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"Great phone" on by DA
Pros: Call quality, form factor, camera quality, overall features... etc
Cons: Lag when waiting for camera, lag in UI, front display... etc
Summary: First, important information has to be said. You may browse the net looking at various reviews and opinions on the SYNC, but understand that the old SYNC released late last year is not the same as the newer AT&T branded SYNC that has been hitting the streets since April 2007. In actuality, most reviewers everywhere have based their opinions on the older phone. Many list cons that have actually been fixed in the newer model, so don't totally base your decision on any random old review.
I have had a blue (AT&T branded) Samsung SYNC for about three weeks and have very few complaints. I have experience with Razrs and others, and while I wouldn't say the SYNC is the absolute best phone out, it's easily one of the better ones. Barring any bad luck you may have, there's not too much to complain about and it will definitely give you most of what you need.
The call quality for myself was crisp and clear, with 3G being a big reason why. The 2 mega pixel camera takes surprisingly good quality photos, although it doesn't provide a flash. One other con with that is the stutter sound cannot be put on mute. Like most newer phones, you can use mp3s as ring tones (file size 300kb max), and as a music phone overall, you can play music in 4-5 different formats with good clarity/quality. The SYNC can be used as a modem and can get you broadband level speeds or close. With a USB cable (sold separately) you'll be ready to jam your phone up with music, videos, photos and more... and if the standard storage isn't enough (probably not) you can buy a 1gb-2gb microSD card for use with the phone. You also have the option of sending files to the phone via bluetooth.
Overall, the SYNC is a solid phone stuffed with features. There are small quirks, but the effect of them is subject to the person using the phone and their tolerance level. I personally have gotten over most. If you want a great phone and don't want to be another person in the Razr crowd, give this a try.Updated
On June 26, I personally tested using the SYNC as a modem. I was able to get over 200kb per second, a far cry from the "broadband or close" comment I originally made... but still much better than the 48kb I normally get from a 56k modem.
The SYNC is VERY stingy depending on your location. While visiting NYC, a very building congested area obviously, I noted the phone mostly being in EDGE opposed to consistent 3G while I'm in Miami. Many drops also occurred, while they were extremely rare while I'm elsewhere.
By this point, however, I've tested virtually all of the features of the phone and I'm still satisfied with it. -
"A nice phone, but very fragile" on by Draconicsoul
Pros: Music Player, good call quality.
Cons: Small LCD screen broke after 2 weeks, limited menu options.
Summary: I got this phone after switching to Cingular from sprint. It was a slight downgrade from the A-900m I had with sprint (which had software freezing issues, but thats another review). It has a decent music player and lots of little customizable features that make it fun to use. However, 2 weeks after purchasing the phone the small LCD screen on the front cracked. Now I am not particularly rough on my phones, I was keeping it in a nylon case in my pocket. it worked well for 2 weeks and then one day, for seemingly no reason the mini lcd gets broken. So I took it back th the store only to be told that they do not replace broken Phones. So if I wanted a new one I had to shell out $50 to the insurance company. This Phone is very very fragile. Not meant for normal use, if you leave on the desk or the office, it'll be fine. just keep it away from the slightest pressure, or the screen will crack and then your screwed.
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"Probably the Best Cingular currently has to offer" on by arcurlyq-216310626177926609829
Pros: Vivid screen display, very fast on 3G, intuitive menus, nice features, decent camera
Cons: Deactivation of the front screen, no ring tones, must remain open to use speaker phone, proprietary headphone jack.
Summary: I upgraded to this phone from a Motorola V3 Razr (old model) that I purchased over the Internet. I like Cingular's service (I've used it consistently well all across the US, including in some pretty weird places) but have been previously unimpressed by the quality of their product line; it seemed like every phone I purchased in their store was defective. However, I decided to give Cingular's product line a try once again with purchasing the Sync.
This is my impression of the phone during the first 24 hours. I will come back and update this once I've had more experience with this phone.
The Bad: The fact that you have to hold the external menu button down for three seconds is a bit annoying (as people have previously reported), but so far it's not been a deal breaker for me. I hate the fact that you can't talk on the speaker phone with the phone closed. The menu options are decent, but it sometimes feels like it takes a lot of little steps to get one small thing accomplished. I hate that you have to purchase ring tones. I also hated that I had to purchase a Micro SD card - the phone should come with more memory! Also, what is with the proprietary head phone jack? I have very small ears and have to use kid-size earbuds. The ones Samsung makes for this phone simply won't fit my ears. I'm trying to find an adapter so that I can use my own headphones that fit. Also, I hate the fact that I cannot Sync the Sync with my Mac. I'm looking into options, but the only way I can get music is if I stream it in. The front display (when the phone is closed) is a bit drab. Also, I've not yet figured out how to check my voicemail once I've erased that display on my screen that says I have a message waiting.
Here's the good: The front display has icons that are easy to see. The keypad has a nice, firm design. The camera is pretty decent. At 2 MPs it takes good pictures. The screen display is awesome, very bright and vivid. I love the high-speed internet connection via the 3G. The phone also feels nice in my hand, sturdy and well-contoured. But it's small enough to fit easily in my pocket. I like the features the phone has to offer. For example, you can schedule alarms to occur just on certain days. I use this feature a lot. Texting is pretty easy with this phone, although I found it difficult to switch to T9 at first. Unlike Motorolla's product line, I like the fact that I can change the profile without making a lot of noise (why does Motorola do that??) I have yet to use the MP3 capability of this phone, but will be trying that soon.
My old Razr was pretty decent and while it had a few quirks (sometimes would shut off for no reason, lost battery life quickly), I was generally pleased with it because of it's size and functional capabilities. I would have purchased the new Razr, but I need a quad-band phone for traveling purposes and the V3xx is only a tri-band.Updated
So, I've had this phone for almost a week. It performs well. The call quality is as good, slightly better than my Razr. The features are nice, even if they are preset and unchangable. I have not yet used the music feature, since I have a Mac, but am looking into how to get tunes onto the phone. My big complaint thus far is the poor battery life. It seems like I'm always needing to charge this phone up. I am hoping this will improve with more use, but will have to wait and see. -
"Good Phone that is at the Top of the Cingular Buy List" on by bohn002
Pros: 3G, Cingular Video, MP3 Player, Able to accomodate a 2gb Micro SD, Camera, Screen Size
Cons: Battery Life is pretty bad. No Gmail Mobile app.
Summary: Its a good phone all around with a few minor quirks. The navigation is a bit deep in the phone so there is maybe a few more clicks needed than there should be. Coverage seems good in my area with it staying with 3G and Edge networks. The Battery life is pretty short. I usually charge it every night, and with 4 hours of talk time, you cant be a long winded talker. The screen is huge in comparison to my friend's which is nice. The camera shoots up to 1280x960 which seem to come out pretty decent. I love the ability to drop in a 2GB micro SD card with a bunch of tunes on it. It plays mp3 and drm wma's that I added with the USB cable and Yahoo Music Engine. The steps in volume are a bit odd, but there are some hacks out there that allow to you change that. Another downside is the inability to add Google's popular mobile gmail app. But decent phone overall with some blazing internet speeds with 3G.
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"Abyssmal battery life, slow MP3 transfers ruin a good phone" on by cmk4868
Pros: Attractive, durable, good signal strength
Cons: battery life far less than CNET claims, MP3 transfer from PC is slower than USB 1.0
Summary: This phone works best when plugged into an AC power supply. Thus for most users who may need to be away from power outlets for long periods of use, this phone is not a good option.
Big bright screen is attractive, but a massive power hog. Forget the quoted 4 hour talk time and 10 day standby; you will be very lucky to get 90 mins of talking or 2 days of standby, and that is with Bluetooth turned off. With Bluetooth on, you'll be charging this every other day.
Even worse, the battery goes from 2/3rds to no power very quickly and unpredictably. You will start the day thinking you have several hours of talking left, and will find yourself at zero power after a 15 minute call. Carry a spare battery and / or charger to avoid frustrating and inconvenient downtime, or better yet get a more efficient phone.
Another big problem with this phone is the music player feature. Unless you plan on purchasing an expensive media plan from your carrier, all the connectivity features of this phone are pointless. Downloading stuff by the kb is insanely costly, and the media plans add significant cost to the monthly plans. Also, to transfer music from your PC to this phone by USB is agonizing, as the phone takes more than half an hour to transfer a single CD (10 songs). To put a lot of music on this phone takes inhuman patience, and then you have to use junky Samsung proprietary earphones to listen to your tunes as no headphone adaptor jack is available.
On the positive side, MP3 playback through the Sync speakers sounds surprisingly good. The signal strength is usually very good, a pleasant step up from older Samsung designs, as good or better than Nokias, a big achievement for Samsung. Call quality and speakerphone performance is also very good. Camera takes good pics, but only has a 2X zoom on 1.3 MP and no zoom at all on the 2.0 MP setting. Samsung has much better camera features on some of its other models.The phone does look nice and it is pretty durable and well-built.
Bottom line: if you want a phone to make calls on, the A707 Sync has good call quality and excellent signal strength. However, the rotten battery life and rapid non-geometric decrease in battery life makes this phone unreliable and irritating to use for its primary purpose. If you add silly junk to your usage like watching videos and browsing the web, you will only decrease the battery life and make the phone even less useful as an actual telephone.
The true Achilles heels to all these multimedia phones are the added cost to users for subscription plans, and the limitations of current portable device battery life. The Sync makes you acutely aware of both of these problems. Until better batteries are available, Samsung should not build phones this inefficient, or at the very least should not call them "wireless". You don't need a phone line attached to these, but you will need a power cord!
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