Samsung SGH U600 - blue (unlocked)
Manufacturer: Samsung Part number: SGH-U600
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Product series
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The Samsung U600 is more than just a beauty, but it won't please the most demanding cell phone users.
Read more
Where to buy
| store | customer rating | inventory | tax & shipping | price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| eBay |  | In stock | Enter zip code to get total price: Price +Tax +Shipping =Total price | as of 12/04/2009 |
  | ||||
CNET editors' review
Samsung SGH U600 - blue (unlocked) price range: $6.95
- Reviewed by: Kent German
- Reviewed on: 10/29/2007
The good: The Samsung U600 has an attractive design with a gorgeous display. It offers a decent selection of features, including Bluetooth and a quality camera.
The bad: The Samsung U600 had passable call quality, and the speakerphone wasn't very usable. Also, it lacks voice dialing and we didn't like the push controls.
The bottom line: The Samsung U600 is more than just a beauty, but it won't please the most demanding cell phone users.
Though a cell phone is only as good as the calls it makes, manufacturers continue to push high-end models as the future of the mobile world. We're not talking about business-centric smartphones here; rather we speak of handsets with snazzy multimedia features and cutting-edge designs. Samsung is no stranger to this trend, as its new Ultra Edition line can attest. The latest model in the series to land on our desk is the Samsung U600. With a thin, attractive design and a generous feature set, the U600 lives up to its Ultra Edition name. It's a solid effort on the whole, but the touch controls could be annoying, and the call quality wasn't always sharp. The GSM U600 isn't available with a North American carrier, but you can get it for $339 from a variety of online retailers, including
Design
Samsung has developed a thin phone obsession in the past couple years, and the U600 doesn't stray far from the nest. At 4.07 inches by 1.95 inches by 0.43 inch, it ranks as one of the slimmest handsets around, though we know such records don't last very long. Its slider design is based vaguely on earlier Samsung models such as the SGH-D900, yet with redesigned controls and a sleeker look. Metal touches give the U600 a solid feel in the hand despite a slight weight of 2.86 ounces. The slider mechanism feels sturdy; we could open and close the phone with on hand and the clicked securely into place. We only wish there were a thumb grip on the bottom half of the front face. Like many Samsung phones, the U600 comes in a variety of colors. We reviewed the blue version, but you can also get it in white, copper gold, garnet red, candy pink, soft black, and platinum metal.
The 2.2-inch (240x320 pixels) shows 262,000 colors. Like most Samsung displays of this caliber, it's bright and vibrant, with eye-popping colors and graphics. You can adjust the brightness and you can alter the font size, color and type. The display is designed to be visible in direct sunlight, and to our surprise it works quite well. The user-friendly menus come in block and list styles. We like that they're stripped of the unnecessary flash that dominated Samsung menus a couple of years ago.
The navigation array is unlike anything we've seen before on a Samsung handset. Instead of the standard trapezoidal navigation toggle, the U600's is four-way circular control. It's raised slightly above the surface of the phone, so it's pretty easy to use. You also can set it to act as a shortcut to four user-defined functions. The central OK button is also tactile, but we'd prefer that it open the main menu when the phone is in standby mode rather than activating the Web browser.
Our biggest issue lay with the other navigation controls, however. The two soft keys and the Talk and End/clear button are touch controls with no tactile definition. As such, they're difficult to use by feel, and you can activate them with even the slightest pressure. You can set the keys to lock when the slider is down, and we recommend that you do so if the phone will be in your pocket or in a bag. Though some users may not mind the touch controls, we found them a bit annoying over time. We just prefer using a control that we can feel and that has a tactile "push" effect when pressed. Also, we didn't like that in default mode the keys lock when you're on a call, which, of course, means you must unlock them before you can hang up. Yes, we realize it's necessary to prevent you from hanging up on a call accidentally, but we still didn't like it.
The keypad buttons are exposed when the slider is up and there's enough distance between the top row of keys and the boom of the slider. Though they're completely flush raised ridges between the rows give them some definition. On the other hand, they're a tad slippery so they don't lend themselves well to rapid texting or dialing. The keys are brightly backlit for dim environments and the numbers on the keys are large.
Completing the U600's exterior are a microSD card slot and a camera shutter on the right spine and a volume rocker and headset/charger jack on the left spine. The power button is accessible on the top of the phone, but we wish it were a bit larger. The camera, flash and self-portrait mirror are on the rear side of the phone, but they're not exposed unless you raise the slider.
Features
The U600 has a 1,000-contact phone book with room in each entry for five numbers, an e-mail address and notes (the SIM card holds an additional 250 names). You can save callers to groups, pair them with a photo for caller ID and assign them one of 20 polyphonic ringtones. Essential features include a vibrate mode, an alarm clock, text and multimedia messaging, a calendar, a memo pad, a stopwatch, a timer, a unit and currency converter, a calculator, a world clock, and a voice recorder. There's also full Bluetooth with a stereo profile, e-mail, PC syncing, USB mass storage, and a document viewer, but voice dialing is conspicuously absent. We particularly liked the Smart Search feature, which allows you to scan the phone for files as you would on a computer.
The 3.2-megapixel camera takes pictures in six resolutions, from 2,048x1,536 down to 320x240. Other features include a self timer, six color effects, 44 fun frames, a macro setting, multishot and mosaic shot modes, exposure metering, three image quality choices, brightness and white balance settings, an adjustable ISO, and a digital zoom. There's also a selection of camera sounds--or you can turn them off entirely. The camera menus were somewhat quirky. The U600 is unique among camera phones (but not standalone cameras) in that it shows its menus in landscape mode. That's not a minus at all, but it does require an adjustment. Also, some menu items are broken off into a separate area that requires a lot of clicks. Photo quality was quite good.
Criticisms aside, the U600 offers a business-card reader that scans information from a card and saves it directly to your contacts list. It didn't work perfectly, and we wouldn't expect it to, but it's nonetheless useful. There's also an image editor and image stamp for laying text over a photo.
The camcorder shoots clips with sound in four resolutions, from 352x288 down to 128x96. You're awarded a set of editing options similar to the still camera and you can shoot clips in two lengths. Videos meant for multimedia messages are capped at about 1 minute, 45 seconds, or you can record for as long as the available memory will permit. And speaking of which, the U600 offers 60MB of shared memory. That's a decent amount of storage, but we suggest investing in a microSD card.
The U600's music player is pretty basic. The interface is minimalist and doesn't offer visualizations or album art. Features aren't extensive, either; you can use the shuffle or repeat modes, rate individual tracks, create playlists, and adjust the equalizer. Loading on the music is relatively easy using a USB cable but it was disappointing you can't use your own headphones due to the U600's proprietary jack. And better headphones would be nice as the U600's music quality is mediocre both through the phone's speakers and the included ear buds On the other hand, we were grateful for the included FM radio.
You can personalize with a variety of clock styles, background colors, wallpapers, color skins, and alert tones. You can download more options and more ringtones with the WAP 20 wireless Web browser. The U600 comes with a decent selection of Java (J2ME) games. Titles include BobbyCarrot, TimeRider II, Asphalt Urban GT, Midnight Pool, Minigolf Las Vegas, and Tetris.
Performance
We tested the quadband (GSM 850/900/1800/1900) Samsung U600 in San Francisco using AT&T service. Call quality was acceptable though not spectacular by any stretch. Though we didn't hear much static, the sound output was a little weak. It's not that the volume was too low, in fact it wasn't, but the sound was somewhat hollow, and voices didn't sound quite natural. It wasn't a huge problem but we still noticed it. On their end callers said we sounded fine, and automated voice systems could understand us. The only issue callers reported was that they couldn't hear us unless we spoke close to the phone. Speakerphone calls weren't great. They sounded muffled, and callers had trouble hearing us. Also, it takes far too many clicks to activate speakerphone when you're on a call.
At times we noticed the U600's menus were a tad sluggish. Opening menus and scrolling between options could take a couple seconds. That may not sound like a lot, but over time it can be taxing.
The Samsung U600 has a battery life life of 3.5 hours talk time and 10.4 days standby time. The tested talk time went a little longer at 4 hours and 38 minutes.
User reviews
-
-
Stellar design, great screen, good camera. Some minor drawbacks
by byzanthy on May 9, 2007
Pros: Design: ++, 3.2MP camera with autofocus and led-light (no flash), bright and big screen
Cons: No Voice-dial, overall MP3-playback could be better, fragile plastic cap for USB/charger and microSD
Summary: Overall this is one of the most sleek phones on the market today. The great design combined with a nice menu-interface and big/bright screen can make this phone a ...
Summary: Overall this is one of the most sleek phones on the market today. The great design combined with a nice menu-interface and big/bright screen can make this phone a must-have for many. It is not as sturdy though as my good old nokia. The overall camera-quality is good (in daylight) although the camera operates a little slow, there are also plenty (to much?) of camera-options / special effects to play with. The one thing I miss about it is voice-dial.
2 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
easy mobilpone for used...
by Richiray007 on August 14, 2009
Pros: every where you can travel with this mobil
Cons: The way you have to used the Radio..
Summary: Not so much to tell , but for me it is one of the best mobil that I had...
Summary: Not so much to tell , but for me it is one of the best mobil that I had...
-
Great Phone!
by goaliegirl3 on February 16, 2009
Pros: Really thin, easy to text, good pictures, fun image editor, fun games,
Cons: Thumb rests on touch screen call button and calls first person in recent contacts, slow picture taking, only 2 themes
Summary: I really like this phone. I bought it off of ebay, so none of my friends have it-and they all think it is a really cool phone. I am able ...
Summary: I really like this phone. I bought it off of ebay, so none of my friends have it-and they all think it is a really cool phone. I am able to use send picture messages even though I bought it unlocked (used T-mobile configuration settings). The camera might be a little slow, but it takes good pictures and I like using the image editor. I also like how you can change the color of the text on the dialing display. The music player isn't the best, but it is still usable. Overall this is a great phone!
-
Beautiful phone
by twiggbert on October 6, 2008
Pros: Gorgeous design, super slim, great display, amazing camera
Cons: Poor call quality, bad signal, can't send MMS on AT&T
Summary: The phone is beautiful, both in design and its display. It is the slimmest phone I have ever had and has an amazing 3.2 MP camera. Call quality was ...
Summary: The phone is beautiful, both in design and its display. It is the slimmest phone I have ever had and has an amazing 3.2 MP camera. Call quality was not great. And unfortunately, I am going to replace this phone tomorrow. I used to get service in my apartment, but now can't get any calls inside. The phone constantly drops calls and has trouble getting a good signal. Plus, because it is unlocked, I am not able to fix the settings for AT&T so I can send and receive MMS messages.
-
It is good looking.
by jx2519 on August 31, 2008
Pros: numerous functions: can synchronize with Outlook, audio book
Cons: Synchronizing with Outlook is not complete--some appointments are not synchronized. The Fast Forward button does not work as specified in the instruction manual.
Summary: The U600 is very plesant to hold and look at.
Summary: The U600 is very plesant to hold and look at.
-
amazing overall, except for call quality
by XwafflemanX on May 25, 2008
Pros: very slim, amazing camera.
Cons: no tactile feedback, phone quality sucked.
Summary: kickass phone, does everything well. i really liked the "two in one" menu, really helpful and quick. really good camera and recorder, mp3 was ok. how did they fit all ...
Summary: kickass phone, does everything well. i really liked the "two in one" menu, really helpful and quick. really good camera and recorder, mp3 was ok. how did they fit all this (and more) into a 10mm hardware? wow. call quality sucked so bad i had to take my shoes off and throw them at alley cats. dont get me started on speakerphone...
-
Stylish and well equiped phone
by ejhayes76 on April 15, 2008
Pros: Looks, large bright screen, slim design, user interface
Cons: Might be fragile. I'm afraid if I drop it, the phone will be ruined.
Summary: First, ignore the one post from the guy in Pakistan, as I have no of his problems. The only one that happens closely is the camera can take a few ...
Summary: First, ignore the one post from the guy in Pakistan, as I have no of his problems. The only one that happens closely is the camera can take a few seconds to auto-focus. You can speed this time up by pressing the camera button half way, causing it to auto-focus and take the picture quicker.
I also have none of the problems the CNET reviewers mention with the touch buttons. The touch buttons lock and unlock exactly like they read my mind. Maybe I have a newer firmware - my phone was manufactured in Jan 2008.
This phone looks great. It is not a common phone in North America or Australasia (regions I travel and live in). Everyone thinks its slick.
As a phone, the call quality is fine. Nothing good or bad to report. It works well and I seem to always have a high signal bar.
The MP3 player works good. Its not quite a dedicated MP3 player. However, when I am out and only have pockets to carry my stuff, I now leave my flash MP3 player (Zune) at home. This phone is a good enough MP3 player for walking around town and on the bus, etc. I would not have bought a small flash MP3 player if I knew I was buying a phone that does music. I would have bought a larger hard-drive player, since I now never carry an MP3 music player in my pockets (the whole reason for a small player). I only carry my MP3 player when I have a bag with me, so its size doesn't matter.
If you do want to listen to music with this phone, spend a few dollars, Euros, whatever and buy an adapter the lets you plug you own headphones in the phone. I got one on Ebay for $5. Its a huge difference over the stock headphones, of course. Although the stock ones have a built in microphone, which lets you transfer from calls to music seamlessly. It really is nice.
The camera seems very good. Others like the photo quality, so take their word. I never have used a phone camera for more than the emergency photo.
The biggest negative I can see about this phone is I think it won't survive a drop from my hands. My previous phones were all candy bar type. This is my first phone that slides or flips open. The slider combined with the extreme thinness has me worried about dropping it or breaking it by being too rough.
I haven't used the phone enough to comment on battery life. It does have a very large and bright screen, which probably uses more power. I tend to play MP3s as I walk, which probably makes my battery life lower too. I would suspect any phone's battery life is lower while playing music.
Overall I am happy with this purchase. -
Very Good Phone
by dmizell on March 11, 2008
Pros: Attractive, Great Screen, Touch Controls
Cons: Screen smudges easily
Summary: I disagree with Cnet on the touch controls. They are not a problem to use. I have had the phone for a couple of weeks, and have no problem using ...
Summary: I disagree with Cnet on the touch controls. They are not a problem to use. I have had the phone for a couple of weeks, and have no problem using them. The Phone looks great, is new an trendy and not easily obtained. I like the phone.
-
all looks no personality
by princeigor on March 9, 2008
Pros: looks good
Cons: stupid touch sensitive buttons, bad camera
Summary: trust me on this one, u don't want to sacrifice functionality for looks. this phone has stupid touch sensitive buttons really annoying. camera quality is not good at all. ...
Summary: trust me on this one, u don't want to sacrifice functionality for looks. this phone has stupid touch sensitive buttons really annoying. camera quality is not good at all. music player is not nearly loud enough for a gym or even a bus. the only thing that it has going for it is it's small and sexy looking but believe me not worth the money.
-
not bad but the button positioning should be reviewed
by H Bear on January 18, 2008
Pros: attractive, slim, touch screen features, nice camera resoloution plus flash
Cons: uncomfortable, buttons placed poorly, phone lock inconvenient, camers works slow on flash
Summary: I got this phone for Christmas and immedietly liked how it looked. Also, the touch features were interesting. I was further impressed at how clear the pictures were and although ...
Summary: I got this phone for Christmas and immedietly liked how it looked. Also, the touch features were interesting. I was further impressed at how clear the pictures were and although I'm not a big pics person but I have used the flash camera a couple times. the bad thing is that with the flash is basically an annoying bright light that blinds the subject far a few seconds before the pic takes. I found that the people get fed up and either move or block their eyes from the light. To initiate a call, a touch button is used. It also happens to be the button to call the last number dialed. It is placed right next to the scroll button so I'm constantly canceling unwanted dialing. You can set the phone to answer automatically when slid up, but if you wish to use the phone when the slider is closed, you must press the power button on the top of the phone to unlock the touch buttons. It is uncomfortable to do with one hand. the phone cannot be set to stay unlocked when the slider is closed. Probably so you don't dial while in your pocket by accident because the dial function is a touch button. I think the unlock button should utilize a combination of the touch and scroll buttons like the "menu" and "*" buttons on Nokias.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Samsung
- Part number: SGH-U600
- Description: Inspired by the shine and shimmer of the crown jewels, Samsung's Ultra Edition 10.9 (U600) exudes elegance and modern style. The clever design of Samsung's Ultra Edition 10.9 (U600) includes a unique and stylish interface for the ultimate sophistication and usability. It also comes equipped with a 3.2-megapixel camera encased in an ultra slim profile and boasting a 2.22" wide TFT LCD widescreen.
General
- Product Type Cellular phone With digital camera / digital player / FM radio
- Service Provider Unlocked
- Width 2 in
- Depth 0.4 in
- Height 4.1 in
- Weight 0.2 lbs
Cellular
- Technology GSM
- Band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 (Quadband)
- Phone Design Slider
- Vibrating Alert Yes
- Polyphonic Ringer Yes
- Call Timer Yes
- Conference Call Capability Yes
- Voice Recorder Yes
- Caller ID Yes
- Wireless Interface Bluetooth
- Additional Features Intelligent typing (T9), Memory card slot, USB 2.0
Communicator Features
- User Memory 60 MB
Messaging & Data Services
- Short Messaging Service (SMS) Yes
- Mobile Email Yes
- GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) Yes - Class 10
- EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates For Global Evolution) Yes - Class 10
- Internet Browser Yes
- WAP Protocol Supported WAP 2.0
- Platforms Supported Java MIDP 2.0
- JAVA applications Yes
- Messaging / Data Features XHTML Browser, Microsoft Word support, Microsoft Excel support, Microsoft PowerPoint support
Ring Tones
- Polyphonic Ring Tone Voice Qty 64
Multimedia Features
- Playback Digital Video Formats MPEG-4, H.263 video and AMR audio
Digital Camera
- Camera highlights With a resolution of 3.2 megapixels, this model will give you higher quality pictures than other phones.
- Sensor Resolution 3.2 megapixels
Organizer
- Alarm Clock Yes
- Calendar Yes
- Reminder Yes
- Calculator Basic
Display
- Type LCD display
- Technology TFT
- Display Resolution 320 x 240 pixels
- Diagonal Size 2.2 in
- Color Support Color
- Color Depth 18-bit (262000 Colors)
Digital Player (Recorder)
- Supported Digital Audio Standards AAC, MP3, WMA
Memory
- Internal Shared Memory Yes
Power
- Type Power adapter
Battery
- Talk Time Up to 270 min
Product series
-
Samsung SGH U600 - blue (unlocked)
Manufacturer: Samsung
Specs: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 (Quadband), Up to 270 min, With digital camera / digital player / FM radio, 0.2 lbs
-
Samsung SGH-U600 - platinum metal (Unlocked)
Manufacturer: Samsung
Specs: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 (Quadband), Up to 210 min, With digital camera / digital player / FM radio, 0.2 lbs
Accessories
- A-Data Speedy Series flash memory card - 2 GB - microSD (33795596)8.99
- ATP SD Trio Professional PLUS card adapter - flash: microSD - Hi-Speed USB (32128464)17.00
- ATP SD Trio Professional flash memory card - 1 GB - microSD (32733137)15.00
- Centon 2GBRSD3-1 - flash memory card - 2 GB - microSD (33503634)11.84 - 15.99
Manufacturer info
- Samsung
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Samsung products on Shopper.com
-
- Website: http://www.samsungusa.com/
- Address:
105 Challenger Road, Ridgefield Park, NJ 07660 - Phone: 1-800-726-7864
- Fax: 1-973-601-6001
%20-%20Compare%20prices,%20reviews,%20user%20opinions%20-%20Shopper.com&srcUrl=http://shopper.cnet.com/cell-phones/samsung-sgh-u600-blue/4014-6454_9-32441327.html?edId%3D-1%26merId%3D300346){kind=small}