Samsung SGH-U600 Cell Phone

A 10.9mm slider mobile is an amazing feat of engineering. Along with the fat they cut out some of the bone.

Slide Stability -

The SGH-U600 does not have a solid feeling. The LCD portion of the mobile has side to side movement when closed and extended. The open and close motion is okay, nothing remarkable about it good or bad.

Body Integrity

The SGH-U600 does not have the bones it needs. I'm seeing examples of this model with cracks in the body alongside the LCD. Think about this before you plunk down the £100+ prices it is commanding. Build is not consistent either. The inset of the LCD lens varies. Those that are above the plane of the top of the sides take heavy scratches. Those that are inset below the plane of the tops of the sides are more protected.

Keypad

The one piece keypad has horizontal arcs that separate the keys nicely. Along the vertical axis there are bumps on either side of the 5. This does not seem to present any sort of problem about knowing which key you are on when you are watching your finger. The bright white backlighting of the keys also makes it easy to tell what you are doing. The keys give good feedback making texting or dialing a pretty sure activity. The keys are comfortable, not slick despite being smooth, and very quiet. When new, it is an attractive bit of the mobile. After extensive use the keypad looks and feels like it is going to popup out of its housing. I've not seen that - as of now.

LCD

The lens shows scratches easily and fingerprints quite well. The single screen is bright, vibrant and clear. The colors are true. The backlighting is consistent and even across the entire screen. The LCD lens has a mirror like effect.

Operating System

This mobile's menu and operating system resembles very closely that of the D900/D900i. It is a fast system of nested menus. Changes are implemented immediately. Inconsistent, saving an attribute change may take you back to the standby screen and may move you back a level in the menu. This is a bit annoying but as fast as the menu system is, it is a very short time to get back to where you wanted to be. You are given a choice of a black skin or a white skin for the menu. This lack of choice is dealt with in the SGH-G600.

Reception, Vocal Clarity

This mobile works where Motorola and Nokia phones have no service. It is that much better in finding a weak signal. The earpiece provides a clear and rich vocal tone. It has a better rounded sound than the D900. It is more natural than the Motorola V635. Reports from those to whom I have spoken using this mobile are universal - I sound good using it. I am always amazed at how natural the voice is, especially if the caller is using a D900 or another U600.

Cool Features

3.2 megapixel camera, 353 x 288 video resolution, auto focus and zoom make this a very useful camera.

Music player

You have the choice of playing the music over the mobile with its high end amplifier; playing it over a single ear Bluetooth earpiece or stereo Bluetooth headset.

Touch Sensitive Keys

Two sensitive backlit touch pads serve as soft keys. This is, in part, why the menu system responds quickly. The keys are very fast. After about three minutes of use they are second nature.

The Wind Up

Despite the inadequacy of its physical aspects this is still a very good mobile. Improve the solidity of the slide, add beef to the sides, fix consistency of build and this is a great mobile.