Samsung MM-A900 / SPH-A900 / Ace
Phone Scoop Review
Mar 19, 2006 by Eric Lin
In-depth review of the razor-thin Samsung A900 for Sprint.
with Video Tour read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
I Like It! I Love It. A 5 in my book!
Not only do I like the look of the phone but I also like the function.
Obvious cons are the battery but hey considering what all the phone does, how can you complain... So you keep an extra battery around or a car charger.
The only other thing I don't like is the t9 for sms doesn't remember what you have put in before.
I like being able to manage my favorites list. This allows me to access those features that I use the most very quickly.
The phone is so lightweight. My arm doesn't get tired of holding it when I have talked for a while. However, I do have a tendency to lose it in my purse. There is no way I am putting a leather case on such a sharp looking phone.
Compared to the Razr for Verizon and Cingular, the Blade beats them hands down. They key pads are so much easier to use and the it doesn't seem to be as wide as the Razr.
The pictures are clear. The screen is sharp and the call clarity is fabulous.
You can't go wrong with this phone.
The real deal with the battery life
Let me clear this up once and for all. I have had the a900 since last thanksgiving, probably longer than 99% of the people here. Here is the real deal on the battery life:
In areas where the native sprint signal is decent, you will get 1-2 days of battery life no problem.
If you are in a native sprint signal area AND use EVDO data often, you will need to charge every day, no questions asked. If you use streaming media, such as music choice or sirius radio, get the car charger ready. If you use streaming music, you probably will not make it through the entire day.
Now, if you are in a LOW service area, this is NOT the phone for you. The a900 will be dead within a few hours with little to no usage if it is either looking for a signal for has a very low signal.
The extended battery is now available for the a900 at sprint stores, though it is a brick. Good Luck!
Impressively Sexy
After anxiously awaiting the release of the a-900, I was extremely excited to get this phone home and see for myself what it could do. Right from the start I have been impressed ansd pleased with my purchase. I have read some negative reviews about htis phone and so far have none of them to be very accurate. Here is my breakdown of the A-900:
PROS:
-Sleek sexy style. People always notice it and ask questions.
-Media player. with a 262K bit screen, resolutuion is rediculous. The live streaming live TV is the real deal. The ability to listen to sirius satellite radio is also a plus.
-Music store. Download and listen to music just like an ipod, without a computer! Quality is excellent. Couple this with the supplied headphones and you've got a cool audio source. Great for walking around the city!!
-High-speed internet. Lightning fast. Instant reaction. Broadband like speeds.
-External stereo speakers. These are the best cell speakers Ive heard. Most that hear them agree.
-Overall talk quality. reception is great. One month into the phone and still no dropped calls. The earpiece is clear and the feel of the phone is solid.
CONS:
-Battery life. Its been listed all over user reviews and I do agree with it to an extent. Battery life could be better, however it is by no means bad!! With all of the functions the A-900 provides, battery life will decrease. Plan on charging your phone at the end of the day.
-No memory slot. This isnt too big of a deal for me, but the memory is limited and not expandable. this could be an issue for those that are interested in downloading a ton.
Summary:
This is a great phone, certainly a significant upgrade from the sanyo I owned previously. If you are looking to jump on the ultra-thin bandwagon, this is THE phone to get. It blows the razr away.
Blade Review, Los Angeles Ca.
-Review based on a month and a half of use on Sprint's network in Los Angeles Ca.
Background-
Formerly on Verizon with the Samsung A-610.
Moderate user - some web/data, some texting/pix messaging, around 2-3 hours of talk time per day.
Comparison-
(Reception) Compared to Verizon, I believe Sprint is as good or better with regards to reception in this area. There are a few small spots where I get better reception on my Sprint phone than I did with my Verizon phone. Overall, great coverage with both networks though.
(Call Clarity) On the freeway with the windows down and the radio blasting, clarity is much better with Sprint than with Verizon. This may have more to do with the phone than the service though.
(Data/Web) My Verizon phone was 1X and my Sprint phone is EVDO. So, I suppose this is apples and oranges but the web is screaming on the Blade...not just WAP sites real webpages. =)
(User Interface) The current Verizon interface is horrid and ugly. The one I had on my 2 year old Verizon phone was tollerable. The Sprint UI is FULLY customizable and very attractive...a definite plus.
The Blade (MM-A900) -
I've read most of the other reviews so I'll try to touch on points not overly covered by others.
1. Sturdy construction (my first metal bodied phone) feels great in hand, on shoulder, and in pocket.
2. Chocked full of bells and whistles. Reminds me of Johnny Depp referring to his new rental Cadillac in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas... was a superior machine. Ten grand worth of gimmicks and high priced special effects. The rear windows leapt up with a touch like frogs in a dynamited pond. The dashboard was full of esoteric lights and dials and meters that I would never understand."
3. Battery - not as bad as others have made it out to be. I use the standard battery and generally get two days of use out of it. On a heavy usage day, I still get a whole day's worth of use. For power users, there is an extended battery now available.
TheEnd
Excellent Phone for Power Vision, Bluetooth
First, let me start off by stating that I never wanted to upgrade from my Toshiba 4050. The screen on that baby was unmatched for YEARS until the new Samsung lineup made it to Sprint. It was a great phone, and I was wary in upgrading because I wanted a phone that was going to last me a long time, and that would be as customizable and fun to play with. With caution, I decided on the Samsung Blade, and have yet to be disappointed.
PROS: The screen size and quality is the first thing you'll notice. The colors practically jump out at you. The animation between applications and menus take full advantage of this, too. As mentioned in the title, Power Vision opens up further benefits of this phone. MP3 playback and full-fledged music ringtones sound great FOR A PHONE. It's not a portable boombox, so don't expect to be blown away by bass and watts! Browsing through the 'net with this phone is pretty cool. It's fast (EV-DO), and there's very little hesitation or freezing-up when navigating Power Vision. As for the 1.3MP camera, the picture quality is sharp and easy to manage for applying to contacts and screen savers. I'm a heavy Bluetooth user, and was able to connect to multiple Bluetooth-enabled devices without a hitch. Calls come in clear, although the occasional static will occur when you're around other people using Bluetooth. Finally, signal reception is great, as I've yet to have a dropped call or trouble finding signal even in my basement.
CONS: The battery could have been designed with a higher capacity. For all its features and functions, this phone needs more juice than a standard battery can deliver. Don't expect one either, as any extended-life battery for this phone would compromise its sleek profile. It's not horrible, but it should have been considered. Also, video seems choppy at times with regards to watching streaming playback.
The Samsung A900 is a great phone all-around. Your get a lot for your money with just about every aspect of this phone.
Review 1 of 2: First impressions.
Review 1 â Part I of II: First impressions.
This reviewer first had a RAZR then switched to the SPH-A900.
For several years, my wife and I owned phones through Sprint (Sanyo SCP-5400 and Samsung SPH-A660). These phones worked fine for our basic usage needs, but my wife uses her cell a lot from home, and with our old phones, experienced dropped calls periodically when we moved from CA to AZ. So when our contract was up, we were interested in the RAZR (all the slick advertising).
We got an incredible deal through a Digitell Cellular Communications kiosk (Verizon) at the Park Place Mall in Tucson, AZ. The sales people were very friendly and helpful. We got two RAZR V3Câs (pink for her, gray for me) for $100 for the pair (+$150 activation fee). They were very upfront and honest with us saying that the RAZRâs may not have very good reception where we live in Vail, AZ. They were correct. Dropped calls took on whole new meaning to my wife with the RAZR as they were now the rule rather than the exception.
I had some issues of my own. At the highest settings, the picture quality was horrible. I had a 1.3MP digital camera from 1999 that took awesome quality pictures compared with the supposed 1.3MP camera in the RAZR. In addition, in order to transfer the pictures to a computer, you had to buy additional software which DID NOT come with our phones. I got a Bluetooth headset with mine, a Jabra 150, which worked fairly well; however, the Bluetooth in the RAZR kept shutting off. I took the phone in twice to have it looked at, all the settings were correct; the RAZR had some kind of Bluetooth issue.
We took Digitell Cellular up on their promise to give us a full refund within 14 days if we werenât satisfied. My wife got us an even better deal through Sprint on the web, (100 more minutes and free after 6pm rather than 9pm) and when all was said and done⦠in total cost us about $100 less! Our phones arrived by mail within two short days.
(Please see Part II for conclusion)
Review 1 of 2: First impressions.
Review 1 â Part II of II: First impressions.
We had some issues getting our new A900 activated, as the Sprint guy I was working with, while very nice, was a bit green. Once we got through that initial fiasco, the first thing we noticed was a nice strong signal, nearly full bars most of the time. Picture quality you ask - astounding by comparison with the RAZR. The pictures look like they came from a true digital camera.
Transferring to the computer? Simple, with a free driver download from Sprint; the computer sees the phone much like a USB flash / thumb drive â drag and drop baby! The display is much more colorful and vibrant than that of the RAZR, the sound quality is superior, and you have the option of plugging in an analog headset, unlike the RAZR which is Bluetooth only.
We havenât even had our phones a full day yet and already we love them! We were up late all last night playing with them. The only possible negative maybe the battery issue⦠but Iâve always relied on having a car charger. Eventually, longer lasting batteries will be introduced, and we will have phones worthy of buying batteries for them.
After we use them for awhile, I will post a follow up part II review.
My rating: Strong Buy
not bad
well i have 2 start off by sayin that a lot of the review on this phone will mislead a lot of people, because a lot of them r bad, but i took a chance n e ways n got this phone despite wat people said about it, n i have 2 say im satisfied, yea the battery life aint the best but its not as bad as sum people made it out 2 b, i figured out if u just use the phone 4 a phone then it will last, but if u use 4 other stuff then it will drain. the mp3 is pretty nice, i think sum people musta lied on these reviews cause i have more then 1! song on my player, i have bout 12 songs n a few pics, a video ringer n bout 5 ringtones. but n e ways memory obviously isnt a problem 4 me,
Pro's:
looks
slim, black, n sexy like myself
mp3
swivel camera is a plus,
i mean i just like it
Con's:
reception
lol i really cant find much,
all in all, its a good phone n i am happy i saw 4 myself wat this phone was like, i recommend it if u wanna look like a big balla shot calla 4reah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lots of Pros, but definitely has Cons
Thrilled when I found out Sprint was developing a razor-like phone. Immediately wanted it. After having the phone for a while, I have definitely seen both its pros and cons.
--Pros--
Lightweight
Very sexy, lustrous, and striking---I get questions & stares wherever I am
The sound is loud & clear. The speakers are phenomenal!
Immense, flamboyant screen---The clarity of the screen gives it an extremely pure look (Awesome for watching the Sprint Channels on).
The vibrate is strong, but not obnoxiously loud
Great reception
--Cons--
I've certainly had phones w/better battery life. It's not horrible, but if you're a talker (as am I) I defenitely suggest a car charger.
I'm fairly young,& I enjoy texting, but a few times the phone froze. Maybe I was typing too fast, but w/previous phones it has never happened before. Once the screen turned yellow and in small typing in the left hand corner it read "EMERGENCY UART" (whatever that means...) I had to remove the battery because it wouldn't let me do anything.
Texting w/T9 isn't the best either. You can't even type the simple word "me," it thinks I want the word "of."
Once, the ringer sounded distorted & broken up, & the ringer wasn't even downloaded, it was a ringer preprogrammed.
I was a little disappointed when I found out that you couldn't expand the memory; The Samsung MM-A940 can.
Though the phone has cons, this phone is still pretty decent. A lot of people get mad because it doesn't hold a lot of MP3 songs---IT'S A PHONE!not an MP3 player! The battery life isn't the best but it definitely doesn't break the phone. I suggest turning off the GPS and putting the phone on "Power Save Mode" (menu-->settings-->display-->backlight-->power save mode-->on) and also, buy a car charger. If that's not good enough big spender, return the phone and buy 2 cheap phones (for the price of that one) with good battery life, are you really that talkative? I definitely don't think the M900 should be cased, it's way too sexy!
