Samsung SYNC SGH-A707
Phone Scoop Review
Dec 28, 2006 by Eric Lin
Our in depth review of Cingular's slimmest 3G phone yet. read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
A+++++++ Amazing!!!
I've recently owned the cu500 and the w810 and this phone takes the cake!
Pros
LIGHT
thin
CAMERA (AMAZING)
huge screen
micro sd slot
touch mp3 outer buttons
mp3 player
3G is FAAAASSSTTTT
buttons
cingular video
mobiradio
mobitv
Cons
the only con could be the size, but it's no bigger than the cu500 or razr.
This phone is honestly as close as we've seen to perfect!!!
Awesome Features, Good Price
Just recently switched back to cingular from tmobile. Had issues with tmobile. this is a great phone for the price. $50 after rebates. here's what i thought.
Pros:
Great screen, but lacks a tad compared to my old nokia 6133
Phone feels good in hands, feels solid
the external mp3 controls are handy
speakerphone is loud enough for me.
reception is amazing (S. Florida)
35 is fast here too.
Menus are easy to navigate
Camera is decent in good lighting
video is average
texting is a snap, large buttons make this easy to do
processor is faster than other, but slow compared to my nokia 6133.
battery life decent.
Cons:
camera needs good lighting to produce good pictures ( in low lighting the shutter speed is very slow making be extremely still to get non-blurry pictures )
gmail application does not work, but google maps and opera mini work fine for me.
no multi-tasking, meaning if you're using an application, u need to exti out of it if you want to do something else
wish the box had a USB cable to sync music, i think not have this negates the purpose of it being a music phone.
one thing that really bothers me is i cant seem to turn of keypad tones, i have to silence the entire phone. if anyone knows how to do this, please let me know.
Overall, i can live easily with the cons, this phone has alot to offer especially because of the price. its easy to use, love the large display, i am enjoying video and internet browsing.
Good choice.
Well Done Samsung/Cingular
WOW! What else can I really say? This phone is what Cingular's new 3G entries are going to be measured against for a long time.
PROS
+The QVGA screen on this phone is enormous. It is crystal clear and very, very sharp.
+2MP Camera. The camera is smokin' hot, the only better I've seen is the w810i.
+UMTS/HSDPA. This phone is fast! Couple 3G with mini opera, and you got the web at your beckon call.
+Form Factor. The phone is rather large, yes. However, it isn't "big for no reason" like the CU500. The phone is perfectly proportionate to the screen, and the buttons are big and perfect.
+Cingular Music. I setup XM Radio mobile and MobiRadio and they both work flawlessly. If you have XM Radio, you need XM Radio Mobile!
+External Music Controls. The touch sensitive controls on the outside of the phone work very well, and aren't too sensitive like the Chocolate.
+Sound Quality. The call quality is very good. Weather using the ear piece, speaker phone or BT, you always get the same superior sound.
+The Ringer. The phone is loud and clear so you never have a problem hearing it. When the volume is maxed out, it doesn't sound distorted.
+Reception. Believe it or not, reception on this Samsung is actually really good. No problems yet.
The only Con
-The CON about this phone is the mp3 player function. If you want to add media directly from your memory card into an organized play list, it can be a little annoying. I have my songs separated by album on my memory card. When you want to make an album as your play list, you have to pick out your songs from your entire library that's on your memory card! Needless to say, it takes forever.
Overall, I would strongly recommend this phone to any one. Period 5/5.
amazing phone a707
This was my first phone, my first time using it I was surprised to see the amazing features, amazing camera, the look of the phone may be a bit plain, but the actual phone far from plain (in a good way), the speed of the phone is faster than any of my new phones I suggest that if you are looking for a cheap and classy phone, the a707 sync is the right phone for you.
pros: great screen display, clear and nice camera, great features, fun, easy to dial the numbers, very low amount of mist calls, and best of all its cheap ($50).
cons: a bit plain look, quite big.
a707 sync
I have both:
screen--sync 10 v3xx 8
reception difficult area-v3xx
battery life--sync
sound vol--motto louder
sound q--full bars even sync edge
sound q--3 bars motto
bluetooth--motto connection
ease of use--motto
connectivty--close motto
ph I carry--sync/screen/bat life
looking 2 future--v3xx/speed for future
Impressive
This phone is very impressive. It's amazing to see where mobile technology is going. For the price, after rebates and whatnot, it's a very nice device. It has a good size to be very functional, but is not excessively large like a smartphone. It's still not the perfect phone I've been hoping for, but it's many steps closer to anything else I've used.
Pros:
- Large clear display.
- Comfortable capacity on internal memory for general usage plus some extra feature usage (camera, ringtones, etc).
- Feels very solid.
- Looks great.
- Very functional camera for a phone.
- Bluetooth works very well (had trouble with previous phones).
- While I'm not big on media player phones, it's nice to have external controls, and it's stylish.
- Not a RAZR.
Cons:
- For this to be a media phone, I'm disappointed to see it doesn't come with a data cable.
- Activating camera is not straight forward.
- Not very flexible with theming.
- While it has not come off on its own yet, battery cover doesn't feel secure.
- No multitasking.
- Proprietary connector for data connectivity and headphones.
- What ever happened to cell phones including full games?
Excellent Multimedia / Visual Phone
I have owned the a707 for a little over a week now and I have found it to be extremely complicated (Thats a good thing) compared to other phones. There are so many customizable display options and the phones menus have a unique preview of the next screen that pops up. I found this paticular feature a little more annoying than helpful.
I found this to be a great phone, with only one drawback. When the front display screen shuts off and you want to see the time, yo cant just 'tap' one of the side buttons to turn it back on, you have to hold down the bside volume button for about 3 seconds before it comes up again. This (in my opinion) eliminates the helpfullness of having it in front because it would be quicker to open it up. Which is a pain comapering this to other phones.
College Kid who destroys cell phones
I purchased my "SYNC" about a month ago. It has held up beautifully under the conditions of which i have succepted it to. The outer display and the mp3 player outer controls that lock (on their own when face is closed) are the ONLY cons to this product. If you get drunk from time to time and like calling/texting with optional "drunk surfing" of the 3G Internet capabilities, this phone is FOR YOU. Well one other con is the battery cover. It slides on and off way tooooooooo easy, just a thought
Solid, pocketable, dependable
I recently extended my contract with Cingular and got to choose a new phone to replace my Samsung D407. After trying two other phones (LG CU500 and Motorola RAZR V3xx), I settled on the SYNC. I wasn't too crazy about it at first glance, but it has since grown on me.
Pros:
-Solid. The hinge is chincy, or fragile. It opens and closes with a firm snap. I'm not constantly worried that if I bump or drop it that it will break.
-Size. I have fairly large hands and need a phone that I can hold with my hand rather than my finger tips. The keys are laid out nicely with out being crammed and are nicely sized. Despite being on the large side, it is easily slipped into the pocket and forgotten about.
-Dependable. It receives the signal well and calls sound clear. With other phones I tried, the signal would come and go, but with the SYNC, it seems to hold on to the signal better.
-Beautiful screen. The screen is great. It's crisp, clear, and vibrant. Much better than the D407 I had before.
-Quality camera images. I don't use the camera much, but when I do, I want the image to be decent. You wouldn't want to document your family vacation with it, but it will be great in a pinch.
-Battery life. It's great. Out of the box and without being charged, the battery lasted 2 days with moderate use. Of course this will fluctuate depending on your use of various features (mp3 player, camera, games, etc.)
Cons
-External display. It turns off quickly. To turn it on, you have to hold the side keys down for a bit.
-Camera shutter tone. You can't turn it off, so don't try. I don't use the camera much so it's not a big deal to me, but might be to someone else.
-Slight lag in some of the menus. By no means does it lag like the RAZR does though.
Overall, this is a great phone. It has all the basics, and some nice extras. It won't jump start your car or tie your shoes, but it will keep you in contact with people and keep you mildly entertained when you get bored. I highly recommend this phone.
Best phone for the buck
This is flat-out the best phone you can get for the buck ($49 after rebate). I read a lot of reviews on this phone before making my final decision, so it was with some trepidation that I placed the order. The phone seemed to have a lot going for it, but also a lot of little, irritating drawbacks. But I took the plunge, and I'll try to address all the major points brought up by others.
Pros:
3G phone
Excellent reception
Good signal strength
Excellent screen & graphics
Very good camera (with a few minor caveats)
Good music player for it's size
Feels both light and solid at the same time
Big keys
Cons:
Phone menu is somewhat non-intuitive
Camera is wide-angle, so you have to stand close to whatever you're taking a picture of. Also, you can't zoom in when taking pictures at the highest quality setting.
Software for transferring files between computer and phone is counter-intuitive, even with USB cable.
Removing microSD card (not included) is virtually impossible. I'm gonna leave mine in and just add and delete from the computer.
The sound quality is slightly different; it has a very slight tinniness or echo to it. Also, you have to hold the phone in an exact position to hear clearly, which is slightly irritating. But when you do, the sound is loud and clear.
It took me about a week of reading the manual and playing with the phone to get used to it., but overall, it's the best cell phone I've seen, even at a higher price. It totally blows the doors off my Motorola v557.
