When Samsung introduced the
SPH-A600 last year, the mobile's solid feature set and swiveling screen made it a real head-turner. And such is the case with the Samsung SCH-A610 for Verizon Wireless, the latest in the company's effort to spruce up its offerings. This slick camera phone retains many of the attractive features of its sibling but adds an expanded phone book and multimedia-messaging (MMS) capability. But at $299, the bells and whistles come with a hefty price tag that will appeal to only serious cell phone users who want full functionality in a flashy package.At first glance, the Samsung SCH-A610 resembles few of its flip-phone counterparts. Like the
SPH-A600, this two-tone, silver mobile is bulky (3.5 by 1.9 by 0.9 inches; 4.23 ounces) and boxy, with a decidedly solid and sturdy feel. As is the case with its predecessor, the A610 has two features that few handsets can match: a rotating, barrel-like camera lens and a distinctive swiveling screen.
![]() SPH-A600, and each entry accepts up to five phone numbers and two e-mail addresses. Improving upon the A600, the SCH-A610 offers text and multimedia messaging as a standard feature, and other goodies include voice memos, picture caller ID, a scheduler, a to-do list, a countdown timer, a memo pad, an alarm clock, a world clock, and a calculator. You'll also find 5 monophonic and 10 polyphonic (16-chord) ring tones, as well as a vibrate mode. Specific ring tones can be assigned to individual callers.
![]() SPH-A600. Our standby time was five days, compared with the promised standby time of nine days. Hide Review
 Kent German As a senior managing editor for CNET, Kent German heads up the CNET Reviews team in San Francisco. Formerly a cell phone reviewer, he still blogs about wireless news and offers his take on the wireless industry. When not at work, he's planning his next trip to Australia, going for a run, or watching planes land at the airport (yes, really). Average User Rating 3.5 stars out of 66 user reviews Rating Breakdown -
5 star: 22 -
4 star: 23 -
3 star: 14 -
2 star: 3 -
1 star: 4 My Rating 0 stars click stars to rate product Most recent user reviews Showing 3 of 66 reviews 4.0 stars Pros: camera,design,easy Cons: not enough memory,cant recieve internet made ringtones Summary: well first of all i have this phone now even though the last review was from 2005!!...im doing a 2 year update now....this phone is wonderful i love the design i always have and i finally was able to get from ebay for (metropcs). ok first i was ... Expand full review Summary: well first of all i have this phone now even though the last review was from 2005!!...im doing a 2 year update now....this phone is wonderful i love the design i always have and i finally was able to get from ebay for (metropcs). ok first i was able to connect to the internet cause the brew was old.(ok i can live with that)...second i couldnt recieve ringtones that my friend used to send me on my old nokia 6535 ...ok im cool besides this phone wouldnt look right with any other ringer coming from it except the preloaded ones already...and then now sometimes the screen will woble and there is a little screw at the tip to where u have to tighten it every now aqnd then or believe me it will snap or break on you...so basically the phone is wonderful i love it! u can only save 35 pictures in high quality mode and then it increases as u lessen the resoulution..the service for this phone is ok my nokia was better but this for metro remember that...so no necessary complaints only paid 50 for it so what do i expect from something that was made in 2004 and something that i wanted since i was 16 now currently 19..ill probably keep it for another month or 2 untill i cant take not being able to add stuff to it like i want to... and then opt for a new technology phone..thanxc for reading..:0 4.0 stars Pros: Impressive Swivel Camera + Screen, Nice size buttons, Relatively good camera, nice size lcd, flashy phone Cons: Thick phone, expensive retail price, takes a while for letters to register while text messaging, old display themes, huge bold font, doesn't come with travel charger. Summary: This phone is meant to be shown off. There are chrome accents as well as a large lcd. The swiveling flip is the most notable feature which is the reason why many people think about buying this phone. The features are nothing special. You can get more features in a ... Expand full review Summary: This phone is meant to be shown off. There are chrome accents as well as a large lcd. The swiveling flip is the most notable feature which is the reason why many people think about buying this phone. The features are nothing special. You can get more features in a much smaller cheaper package now a days but the swiveling screen once again is the reason people are attracted to this phone. The Samsung sch-a610 will be easily detected while in your pocket. I also am very protective of this phone because of the twisting screen. Although the screen is sturdy I am still worried about the possibility of it snapping. I recommend buying a holster(belt clip) if you purchase this phone just to be sure that it won't be getting bashed around in your pocket, purse or bag. It is also impossible for me to remember which way to turn the screen ... keep in mind the flip only rotates 180 degrees not a full 360. Thanks for your submission!
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