Samsung SPH-A620 / VGA1000
Average Ratings
Sprint VGA1000...room to improve
I've only had my phone for about a week now. I decided I ought to get a new camera phone since I work at a Radio Shack selling them. I actually like the green backlighting. The camera features are way cool as well.
The main complaint I have so far is that it isn't picking up nearly as well as my old reliable N200. (Yes, it was time for me to upgrade.) And let's face it, even though the camera and color screen are cool features, shouldn't the phone work best for making actual calls. I'll send this one to repair to make sure it's not just defective. I gotta say, I kinda hope it is. I don't wanna have to sell this phone to people expecting it to get good signal like the others.
Not Good.
I have had this phone for almost two years now. I am getting the Sanyo PM-8200 for the following reasons:
1. No one can hear what i am saying. I hear them perfectly, but no one can hear me. The microphone is broken easily is what the people at sprint say.
2. When i use my camera, the phone freezes. There is no way to get it unfrozen except to take the battery out and put it back in.
3. I want text messaging where you do not have to go on the Internet to use it.
The phone started out GREAT. i loved the camera, the 300 entries you could store in the phone book, the ringtones were loud, and that the persons picture showed up when they called. These are all great features, but if you are going to be put on a 2-year contract, i suggest you not buy it. It will not last more than a year and a half before it starts breaking. It is easily scratched and the antennae is bent easily. It also does not have a speaker phone which is something else i want. I am pretty sure they took this phone out of sprint stores which is a good thing, because it made many unhappy customers. If you check the reviews on ebay.com, most of them are saying the same thing as me. I am surprised at how no one on this particular website were unhappy.
In conclusion, I urge people who want long time use of this phone not to buy it. It is easily broken, and if you do not break it, it will eventually break on its own.
Dependable, but with quirks
I've owned this phone for almost a year and a half. I purchased it due to failure of a previous phone (also a Samsung). At first I was a bit disappointed with it's bulkiness. 3 years after it's initial release, it feels pretty weighty when compared to newer equipment. The build on the phone has held up very well. A few small rubber/plastic pieces have fallen off, and the paint is flaking on the cover; also the charger needs to be wiggled in the input before it starts working - but other than that, the phone is solid.
The software is more problematic though. It takes a while for the phone to come on (an issue with my last Samsung as well), the menu is confusing, and the web browser is tough to navigate. I also find the camera tough to operate as well.
Pros:
- Good construction
- Attractive inner and outer screen
- Loud, good sounding ringer
- decent battery life
- Phone book allows multiple numbers to be entered for each name
Cons:
- Signal non-reliable (most likely a Sprint issue, and not the phone...)
- Software is quirkly
- Lack of accessories and when you find them, they are expensive.
- Bulky form factor
- Camera is tricking to use and manipulating the photos from Sprint's website is even trickier
This is not a bad phone but after 3 Samsung's (all of them the "clam-style" flip), I'm ready to give a whirl to another brand. The phone just did not impress me enough to make me into a loyalist.
- No 4 digit dailing
-
From A Sprint Rep
From a Sprint Business Customer Service Rep's point of view...
I owned this phone for about 3 months. I got it at the end of its life when it was about ready to just plain crash as a hand-me-down gift.
I was not disappointed with this phone at all. Infact, I was impressed.
I've noticed complaints about bad ligting for the camera. I thought the lighting was wonderful - especially with the FLASH capability. You don't see a lot of phones with flashes on the cameras.
I've also noticed a complaint about faint beeping which "Sprint is aware of and they're trying to fix". The faint beeping is what's called the "Minute Beep". It exists on most Samsung brand phones. If you count the time between these beeps, they are EXACTLY 60 seconds apart witout fail. This can be stopped by going into your settings menu and turning off this option.
I have noticed several complaints as well, about there not being enough accessories.
With most manufacturers, acessories for the phones tend to not come out for a while after the phone is released and then the accessories are limited. As far as I know, the phone has a leather case, a holster, extra batteries and almost all universal ear pieces and charger accessories fit it. I'm not really sure what more you'd need...
The phone does take a long time to charge and like all phones, if you charge it on the vehicular adapter or talk on it while it's charging, it will go out very quickly.
The phone is nice looking for when it was made, easy to navigate, has adequate accessories now and while it's oudated and a bit larger than the newer phones, is a wonderful phone to keep around.
It seems that most of the complaints and grievances about this model are minor and some are even rare occurances.
So if you do have a chance to pick up one of these phones or if you've got one lying around, give the thing a chance. It'll be a nice experience. :)
This phone is making me crazy
Okay....where do I start???...
I have been with Sprint for a year now, and I am now on my third A620 phone and not by choice. This phone has about a 3-4 month life span. After a few months I notice a small hairline crack on the right hinge of the phone and then it spreads and eventually begins to chip off more and more. Also, I don't know if this matters, but I hold my phone on the left side when I talk, and the crack is on the right hinge. I don't know, but I would think if it was caused by stress and the way I hold my phone, I would think it would be on the left side, b/c that's where it gets the most pressure. The first time this happened I paid $20 to get it repaired. The next three mos. when it happened again they told me there was no warranty on the repair and I would have to pay the $20 again to get it repaired. I didn't want to do that, so I called the insurance and I paid $50 to get a reconditioned phone (yes, the same one)...another 3 mos. and the same exact crack is showing up! I have never dropped my phone and I am always very careful with the way I talk on the phone and open and close it. I am so frustrated and feel stuck with this phone. I have been in the store so many times, called customer service with every issue, and spoken with the LockLine insurance reps. about this over and over, and there is nothing they will do for me other than the 2 options I have already done. There is obviously an issue here, b/c I am not doing anything wrong, and they are so far off on understanding proper customer service it is unreal.
Yes, there are other good features about this phone, like the picture capability, borders, etc. However, if I eventually have to tape my phone together to keep both hinges on, none of those are even worth believing in and discussing. I am so fed up I want to throw my phone on the ground and smash it into 100 pieces!!!!
A good, solid phone!
**My fionce bought this phone for me for my birthday and I was very excited! I first of all loved it because it was a flip phone with a big, clear display.
**I have dropped it twice very hard accidentally on concrete and the battery fell out but it did not affect my phone at all. My carrier was Sprint and the reception is good in a bigger city but I live in rural Kansas so unforunately it mostly drops calls.
**I have heard a lot of complaints that the hinge breaks on this phone but I never had that problem in the year I had my samsung VGA 1000 (and dropped twice!).
**Overall I am really pleased with this phone and think that it is easy to use and has a lot of great features!
Pretty Good, Except for beeps
I have had this phone about 2 months. Overall, I am satisfied with this phone. My one major gripe is faint beeps in the ear piece. If it wasn't for that, I would say that this phone is pretty great.
PROS:
+ Reception: Good. Bar meter reacts almost exactly the same as my Hitachi P300 in various locations. Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to test it in a fringe signal area yet.
+ Talk Quality: Nice and clear on both ends. (If only it wasn't for those faint beeps!)
+ Looks: Beautiful looking. High-quality materials used for casing and faceplate. Bigger than many other clamshell models (could be pro or con depending on your preference). Its heavy weight makes it seem of good quality and not toy-like.
+ Screen: Great. Extremely brilliant.
+ Battery life: OK. Not award-winning, but up to par with most other clamshells. However, it does have a battery save mode (keeps the screen dim)
+ Web Browser: Very fast
+ Camera: finicky about lighting conditions and subject must be very still. However, you can get some decent shots. On the plus side, there are lots of adjustable options. Has zoom, black and white, and sepia. Fun frames that put prison bars, hearts etc on the photo. I think that the camera being hidden on the back of the phone makes the phone seem more professional looking.
CONS:
+ Talk Quality: I am a pretty low cell phone user, but I notice FAINT BEEPS in the ear piece enough to be very annoying. My friend at Sprint said that this is a "known issue." Many reviewers have reported the same problem while others say that they have never had the beeps. The beeps are faint enough that it is not a fatal problem (they are not nearly loud enough to prevent you from hearing the other person), but it gets annoying.
+ Another common problem is that the phone randomly exits back to the main screen when you are in the menu. It has only happened a couple times for me. Would be bad for big web users.
What a wonderful phone! :D
I was so excited when my Samsung A620 phone arrived at my door..but the excitement didn't stop there! When I began playing around with the phone, I was quite impressed with all that it had to offer. It had cool features such as a built-in camera with a "self-portrait" mode, cute little characters for the address book and picture id! It's clever to see my mom's face on the external screen when she is calling :D The fun frames also add a fun touch to taking photos. The voice dialing was amazing...I didn't even have to program names or anything! The phone makes neat noises when you press buttons, flip it open, and close it.
The A620 looks sleek and is small for a camera phone. It is a bit heavier than most phones, but I personally like having phones that actually weigh something instead of phones that don't even feel like it's there in your pocket or purse. Another thing I like about this phone is that you can buy covers for it. I just bought a pink cover for mine.
Now for the con's: I did find a few minor bugs. The screen would just turn black on me if I don't press a button in 30 seconds or so. It also kept jumping back to the main screen at one point. I also don't like the back lighting...I sure wish they kept their cool blue light!
But seriously, all phones have their flaws and this phone is the one nearest to perfect out of the previous phones I've owned.
overall a decent basic camera phone
PROS:
camera w/flash(takes decent pictures even in the dark...not great, but good enough)
3 alarms(if you're like me, then you need the 3 to get up)
the outside picture id
i dropped the phone many times and it's a tough phone
CONS:
when i send a text message, i have to use the internet, don't really like that
can't get phone calls or text messages if i'm playing a game that uses internet
the reception sometimes is less than good sometimes(i'm in jax, fl w/sprint)
