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Review: Samsung Alias 2

Form Basics Extras Video Wrap Up Comments 7

Screen

The Alias 2 has two displays. The outer display is small and shows the time and general notifications and/or status information. It's barely visible outdoors. Even if you change up the background wallpaper, reading the information on that display is difficult in sunlight. It's perfectly fine indoors.

The interior display is fantastic. First, it's huge. It measure 2.6 inches. While this doesn't seem like a lot, it is a generously sized display. Colors look excellent, viewability even in direct sunlight is good, and icons and text look smooth and free from grain or obvious pixel edges.

Signal

This is one area where the Alias 2 does not excel. It rarely showed more than two or three (out of five) bars no matter where I took it. The Alias 2 totally lost Verizon's signal in the NJ vault (local ShopRite), and I missed several calls during my time with the Alias 2. The Alias 2 was also one of the first phones I've tested in recent memory to drop calls. This happened twice. On the data side of things, I had several "network timed out" errors, preventing me from viewing online content.

Sound

Ringers for the Alias 2 can be set to good volume levels, but not great. It is loud enough that you shouldn't miss it in quiet or even somewhat noisy places, but if you have your TV or stereo volume set loud, I wouldn't be surprised if you missed calls from time to time. Speaking of calls, quality was a mixed bag. Some calls were crystal clear, while others were ridden with hissing, crackling and other noise. This could be a network issue, but we can't say for certain. On the plus side of things, the earpiece volume can be set to eardrum-shattering levels. If your call connects, and there isn't any interference, you're not going to have any trouble hearing your caller.

Battery

Battery life was acceptable with the Alias 2. I got three days of life out of it no matter how I used it. It was amazingly consistent in battery life, even with inconsistent usage. Bluetooth didn't appear to put a dent in battery life (unless you use a stereo Bluetooth headset). You'll probably get through a weekend without a charger, no sweat.

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Samsung Zeal / Alias 2 SCH-U750

2.6" display 240 x 320 pixels
880 mAh battery
Memory Card Slot, Hardware Text Keyboard

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