Ericsson T39
Average Ratings
A True Classic Phone
I just purchased one of these T39's unlocked from a guy on eBay. It was $25 and totally refurbished to look and perform like new. Using it here in Albuquerque NM and it works great !
It is a fantastic phone. Very good RF radio performance. Holds calls like a magnet. Nice sounding audio that is clear and loud enough to hear.
The phone is attractive and small. I highly recommend it for international travel. Just pop in an international SIM and hit the world.
Pro's
Excellent audio
Nice style
Compact
Great RF - wonderful reception
Tri-band - great for overseas travel
Bluetooth
Simple to use
No extra stuff you never use or need
Con's
No 850 Mhz band, so usage in some USA locations could suffer. Best for international usage since it has the 900 & 1800 bands in addition to the 1900 band.
Buy one now !
Best phone ever
I got this phone a couple years back after I dropped my first world phone, an Ericsson T28, in a puddle -- and am I glad the T28 went for a swim. This is the best phone they ever made -- the size and the ease of use, the sound quality and battery life are unequalled. The screen is small by current standards, but is sharp and easy to read, even for e-mail.
I replaced this phone with a Z600 from SonyEricsson and have been very disappointed with the quality of the hardware, which is nothing like as sturdy as the good old T39m, although the user interface is much better than the abysmal Motorola V600. My T39 has been with me all over Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas and has always worked flawlessly when roaming on foreign networks.
With Bluetooth, GPRS and GSM, an e-mail client and a WAP browser -- and even a snap-on keyboard for composing longer messages and an MP3 player -- this was exactly what I wanted from a phone -- and still do. I have retired the expensive and flimsy Z600 and gone back to the T39m, which does exactly what I want from a phone -- make voice and data connections and allow me to check e-mail on the road, all in one tiny, well designed and well-made device. I wish the design team at Sony would take another look at the direction Ericsson was headed in the evolution of their phones before the takeover.
One of the all time greats...
Nothing could touch this phone when it was released back in the day. Unique styling, packed with features, excellent RF performance and call quality, great battery life, so many available accessories, and the list goes on. I've owned a T39mc and T39m and I have regretted selling both. The T39 is definitely a classic.
PROS:
*Excellent RF performance & sound quality
*Superb battery life
*Unique styling
*Small form factor & lightweight
*So many features (IR, Bluetooth, spacious phone book, data capabilities, voice dial, etc.)
CONS:
*Small gray scale screen
*Monotone ringers
Best Phone Forever!
This is the best phone that Ericsson has ever had. Also it is even more reliable then the higher model (T68i).
Ericsson T39m Review - continued
Very clear voices even in weak signal areas. Battery life is exceptional. I have service through Voicestream. Make sure you get the current software load when you buy the phone.
Features:
Built-in 9600 baud GSM modem, have used via cable, IR, and Bluetooth. Can have voice dial commands on up to 50 phone book entries.
Accessories:
I use extensible antenna for better signal in weak coverage areas. I use Bluetooth adapter on laser printer, and Toshiba Bluetooth PCMCIA card in notebook computer. This is very good. Also have Ericsson HBH-20 Bluetooth headset, it is of marginal use to me - it's hard to control very well, voice commands don't work very well through the HBH-20.
Have tried external antenna that plugs in the socket on back. Be careful that you don't break off the pin in the center of the socket.
Best phone ever!
I've used this phone for over 2 years now talking anywhere from 1500-4000 minutes a month on it ... I live on it ... in US, Canada and Europe.
I watch every new phone that comes out to find a replacement because I'd love to get EDGE and a few other new features the new phones offer .... but there isn't a single phone out there that comes close to this phones quality, size and performances where it matters.
Sound, reception, bluetooth, syncing with Mac, GPRS connection to Powerbook, screen I can see anywhere, addressbook that just works without me thinking about it, SMS ...
Amazing phone ... I'm now looking for a replacement on EBay as I've broken a few things on it and need a new one ... and not even the $400 RAZR3 can beat this thing... (how does Motorola expect people to look past it's lack of EDGE and it's horrible address book anyways?)
Greatest phone ever made IMHO.
Ben
It should be still in the assembly lines
The T39 is still the best phone I have ever tested. The reception is by far the best I know and the sound quality is unsurpassed. Altough it was designed years ago and is no longer available, this phone has all the features you will ever need in a cell phone: infrared port, bluetooth, e-mail client, synchronization, text messaging, voice control, great calendar and phonebook. Besides it has a design like no other. What else can you ask for?
A good phone, but ...
I a T39 based on the reviews I read here as a backup phone for my RAZR v3. The phone works well, but with a major caveat: it operates only on the 1900Mhz band in the US because it does not support 850Mhz. Here is my take:
Pro's:
Excellent battery life
Great audio performance
Bluetooth
Very solidly built
Tactile key feedback is excellent
Phone software (e.g. menu system) very intuitive
Con's:
Cingular representatives have told me that their SF Bay Area network will be converted entirely to 850Mhz. Not sure if that is true, but why would customer service report that if it wasn't? The problem with the T39 in the SF Bay Area is there is not that great of 1900Mhz coverage.
With all this phone's great features I had problems with dropped calls and signal strength when using it in San Jose, Palo Alto, Mountain View, Daily City, and Redwood Shores. The 1900Mhz signal had gaps, holes, and other issues that caused numerous dropped calls.
So I think the phone is a great value for what you can pick one up for on eBay, but keep in mind that newer phones with 850Mhz do not experience these service interruptions from gaping holes in 1900Mhz coverage.
Like another reviewer here, I keep mine as a back-up in-case my main phone (the RAZR) needs service, but for an "only phone", I found it did not measure up in the SF Bay Area.
Point 2: To use the speed dial feature, you must copy entries from the phone memory to the SIM memory. So, for example, you want to call someone in the phone memory on speed dial #2, you must copy that entry from the phone memory to SIM position 2. Then you can press and hold the "2" key to be connected to them without browsing phone-book entries.
Awesome
This is by far the coolest, compact and sophisticated phone I have ever seen. It has all the bells and whistles and works like a champ. Do not have any complaints about the phone and this is one I will keep for a long time to come. Only thing is if the phone was color it would have been one to beat by any manufacturer.
T39
This is definitely one of the best cell phones ever made. I had one for about 8 mos then decided I'd like a flashier phone, so I got a T616, used it for about 5mos and began to really miss my T39 (which I had sold) missed the great battery life, the small size, the screen I could read in sunlight, everything. So I found another one and I'm back to the reliable, small, tough, easy to use, feature packed world GSM phone. Great phone! Can still compete with the latest phones, feature for feature!
AM
