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
A900 Good PHONE
I sell cell phones and have been doing so for a few years. I've had the A900 for about a month now and I'm not gonna say anything about the battery if you read other reviews thats been covered. There are a couple users who have complaints about the memory it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure a way around the no memory card slot (if you want one get the A920) There are 50MB (technically 47MB) of space JUST for MP3's right now I have 12 songs on my phone with 20.5MB of space left there is an additional 12 or so MB for just ringtones, pictures, videos, games, etc. just for reference I also have 95 ringtones on my phone plus I have about 17-18 pics and vids. I live in the middle of nowhere Cheyenne, WY and this phone gets the best reception I've ever had around here and just so everyone knows I've had Sprint (current), Cingular, Verizon, Cellular One, Qwest, and T-Mobile so I know a thing or two about every carrier that offers service around here. By the way I read someone spent $500 on this phone WHY??? I paid $200 and the price has since went down. If you want the phone to hold 100 MP3's it won't, get an ipod because you want an MP3 player not a phone. If you want a GREAT phone that can hold some of your favorite MP3's get this one. Don't take my word for it, go get the phone if you don't like it take it back Sprint has a 15 day return policy. I hope this was helpful
EXcellent Phone, Move Over RAZR!
This phone is absolutely awesome! I just switched from Nextel to Sprint PCS and I must admit that I'm extremely happy thus far. I haven't had a phone that's this feature rich in a long time. Samsung has really put their foot into this one. This makes the RAZR look like a Nokia 3300.
PROS:
- Excellent Speaker, everyone can hear me loud and clear
- Ringtone volumes are excellent, very distinct
- Awesome display, Great colors and size
- Contrary to popular opinion, this phone takes awesome pics. Great Quality.
- EVDO makes doing everything with vision extremely fast, good going Sprint!
- A WHOLE LOT OF OTHER GREAT STUFF
CONS:
- Battery Life, That's pretty much it.
I must say, that coming back to SprintPCS has been great, I'm glad I decided to take the plunge. Samsung, once again had not failed to let me down, TWO THUMBS UP!
Awesome Phone... [...]
[...] Once one understands how too use the phone it is quite easy and works quite well...it has many functions and does many things which does draw greatly on the battery...but you must remember the more strain you put on it the more likely it will shorten the time of use...for everyday use it is useful but when being used as a phone camera and ipod at the same time you are trying to do too many functions on a single battery...and due too the compact size of the phone there's limitations to the battery...
The phone is very capable if in capable hands... [...] ...it you spent a little time using one and learning about it you will be glad you did...
Ed. note: Removed responses to other reviews
"The Sexy Blade" by MsRandall
Background to my review I have used the Sanyo 5500, Toshiba 4050, Sanyo 8200, Treo 600, Nokia 6225, Sanyo 8300, Sanyo 5600, Treo 650, Samsung a800, Sanyo 7400 and the Samsung a940 in the last two years.
Screen: The screen is awesome: bright and vivid. I expected a nice screen since it was a QVGA. The screensaver take up the whole screen which I love. Great touch Samsung.9.5
Feel and Looks: Okay the look is high class and high priced. Definately sexy and the black makes it stand out more. I longed for a black phone. The feel is that Samsung took their time in the design except for the charging port cover. I hate that charging port cover sorry; I wish it was a sliding door instead. 8.5
Reception: Very good havent dropped a call yet. Seems to be very dependable since my bedroom is a trouble area for Sprint service...I can make and receive calls there with this phone without a problem. 9.0
Earpiece: Very clear and crisp. Speakerphone sounds a little distorted at high volumes but then again I only use it when on hold. 8.5
Camera: The camera flash is pretty bright. I dont take very many pictures with my phones so this option is just an added feature for me. I might use the camera 3 to 4 times a week at the most. The 3 pictures I took came out clear. I look at phone features first- I have a digital camera. 8.5
Menu: I love Samsungs UI. The ability to customize so many options is always a plus for me. My son and I have the same phone however his looks totally different because there are soo many options to customize. 8.5
Overall: Overall I love this phone. I love the look and feature set. If I can keep a phone longer than 6 months this is the one. I think this phone will be the Sprint phone of this year. I am very pleased with it from looks to performance so I give it a whopping 9.5 which I have never given a phone in my reviews.
I LOVE THIS PHONE! BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT!!
ok...this phone is so cool! the ONLY CON is the battery life is short...but as others have said, this phone does EVERYTHING so you cant expect the battery to last forever right? well i just found out that with this phone, you can record a video and assign it to your ringer, that means when someone calls you, you hear the video and see it...ahh its so awesome! this phone is a COMPLETE BUY! if you are looking into buying it, stop right now and order it because it is one of the best phones out there! it has soo many pros that i could list them, but it would take too long! the camera is great, speakerphone,good keys,cool ringtones,very classy looking,well you get it...its awesome and if you dont have it you should! gahhh i could go on forever about how cool it is but i guess you'll just find out for yourself!
A keeper? Yes!
Let me start off by saying that I deal with every phone that Sprint offers on a daily basis. I have never been a fan of their network but they always had the coolest phones. I cancelled my service in the past with them due to coverage issues and went back to old carrier.
Now, I have to have an employee phone and when the 900 came out it looked cool, but I was still hesitant due to past problems.
After trying this phone, I am blown away! It actually works in my house reliably! This has always been a hit or miss issue as sometimes I could make calls, sometimes I could not. With the 900 I have consistent signal strength.
On to the pros and cons.
The Pros:
The size is perfect, it just fits well in the hand, the pocket and is comfortable to use.
The camera is well beyond what you would expect from 1.3 MP, pictures are sharp and clear with no blurring.
Open Bluetooth, not just limited features like phones released in the past by Sprint and other CDMA companies.
The screen is sharp and clear.
The ringers sound good, not on par with a 5600 or 9000 but better than average.
Really, if you are looking for a phone that is stylish with good features this fits the bill. But there are a few cons.
Cons:
The battery life is horrible. This phone will not last a full day without recharging so pick up a spare battery, keep a charger at work and get a car charger.
The charging port cover is badly designed and is going to break off sooner or later. It is tethered to the phone but gets pinched when plugged into the charger causing it to weaken at the tether.
The T9 will not learn new words. I am assuming this will be fixed in an update but for right now, it is a problem.
No expandable memory!
I give it a 4.5 out of 5.
Expandable memory, better T9, a better port cover and a second battery in the box would have been a perfect score for me.
I say grab it while you can as supplies are low and they are flying out the door.
It's ok
Compared to the a920 the only thing this phone has going for it is it's looks but it's pretty tough. My girlfriend dropped hers in the water and the phone continued to function like nothing happend, it may be a let down but it can sure take some punishment.
A Smart, Gorgeous, but high-maintenance girlfriend.
This phone is a nightmare of choices.
Pros
-----
-Sleek black aluminum case reeks of subtle class and quality.
-Amazing primary screen with mirrored glass bezel. Very good external screen.
-Nice keys, good interface.
-The combination makes a great professional statement. Think "Razr for Adults".
-Fast. Very responsive.
-Very good reception. Gets a extra bar over other Sprint phones we use.
-Phone as Modem service has been very good so far, though I haven't tried it via BT.
-Did I say the screen is beautiful?
-The web pics do not do this thing justice. It's a knockout.
-Stereo speakers. Cool even if they remind you four-micron speakers have their limits.
-USB cable and stereo earbuds included.
Cons
------
-Power, power, power
a) Very small battery - 35x45x3mm. Think type 1 CompactFlash. Matching battery life.
b) Battery is covered with that nice aluminum, which won't help the price of a high capacity replacement.
c) Can't be charged via USB, I presume because it wants ~700mA and standard USB peaks at 500mA. This means phone as modem by USB will wipe your talk time.
d) As mentioned by others, the data/charge port cover is tiny and hard to remove. Wouldn't be so bad if the battery life were better, but this thing should be plugged in whenever you aren't moving. My kingdom for a cradle.
-Memory is limited. 50MB is okay for built-in RAM, but no expansion capability hurts. Taking pictures and video will chew it up quickly. Make your music choices carefully.
God though, it's nice. With a better charge solution I'd definitely keep it. That plus a memory card slot and I wouldn't take anything else. Right now I'm considering switching to a 920 for those reasons. If I do, I'll miss this thing.
Smooth, Sleek & Definately an Upgrade!
I have owned a whole line of Sanyo phones and was rather reluctant trying a Samsung since my last experience in a trial with an older Samsung led to my quick return back to the Spring store.
However I have had the phone now for 3 weeks and I have completely adjusted. It's sleek, it runs smoothly.
Battery Life: Goes Down (A HINT:: Turn off GPS and you will see an amazing improvement, I can last a whole day without a car charger on it now and that's with surfing the web, taking pictures, etc.) So not complaining!
Casing: Metal Casing, Much Better than the previous plastic casing on my other Cells.
Sound Quality: Very Crisp, Both Internal & Headset Mode. Blocks out background noise from other person talking. Nice & Loud with many adjustments available.
EVDO web surfing: Amazing! One Word Explanation **Free Sirius Music Channel Option with Power Vision Plan
Text Messaging: Buggy with T9, limited dictionary and can't get controls to change the word. Very frustrating, my only knock on the phone overall.
** So perfect phone, fits in your pocket!
Dont forget to update & turn off GPS for maximum battery life!
A900 - Cool, Sleek & Disappointing
This phone is by far the coolest looking, most sleek, most advanced phone I have ever owned. I really like all the neat features and the razor like design. The camera is awesome and the sound is great. It has a really big, sharp bright screen.
The phone is full of bugs though. Menus are really slow. When I want to find someone in my contacts (I had 50 or so), it would take 3 or 4 seconds to jump to the person's name from the search.
If I uploaded custom ring tones to the phone AND assigned a picture to the contact, the phone will REBOOT the first time that contact called me. After that, the ring tone will glitch, glitch then start playing. Very buggy. Bluetooth is almost unusable which is why I got rid of the phone after a few weeks. I've read lots of other reviews where people are experiencing the same problems - even after updates.
I have an Acura TL which has the hands free link via bluetooth. If I was on a call and another call came in, it would put both calls in limbo, and I would somehow lose both calls. If I got a message while on a call, bluetooth would pause and click and disrupt my call.
Battery life is terrible on this phone, and it died on very frequently (after a full night's charge).
I would not recommend this phone to anyone who either 1) uses bluetooth or 2) talks for a long time. By "a long time" I mean 60 to 90 minutes a day. I switched to an older Sprint phone we had around the office (with bluetooth) and I haven't had any problems out of it.
