Samsung SGH-Z500V - Mini Review

Had this little beuty now 14 days and have been caneing it to the limits to see what i can get out of it.I am a smartphone power user and have probably had every smartphone there is(except a treo 650 which i will get soon) Its what i do as a job so(part of it anyway) I came across this diddy 3g Samsung and was blown away by it performance.
For a 3G phone it hangs onto signal whilst in fringe coverage very well much better i would say than my A1000 moto and a tad better than my Nokia 6680. Quote Nuts mag "The Z500 is the smallest 3G phone to hit the uk,and we particularly love the fact that it does'nt have an unsightly aeriel stiking out the top" Yep small it is the form factor is the same as the Samsung SGH-e700 and 720 models. battery life is what was expected around 2 days with moderate useage 1 day hammering it and 3 to 4 days with little (3 Days) or no useage (4 days).I bought the Samsung WEP150 Bluetooth headset with it which works well but is a tad quiet so is the ring tones on the downside. Functionality is typical samsung easy to use if only a bit tricky if you are not ues to it. I know that sound like a contradiction but look at it this way if you are used to nokia then a new nokia will be simple to use, for a samsung user the interfaces rarely change and remain simple to those that are used to them. Going from Nokia to samsung takes a little work but not much cos of the logical layout of the menu structure.
The z500s camera is a 1.3 m pix lense and produces some very good bright and clear pictures for its size. I would say comparing side by side with my Nokia 6680 there is not much in it between the 2.
Overall I am very pleased with this little handset it has pim sync software and you can sync it up with your outlook with no bother.
I would recomend this handset if you want a hi end small 3G phone that will give some of the smartphones a run for there money 6680 included
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Cheers

Marquee Marq (Mark)

[Jon3G]

First of all welome to Talk 3G

Nice review and some strong points regarding the phone. I didnt know the Z500 was a "smartphone" as such and personally would not think it would be better than the 6680 or even a match, but I do have to say I have not seen one up close and cant really comment, just my view.

I will try and get to see one this weekend and give my views later.

BTW

Anypics of the phone?

[3GScottishUser]

OK so 1 week later and time to write something a little more about the Z500.

Its quite hard to fault this little phone. If you like the idea of 3G and faster data on a mobile but have been put off by the bulk and weight of previous 3G handsets this Samsung could be what you have been waiting for. Its little different from the E720 GSM clamshell and that is no bad thing.

When you open the box (Vodafone) you are greeted with minimal documentation. A simple quick-start guide, a comprehensive manual and some warranty info. Software for the PC comes on a CD ROM and full manuafturer's documentation can be downloaded from the Internet. Vodafone seem to have worked closely with Samsung to ensure that their facilities have been fully explained in the handset instruction manual. Overall the documentation is clear and easy to follow and the phone it'self is pretty intuitive.

First thing i did with mine was to transfer my contacts from my Nokia 7600. This is a breeze with IRDA. Simple point and send no messing about with passkeys and the like. Setting up wallpapers and ringtones was similarly straightforward from the 'profiles' menu. If you are used to the Nokia user interface then I suspect you will feel quite comfortable with a Samsung Z500, they are quite similar.

Installing memory is easy (Transflash). The Voidafone handset comes with a 32MB memory card and SD Adaptor so you can transfer files easily and use the photo printer machines in Asda and the like without having to spend any extra. I had some Transflash and installed 128MB (the handset supports up to 256MB).

Voice calling is pretty flawless, video calling fine (when in coverage) and all my SMS/MMS messages seem to have been delivered/received without problems. The inner display is bright and easy to view but is a little smaller than those featured previously on 3G handsets. In the daylight like most LCD's its quite difficult to view outdoors but in the shade its pretty clear. Samsung allow users to choose the size of the number display when dialling which is very useful.

I will report some more when i make more use of the handset but so far so good. A couple of ommissions that would have been useful, voice tags for BT dialling when driving and an LED flash for the camera. No doubt these and other enhancements will appear on the Z500's successor.

So far I would rate the handset at 8.5/10 and the network at 9/10.

I have posted some more pictures taken with the Samsung in the following thread: https://talk3g.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1066

My experience of the Z500 -

Got one from O2 Online the other day (YES I KNOW!)

Gave it a full 16 hour charge, and used it at work, in the same way I use my 6680.

The 6680 would last me a day (mind you, I do spend about 3 and half hours on my phone every day).

The Z500 was flat by 11:37 am. Not impressed.

Today for example, I took it off charge at 7.30am. Used it at work from 9.00am. Flat by 12.15pm. Charged it up again to 1:40pm, flat again by 6.00pm. This is with the same level of usage.

Spoke to a few ex-colleagues and they state the battery is no good for talktime at all (and have had nearly all of them back). And I tend to agree.

For most users, yes, the phone is great for normal use.

Power users? Stick to the 6680! My Z500 is going back to O2 tomorrow.

Shame. I'd been looking forward to this phone since I saw one in May at a trade fair.

Simon

Please note: I am in no way slating the Z500 for normal users, but merely for power users who use their phone heavily. I don't want to disappoint.

[CybaCowboy]

Originally Posted by Marqnet

The z500s camera is a 1.3 m pix lense and produces some very good bright and clear pictures for its size. I would say comparing side by side with my Nokia 6680 there is not much in it between the 2.

The Z500v's camera is 1.0 mega pixel, not 1.3...



See:

http://www.samsung.com/au/products/m...Specifications

http://www.samsung.com/uk/products/m...z500bkaxee.asp

http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_z500-1050.php

[Hands0n]

Battery life on the Z500 appears to be highly dependent upon whether or not you are in a stable 3G area, or if you have selected 2G only. This is according to much conversation about the Z500 battery life elsewhere (I'm guessing we don't have too many Z500 owners on T3G at the moment).

The problem of the handset losing charge even while not being used is, apparently, caused by the Z500 hunting between 3G and 2G in marginal signal areas (O2's 3G coverage is developing), or where there is no 3G. This constant hunting causes the rapid battery drain. Reports are that if the phone is locked to 2G the user will get several days out of a single charge!

Individual usage is going to be a major factor in battery life, eating into the rated Talktime which on 3G is 2.2 hours and on 2G is 3.4 hours. Even these [manufacturers] ratings are likely to be unrealisable depending on yet other factors such as using SMS, MMS and other 3G features.

[maxspank]

I'm in the highlands of Scotland, and so have no 3G coverage, so don't have the z500 set to 2g only, the battery is quite disappointing. Especially if you're using the mp3 player on the way to work, its flat by the time I get there (well near enough). But I do love the phone, if only it had a better battery life.

For "power users" who really like this phone, I would suggest the purchase of a spare battery

[Ben]

Originally Posted by maxspank

I'm in the highlands of Scotland, and so have no 3G coverage, so don't have the z500 set to 2g only

It might help to set it to 2G only anyway - then it wont constantly be searching for 3G that isn't there.

Originally Posted by CybaCowboy

The Z500v's camera is 1.0 mega pixel, not 1.3...



See:

http://www.samsung.com/au/products/m...Specifications

http://www.samsung.com/uk/products/m...z500bkaxee.asp

http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_z500-1050.php

Cyba yep realised after i wrote the review that it was 1MP. I have recently upgraded my software to a non branded version and the Battery life is slightly better. I have got 2 batteries for it. Even though i have a nice and sexy Nokia 8800 i still prefer my Z500 , just wish it was more metalic