Samsung SCH-A670
Average Ratings
Verizon's best phone
As a new Verizon customer, I "demo'ed" a few of their phones before easily deciding on the a670. What a great phone this is. The a670 has spooky high quality, superb ergonomics and great looks. This phone has a beautiful smoke aluminum color, high-res color screen, and perfect size. It's got great features too, and everything works perfectly.
Pros:
-Great build quality and ergonomics
-Perfect size
-Awesome looks
-Great reception (to go with Verizon's great coverage)
-Good sound quality
-The Voice recognition works surprisingly well.
Cons:
-Battery life (Although, I've been "playing" with the phone a lot this first week. I'm sure having the screen lit up all the time does not help matters)
-Not many built-in ring tones and wallpapers (I'm sure they want you to download and pay for more)
-The camera WON'T replace your regular digital camera, but it works in a pinch.
SCH-A670 vs SCH-A650-both nice
I upgraded from a V60c to the A670 and really liked the features of the phone.
I did have what I thought was a defective phone and exchanged it for a new one, and then for an SCH-A650. I don't use analog.
Pros:
Really nice keyboard, a bit nicer than the 650, better lit, too.
Excellent audio, (same as 650) and solved one problem that I had with the V60, which was when I'm driving down the freeway talking to soft spoken folks, I just couldn't get enough volume. Also, a very nice feature of both the 670 and 650 is an "auto level" audio output. When the background noise in the car increases, the audio output automatically goes up. I couldn't find this as a listed feature, but it's there!
The wall paper on the 670 is nicer than the 650, and it changes with the time of day.
Cons: Digital call handling in fringe areas.
One problem (a level 3 tech support guy at VZW suggested I try the 650 (or another mfgr's digital phone)for this reason)
is apparently the way that the 670 handles digital calls in FRINGE AREAS.
I had 9 dropped calls in one area that my v60c had one. (STILL in Digital) I even had both phones going together and the 670 wouldn't' hold a signal where the v60c did.
I tried this with 2 different phones, no change. (Riding in the mountains, in fringe areas, but in digital.)
VZW tech support suggested that I try the SCH-A650 since it's a tri mode, not because it may switch to analog, but it might handle DIGITAL calls differently before dropping them. (Like it has to consider handing the call off to analog first, I guess.)
It worked. While in digital, it didn't drop calls and had very similar performance to the V60c.
Both the 670 & 650 have an auto answer feature that works even without a headset plugged in. This means it will answer, eat up your minutes, and NOT put a caller into Voice Mail. Remember to turn it off. I wish Samsung would fix this problem. (software?)
Overall, a very nice phone, but try it where your fringe areas are.
The Benefit Exceeds the Cost
I was a recent owner of the Samsung A530. It's my first camera phone, but im a gadget nut and a harsh critic most of the time. I didn't want to spend $200-$300 on a phone. So from conducting a cost benefit analysis, i'd have to say the benefit exceeds the cost by far. I payed 100$- look4rebates!
PROS:
Sound Quality is excellent, much louder than my Samsung A530. At full volume, other people around will hear your conversation. Can hear perfectly clear even from the loud roar of my engine.
Built in Camera w/ Flash, pretty good considering it's a camera phone. Takes much better pictures in well lit settings.
(*note as an independant student film director - most cameras, video or still, will take crappy pictures in low light settings)
Picture Caller Id on the front display is one of those cool things you always wanted in a cellphone
I've read other reviews that complain about the volume of the ringer. Well if you download some of the "Get It Now" ringtones, i found them quite loud. I chose the comedy talking ringtones. They're loud and hillarious. They can shout censored bleeping profanity.
Pretty small for a camera phone. I thought it looks cool, but i ordered a jet black faceplate, so it looks even cooler. They make many faceplates for this model.
Not the typical Voice Recognition! This one is full of Extras. You're used to sitting there and recording each and every person's name. and usually only up to 20 ppl. Well with this new system, you still have that option, but you can also choose not to record the person's name. You can just say it, and it will look through your phone book to see which name phonetically spelled, sounds like the one you mentioned. Not only will it bring up the person's name, but if there's 2 numbers listed under that person, it will ask you "would you like to dial Jo's HOME? or Jo's Mobile?" How cool is that? or you can just say the phone number and it will dial
Cons:
Battery Life is poor, invest in an extended battery/carcharger
ehh
I don't know why so many people are excited about this phone. Its an ok phone, nothing special. I got it, and used it for about 1.5 days before going back to my old v60.
PROS:
small & cute
durable construction
CONS:
battery life is really bad, gotta charge it every 24 hours
external display is useless; it is very dark and you gotta hold down one of the volume keys for like 5 seconds to turn it on
picture quality is pretty bad
call quality is not great, a bit patchy
didn't like the menus
not very customizable
A Decent Phone....
I had upgraded to this phone from an LG VX6000 and while it's a decent phone, it didn't keep me from selling it and switching to LG's VX7000.
Pros
-Small, compact size
-Sturdy build
-Pretty good camera
-Decent battery life
Cons
-This phone is SLOW
-Takes up to 20 seconds to delete call
lists.
-Takes quite a while to update contact
info.
-Takes a while to load the camera.
-When you take an incoming call, it often
shows up in the Missed Calls list, even if
you answer the call. The call also shows
up in the Incoming Call list as a "call
waiting" call.
-Have to remove rubber plug to recharge the
battery (plug could be lost easily).
What a difference a phone makes...
I love this A670! I've been with VZW since the 90's when it was Airtouch. Had many phones and made the mistake of getting the Motorola T720 almost 2 years ago. I endured that phone, but recently renewed for 2 years and got this awesome A670. The A670 is solid. No creaking noices, the housing is high quality. The size is perfect. The menu is intuitive. I was able to setup/customize/add contacts/take pics/etc. without the manual.
PROS: Quality build, speaker volume, small size, strong vibrate, bright clear display. Compared to the Motorola T720 this thing is perfect.
CONS: No speaker phone, not tri-mode (I live in MN and sometimes head up north where there's no digital signal), outer display doesn't stay lit very long.
If you're looking for a quality phone with a great feature set and probably wouldn't use silly bells and whistles (games) then I highly recommend this phone.
GREAT PHONE
I just purchase this phone about 5days ago. I love it. I did all the reseach on all the phones and this won my vote. I have read the cons on this website.
I have to say the stand-by time is better than I expected. Although, if your a constant phone talker, no cell will ever give you the talk time you need. I love the picture call ID. Another one of the cons was the ringtone. There are certain ones lower than others, however, that was the same way with my old motorola. In fact, I downloaded a musical ringtone(usher) and it is so loud, that even on level 1 you can here it.
The Video is little jumpy, but it definalty serves the purpose.
Yes, the phone gets warm, but so did all my others, its no different.
Great phone, great price, I say go for it!!!!
Godd ppd
Very Good Dependable Phone With Options!!!
I've had this phone for about 3 weeks and everything is going very well with no big problems. Before this I had a Nokia 3360 (at&t) which is an amazing phone but becoming very outdated and only started to give me problems after two years of hard use(everytime I tried to make a call phone died). Only reason I switched to verizon was because of buy one get one free sale, and almost everyone I know has verizon and are in the "In Newt work". Self Explanatory.
Pros:
small
professional looking
well built (friend has LGvx6000 which is bulky and not well built)
both screens very bright and clear!
(hard to see in sunlight but not impossible)
camera very good
loud and clear earpiece!
good signal strength everywhere
plenty of options
Cons:
Button pad heats up after about 5 mins of Use
Ringer is way too low
Vibrate soft
battery
video is very chopping
Ring/Vibrate Options
Extendable Antenna
Handsfree rubber tab hard to remove
Notes:
1. Battery Could be better but am also comparing it to my nokia which lasted a full week without a charge, Also you can overcharge battery so do not leave
charging overnight, verizon rep told me no more than 4 hours on charger and it chargers fully in about 2 hours anyway (this rule applies to most new phones ask the sales rep)
2. You have to hold down the arrow buttons on the outside of the phone in order to make the external screen light up (somewhat annoying, but much better than opening phone just to light up the screen)
3. The Ring and vibrate options are confusing, can turn off ringer by holding down the # key, but if person leaves a message or get a text you have to turn off those sounds separately, should be a one-step function. Have to "play" with phone more to work this out.
Its a great phone and the problems arent horrible problems by any means, I get annoyed very easily and the "issues" with this phone hardly bother me at all. Highly recommended if you want good small phone with lots of features!
Great little phone
First, let me start off by saying that this phone does a great job of being what it's purpose was intended for: a normal phone. I experience nothing but clear calls and experience great RF in my home and throughout my calling area. The bells and whistles that are attached to it; the color screen, the camera, voice dialing, etc, only enhance this phone and make it that much more exciting.
Pros
- Aesthetically pleasing (small, professional look to the phone)
- Camera (flash isn't as nearly as bad as everyone claims it to be and was amazed when I saw these pictures on my computer)
- Great Signal and Call Quality (Orange County, CA)
- Crisp, vibrant color screen (big improvement over the Motorola T720 I previously had)
- Voice Dialing (handy feature when driving without a hands-free kit)
Cons
- Video Phone (choppy images at best, unless the object is slow moving)
- Voice Dialing button is on the keypad (should be a side button)
- No Mp3 ring tones (not really a big deal, but still wouldn't hurt)
All in all, I believe this is a great phone and I'm glad I chose this over the ugly, behemoth LG VX7000.
Love my a670!
I had water damage on my first a670, so I was forced to buy a new phone at retail price. (Ouch!) I thought I would try the new LG VX7000, but surprisingly, I missed my Samsung SCH-a670 tremendously.
Pros:
- Great small size (unlike the LG which feels HUGE!)
- Durable construction (all the LG's feel quite cheep in comparison)
- Color outer LCD screen
- Easy menus
- Beautiful inner screen (though, not nearly as large as the LG)
- Voice dialing has worked flawlessly
- Great call clarity
- Loud ringtones
- Outer LCD only dims allowing you to read the time (the LG turns off completely forcing you to press a side button or open the phone)
- The number keys are spaced out nicely making dialing errors less likely (surprising for such a small phone!)
Cons:
- Imbedded background images and most ringtones are lacking
- Battery life is pretty good, but could be a bit better
- Picture ID is nice, but the outer LCD resolution quality is lacking a bit, so some pictures can be difficult to see
Overall, both phones are great, but because of the Samsung's small size and quality construction, I'm going to get my a670 back! :) A word of caution for all of this new technology. . .a couple very small drops of water will make the phones useless!! According to a Verizon rep, this has become a common issue. Perhaps the insurance is worth the price afterall . .?? (Ugh!)
