC and WMA. The battery of the phone has a rated talk time of 300 minutes and rated standby time is of 300 hours.

Razzle Dazzle:

Samsung Reality SCH-u820 is 4.23 inches long, 0.65 inches thick and 2.09 inches wide. The dimensions are quite similar to Rogue. Reality, on the other hand has a glossier sheen on the surface which easily attracts fingerprints. Color options are both red and black and on the back, there is an aesthetically appealing grid pattern.

Inside Dope:

Samsung Reality SCH-u820 looks similar to Samsung Rogue which we saw last year and once you take a look at the features, you will realize that it is a trimmed down version of the Rogue. Both the phones are from Verizon Wireless, have similar touch screens and sport same slide out QWERTY keyboards. Reality doesn’t have the same polished look as its step up cousin. It has EV-DO Rev. 0 and not EV-DO Rev. A. But we still think this is a good phone for people, it still has multiple home screens and lots of features that weren’t there on the Rogue. This phone is yours for $79.99 and requires a two year contract from the service provider. We liked the fact that Samsung gave us a 3.2 megapixel camera on this phone but the photo quality doesn’t live up to the 3.2 MP tag. We are not saying that the quality is horrendous but it could have been a bit better. We have tested lots of phones in our labs with 3.2 megapixel camera and we have seen much better quality. On the bright side, the call quality of this phone is stellar.

Display

Samsung Reality SCH-u820 has a three inch WQVGA screen which gives a resolution of 240×400 pixels with support for 262k colors. The display is not as good as Samsung Rogue. You can adjust the menu transition effect, home screen clock format, back light time, main menu shortcut icons, dial font size, menu font style and lock screen color font.

Navigation array and keyboard

Even though the Samsung Reality SCH-u820 is an all touch screen phone, there are a few physical keys like Send, End/Power, and Back/Clear keys. This trio is located beneath the display. On the left, there is the screen lock key and volume rocker button. On the right, there is the microSD card slot, speaker phone button, voice command button, and camera shutter button. You can use the voice command as well as speakerphone buttons for zooming in and out of the camera. On the top, there is the 3.5 mm headphone jack.

Being a slider phone, the QWERTY keyboard is located beneath the phone. It is quite spacious and each button is raised a bit in order to enhance the typing experience. There is a discrete number row, navigation array and the typical function and shift buttons. A,W,S,D and navigation arrow buttons are used for gaming. This keyboard is a bit cramped as compared to Rogue and we won’t recommend you this phone if you are going to type loads on it.

Phone book and PIM features

Samsung Reality SCH-u820 has a 1000 entry phone book in which a single entry takes five phone numbers, IM screen name, 2 e-mail addresses, 2 street addresses, birthday, photo, company title and note. You can make groups of contacts and pair them up to a ring tone. In all, there are 17 ring tones to choose from. Basic features on the phone include timer, sketchpad, notepad, world clock, stop watch, alarm clock, calculator, calendar, speakerphone and vibrate mode. For advanced users, there are features like voice command, file viewer (for reading MS-Office documents), USB mass storage mode, stereo Bluetooth and GPS with VZ Navigator support.

Messaging features

Samsung Reality SCH-u820 comes with tons of messaging features, there is multimedia and text messaging and you also get instant messaging and voice messaging (Yahoo, Windows Live and AIM). There are three e-mail options mobile e-mail (downloadable application which gets e-mail on to your phone directly), corporate e-mail (which gets you calendar and work e-mail through RemoSync) and mobile e-mail which gives access to Web mail services like Gmail and Yahoo. Visual voice mail will costs you $3 a month.

Music player

Supported audio formats for the Samsung Reality SCH-u820 are AAC+, AAC, WMA and MP3. The handset supports EV-DO but just EV-DO Rev.0 supported and not EV-Do Rev. A but you can still access 3G services through Verizon like V Cast Videos for streaming your videos, along with V Cast Music with Rhapsody. Through this, you can buy and download music tracks from the air for $1.99.

Camera

The Samsung Reality SCH-u820 has a 3.2 megapixel camera which takes pictures in eight different resolutions from 320×240 pixels to 2,048×1,536 pixels. Settings include three settings for quality, autoshot mode, night shot mode, self timer, five presets for white balance, five effects for color, five modes for shooting, adjustable ISO, three options for metering, and variety of options for contrast, sharpness, saturation and brightness. Photo quality is good but we were expecting much better. The camera also lets you shoot videos and there are two options for resolutions. Settings for the camcorder mode are similar to that of the camera.

Verdict:

This handset might have a good feature set, but it is still miles behind Samsung Rogue. We will recommend you to go for Rogue instead of this handset.

Bright display; easy-to-use navigation array; decent captured photo quality; admirable call quality

Against:

Average speakerphone call quality; flat and slipper keypad; boring and dated design

The Whiz Kid Speaks:

The Samsung SGH-T659 is based on WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM technology and supports band of WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM 850/900/1800/1900. The cell phone has 80MB internal memory and micro-SD card slot for external storage.

The preinstalled messengers are AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) and Yahoo! Messenger. The additional features are HSDPA, Java applications, EDGE, WAP browser, and GPRS.

2.25-inch LCD display has 240×320 pixels resolution that supports 262,000 (18-bit) colors. The 2-megapixel camera features self-portrait mirror, 2.5x digital zoom, self-timer and video-recording. The video capture resolution is 176×144 pixels.

The SGH-T659 supports video playback formats of H.263 video with AMR audio, H.264, MPEG4, and 3GP. The supported audio formats are AAC+, AAC, WMA, and MP3.

The standard lithium ion battery has a life of 300 minutes talk time and 300 hours of standby time. Accessories supplied inside the package are battery, user manual, wired headset, and power adapter.

Razzle Dazzle:

The Samsung SGH-T659 has slider design. It is 4.1 inches tall, 1.9 inches wide and 0.6 inch deep and weighs 3.3 ounces. It fits easily in pants pocket due to its slim profile. The slider mechanism is sturdy and the SGH-T659 feels comfortable while holding in hands.

Inside Dope:

The Samsung SGH-T659 has a design which was popular three years ago. It offers nothing special except the 3G service. If you need a boring and dated design then you can select the SGH-T659. The speakerphone call quality of the T659 is average, while the keypad is slippery and flat. On the bright side, the display is enough bright to display colorful images and fine text. The navigation array is simple and very easy to use. The call quality and captured picture quality are impressive. The SGH-T659 is available for $69 with T-Mobile contract. If you are looking for a modern design then you have to look elsewhere. You have to slide down the phone to access the alphanumeric keypad. Speaking about the exterior of the SGH-T659 – the micro-SD card slot and volume rocker are on the left spine. You will find the camera shutter and charger/headset jack on the right spine. The camera lens with self-portrait mirror is on the back. We will advise you to open the Samsung SGH-T659 prior to capture a photo.

Display

The 2.25 inches display of the Samsung SGH-T659 has 320×240 pixels resolution that supports 262,000 colors. It exhibits fine graphics and colors. The menu interface is easy to use and simple. You can select the menu layout between grid and circle. The T659 allows adjusting the brightness, the backlight time, and font color, type, and size.

Navigation Array and Keypad

The navigation array is located beneath the display. It consists of two soft keys, circular toggle with middle OK button, Talk key, a clear button and End/Power key. The navigation array is spacious and easy to use. The alphanumeric keypad is flat, which is common for most of the slider phones.

Phonebook and PIM features

The Samsung SGH-T659 can store 1000 contacts in its phonebook and SIM card can hold additional 250 entries. Each contact can save four phone numbers, three instant-messenger handles, three email addresses, an anniversary, a birthday, notes, and a street address. The contacts can be organized into caller groups. You can also pair them with one ring-tone and a photo for caller ID.

The basic feature set includes 21 (72-chord) polyphonic ring-tones, text and multimedia messages, a tip calculator, a currency and unit converter, a stopwatch, a timer, a world clock, a calculator, a memo pad, a task list, an alarm clock, a calendar, a voice recorder, and a speakerphone. The advanced highlights are USB mass storage, PC synchronization, GPS support with TeleNav service, Web-based POP3 email accounts, instant messengers, stereo Bluetooth, and RSS feeder.

Camera

The 2-megapixel camera of the Samsung SGH-T659 features self-timer, night mode and video-recording. The still capture options include three shutter sounds with one silent choice, three color tones, spot metering, three white-balance settings, adjustable brightness, three quality settings, and four resolutions. You can record the video clips of 45 seconds for MMS and longer in standard mode. The video recording options include one resolution and others that of still capture. You can transfer the pictures and video clips via Bluetooth and MMS. The overall photo quality is better than its competition. However, there is no flash to improve the picture quality.

Music Player

There is also a music player in the Samsung SGH-T659. It has simple playback controls and easy interface. It features play-list, an airplane mode, visualizations, equalizer, shuffle and repeat model. The music playback quality on the speakers was suffered from tinny volume. We will recommend you for using the included headset for better experience.

Games and Personalization

The Samsung SGH-T659 comes with two games: Brain Challenge 2 and Platinum Solitaire 2. It can be personalized with available background colors, alert-tones, and wallpaper. More options and games can be downloaded from t-zones through WAP browser.

Call Quality

We made few calls through quad-band based the Samsung SGH-T659 via T-Mobile service for testing. The overall call quality was perfect. We received natural, clear and loud sound at our end with strong signal strength. There was some background noise and a bit static, but it was acceptable. The callers received good sound at their end and they could tell we were calling through a cell phone. The speakerphone calls were of average quality. We had to speak very closely to the phone and the callers received a bit distorted sound at their end.

Battery Life

The Samsung SGH-T659 has battery life of 5 hours of talk time and 12.5 days of idle standby time. Its digital SAR is 0.73 watts per kilogram in accordance with the FCC radiation tests.

Verdict:

If you can overcome the dated and boring design, then you can buy – Samsung SGH-T659.

Simple design and average feature set.

Against:

Lacks Bluetooth; mediocre call quality

The Whiz Kid Speaks:

The Samsung SPH-M240 is based on CDMA2000 1X technology that supports dual-band of CDMA2000 1X 800/1900. The additional features are T9 intelligent typing, E-911 compliant, and TTY compatible.

The external monochrome display is vertical in shape. The 1.75-inch internal display has 160×128 pixels that support 65,000 colors.

The 960mAH lithium ion battery has a life of 390 minutes talk time. Accessories supplied inside the package are wired headset, user manual, battery, and power charger.

Razzle Dazzle:

The Samsung SPH-M240 has folder type design. It is 1.9 inches wide, 0.7 inch deep and 3.6 inches tall and weighs 3 ounces. It comes in black and silver color. The handset has simple streamlined shape with curved sides.

Inside Dope:

The Samsung had quietly released the Samsung SPH-M240 for Sprint on the same day of launching the Samsung Rogue. The M240 looks like the Samsung SGH-T329 and the SGH-A237. However, the SPH-M240 lacks the color accents like previous handsets. It is completely centered towards simple communication. It costs $19.99 with a service agreement, but does not feature Bluetooth. The battery cover on the back is textured. The plastic skin cannot withstand the bumps, but the hinge is sturdy enough. You will find the 2.5mm headset jack and standard micro-USB port on the right side; while the volume rocker is on the left side. We like that the SPH-M240 has vertical external display similar to that on Samsung SGH-T239. It displays numerical caller ID and date/time. As the M240 is not a multimedia phone so there is no camera and 3.5mm headset jack. You can flip open the phone to access the internal color display and alphanumeric keypad. If your office does not allow for camera phone, then the SPH-M240 is a good basic phone to purchase.

Display

The 1.75 inches display of the Samsung SPH-M240 has 160×128 pixels that support 65,000 colors. It does not exhibit sharp pictures, graphics and color. The menu interface is simple and easy to use. You can adjust the dialing font size, the brightness, and the backlight time.

Navigation Array and Keypad

The navigation array is located beneath the internal display. It consists of two soft keys, hexagonal toggle with middle OK button, Talk key, a back button, and End/Power button. The toggle is only raised above the surface, while others have enough space for easy usage. You can instantly access the messaging application and phonebook through the soft keys. The keypad has spacious and backlit keys.

Phonebook and PIM features

The Samsung SPH-M240 can store 500 contacts in its phonebook. Each entry can store six phone numbers, one email address, a company name and job title, a birthday, a street address, notes, and one IM handle. You can categorize the contacts into caller groups and pair them with one ring-tone and a photo for caller ID. Please remember that the M240 does not have a camera and photo caller ID does not appear on external display.

The basic feature set includes threaded text and multimedia messages, voice dialing, a voice memo record, a world clock, a tip calculator, a memo pad, a calculator, and a calendar. As already mentioned, the SPH-M240 is centered towards communication. However, there is no Bluetooth support for hands-free calling.

Games and Personalization

The Samsung SPH-M240 comes with three Java games: Downtown Texas Hold’Em, Brain Exercise, and Super Street Fighter. It can be personalized with greeting, available alert tones, screensaver, calendar and clock formats. More options and games can be downloaded through WAP 2.0 browser.

Call Quality

We made few calls through dual-band based Samsung SPH-M240 via Sprint service for calling. The overall call quality was good, but not spectacular. We received natural and loud sound at our end with some static. The callers received good sound at their end with similar level of static. The speakerphone call quality was only average.

Battery Life

The battery life of the Samsung SPH-M240 is 6.5 hours of talk time. Its digital SAR rating is 0.867 watts per kilogram in accordance with the FCC radiation tests.

Verdict:

The Samsung SPH-M240 is only works for simple communication. If you can work without Bluetooth and camera, then the M240 remains a good choice to buy.