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CNET editors' rating:
3.5
stars
Very good
Detailed editors' rating - Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 44 reviews
- See all user reviews
Product summary
The
good: The Samsung Sway SCH-U650 has a sleek design, great call and photo quality, and a solid midrange feature set.
The
bad: The Samsung Sway SCH-U650 lacks a thumb grip for opening its slider. Its controls are flush and it uses a proprietary headset connection.
The
bottom
line: Its design could use a few tweaks, but the Samsung Sway SCH-U650 offers satisfying performance and a functional feature set.
Specifications: Band / mode: CDMA2000 1X 1900/800 ; Talk time: Up to 270 min ; Combined with: With digital camera / digital player ; See full specs
Price range: $69.99 - $299.99
CNET editors' review
- Reviewed on: 10/07/2008
- Released on: 10/15/2008
It's clear that Samsung loves two things: slim slider phones and midrange camera phones with flip designs. Indeed, we've seen a deluge of such models over the last few years, with the latest in the slider camp being the Samsung SCH-U650 for Verizon Wireless. Also called the Sway, (why, we're not quite sure), the SCH-U650 has a tried-and-true Samsung design. It's thin, silver, and attractive, but it wouldn't stand out in the cell phone crowd. Features are solidly midrange and call quality was satisfying, if a little harsh. It debuts October 15 for $69.99 with a two-year contract and a mail-in rebate.
Design
The Samsung Sway takes two big trends in cell phone design--thinness and sliders--and combines them into one device. The result is an attractive, though not terribly original, handset. The retro silver color catches the eye, and we like the textured battery cover. At 4.15 inches by 1.96 inches by 0.47 inch, and weighing 3.56 ounces, it is compact and lightweight, so you should be able to take it anywhere. The Sway also feels comfortable in the hand and the slider mechanism is sturdy. However, we have to gripe about the Sway's lack of a thumb grip. Too often, our finger slipped to one of the navigation keys when we were trying to open the phone.
The vibrant 2.2-inch display supports 262,000 colors. Graphics and photos are sharp; text is readable; and colors are bright. Three menu styles are available, and each option is attractive and easy to use. You can change the backlighting time, the menu-font size and style, the dial-font size and style, and the clock format. The display is difficult to see in direct light, but that's not unusual on a Samsung phone. The camera lens, flash, and a speaker are on the back of the slider. As a result, you'll need to have the phone open to take photos.
The navigation array is relatively well designed, but it could use a couple of refinements. Though the keys are spacious, the majority of the controls are flush, so dialing by feel is difficult. On the upside, the four-way toggle and its central OK button are raised above the surface of the phone and the toggle doubles as a shortcut to four user-defined functions. The other controls include two soft keys, a clear control, and the Talk and End/power buttons.
The keypad buttons are flush as well, but that's not uncommon on a slider phone. Tactile ridges separate the individual rows, so dialing by feel was easier than we anticipated. The numbers on the keys are relatively large and a bright backlighting helps in dim situations.
The left spine is where you will find a volume rocker and the headset jack/charger port. The rocker is a tad small, but you can locate it easily when you're on a call. Unfortunately, the headset has a proprietary connection, while other manufacturers are moving toward a standard micro-USB charger. Also, the combined port means you can use only one peripheral at a time. The right spine has a camera shutter and the microSD-card slot.
Features
The Samsung Sway has a 1,000-name phone book. Each contact has room for five phone numbers, two e-mail addresses, and notes. You can save callers to groups and you can pair them with a photo or one of 24 polyphonic ringtones. You also can save three "in case of emergency" contacts. As for other essentials, you'll find a vibrate mode, text and multimedia messaging, a tip calculator, a currency and unit converter, a calculator, a calendar, an alarm clock, a stop watch, a world clock, and a notepad.
Added features include voice commands, USB mass storage, stereo Bluetooth, M4 hearing-aid compatibility, instant messaging, PC syncing, Web-based POP3 e-mail, Verizon's new City ID feature, and support for VZ Navigator. The Sway is not compatible with Verizon's V Cast Music, but it does offer a music player than you can stock with files transferred from a PC. Features on the music player are limited, but there is an airplane mode.
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- key
User reviews
- Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 44 reviews
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Where to buy
Samsung Sway SCH-U650 (Verizon Wireless):
$69.99 - $299.99
| store | price | in stock? | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
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$299.99 | Yes |
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