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Samsung's SCH-3500 is Sprint's best-selling phone of all time. Enter the sequel, the SPH-N200, which looks similar to the original but is slimmer, with a bigger screen and some noteworthy new features that should also make it a hit among consumers. If you're looking for a similar phone with more pizzazz, check out the latest rendition with a color display, the SPH-N400. Like the SCH-3500, the SPH-N200 shares the flip-up dial-pad cover that conjures up comparisons to the Star Trek Communicator. But upon closer inspection, you'll notice some improvements over the SCH-3500's design. For starters, the SPH-N200 weighs almost a full ounce less (4.7 ounces) and is about an inch shorter (4.4 by 2.0 by 1.0 inches) than its predecessor. With the trimmer SPH-N200, we found it easier to dial numbers and navigate the phone's menu with just one hand. It also fit better in a shirt or pants pocket.
Other changes include a larger, crisper LCD (it displays six lines instead of four); a white, backlit keypad; and a new joysticklike navigation button, which is more tactile and contributes to the SPH-N200's sleeker look and feel.
Besides the slimmer design and ergonomic enhancements, the SPH-N200, which comes in either blue or silver, offers additional functionality, as well as an updated, more user-friendly interface similar to the one found on the company's SCH-6100. The phone has 20 preset ring tones, 3 customizable ones, and a vibrate mode. Along with a calendar, a to-do list, a calculator, multilingual capability, voice-activated dialing, and a 248-name phone book, you'll also find two-way text messaging, an updated wireless Web browser, and an airtime tracker. The last feature allows you to check the length of your last call and the total number of minutes you've logged on the phone since its activation. In theory, if you took note of your total number at the start of each month, you could keep track of how many minutes you'd expended over the course of the month. We're happy to report that the SPH-N200 is a solid performer. We tested the dual-mode (CDMA 1900/AMPS 800) phone in the New York tri-state area using Sprint's service and generally got good reception. Calls were clear, and when we couldn't log on to Sprint's network, the phone had no problem roaming to an analog network.
Overall, we were impressed with the SPH-N200's battery life. While it fell short of the rated 146 hours of standby time in our tests, it didn't miss by much, and we actually managed to surpass Samsung's rated talk time of 230 minutes. Unfortunately, like the SCH-6100, the SPH-N200 can be charged only via its desktop cradle, which frequent travelers will find a tad bulky.
Other changes include a larger, crisper LCD (it displays six lines instead of four); a white, backlit keypad; and a new joysticklike navigation button, which is more tactile and contributes to the SPH-N200's sleeker look and feel.
Besides the slimmer design and ergonomic enhancements, the SPH-N200, which comes in either blue or silver, offers additional functionality, as well as an updated, more user-friendly interface similar to the one found on the company's SCH-6100. The phone has 20 preset ring tones, 3 customizable ones, and a vibrate mode. Along with a calendar, a to-do list, a calculator, multilingual capability, voice-activated dialing, and a 248-name phone book, you'll also find two-way text messaging, an updated wireless Web browser, and an airtime tracker. The last feature allows you to check the length of your last call and the total number of minutes you've logged on the phone since its activation. In theory, if you took note of your total number at the start of each month, you could keep track of how many minutes you'd expended over the course of the month. We're happy to report that the SPH-N200 is a solid performer. We tested the dual-mode (CDMA 1900/AMPS 800) phone in the New York tri-state area using Sprint's service and generally got good reception. Calls were clear, and when we couldn't log on to Sprint's network, the phone had no problem roaming to an analog network.
Overall, we were impressed with the SPH-N200's battery life. While it fell short of the rated 146 hours of standby time in our tests, it didn't miss by much, and we actually managed to surpass Samsung's rated talk time of 230 minutes. Unfortunately, like the SCH-6100, the SPH-N200 can be charged only via its desktop cradle, which frequent travelers will find a tad bulky.
