The Samsung SGH-X426...does its job and looks good at the same time.
Written: Mar 19 '04 (Updated Mar 19 '04)
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Pros: works well, cute, lots of features
Cons: speaker can be a little too loud, must hold microphone a bit away
The Bottom Line: This is a good phone and it's good looking too.
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| yenfur's Full Review: Samsung SGH-X426 |
I was an AT&T Wireless customer with a year left on my contract. So when I lost my old Nokia (yes, it was pretty much on purpose), it was time for a new phone. After looking around for awhile, I decided my best bet was the Samsung SGH-X426. It was cute (which is important to me, I like cute things). Plus, it was lightweight.
Take into consideration, even though I use a lot of technology, this does not mean that I know a lot about technology. I also have the tendency to break things. So I am not the smartest person when it comes to any kind of technology, so I require things which cater to idiots (even though I am not an idiot, I act like it a lot).
The specifications and highlights, according to www.attwireless.com are:
Weight: 2.8 oz
Dimensions: 3.3" long x 1.8" wide x 0.8" thick
Battery: 810 mAh Li-Ion
Standby time: Up to 216 hours
Talk time: Up to 7 hours
Warranty: 1 yr. on phone and accessories (limited to defects in material and workmanship).
Conference call - 1+5 callers
Currency converter
Games - 3
Java Enabled
Multi-lingual text display - English, French, Spanish
One-Button access to mMode (AT&T’s wireless internet)
Phonebook - up to 500 alphanumeric entries
Polyphonic ring tones - 40 pre-set ring tones
SMS
Speed Dialing - 9 One-Touch Dialing, #1 is dedicated to voicemail
Vibrating alert
Wallpaper
World time
When purchased from AT&T Wireless, you get:
810 mAh Li-Ion Battery
Hand Strap
Travel Adapter
Ear microphone
SIM Card (which stores information if the need arises to transfer to another phone)
The features
This phone has no lack of features, some of which I haven’t even begun to explore. I will talk about the ones which I commonly use.
Ringtones: This phone does provide 40 polyphonic (MIDI) ring tones. The problem with this is the fact that none of these ringtones are particularly good. A variety is one thing, a good variety would be better. Additional ringtones can be downloaded for additional charges. Individual ringtones may also be assigned for certain people in your phonebook, if you want to take the time to do that.
Phonebook: The phonebook feature for this phone is excellent. It has a searchable option, making it easy to find people who randomly get put in there, who are rarely called. For each person on the list, there are options to put multiple numbers under their name, with options for home, office and cell.
Speed Dialing: While this feature might be great for some people, it’s not right for me. I have trouble remembering which person goes with which number. For hands free dialing, I use Voice Dial (#121), which is available from AT&T at an additional charge.
Vibrate mode: Vibrate is one of the four modes that is available for this phone: light only, melody, vibrate and vibrate/melody. All four serve purposes. All four work very well. It is easy to change the modes, in the sound settings feature of the phone.
Text Messaging: Additional charges may apply for sending text messages, but receiving them is free. The phone provides several templates which can be used in order to write text messages, plus little pictures (think a mug of beer can be embedded). Up to 50 text messages can be saved on the phone, not including the ones which can be saved on the sim card.
Call Records: The last 20 incoming, outgoing and saved calls are recorded in the call records. This includes the date and the time of the call. Also in the call records section are the timers of the phone (last call time, total outgoing calls, total incoming calls and a life timer).
Caller ID: This phone has no external caller ID. The phone does show the number of who is calling when you flip it up. By default, the phone will answer when it is flipped up, but with changing the settings, you can choose to accept or reject any call (it involves turning the active folder setting off in the extra settings of the phone settings. The user guide is able to provide more details about this).
Organizer: The organizer feature of this phone is quite nice. The feature I use the most within here is the alarm, which is extremely effective. The calendar is also nice and easy to read. For those who are interested, there is an option for to do lists on the phone. There is also a calculator and a currency exchange calculator.
Wallpaper: The phone does come with different options for wallpapers, another way to individualize this phone. There aren’t very many options, though. None of them are anything spectacular. Additional wallpapers may be downloaded, and additional charges may apply.
Games: There are two games that are included on the phone: X-Fighter and SpaceWar. In all honesty, I have never played either of them. My 13 year old brother does enjoy them whenever I am driving him places. Additional games may be downloaded, at additional charges.
mMode
mMode is another feature, and it does deserve its own section. Using it does incur additional charges, but it does come in handy every once in awhile.
My favorite thing about mMode is the fact that if you are in an unfamiliar area, you can use mMode in order to find restaurants, gas stations and so on. I went on a road trip with this, and it came in handy a couple of times.
Also via mMode, you can keep up to date on your usage stats (which you can also do through the AT&T Wireless Website). This is also a place where you can download ringtones, wallpapers and games (all will set you back additional money).
You can also access AIM Instant Messenger and Yahoo Messenger. mMode gives you an automatic e-mail and you can also check AOL and Yahoo Mail (also POP3 e-mail if you know the domain) via mMode.
mMode comes in handy sometimes, but it does cost extra money. If you are really interested, you can buy packaged deals (it is not determined by how long you are on mMode, but on a per page view MB basis). The AT&T Wireless Website or an AT&T Wireless Representative will be able to provide more assistance with this matter.
The design
This phone is a flip phone, with a quite sturdy design. Unlike a lot of flip phones which I have tried, this one is extremely sturdy. While talking, it does not wobble or move around. The antenna is a stub antenna, which is very sturdy as well.
The size is small enough to easily fit into your pocket (without an extreme bulge). The size is extremely convenient. When opened, it will easily expand from ear to mouth with no problem as well.
The menu has the options of: messages, call records, sound settings, phone settings (where you can change things like display settings and language), organizer, network services and funbox (where the games are).
The buttons of the phone are of a medium size and flat. They are very effective, though nothing spectacular. They serve their purpose very well.
The look
This phone is small and cute. I like things that are small and cute. It is silver, the keys light up blue. This phone does not have interchangeable face plates or anything like that. Even though it is not customizable in many respects, it is still an absolutely adorable phone. Some may find that an important thing to consider, some don’t.
Display screen
The screen is in full, vibrant color. Something which my little old Nokia did not have. The color is quite pretty. Even though this is not an absolute necessity, it is fun to have a little color. Color is always a nice thing.
Durability
Even though it might not seem like it, this little phone is extremely durable. I have already had two major drops with it. Once at a concert, where the phone flew down two rows. The battery and the phone separated and the actual phone flew underneath some girl’s feet. After that, it was fine. I also dropped it in the parking lot of my apartment complex, when the phone went under the wheel of my car. Both times, the phone has been fine, only a bit of exterior damage. This phone doesn’t look nearly as durable as it really is.
Reception
The reception on my phone is excellent. Since I live in the foothills of some large mountains, a lot of phones will not have any type of effective reception. This phone has excellent reception, and I am able to talk in all areas of my house. This makes it very convenient to use. While reception is not always perfect (how can it be?), it is certainly above average.
Speaker/Microphone
The speaker and the microphone on this thing are very loud. The mouthpiece must be held away from the mouth, or else your words will be distorted. Even on the lowest setting, there are times where I need to hold the phone away from my ear a bit (this is for people who talk very loud). These are things which are good, but is almost too good. It can get a little bit loud. This is a lot better than phones where it is hard to hear others and impossible for them to hear you.
Battery Life/Charger
This phone has the best battery life that I have seen on a cell phone. The stats provided are actually very accurate. I can go for hours without recharging my phone if I am talking on it a great deal. It can even go for days when I am not talking on it much. I didn’t even need to buy a car charger, since the battery life is so good, it always manages to last until I am at home.
The little piece which covers up the charger section of the phone is extremely easy to lose (I have already lost mine). This doesn’t seem to make any difference. The charger is small, works well and is easy to take anywhere (it will easily fit into my purse, which it is not all that big).
One the phone is on the charger, it takes a couple of hours in order to charge to its full capacity.
Price
I paid $99.99 with a two year contract extension. There are people who paid less than I did, there are people who paid more. I know that currently there is an internet deal where you get this phone free with a two year contract. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price is $169.99. There are constantly sales on this phone, so it is worth it to look around.
Final recommendation
No, this phone isn’t perfect. It is a very good phone with a lot of features for cell phone addicts or for those who just use their phone for emergencies. It’s small, but it gets the job done. It’s nice looking, but sturdy and durable. I can talk on my phone for a long time and not worry that it is going to suddenly die. If I feel like it, I can talk on AIM. The Samsung SGH-X426 is an efficient and excellent phone in a cute package. It does its job and looks good at the same time.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 99.99
Recommended for: Stylish Trendsetters - Hip and Trendy
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Epinions.com ID:
yenfur
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Location: My own little world
Reviews written: 69
Trusted by: 25 members
About Me:
I still am feeling pretty.
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