-
"It's a winner" on by -tabanga-
Pros: Display
Keypad
Reception
Call Quality
Ergonomics
External DisplayCons: Display contrast
Keypad charactersSummary: Seriously good phone.
Forgot to add battery life in the list of Pros
Bigger display and roomier keypad than most clamshell phones.
I get great reception and very good call quality.
Very good battery life (rated 5.5 hrs talk, 12.5 days standby)
Excellent ergonomics.
External display has its own selection of themes and fonts, and can double as a camera viewfinder when the phone is closed.
Camera is typical crappy vga, but the larger display makes it more fun to play with.
Small drawbacks:
Display needs a bit more contrast.
Keypad characters are disappointingly dim, even when backlit.
Tip: try the groovy "xylophone" key tone.
Updated on Jul 22, 2009
Updated on Aug 30, 2009Well this is interesting. The Mantras now on store shelves have much more legible keypads than the one I ordered online when they were first introduced in June. -
"Great Phone" on by nighttrek
Pros: Has all the bells and whistle, without the excess. Don't need a computer. If your one of those rarer men who think subtlety is true class, this is your 'phone'. Its listed features are top notch. Making calls straight from the wireless earpiece. Yes.
Cons: The only con I would give it, which mattters not, is not having control over the brightness of the keypad numbers. Their clearly lit enough to see in the dark.
And perhaps I should defer to an admiration of subtlety to that as well.Summary: If you've looked up the product, you've read about the features. All those features are fully inhanced. it impresses you as a very sharp smart acting phone. Everythings clearly arranged and easily read. Very well organized. It won't confuse you. What I really like is how you can simply press the button on your wireless earpiece to give a voice command of who you want to call. The earpeice of course refers to all the contacts in your cellphone phonebook. You can also specify which number you wish to call on whoever your calling...their cell, home etc.
Of course earpeices are bought separately. My first time with one. The user manual that comes with the earpeice tells you how to program it to match your phone.
What a leap forward from my older phone. The earpeice just knows from referring your cell phone book. No rehearsed/fed in voice commands needed for it to recognize who your referring to. You have a Mike Jones in your phonebook..you simply press the earpiece button and say "Mike Jones Mobile 1" (for his cell phone)
fo example. I'm still amazed how I don't even have to flip open the phone to make calls...but can answer the phone, make a phone call, and hang up, all in pressing the earpiece button,with the phone left in your pocket. And the earpiece filts like a feather practically. No tight scrunging of the ear, very light non-incumbering fit. You forget its there..and its completely stable, doesn't move or bounce around with any dramatic physical moves. Then the phone itself is so thin and light..its not this obtrusive weighty bulge in your pocket. And I'm glad to see they got rid of the jabbing antenna protrusion at the top. Just a thin smooth rounded corners square. As far as I'm concerned, this is the Real phone class. The rock ringer I downloaded sounds like a mini boom box..great stereo clarity. Nothing at all there to be ashamed of soundwise. Would take the Samsung Mantra over the Samsung Slash any day.
I know I've talked mainly about the earpiece, but I promise you, the phone features themselves you will rave about. When you go thru it yourself, you will know that you got a very sharp phone. It won't let you down. I like the fact that all I have to do is press the number 1 to see in text how may messages I have in voicemail without having to actually call it and waste minutes. I haven't even begun to explore it with the manual and I am already thoroughly impressed. Anything more will just exceed even further, my expectations. This phone has not let me down 1%.
Sleek, smart and sharp...very well organized. Thumb up all the way. -
"A basic phone that's also a high quality phone" on by -chachacha-
Pros: Reception, call quality, build quality, keypad, displays, battery life
Cons: Keypad could be more legible, display could use greater resolution
Summary: Not everyone needs or wants a phone with all the latest bells, whistles, and advanced features. Some of us just need a basic phone to make calls and maybe send texts. Unfortunately most of the basic phones on the market are flimsy pieces of junk. Not so the Mantra. This is a quality handset that is a pleasure to use. The roomy soft touch keypad is the best I've ever seen on a flip phone, and the user interface is lightning fast. It has excellent reception and call quality, a larger than usual display, and good battery life.
-
"My favorite fone so far" on by garekisaak
Pros: EZ to use, nice big keypad, nice big display, great call quality, good battery life.
Cons: pretty poor camera
Summary: What I like best about this phone is that the display and keypad are nice and big, yet the unit is still thin (0.7") and relatively light (3.3 oz). Next best thing for me is the superior call quality, better than any cellphone I have used. Battery life has also been impressive. The camera makes inferior fotos, but no worse than other vga cameras.
-
"Its not the fanciest phone out there, but its solid." on by drifter_5
Pros: Great battery life, good picture quality, great sound.
Cons: Well, it is virgin mobile...
Summary: I used to have this phone about a year ago until I accidentally left it in my pants pocket and it got run through the wash. All-in-all, it was a good phone. It had amazing battery life even with heavy use. It took great pictures, it sounded great in calls, comfortable to hold. Texting takes getting used to with it, but its a solid phone. I think I may trash my keyocera loft and buy one of these yet again.
Write a Review
Online Stores
| Store | Promotions | In Stock | Price | Total Cost | Initial Sort Order |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Yes | Yes | Tax: TBD Ship: TBD | $52.95 Shop Now | |
| See all prices | |||||
Compare to other cell phones
Compare Selected
Check coverage in your area 
%20-%20Cell%20Phones%20-%20CNET%20Reviews&srcUrl=http://reviews.cnet.com/cell-phones/samsung-mantra-black-silver/4852-6454_7-33686175.html&x_breadcrumb=8900:3488:3504:6454&x_arw_bkts=MAD:high_wireless_switcher){kind=small}