Samsung SGH-T339 (T-Mobile)

CNET Editors' Rating

3.0 stars

Good

Average User Rating

2.5 stars

20 reviews

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CNET Editors' Review

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CNET Editors' Rating

3.0 stars Good

Design: 7.0
Features: 7.0
Performance: 6.0

Reviewed by: Kent German
Released on: 06/23/2008
Reviewed on: 07/03/2008
Updated on: 07/18/2008

The good: The Samsung SGH-T339 has a compact, easy-to-use design and respectable call clarity. Its feature set offers Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and a well-stocked camera.

The bad: The Samsung SGH-T339's display is overly bright and its call volume was rather low. Also, photo and music quality was unimpressive.

The bottom line: The Samsung SGH-T339 isn't a bad T-Mobile HotSpot @Home phone but there are better options available.

Review:

Photo gallery:
Samsung SGH-T339

Several months after it came out with its HotSpot @Home service, T-Mobile introduced two new Wi-Fi-equipped cell phones, the Nokia 6301 and the Samsung SGH-T339. Though the features between the two phones are largely similar, the SGH-T339's red flip design calls more attention to itself. Call quality was good, if a bit quiet, but we'd prefer the Nokia handset in the end. The T339 is $159.99 if you pay full price, but you can get it for $49.99 with service.

Design
Though the Samsung SGH-T339 has a standard flip-phone design, its bright ... Expand full review

Photo gallery:
Samsung SGH-T339

Design
Though the Samsung SGH-T339 has a standard flip-phone design, its bright red color gives it a bit of character. It's a deeper shade than on the Samsung SGH-T229--more like brick red than candy apple--and it stands out from T-Mobile's other HotSpot @Home phones. At 3.6 inches tall by 1.8 inches wide by 0.8 inch thick and 3.3 ounces, the SGH-T339 is compact and portable. Though it's covered by plastic, the T339 has a comfortable and solid feel with a sturdy hinge.

The T339's 1-inch external display is a bit small, but it supports 65,000 colors (96x96-pixel resolution). Besides the date, time, battery life, and signal strength, it shows photo caller ID and works as a viewfinder for the camera lens, which is located just above. You can only change the contrast, and the backlighting time is much too short.

A microSD card slot and a camera shutter sit on the right spine, while a volume rocker and the headset jack/charger port sit on the left spine. Though we like the convenient location of the memory card slot, we're disappointed that you can't use both a wired headset and a charger at the same time. Also, the headset uses a proprietary connection.

The internal display measures 2 inches and supports 262,000 colors (176x220-pixel resolution). Like on the T229, the screen is rather washed out, particularly for graphics and photos. On the other hand, the T339's menus look a bit better than on its sibling. You can change the display's backlighting, time, and the dialing font size and color.

The T339 does an excellent job with its navigation array. Though the controls are flush, they're quite spacious and easy to use. The round four-way toggle can be set as a shortcut to four user-defined functions. You'll also find two soft keys, a clear key, and the Talk and End/power buttons. The keypad buttons also are flush but their large size and varying color pattern makes them easy to use. The numbers on the keys are big as well and they're lit by a bright backlighting. Our only complaint was that alphanumeric keys are a bit slippery but it's not a big deal.

Features
The T339 has a 1,000-contact phone book with room in each entry for five phone numbers, an e-mail address, and notes (the SIM card holds an additional 250 names). You can save callers to groups and pair them with a photo and one of 15 (64-chord) polyphonic ringtones. The T339 also supports T-Mobile's myFaves service. Other essentials include a vibrate mode, text and multimedia messaging, an alarm clock, a calendar, a task list, a notepad, a calculator, a stopwatch, a timer, a unit converter, a world clock, and a tip calculator. Beyond the basics, you'll find Bluetooth, a speakerphone, a voice memo recorder, PC syncing, and instant messaging.

Like on the 6301, Wi-Fi calls on the T339 are exceedingly easy to make. After turning on the feature, you just need to scan the available networks and make your choice. You can buy a special wireless router from T-Mobile or you can use an existing network. We connected successfully with the Wi-Fi network we use at home.

The T339's camera doesn't offer a flash.

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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).

Follow @KentGerman

User Reviews

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Average User Rating

2.5 stars out of 20 user reviews

Rating Breakdown

5 star: 5
4 star: 3
3 star: 3
2 star: 5
1 star: 4

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4.0 stars

"Good UMA flip phone. Wi-Fi calling is AWESOME!" Oct 18, 2008, 9:15 pm By Happywith339

Pros: Wi-Fi calling, durable, call quality, call volume, small flip design, 2G only so no 3G to 2G switch over problems on calls, good enough battery for the purpose, some free browsing on T-Zones, simple interface, airplane mode, block call numbers.

Cons: Occasionally the battery does not fully charge on home charger and have to recharge it sooner than expected, glossy slick top surface of phone can crack (but still usable), antennas on bottom of phone- reduce signals if you cover them.

Summary: With a good broadband connection, this phone and T-Mobile UMA work great! I can make excellent quality calls in my basement with UMA where no cellular carrier works. I can make UMA calls in the center of a big hotel where GSM, 3GMS, or CDMA don't work well. I've used it for 2 years, and other than having to switch to a better cable internet provider once due to call quality decline, I have been very happy with the phone and T-Mobile UMA service. I use a basic Linksys CM100 cable modem, a T-Mobile LInksys Wireless Router, and have regular 10/1 cable internet service.

This phone does switch over from GSM to Wi-Fi (takes about a minute) and vice versa (happens quickly), that is if you have at least one or two bars of GSM signal available during the transition process. If you lose of have no bars during the transition, then the call will likely drop.

Airplane mode on this phone allows you to turn off cellular but leave wi-fi on for UMA or WAP browser. Thus, if you have a strong cellular signal but don't want to use GSM and instead use wi-fi for a call, then turn on airplane mode. This feature could also be used to prevent roaming overseas so as to make/receive calls or texts ( USA numbers only) for free (hotspot add-on, grandfathered) or just counting against your minutes (all other plans).

This phone can be used as a USB cellular modem for a Windows 7 64 bit (HP AMD Turion II) computer with Samsung PC Studio 3 version 3.2.3 IE2. Just download the Windows Vista version from Samsung and then do check for updates. In the system tray it will show a red X through the connection even though it is still connected to GSM and working. GPRS and Edge data are really only useful for mobile formatted websites and email due to limited speeds. It costs $10/month for this unlimited? data service. If you don't want to pay the $10/month, you still get some basic free data services through T-Zones like Yahoo news, Accuweather, Yahoo email, CNBC, ABC news, CBS news, etc. The WAP browser is NetFront v 3.4. and is not compatible with video content or .pdf attachments.

The outer screen CAN BE ILLUMINATED without opening the phone by pressing the volume key for several seconds! You can take your own picture and view it on the outerr screen by pressing the camera button with the screen closed. Unfortunately, the outer screen is somewhat difficult to see in bright light. The camera really requires good lighting due to no flash. The picture quality is only fair, compared to any digital camera. Video quality is weak.

Call quality over GSM or Wi-Fi is very good. This phone will make and receive decent quality calls on only 1 bar GSM if you are stationary. Call volume is very acceptable and the speaker phone is loud enough for quiet setting (not construction sites).

The antennas (GSM and Wi-FI) are on the bottom of the phone, so it is best not to cover the bottom portion of the handset with the palm of your hand and instead use your fingertips when holding the phone. This technique will prevent the signal from going down a bar.

I own two of these phones, one purchased under contract from T-Mobile and one new unlocked T-Mobile USA version bought on an auction site as a backup. They are identical, except that the auction phone does not have the 911 sticker on the back, did not come with a full manual, and does not have an OEM Samsung battery.

This aftermarket battery has not lasted very long and I would not recommend it. Beware that if you use the T339 as a home replacement phone and run it 24 hours a day with wi-fi on and connected to the wall charger at night, the battery will probably not last as long due to heat buildup when the phone is on and charging. I think this may also cause the charger to stop charging as a safety measure. Unfortunately, you then find out the next day that the charging did not go to full. This only happens occasionally. Maybe a cooling pad/grate at night would help dissipate heat? Another option would be to turn the phone off and charge it. Samsung batteries are only about $10 and are readily available.

I don't use the bluetooth and instead use a USB cable for connecting to a computer. I don't use hands-free bluetooth for calling and instead use the included hands-free cable. It is a little short in length, but it works. I don't text, but for occasional web address or contact entry, the flat keypad is fine.

Overall, a good phone and rated excellent due to T-Mobile UMA!

2.0 stars

"It falls apart!" Oct 18, 2008, 9:15 pm By bdgardengirl

Pros: The music quality and the display are good.

Cons: After less than a year, I'm shopping for a new phone because this one is literally falling apart. The hinge plastic has a chunk that has broken off and now the top has a crack in it. I am not an abusive phone user, this one is just very cheaply made.

Summary: Doesn't sound good with bluetooth headset, falls apart. A total waste...