This phone has been through everything and I still have great reception and no problems. I was really surprised with this phone and the reason is this. I had purchased a Samsung 3500 and the phone was junk. I had to exchange 5 of them and none of them every worked properly. I had to get a phone that worked, and couldn't find any other flip phones, the only people who made them were Motorola and Samsung. Motorola had the Star-Tac and it was junk, and Samsung had the 3500 and the 8500, so I had no choice but to take the 8500. To my surprise the phone has been the best phone I have ever had.
All of the features work, and work well. The voice activated dialing, the Digital/Analog switch feature and even the different ringers for different phone numbers. The phone gets awesome reception, and I have only dropped one call in the last year, and that is the honest to God truth.
I do contractor work, and I am out on sights all the time. As a matter of fact I was laying some sewer pipe about a month ago 12 feet deep, in a ditch with some shoring around me to keep the walls from caving in. I dropped my phone and there was a bunch of gravel dumped all over my phone from 12 feet high. Most people don't understand how hard 3/4 inch rocks falls from 12 feet high, and how much it hurts, or the damage that it can create. Well my phone knows the damage it can do, and so do I. The phone has a lot of dings and little chips on it, but it still works like it was brand new. Now if you have any phone that can do this, you have a good phone.
I would recommend to anyone that if you are looking for a good phone, get the Samsung 8500, not the 3500. The Samsung 850 is similar to the 8500 and just as good, but please stay away from the 3500, you will be doing yourself a favor.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 199.99