Samsung SGH-X497 (AT&T)

CNET editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 3.0 stars Good
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 6.6 (3.0 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Bonnie Cha
• Edited by:
  Kent German
• Reviewed on: 10/19/2005

For this fall, cell phone manufacturers have gone back to basics to produce handsets that, well, simply make calls. One such cell phone is the Samsung SGH-X497 for Cingular Wireless. With this basic mobile, what you see is pretty much what you get. There's no integrated camera, advanced multimedia features, or Bluetooth hiding behind this compact flip phone. Instead, you get an affordable ($49.99) cell phone that makes quality calls, has a speakerphone, and comes with a host of messaging options.

The Samsung SGH-X497 has an understated design that matches its minimalist functionality. Outfitted in black and silver, the flip phone is compact and light (3.5 by 1.8 by 0.9 inches; 3 ounces) and should slip easily into a bag or a pocket. That said, the antenna stub does add some bulk but not enough to be bothersome. On the front cover, there is a monochrome display that shows the time, the date, battery life, signal strength, and photo ID (where available). And though it's small, we like that all the information is still visible, even when the backlighting goes off. Flip open the SGH-X497, and you're greeted with a 1.7-inch-diagonal screen that displays 65,000 colors and a 128x160-pixel resolution. Text and images aren't the sharpest, but you can adjust the brightness of both displays. And while you can change the dialing font color (Black or Rainbow), you can't change the font size.

Below the display are your traditional navigation controls. You get two soft keys, Talk and End keys, and a Clear button--all surround the four-way navigation toggle, which can act as a shortcut to four user-defined functions. The control in the center of the toggle opens the Web browser in standby mode and functions as an OK button in the simple menus. We have a couple of complaints about the toggle: It's a bit cramped, and we often found ourselves hitting the down directional control when we were actually just trying to use the center key. Also, the buttons felt a bit stiff, so we had to push down firmly on each directional key for the command to register. That said, the numerical dial pad is spacious, and since the keys are raised above the phone's surface, we had no trouble dialing by feel. The backlighting is also bright enough for dialing in a dark room. Finishing out the design of the SGH-X497 is a 2.5mm headset jack and a volume rocker on the left spine; unfortunately, you can't use it to navigate through the menus.

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Recent user reviews

• Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 57 reviews
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  "Great for basic use"

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