Samsung SGH-T209 / X495 / X497 / X496
Average Ratings
go phone
if your looking for a simple phone with good reception by all means get this phone. Its sturdy so-so weight, even though it has very very crappy games
X497
Appareance: If its looks you are looking for, this phone is perfect. Pictures:http://reviews.cnet.com/sc/31515625-2-300-DT1.gif
Its little stub adds to the cuteness. Buttons are easy to press(perfect size), which makes it so nice. What i loved was the way it fit into my pocket so easily, and the string that came with it. That way, even with my pants with small pockets, I could tie it to the belt strap thingy, so I wouldnt loose it. Its also so much more lightweight than others.
5/5
Sturdyness: One of the hardyest phones I have seen. I have done pretty much everything to this phone before I began tying it. I have fallen on it, and the battery fell out but it was ok. It has fallen from the second story, and it just had bumps and scratches. My cousin played with it banging it and it survived. I loove how it keeps living!!
5/5
Complexity: Not hard to use at all. My grandpa could even use it. The basic functions are simple and very easy to use. It only gets complex when you want to get into games and that stuff.
4.5/5
Camera: Unfortunately, it was manufactured before camera phones were so popular, so it doesnt have one. :(
0/5
Clarity: Voice was amazing when not in calls.
5/5
Signnal strength: The only problem(other than camera. But its not the fault of the phone, but rather the company. Absolutely horrible! Contantly wavering, and you had to be upstairs in one spot to talk. sooo annoying. But the phone did its best. For all cingular phones, it did a good job compared to others. My moms phone couldnt call at all.
1/5
Other features: One more problem with the phone. It doesnt have music and stuff. But then again, for its year, it has all the stuff it needs.
3/5
For its year, this phone was amazing. Its so perfect for my winne the pooh, and sticky stuff on the back. I probably will totally want a new model of this phone, possibly a shinier one, with more up to date features. Thanks for reading! ~shruti
Not bad. BASIC PHONE
For a basic phone, this is about as cheap as you will find for the quality. I had this phone for a year, going though around 9-12K text messages a month. This phone was also submerged in a river, when a friend got their Jeep stuck driving through it. The total talk time I have on this phone is, "004[6H:57M", yes, the bracket is supposed to be there. This phone was used with a T Mobile Family Plan, Eastern Pennsylvania.
Pros:
- This phone is extremely durable.
- Text messaging is easy, without the fancy options.
- Sound quality was better than most phone I've had in the past.
- Battery life lasts fairly long, for the price.
Cons:
- The color of the phone, (White), gets dirty very quickly, even for a relatively clean person.
- Instant messaging tends to lock up the phone, causing it to reset.
- As with any Samsung, the plastic pieces that cover the headset/ battery slots are annoying, and break easily.
Loved it
I had this phone for a year, and I loved it. I wanted to upgrade and get a camera phone, but I couldn't find anything that I liked as much as this phone. Eventually I had to switch carriers and I really miss this phone.
Pros:
Very comfortable
Separated keys, great for texting
Speakerphone
Ability to teach the T9
Loud ringtones (pre-loaded)
Cons:
No camera
Saved pictures wouldn't be full sized wallpapers
Samsung SGH-X497
I hesitated in giving this phone a 0.5 rating ... it was too much; so I changed it to 0.0! I've had this phone for almost 24 months, taking full responsibility for putting up with it this long but now my commitment to Cingular/AT&T ends in less than 21 days. If they have any of these left to give away, don't take one ... it's not even worth a "free" ride. I asked Cingular many times if they would replace this phone ... you guessed it, nope, they wouldn't budge.
Pro's: It lasted almost 24 months
Con's: It had so many dropped calls during my time with it, when I tried to add them all up on my calculator, the display screen wouldn't even go that high.
I'm moving on to another wireless phone provider. (the one my girlfriend is on :o)
Peace ...
x497 - Poor Quality
Pros:
- Nice overall size
- Better reception than previous phone, but that isn't saying much. Read the Cons (Cingular, Southern Indiana)
Cons:
- This phone shuts off anytime it wants. Especially when you close it to "hang up" from a call.
- About 1 year into the life of this phone the screens have started going out. First the inside screen (the most important one), then the outside screen. Sometimes the outside screen is on, but the info is mirrored backwards and very faint.
- The ringer volume cannot be locked so when its closed and in your purse/pocket, the ringer can be turned completely off leading to missed calls.
- I have to laugh when I hear that Cingular has the fewest dropped calls. If that were the case, I feel sorry for everyone who doesn't have Cingular.
I am in the process of replacing it via warranty, but they are sending me another Samsung. I don't really have a choice because this is a work phone. I just hope the x507 is better.
Tough Stuff
This is a Tough Phone that does its job very well. It is not an entertainment devise.
I have had this phone for over a year (bought used) and it repeatedly falls out of my shirt pocket onto pavement and concrete. Although I use a leather flip case, all this has had zero affect on performance and only left small scratches. Yesterday it fell into a bucket of water. After drying in the sun for two hours it works like it always has!
Only item lacking is Bluetooth.
My kids Nokias fell apart - no where near the design and build quality of this phone. And I can't say they were any rougher on their phones than I am on this one.
My wife's Motorola's (550?) flip hinge fell apart - no where near the design and build quality of this phone. And she pampers her phones.
** Pros **
-Tough
-Really, really tough
-Large and simple display text - just right and easily seen while driving
-Very strong hinge (no wobble, no wiggle)
-Loud! volume
-Strong call vibration and loud ring
-Simple UI
-No camera, web, music, yada yada
-Good battery life
-Monochrome exterior display
-Exterior display always on (muted) to easily check time, missed call, etc.
** Cons **
-No Bluetooth (#&%*!)
-Exterior volume control too easily accidentally sets to vibrate only.
SGH-T209 Better Than X495? Not Quite... (T-Mobile)
Got this phone free from T-Mobile, and I can see why. For a basic phone it should have been good enough. Between the issues with T-Mobiles poor service and/or coverage and the phone mediocre software it's been one terrible experience.
Ive had this phone for the better part of a year, and had about 2 dropped calls a month. The phone has crashed after calls ended. Just plain junk.
The only positive things I can report about this phone is that the battery life is good. Stand by is about 7-8 days, providing it's turned off at night. It did come with some decent apps. Unit conversion, alarm clock, timer, stop watch, calendar, and calculator to note a few. And surprisingly for all the times I've dropped it and tossed it in a fit of anger it's held together pretty well.
I'm the kind of person that only needs a basic phone. No battery life eating MP3 player. No poor quality junk camera. Just a phone and service that works. And I don't care if the exterior display is color or not. As long as it can tell me who's calling when I look at the phone.
Pros:
Small clam shell design
Good battery life
Reasonably solid construction
Good speaker phone capabilities
Loaded with decent apps
Cons:
Glitchy software
Offered by lousy service provider (T-Mobile)
Signal reception is moderate
Silent mode vibrate weak
In closing the phone gets a 1 out of 5 for the few things it boasts over it's short comings.
Great Phone
This was my 2nd samsung phone and its a very decent phone. Speakerphone works great. Everything else is great. The only problem I've had with it is ocassionally not getting voice mail messages until a couple days after the person actually left the message but that could be a t-mobile problem even though I didn't have that problem with my last phone. I've had this phone for almost a year. Now my kids use it.
good luck
My previous phone was a motorola, lasted 3 years with no problem. I had to upgrade AT&T to cingular, at the end of nov. last year. I bought this x497, without the insurance. One yr, and 3 mos. later, I turn on the phone, and it is not functioning. It was never dropped, well cared for, with a perfectly functioning battery! I had no qualms with the phone until that day, but no luck. good luck..
