Samsung SCH-A870 / Siren
Average Ratings
Just got it and love it!!
I recently got the Siren because I wanted a phone with Bluetooth technology. I didn't want to spend large amounts of cash just for that, so the Siren was my choice. I got waaay more than I expected and I love it!
Pros-
Independent voice recognition
No need to assign voice-tags
Bluetooth tech.
Awesome camera for a phone
MP3 ringtones
good reception (despite internal antenna)
web capable
great speaker
Cons-
Internal antenna
have to purchase additional ringtones due to minimal choice in available ring tones
closed display isn't on continuously
Overall, it's a great phone. For a first or for the 100th.
Excellent Phone
I bought this phone about 3 weeks ago and I am very satisfied. There are very few things to complain about this phone. Overall this is an Excellent Phone and I highly recommend!
Pros
Camera
Sound quality
Reception
Sleak design
Battery holds a great charge
Cons
No MP3
Keys are a little too close together and hard to text sometimes.
Best Phone I've EVER owned.. PERIOD!
Pros- This is quite possibly the best phone I have ever owned at any price- The bluetooth works the best of any handset I've ever used. Amazing battery life--- internal antenna works great-- has better reception than any phone I've ever used- tri-mode phone can force analog if you want too. big display. Fast menus- (no delay) good shape.
Cons-
only 300k camera
no external memory card slot
Overall-- The best phone EVER. I'm going to buy 2 more as backups...!
Read this - true story!!
This is a true story... my husband accidentally left his phone in his jeans pocket about 3 months ago, and it was in the washer for about 15 minutes before he realized it was there. He took it out and I really didn't have any hope - I tried drying it on the heat vent and sure enough, after a few days the screen was still a little foggy but it worked!! Everying, photos - contacts, etc. were still there.
But it gets even better. Several weeks ago he was on a dock and dropped his phone in the lake. We thought it was gone for good but divers for the City recovered it, and since my husband works for the city and manages the dock he got it back!!!
I'm not kidding, we dried it in the sun for 2 days, plugged it in and tonight it's still working!!! Screen is a little foggy, but contacts, ring, pictures, reception and everything. Unbeleiveable. If nothing else, this thing is darned durable.
Great phone !! Especially in noisy areas.
I work in an extremely loud environment. I have been through many phones and so far this one is the best. The ear speaker is the loudest one that I have ever owned. No trouble hearing my calls, even on a full throttle locomotive !! The reception is great, even better than others I have tried. I was a little afraid that the internal antennae would not perform well in the rural areas that my job takes me. Tri-mode is a plus and is the only way that I purchase phones. Speakerphone is also very loud and works with phone closed, also a plus. I will surely try Samsung first on my next phone purchase.
Excellent, reliable phone
Got the A870 as an upgrade to my trusty A670. adding tri-mode, bluetooth, speakerphone, VZ Navigator and the like. While the A670 got great reception, the 870's reception is even better, surprising to me what with its internal antenna. If you're not looking for a megapixel camera, there's little to complain about this phone. I've read some complaints about voice quality, but it's been only crisp, loud and clear for me.
PROS:
Reception
Voice Quality
Tri-Mode (haven't used analog yet)
Bluetooth works well
Speakerphone
VZ Navigator-compatible (works GREAT)
Non-detachable covers on the speaker jack and power port
Looks good
Internal antenna
Battery life
CONS:
A bit small, smooth, sometimes slippery
Outside buttons easy to press inadvertently
Only average camera
Outside screen doesn't stay on all the time as A670 did
No MP3
If you're not looking for a phone to be your personal entertainment center and best friend, you can't beat the A870.
This is a GOOD, Entry-level phone
Packed with features you don't normally see in an entry-level flip phone, the SCH-A870 is a decent handset. I bought it to replace my trusty GSM Samsung SGH-X496 flip phone.
At $49.99 (after $50 online discount and with a two-year contract, $99 for a one-year) The A870 is well-priced.
Reception--Excellent. I was worried about the internal antenna, but you shouldn't be. There is a surface on the top of the back that says "internal antenna area, for best performance, do not touch this area when using your phone." Since it's located at the top of the handset, it may as well have an antenna. I've had no problem getting 2-3 bars indoors and the full 3 bars outdoors. I have experienced no dropped calls in the Charleston, South Carolina area.
Menus--I know some people hate the Verizon user interface, but I actually like it. Thanks to a bright screen, the menus are very inviting...and fast! There is none of the sluggishness I've read about elsewhere when the Verizon UI is pasted on top of other phone's native UI. No complaints here.
So, to recap:
Pros:
--Excellent value at $50, well-priced.
--Trimode, Bluetooth, VZ Navigator-capable (have yet to use any of these features)
--Good reception despite the internal antenna
--Fast menus with no sluggishness and bright, crisp screen
--Packed with features despite the low price
--Speakerphone will stay on with flip closed
Cons:
--Phone is made out of thinner plastic than previous models, doesn't feel as well-made as other Samsung products
--Hinge isn't as rigid and strong as it could be
--Buttons feel cheap and are a little too close together
--Camera is only 300K VGA, meaning pictures are very low quality...but it does have a flash
--On previous Samsung models, the outside display stayed on in low-light mode, meaning you could always see the time and date. On this phone, you have to push a button. Somewhat annoying.
All in all, despite the flaws, a good choice. 3.5 stars out of 5.
Love this phone
It's sleek and it looks good....Easy to manipulate and it's easy to use all of the features...The only thing that's a negative is that when I put my phone on vibrate...my text messages and voicemail still rings but I do love my phone
exactly what I wanted
I just bought the SCH-A870 to replace my old Audiovox (later Verizon) CDM-8900. I wanted a phone that was no larger than the body of the Audiovox, had no external antenna, was tri-mode, and had bluetooth. When I started looking for a phone, there were none; this was the first one to come out for Verizon that met my needs.
I am extremely happy with the phone. It is small and light, and voice quality seems great--I have none of the complaints about voice quality that some of the other reviewers have. I got all the things I wanted, and lots of little improvements over my old phone as well:
--marginally better reception in low-signal areas, such as my office and some subway stations.
--remembers the time and functions as a clock even when signal is lost
--Verizon software may not be the best thing out there, but it definitely beats the old Audiovox software.
--speakerphone is loud and clear
I have two small complaints. The first is that you have to hold down a button on the side of the phone to see the time on the outside display. Still, it's no worse than the Audiovox that only showed the clock 50% of the time (it alternated between clock and the message "Verizon Wireless").
The second complaint is that the buttons are not at all separated, and it's easy to press two at once or press the wrong button on the keypad. After using it for about a week, I had gotten used to it and I now rarely press the wrong button, but the keypad is not as easy to use as the Audiovox was.
This phone has no extra gadgets or features. The camera, like that on most phones, is a joke. It will not play music, show movies, or jump through hoops. But as a small phone that fits in my pocket and makes phone calls, I think it's pretty close to perfect.
Excellent Phone
This small, good looking phone is replacing my old LG4500. Tried the LG8300 and was not satisfied at all. The 870 has excellent sound quality, a good speakerphone and great colors. Ringtones that came with the phone left much to be desired but I was quickly, and cheaply, able to add the ones I wanted. Starts up immediately where my 4500 you had to hold down the start button for several seconds. Cons included small, light text when test messaging and the external screen does not stay lit but several others I tried didn't either.
All in all, a good buy.
