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Samsung X820 (a.k.a. 6.9) Review


Click to view updated thread with images




Posted by amnesia
Alright, I've been wanting to get my hands on the Samsung Ultra series for a while now. So I thought I'd start off with the X820, which is now formally known as the 6.9 Ultra.

Looking at it in it's box, you tend to think " this isn't so slim", but the fact of the matter is, when you hold it in your hands.. when you see laying flat on the table, you can't help but be amazed at how such a thin device can cram so many features... (and yet the soon the be released P990 is so bulky, but with similar specs in some areas).

So Samsung, we know that you're far from original when it comes to phone designs. Yes you take the ideas of other manufacturers, but we'll let it slide because you do it so well and add your own "Samsung Flavour" to it.

The last Samsung I used was the P300, it was a great phone, but I couldn't get used to the wide screen layout rather than the traditional view. I thought I'd give it another shot with the X820, so lets see how it fairs out shall we?

The X820/6.9 is a perfect suit phone. To be honest, all of the ultra series will fit nicely in a suit pocket without giving you the buldge. Yet as mentioned, although it is as slim as a wafer, you'd be shocked at the features that have been crammed into such a lovely device.

So who is this phone for? Do I need this phone just because it's slim? Well.. we don't need anything in life except for food, water, and shelter, but we sure do love our luxuries. It's slim, attractive, and crammed with functionality so why not? I'd say it's directed to those who don't want to sacrafice space or functionality.

The design is nicely shaped. It's not wide, not too large and fits nicely in the hand. The buttons are easy to press. The screen is nice and bright. The camera is a healthy 2MP for these days.

A few people complained that the little buldge was ugly (where the camera is). But I like it. It's also usefull for when you put the phone down. It makes it easy to lift the phone.

The screen is very very nice. The images are vibrant and very smooth. The brightness is also very good and reading messages in direct sunlight is good.

The new UI system is also something I like alot. The icons look nice and everything is organized. You no longer have the option of four color 'skins', you now have a dark theme and a light theme. That's alright, no complaints here.

The 2 MP camera has a fast refresh rate and is indeed a marvel. Yes there is a video option built in. The compression ratio is also improved compared to older models. You have the usual special effects and frames to mess with.

The speaker is very loud although with the couple of video's already on the phone, it seemed that the audio in playback was a bit low. Of course this could be the video itself and not an issue with the phone.

One of my favourite functions of the phone is that you can lock the menu. You can either lock it so that if someone tried to access the whole menu they need to enter a code, or you can lock the messages area only (or the files specifically). I love such a function! I don't know why other phones don't have this feature.

I've covered the basics so I hope it helps give you a general idea of what a lovely phone this is.


Specs:
80 MB internal memory
Triband UMTS
Features: mp3 player (customizable hard button), bluetooth, PC Sync, Sound recording.
2MP Camera
Screen: 262K internal screen (TFT)
System: Generic Samsung
Sound: one speaker.
Main feature: slim.

The box is very small and slim. It is like the iPod Nano box. You know that the prize inside is going to be thin. It comes with the battery, headphones, sync cd and usb cable. I was surprised that it didn't come with the special cable to plug it into the tv. Ah well, can't have everything.

When you first switch it on, you see a smooth animation and the phone automatically searched for the appropriate settings, if not available, it'll set the defaut.

Unlike the other Ultra phones, this model only comes in black so far. No other colours have been announced. I can't imagine another color being so slimming anyway.

As mentioned, the keypad is great. It's nice to press, has a glossy surrounding and is easy to get used to the keypad layout. All is well.

I should mention, that although it is a thin phone, it has great build quality. It is great and not fragile. Of course, you shoudn't put it in your back pocket.

Sound Quality on the phone is great. No thinness of bass, no tinny sound, no problems that I could notice.

Video:
Video was actually pretty good. It was smooth and didn't show much pixelation. Good thing it has a high frame rate. 29fps I think.


Organizer.
Calendar, tasks, notes, secret memo, alarms, timer, stopwatch, record sound, calculator and world times, and a few games. Oh and don't forget the menu lock.

Phonebook
The phone book is nice and simple. A few taps and you're away.

Settings
Also known as the Control Panel. Anything is accessible. From brightness of the screen to sound quality.
You are able to change skins, wallpapers, ring tones, and even the sound the phone makes when you dial a number, switch the phone on, or cycle through menus.

Pros
Amazingly thin..
Fast bluetooth.
Great screen.
Very fast menu system.


Cons
New memory support
No radio (not really needed but would have been nice)
No TV connection wire.


My verdict? It's battery holds on for a long time, it looks nice, has a great screen. What else could you want. It'll be a long time before you get a thinner phone..


the best place to get a great deal is Fluid Mobile
http://www.fluidmobile.com

or Compare a Deal
http://www.widgx.net


Here's a bunch of pics.











































Posted by shaliron
Nice review, yet again BTW, how does the camera perform specifically?

Posted by QuickShare
great review.. thats one hell of a phone.. very close to the thin of a credit card though

Posted by amnesia
The phone is fast and nippy. The camera has a fast response rate.

I try to make my reviews from a normal user's perspective and not like one of those magazine reviews. I'd rather people got a real feeling.

Posted by ewap8
Good review. Going to Gargash Centre and getting it. Prices down to 910 dirhams in Dubai. Thats only US$250. Not bad! Anyone interested in bulk buying?

Posted by amnesia
wow shal si3ir il 3ajeeb.

I'll be going in transit to Dubai to the UK on the 15th.
Can you tell me where specifically you can get them for that price?

Gargash?

Posted by fatreg
if my memory is ok...

its in Deira?

fatreg

Posted by amnesia
if it's a publicly known area, it's not generally the cheapest. The smaller stores have great prices.

Posted by fatreg
depends..

in Abu Dhabi. i find the cheapest places by far is on Defense street. (aka mobile phone street) all stores are trying to have the cheapest price possible..

never bought a phone in Dubai as i've never found a place cheaper than AD...

maybe i just dont know where to go in Dubai!

fatreg

Posted by ewap8
Goto Deira, Nasser Square. There is Gargash Centre nearby. Ask anyone where the mobile market is. Head in there and goto Mansour phones. I know the owner of that store so got a good price but I'm guessin by the time u go there the prices would have fallen slightly anyway. Good luck.

Posted by JAGUY85
Seems like a good phone but not enough to replace my K750. Seems the W810 is the better choice?

Posted by amnesia
I wouldn't say so.
Then again, one is a slim phone with a extremely fast UI.
The other is an MP3 phone

Posted by JAGUY85
Quote:

On 2006-08-14 01:01:48, amnesia wrote:
I wouldn't say so.
Then again, one is a slim phone with a extremely fast UI.
The other is an MP3 phone




But I don't think the slim is in concept is enough to trade off autofocus and a radio. Plus Sony Ericsson's UI isn't slow either.

Posted by amnesia
my argument isn't that it's a slim phone so can do away with those features.
I'm saying it's not an equal comparison to compare it with a W810.

Plus 'Radio' is still not a very common feature and one that I find as just a 'bonus'.

Although you are right, it would be nice if there was autofocus, nevertheless, the photos taken are great.

If you did want to compare phones though, I'd compare it to a SCPL, SLVR, or another slim range.

You'll never find a phone that has as nice specs as this at the moment, I mean, even the thickest phones don't have a 2mp camera. There is only so much you can fit into a tiny body. The battery itself takes up half the phone.

Posted by ewap8
Agreed, this is one heck of a phone for its size

Posted by Spawn
Looks like a womans phone to be quite honest, would suit my missus down to a t.
Nice looking phone though.

Posted by nauti_ger
hi can i just check.
how would u rate this phone in terms of like its functional capabilities as:
1) An organiser - like does all its menu and task functions easy to access and capable of actually being a proper organiser
2) Document viewer - what kind of documents can it view and what are the font sizes?
3) web browser - can it open internet websites like a regular comp or is it only those usual WAP browser on normal phones?
4) emailing - is it available and also easy to access.
Cause i really wanna get a phone that provides the above functions. i know a PDA phone prob does provide all the above, but i cant stand their sizes plus i dun tink i really need something as sophisticated as a full-fledge PDA phone.
thanks thanks in advance~!

Posted by amnesia

1) very easy to use.

2) all the basics, I cannot judge the font size. Large enough.

3) yes it can open regular sites

4) setting it up is as easy as going to messages and putting in the correct information. No hassle.


Posted by mariom64
Hi

Just a couple of questions...

1-) Does the camera have a flash feature?
2-) What can you say about the signal performance?
3-) In terms of battery performance, I have seen some sites that say this phone has just 2.5 talk hours of battery life, and for me, this is a little amount, is this true?

Thanks,
Mario



Posted by amnesia
1-) yes
2-) standard
3-) mine lasts 2-3 days average, I think these people are those that have weak signal areas so their phone has to constantly hunt for a signal and drain the battery.


Posted by Luke-the-magic-man
I have one of these over here, and its so thin its crazy, there one one on ebay that was snapped in half!

for its size the phones features are amazing, I honnestly dont think its a good idea to try to make it thinner

also I dunno if you had the urge, but I really want to throw one lol

Posted by DonnyMac
You'd be right to be worried about it snapping in half. Samsung is considering sueing Motorola because its been reported they filmed one being snapped in half with very little pressure then posted it on YouTube.

Motorola denied all knowledge, but YouTube took two copies of the video down confirming it was at the request of Motorola the copyright owner - oops!

I think this link is the only place where it can still be viewed, until Moto make them take it down too -

http://www.mbmagazine.co.uk/i[....]nt&task=view&id=1062&Itemid=62

Posted by amnesia
No it does NOT easily snap in half.

Look at the video carefully, when she shows the back for a BREIF second, you can see that there already IS a crack! Also, the way the battery covers just 'falls' off can't be, have you SEEN how tight it is? If it snapped in half where it did, it more likely would have hung on.

Posted by vorl13
Awesome review dude and great pics!! It looks sooo good...i really want one now!! Thanks for your efforts!!



[ This Message was edited by: vorl13 on 2006-10-18 00:54 ]

Posted by dizel1024
hot phone good quality no New memory support
sad sad had mine for 2days and bye bye:)


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