Samsung SGH-T809 / SGH-D820
Phone Scoop Review
Feb 1, 2006 by Jesse Lewin
In-depth review of the razor-thin Samsung T809 slider for T-Mobile. read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
AMAZING!
This phone is insane!The camera clarity is ridiculously good. best camera on a phone i've seen yet and I work in the wireless industry so I come across plenty of phones. Im not gonna list the pros 1 by 1 but instead list a few of the nuisances because this phone clearly has no flaws.
1) There is no way to change the shortcuts on the phone.They are what they are from the factory.
2) Texts save to sim first with no option to change it.
3)Battery Life aint the greatest.
4)Slider does become a bit stiff after heavy heavy usage.(had mine now for a week)
5)Can't use videos as wallpaper like the Verizon LG 8100.
6)Can't move contacts from sim to phone and back at will.You must copy the contact then go back and delete the original.
7)Phone doesn't ring and vibrate at the same time. Only option is vibrate then ring.
8)Ringtone is ascending. Starts low then gets louder as time goes on.
...This may seem like a lot of problems but these again are only nuisances that I can absolutely live with considering all the pros of this phone!i'd definitely recommend it to anyone!
Great phone, but mp3 player?
I got this phone for my girlfriend and also got to use it for a while.
PROS:
- Looks good. However, I don't like the curve in the face, below the sliding part.
- mp3 player is transparent and doesn't need any DRM or program to transfer files like ringtones do.
- Volume is good.
- Camera is good. Its quite a step up from previous cameraphones I've used. Of course, it isn't half as good as a $50 digicam.
CONS:
- Mp3 player can't be minimized. What the hell is up with that? You can certainly start the mp3 player and lock the phone, but you have to exit the mp3 program to access any features of the phone.
- Google Local doesn't work, Opera Mobile doesn't work, etc. T-Mobile and Samsung have conspired to cripple this handset like Verizon is infamous for.
- You have to click "Yes" if you're starting DUN (tethering) via Bluetooth otherwise it doesn't connect. What's the point of this? None of my previous phones have done this.
The pros are sufficient that I'm not overly concerned with the cons, and I'm considering stealing the phone from my GF and getting her a Samsung E730.
Great Phone
I`ve Had This Phone For 3 Days And I Love It. The Phone Is Not Too Big/Not Too Small. Below Are The Pro's And Con's
PROS
Great Reception
Thin And Small
Camera Is Great
Screen Is A Good Size
MP3 Player
CONS - There Isn't Alot
The Battery Life Stinks
Every time You Send A Text, You Have to Change The Format. (I've Heard Thats How It Is On All Samsungs"
Not Alot Of Accessories Yet
Great Phone
I've had this phone for about a week now and so far it has been an excellent phone.
The cons for me are:
1. mediocre battery life
2. low battery limits functionality (such as no backlight, can't play mp3s, etc.)
3. no voicedial
However the above cons aren't a big deal to me and definitely not enough to overcome the many pros of the phone.
1. small and light
2. nice design
3. good reception (at least for me)
4. mp3 plalyer
5. transflash slot
6. and the list goes on and on
I even dropped my phone from about 3.5 feet off the ground onto the concrete floot and the phone hasn't had any problems since. All that happened was the battery cover popped off.
Once the D820 firmware gets released, this phone will be even better without the t-mobile os on there.
AWESOME
I work for Tmobile tech support. I had the chance to test this phone before it came out. It is an awesome phone and they are being bought up by employees like crazy. If you want one you better hurry!! I just purchased mine!!
Great Phone - Unique
I have had this phn for one week, and I must say it is great. I love the user interface, very easy to use. I exchange phones everyday for a living....I work for the warranty center for the largest cellular service provider. Being as I deal with phns ranging from your most basic to pda's for 8 hours a day 5 days a week I can definitly say that this is a great build quality phn.
For the guy who said this phone is a cheap "wanna be" of the razr, you must be clueless. The razr is one of the poorest built phones I have ever dealt with. 80% of my exchanges are on motorola razr's.
Dusty Screen?
Well i have had this phone for a few days and so far so good... BUT i did return the first one due to dust getting underneath of the screen protector (top left corner). So they replaced the phone and not more than 3 mins after walking with the new phone in my pocket it did the same exact thing. Am i crazy, am i not supposed to keep a phone in my pocket? So i went right back to the Tmo store and the woman just said, "It's only a little bit of dust under there, does it really matter?" Umm, i just spent $200+ on a phone, i want the thing to be perfect. Has anyone else noticed this as a problem or did i get the only two phones on the planet that did this? Let me know what you all think!
HIGHER MODEL FOR THE D Series BUT DISAPPOINTED
Well of all the D serie phones available I have to say this one of one of the most disappointing. D415 was a big hit when it was first released so was the D500. D500 made a big impact to the phone users and now the T809/D820 just finally brought down the samsung's reputation. The Price for this phone is too high for such low function features. This phone is not much better than the D500 but the price is almost twice as much.
Lets Start with the Exterior: The boddy is nicely design with a thin and sleeky look with a very big screen and good resolution. The phone is very catchy and nice for show. Big disappointment came in when I felt teh plastic on that phone. It was some what odd and it leaves ALOT of finger print, uh huh, finger prints. The sliding is a big rough since there is no place to slide up the phone without touching the screen or accidentally press on a button.
Now the Features: The phone features is basically almost same as D500. The 1.3 megapixel camera (what a disappointment.) and not to mention there is NO FLASH. Common now the D600 came out before this phone and the D500 and D600 both got nice big flash and take awsome night shots. the T809 get really strange pixelated pictures in low light or when sun began to set. The network bands is a bit better with quad band, but there is bad features for bluetooth. The rest of the function is basically same as D500 and the setting is about the same. The personal ringtone is a bit tough to configure. Does not support as much datas and computer files as the D600 does.
Nice
I got the Motorola RAZR for Christmas and had to get it replaced 4 times because of defects. I thought this phone would be a good alternative since I was used to the larger screen. I have had it about 2 months and so far everything has been great. It takes great, very detailed pictures, some of which my co-workers could not believe were taken from a phone. All of the features work very nicely. I haven't used the MP3 player though. The sliding feature has become a little worn, but nothing too noticeable. Also, If you are like me and you keep your phone on 24/7 I would suggest at least once every 2 days turning it off and on again. If you don't it will re-boot itself. This also helps if you are having problems connecting with your blue tooth. Other than a few minor problems, this is by far the best phone I have had.
Nice PHONE
Overall, after 2 weeks of moderate use, this phone is a nice change. It's different and will turn heads for those who are not familiar with phones, better OS than the RAZR (yes I had one of the defunct RAZR phones) and is a very nice application of a phone.
PROS-
-Large, colourful bright screen
-Sleek Design, spring loaded slide function very nice and different than clamshells that everyone likes
-Calls clear though offset of ear speaker is a challenge when you use your right ear
-Phonebook capabilities much better than the Motorola - allows multiple phone numbers to be stored for each person
-Expandable memory is a nice touch
-Having a MP3 Player so I can have one device while at the gym is nice. Now I don't have to carry phone and MP3 player to every machine with me.
CONS-
-Ex-Motorola users used of using the center button in the D-pad will have to learn to use the soft keys for selecting the menu and selecting functions than the center button of the D-pad
-Those one is calling will find you call will be muffled due to the location of the mic being shielded. Should have the mic in a more suitable location - such as where the T-Mobile logo is.
- The screen should be recessed a bit to prevent scratching. Phone forces one to get a screen protector.
-Soft keys and D-Pad shortcuts can't be changed to suit the customer like Motorola allows
-Short Battery life but tolerable if your used to charging your phone every night.
For a mobile phone it's nice but if you are looking for a phone to be you camera, MP3 player, organizer and phone, one might consider this a decent 'entry level' phone.
