Samsung Zeal / Alias 2 SCH-U750
Phone Scoop Review
May 19, 2009 by Eric M. Zeman
Samsung brings e-ink to the Alias 2 messaging phone. This tricked-out keyboard does a lot, but did they pay enough attention to other features? read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
I expected better
I got this phone after having an old reliable Audiovox color flip for about 5 years. The battery life was very short so it was time for a new one. The Alias 2 included a qwerty keyboard while maintaining a "clamshell" form factor. I instantly purchased it.
However, I immediately noticed that the Alias's phone conversation sound quality was worse than my Audiovox (released 5 years ago...) Furthermore the battery life wasn't as long as I'd expected (recharged every 2 days, whereas my Audiovox would last about 3-4).
I am not having problem where my Alias' battery life is lasting just 1 day. There is one less bar on the battery meter every time I open it.
Mind you, that I am not a heavy user of text, phone, and internet. I actually have one of Verizon's lower-cost simpler plans.
Knowing what I know now, I should have just stuck with my Audiovox believe it or now.
PROS:
--E-Ink Technology-I've never seen anything like it.
--Rare to find a "clam-shell" phone that also has a QWERTY keyboard.
--Big color screen display inside and out.
--Threaded text messaging.
--Camera has a lot of cool picture editing features
CONS:
--Sub-par phone voice quality.
--Weak vibrate, similar vibrate alerts for an incoming phone call and incoming texts.
--Hard to find "end" button in the dark to end a phone call.
--QWERTY keypad. Many punctuation marks like commas are not present. Need to access it by hitting a button to bring up another whole new set of symbols. This can really slow down your messaging.
--Battery life started sub-par and is now even worse after only 2 months.
Wish I could say I love this phone. It really is high tech while fitting my simplistic needs. I feel as though the e-ink technology is more than the battery can handle.
Great phone!
I am an avid texter but prrefer a flip phone but the frist Alias' keys were too small. This is the perfect fit.
Pros:
easy to text
good battery
vivid screen
Cons:
it's a bit heavy (but this is minor)
Great for Texting, but there are issues
The E-ink keyboard on this phone is terrific. It makes texting a breeze. The phone is also great for surfing the web and reading your email. If you use your phone as a watch, then you will have an issue. You cannot read the front display in the sun. Also if you stray into areas with a poor signal, the battery runs down quickly searching for a signal. The biggest issue I had with the phone and the reason I returned it is because of the horrible blue-tooth. The phone paired easily with my car and my motorcycle GPS unit just fine, but more than half of the time it would not function properly. The phone also has the habit of losing the connection. This was not a problem with just my phone, we had two of these phones and they both had the same problems.
If you want a phone mainly for texting, then this is a great phone. If you need a phone that interfaces with blue-tooth devices seamlessly then I would avoid this phone.
Wonderful phone, first one that isn't a smart phone
I just picked up the Samsung Alias 2 today at my local Wal-mart. I have used several phones in the past and realized something, the geek side of me has always wanted a smartphone with all the features, the pratical side of me didn't need any of that and just needed a phone.
In comes the Alias 2, the e-ink tricks my brain into getting it because its brand new technology, and the pratical side loves that its just a normal phone.
I do love the keyboard changing for each function and the best part of all is that when the phone is opened to make a call one of my favorite buttons is to turn bluetooth on and off, and vibrate on and off. Not many phones have a dedicated button for that.
The keyboard feels very nice and typing on it is super simple. Shift is actually CAPS for some reason but I have gotten use to it.
The memory card slot is on the side of the phone and not under the battery I like that as well.
PROS:
Loud speaker
Neat pre-installed themes
Wonderful keyboard powered by e-ink
Suprisingly good pictures from the 2mp camera
CONS:
Overall phone is a bit too slippery
No lip to flip
Nice phone, but not reliable
I had the phone for 2 weeks and just returned it today and got the EnV Touch. In the 2 weeks I had the phone, it would power cycle itself in the middle of a call, when I would close the screen it would power cycle. I couldn't get it to work with the Ford Sync either. Overall I really liked the phone, it was very easy to use and I got alot of comments on it.. Also battery life didn't last nowhere near 5 hours of talk time like stated.. I was lucky to get 2 out of it.
Battery.....LIFE!
Well, after charging the battery every day or 2, I went and bought an extended battery and the bigger battery cover. I'm on Day 8 of the first charge and I'm finally down to One Bar. I admit I only made a few calls each day, some light internet mail checks, and a few texts, but I've never had a battery go for so long. I figure with fairly heavy use, This thing should do 4 to 5 days easy! I can't believe it went over a week!.
I highly recommend the bigger battery. The phone is not tiny, but it's not really all that huge either...It's quite solid and easy to hold actually!
Joel
UNREAL....
I'm going to start by saying that I went to go look at this phone today with the intentions that I would hate it just as I hated the original alias...
Well I fell in love with it almost immediately!!! E-ink is absolutely amazing and the keys are spaced perfectly..I have a BB curve and I could type faster on the alias 2
Needless to say I walked out of the store with a brand new alias 2 AWESOME!!!!!
Amazing Phone
Hey guys, i just replaced my LG Voyager with this phone, i have to say, it was worth it 100%. If you need a small phone, that STILL has a keyboard, the Alias 2 is THE way to go. This phone has all the basic features that Verizon Wirless offers. VZ Navigator, Bluetooth, VCAST(no ESPN MVP yet, heres to hoping) and many others.
The most unique thing about this phone is the E-Ink keypad. The keypad works and changes flawlessly, this feature is actually the main reaon i got this phone.
In general though, here are my Pros and Cons
Pros:
-AMAZING keypad
-Vibrant display
-Very sturdy feeling, and looking compared to the first Alias
Cons:
-Battery life could be a LITTLE better, but not anything to cry home about
in conclusion, GET THIS PHONE IF YOU NEED A COMPACT TEXTING PHONE. and it is relativley inexpensive as of now with a contract as well
Very nice QWERTY phone.
Iâm giving this phone a 4.5 because for me itâs pretty slippery and when flipping to landscape mode I think the hinge could be a little looser.
PROS
The E-ink QWERTY keyboard is really cool and I picked up how to use it within minutes
Great sound from earpiece & speakers
Quality built
Easy to text on, keys are raised just a bit
Form factor
Battery life seems good
Start a SMS in landscape flip the phone and finish it in portrait mode
CONS
Too slippery, needs a skin or ZAGG shield
Hinge is too tight or needs to be broken in
Nice Job Samsung
We just got this phone in my store today. Just from playing around with it for a little I can say that this phone is deffinetly an awesome follow up to the first Alias. The key pad has been improved greatly for easier messaging. People with larger fingers will find typing a much easier task on this phone than the original. The look and feel of the phone has been improved greatly. And the coolest thing is how the the numbers and symbols on the keypad change depending on what mode you have the phone in. Bravo to Samsung for making these much needed improvements. All though I havent had a chance to use a fully active one yet, these are my initial thoughts on the phone.
Pros:
New keypad style makes typing much easier.
Speakers sound great and very loud.
Improvement on the size of the phone. It feels much better in your hand and feels much more durable.
Camera takes nice pictures.
Screen size is very nice.
Cons:
Directional pad replaced by arrow keys. (Some people might find that a bit annoying)
The phone is thicker.(not an issue for me, but some people who prefer the size of the orginal may find this too bulky for them.
Much heavier than the original. (again not an issue for me, but others might find it too heavy)
Main menu seems a bit jumbled by all the icons. (kind of hard to tell which menu option you are selecting)
In my opinion the Alias 2 seems to be a pretty cool phone with some great new features.
