Samsung SCH I600 Smartphone

The phone I am reviewing is not the Samsung SCH-i600 but instead the SP-i600 which is identical except it runs on the Sprint PCS instead of the Verizon Wireless network. Initially when the Samsung SCH-i600 came out, it ran Microsoft SmartPhone 2002, the ones that shipped with Sprint PCS were already loaded with Microsoft SmartPhone 2003.

I have been a big fan of the Sprint PCS network. I am currently using the PalmOne Treo 650. While I was checking out the Treo 650 at the Sprint store, I stumbled upon the Samsung SP-i600, which looked similar to the Samsung SPH-i500 but was a very different phone. The Samsung SP-i600 also had a considerably higher price tag compared to the Treo 650 at $649.99. Well I finally had the chance to try out the Samsung SP-i600 for a couple days so here's what I found with it.

-Price-
*The Samsung SP-i600 is a very expensive phone. It resembles the older Samsung SPH-i500, but they are entirely different. The latter runs Palm OS 4 and has a digitizer screen (Which means you use a stylus for navigation) and also lacks an SD expansion slot. The Samsung SP-i600 runs Microsoft SmartPhone 2003 and doesn't have a digitizer screen. But it has an external LED and an SDIO expansion slot. For what looks like it would be a typical clamshell phone, you must ask yourself, "Is it worth hundreds of dollars?" Well for some people, I'm pretty sure it might be. Let's first start off with the fact that it runs Microsoft SmartPhone 2003. This already gives you capabilities to synchronize your device to Microsoft Outlook so you can customize it with your computer. That for some might already be a selling point. Unlike an actual Pocket PC integrated device, the Samsung SP-i600 is much smaller. It's a very compact unit that has pretty good PDA abilities. So if you're looking for a phone first and PDA second, I'd recommend this phone. Otherwise, if you use an actual PDA extensively, I'd look elsewhere. If you're also looking for gimmicky features such as an integrated camera, you should look elsewhere. One downside that I found was that the Samsung SP-i600 doesn't have Bluetooth nor Wi-Fi. Considering the huge price tag, that's not a very good sign. But if you're a business executive who wants a compact device to use on the go, then the Samsung SP-i600 is a pretty good deal. From Sprint PCS, there's nothing else that really competes against it except the PalmOne Treo 650 which is a PDA and uses the Palm operating system. Then there's the new Audiovox Pocket PC which I'm waiting to come out. But all in all, the quality of the phone is excellent and for people who would find this suitable, it would make a great phone.

-Under The Hood-

*PROCESSOR - The Samsung SP-i600 is powered by a 200MHz processor. This is faster than what you'd expect on most normal cell phones. It's typically slower than most Pocket PC's. But then again, Pocket PC's are expected to run more intense programs since they are full PDA's. Otherwise, the phone runs pretty efficiently. It does lag a couple seconds when performing different operations such as sending an SMS message, playing a game, or running an application. When I was using the phone portion, there wasn't any lagging when accessing contacts or dialing. It worked extremely smoothly. For most users, the 200MHz processor should be sufficient. It might begin to lag if you are operating more straining programs or anything like that. But I've already stated that it's not a full PDA so I'm sure that the typical user would be performing less intense functions. So overall, the Samsung SP-i600 performs well in this field.

OPERATING SYSTEM - The Samsung SP-i600 runs on Microsoft SmartPhone 2003. This is supposedly better than the 2002 edition which was found on the Verizon model. I have never used it though so I can't really comment on that. But otherwise, the operating system runs pretty smoothly. If you're already familiar with the Pocket PC operating system, you will find SmartPhone 2003 to be quite similar. The major differences between the Samsung SP-i600 and any other Pocket PC is navigation. A Pocket PC has a large digitizer screen so you use a stylus pen to navigate it. I remember how PalmOne prided the Treo 600/650 on having nearly "stylus-free" operation. The Samsung SP-i600 has excellent stylus free operation because it doesn't even have a stylus to begin with! So you'll be doing all of the navigation by using the 5-Way D-Pad and surrounding buttons. The learning curve is steeper than using the operating system on let's say a Samsung VGA1000 or any other Samsung phone in the Sprint PCS line-up. But then again, Microsoft SmartPhone 2003 will do much more than a typical cellular phone operating system.

*I know how some people aren't fans of Microsoft mobile operating systems whether it's Pocket PC or SmartPhone. I haven't had any problems when I used the phone. It never locked up or suffered any problems where I would have to restart it. But then again I used this for a couple days so I wouldn't know what the long-term outcome would be. But after extensive use, I haven't suffered any problems with the phone.

*MEMORY - The Samsung SP-i600 has a very large amount of memory for what it is. It has 32MB of memory as well as an SDIO expansion slot. This should be enough space to store thousands of contacts, some WAV ringtones, programs, and whatever else you'd need. 32MB might be skimpy for some full PDA's, but for most users, this will be more than enough. Unlike the Samsung SPH-i500, the Samsung SP-i600 has an SDIO expansion slot. This will allow you to store whatever you;d like on SD cards. The SDIO capabilities allow you to add Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or whatever else you'd want. The memory is also non-volatile so when you turn off the phone or remove the battery (To put the extended one in), your entire phonebook will be intact and it will not be deleted. This was the biggest issue with a lot of integrated devices since when the batteries died or they had some fatal error, the entire phonebook would be deleted! That is quite a disaster if you're no where near your computer. But with the Samsung SP-i600, you shouldn't be afraid to take it places since most things will stay intact. Overall, the memory is definitely sufficient on the Samsung SP-i600.

*BATTERY LIFE - The Samsung SP-i600 comes with two batteries. It has a regular slim battery and an extended battery which is considerably bulkier. The Samsung SP-i600 is rated to have about 2.3 hours of continuous talktime according the Sprint PCS website. I managed to squeeze in over an hour of talktime, surfed the web, and played a couple games and still had around half of the battery left. This was on the standard battery. The extended battery would allow for longer talktime as well as PDA abilities. Using the Samsung SP-i600 solely as a phone, it will provide a lot of talktime regardless of which battery you use. But by surfing the web or using the PDA functions, you will drain the battery faster. But overall, the battery lasts a good amount of time for any typical user. Since the batteries are easily replaced, you can always carry around the extended battery as a spare or vice versa. There's also a slot in the cradle where you can charge the extended battery by itself. Overall, the Samsung SP-i600 had pretty good talktime considering that it's a SmartPhone which users a faster processor, higher resolution screen, and such.

-Ergonomics & Performance-

*LOOKS & STYLING - If it weren't for the external LED, I'd say it looks just about the same as the Samsung SPH-i500. Compared to what a lot of phones look like now, the Samsung SP-i600 isn't anything all too appealing. It looks like the type of phone a business professional would have. This is not the kind of phone you'll see a bunch of teenagers carrying. But what I do like is that it's pretty compact. It's not much bigger than something like a Motorola T720. So even though you're using a "Smart Device", you won't look like a nerd by holding up a huge device to your ear like you might with a Pocket PC phone.

*My complaint with the styling is the external LED itself. While it is nice that the Samsung SP-i600 actually has one, Samsung and Sanyo have incorporated color external displays. This would've been a nice touch for a phone that already costs considerably more than any of the Samsung or Sanyo clamshell phones offered by Sprint PCS. But otherwise, the phone is pretty good looking.

*INTERNET - I was excited to see what Pocket Explorer 4.0 was like on this device. For a little while I was doubting its capabilities. I have been using the Blazer web browser on my phone and navigate by using the stylus. I have also tried Pocket Explorer on a Pocket PC 2002 Phone Editon device which had a larger screen and stylus operation. But to my surprise, the quality of Pocket Explorer on the Samsung SP-i600 is superb. I was able to surf both WAP and HTML sites very easily. I was doubting the quality of HTML web browsing, but the Samsung SP-i600 handles very well. You simply use the D-Pad to navigate the different links, click on thumbnails, and select text boxes. Pocket Explorer allows animated GIF images to work and also loads up all images. I was able to surf very many websites that I typically surf on using my computer. While it's still not comparable to a full web browser, it works extremely well for a phone that doesn't use a stylus, have a QWERTY keyboard, or the largest possible screen.

*MULTIMEDIA - The Samsung SP-i600 does have some pretty good multimedia capabilities. It can play MP3's through Windows Media player. I listened to a couple songs when I inserted an SD card filled with music files on it. The sound quality was pretty good. The Samsung SP-i600 comes with a really nice Samsung earbud headset. The Samsung SP-i600 also comes loaded with Audible Player. I know that a lot of people muse it to listen to books or what not, but I haven't used it so I can't tell you how that goes. The biggest multimedia drawback to the Samsung SP-i600 is that it doesn't come with built-in picture called ID. Even though it doesn't have a camera, I wish it were possible to load GIF or JPEG images off the computer and use them. Well, it is possible to get photo caller ID on the phone but you need to purchase 3rd party software in order to do that. You can purchase such software on Handango. I do not know how well it works since no 3rd party software like that was actually loaded into the phone. So if you're a big multimedia buff and want a phone with a camera, look elsewhere. If you just wanna listen to some music files, this would be a good phone. If you're not into any multimedia on your mobile device, then forget everything in this paragraph.

*PHONE - After all, the Samsung SP-i600 is more of a phone than a PDA. So, should it act like a phone? I found the call quality on the Samsung SP-i600 to be superb. I was able to hear people clearly and the volume levels were good. It wasn't one of the phones which are too quiet. I also asked how well they heard me on the other line, and they said that they heard me loud and clear. I got excellent signal strength around downtown Chicago and the north side. Also, if you're using solely handsets, the Samsung SP-i600 is much more comfortable to use compared to a Pocket PC integrated device. Many of those just feel like holding a floor tile against your head. But if you're big on headsets, then it shouldn't really matter. But as far as the phone quality goes, Samsung did an excellent job with this phone.

*LAYOUT & NAVIGATION - The Samsung SP-i600 has a similar layout to what you'd expect from a clamshell phone. I haven't used a Samsung clamshell in a while so I don't remember how much alike they are. The Samsung SP-i600 uses a 5-Way D-Pad to navigate. it also has a home button and is surrounded by four other buttons which include a back button and two action buttons. If you're familiar with any modern cell phone, you'll like the layout. But the Samsung SP-i600 is a little more cumbersome when navigating compared to a typical clamshell unit from Samsung or Sanyo. I was used to pressing the "end" button on devices to quit out of anything application I was in. With the Samsung SP-i600, it won't do that. You need to press the home button. The navigation might take a little getting used to, but after a while you'll get it right. It's easier than Microsoft Pocket PC in my opinion. You can also set the home screen to a few different configurations. The default Sprint layout looks very familiar to a Pocket PC home screen, while you can also set it to a more basic layout. The phone can be pretty easily customized.

*Typing on the Samsung SP-i600 was more or less of what I expected. It differs from Pocket PC since it uses T9 word recognition to type things. This is pretty good to use if you're writing SMS messages or short e-mails. But writing entire paragraphs can get extremely annoying and tiresome. If you're big on typing, you should go for a full Pocket PC phone since you can have the virtual keyboard on the bottom of the screen or even have a QWERTY keyboard built into some models. But for most users who are only used to phones, T9 should be sufficient. Overall, the phone has a really nice layout and is pretty simple to use once you get the hang of it.

*SCREEN - The Samsung SP-i600 goes beyond most normal cell phones since it has a 16-bit display. It's considerably larger than what I've seen on most phones. The screen alone would probably impress most people if they were to think it's just a regular cell phone. This makes viewing images and doing other stuff like that much more of a pleasure. Unlike Pocket PC's, the Samsung SP-i600 doesn't have a digitizer screen. This means that the Samsung SP-i600 doesn't have a stylus to operate. I know that the Samsung SPH-i500 has a graffiti pad as well as a digitizer, but then again that operates Palm OS which is a full PDA operating system. So without the stylus, one-handed operation in pretty easy. Overall, the screen on the Samsung SP-i600 looks excellent.

*DURABILITY - The Samsung SP-i600 doesn't have a screen with a digitizer, that means it will be just as durable as the next clamshell phone. The big issue with carrying around an integrated device is that your screen can crack easily, and once that happens, you're out of an expensive phone (This is not the case with the Handspring Treo 180/270/300, Kyocera 7135, and Samsung SPH-i500 since they are clamshells). That's why I have my Treo on the product replacement plan for $4/month. Otherwise, you don't really have to worry about cracking the screen on the Samsung SP-i600. The Samsung SP-i600 also is a pretty solid phone. It's built very solid and is high quality. Samsung also does build extremely high quality phones. The phone is also over $650 and is a quality device. You shouldn't worry about it breaking. But you can always get the product replacement plan if you're worried.

LOOKS & STYLING - If you're expecting the Samsung SP-i600 to look like a new Motorola phone (The cool looking ones), then look elsewhere. This is not the type of phone you will see little teenagers carrying around. It appears to be a phone that is directed towards business executives who want a compact device to do just about anything. But in that sense, the Samsung SP-i600 is still a pretty sexy phone. It's just a tad bulky looking (Sorta like the Motorola T720), but it's much more civilized than holding a huge Pocket PC to your head. So if you want a professional looking clamshell phone, I'm sure this phone will get you attention, at least from the professional-oriented crowd, but if you're a teenager looking for a trendy phone, then I'm sure Sprint PCS has other clamshells for much less that will look better and cost a lot less too! But if you are looking at getting attention from a wickedly cool "different" device, I might also recommend the PalmOne Treo 650. But it's all up to you.

*SOFTWARE - The Samsung SP-i600 comes preloaded with a bunch of software. It has the typical Microsoft applications that you'd expect, some that you wouldn't, or even some that weren't there. It comes preloaded with Microsoft Pocket Explorer, Microsoft Real Player, Audible Player, MSN Messenger, Calendar, Contacts, Pocket MSN, Tasks, Microsoft ActiveSync, and a couple games. But what the device is missing is Pocket Word and Pocket Excel. Those are some really handy programs to have, but you'll find them on Microsoft Pocket PC. It would also be fairly difficult to use those applications using a phone keypad, even when it has T9 word processing. So if you were expecting to have Pocket Word and Pocket Excel to synchronize with Microsoft Office, then you should look for a full Pocket PC. Otherwise, it's really nice that the Samsung SP-i600 synchronizes with Microsoft Outlook. This is great for people who tend to lead very organized lives or business professionals.

-In The Box-
*The Samsung SP-i600 comes with a sync cradle, which is pretty nice considering my Treo 650 didn't come with one. The cradle is a USB cradle (Not serial or firewire). The cradle has a slot for the extended battery so that it can be charged. That is rather convenient. It also comes with a Sprint CD which will allow you to install Outlook and Microsoft ActiveSync. I already had both preloaded onto my computer so I skipped the CD. It also comes with a really nice Samsung earbud headset which is great for listening to music files. Then there's a pretty nice leather belt-clip that comes with it, but that's not good unless you're only using the normal battery. Overall, the Samsung SP-i600 came with a plethora of nice amenities.

-So What's NOT Hot-

*NO CAMERA - Almost every since cheaper Samsung phone in the Sprint PCS lineup has a built-in camera. They are very cheap, and I'm pretty sure it would've been pretty cheap for Samsung to have integrated one into this device. So if you're a big fan of built-in cameras, skip out on this phone or invest into an expensive SDIO camera.

*NO BLUETOOTH - A lot of devices are starting to incorporate Bluetooth. Even phones considerably cheaper are starting to incorporate it. It would've been nice if Samsung could've added this in. After all, the phone was considerably more expensive than the PalmOne Treo 650 which already had it as well as some other features. But if you really need Bluetooth, the Samsung SP-i600 has SDIO capabilities so you can invest into a Bluetooth SDIO card.

*NO WI-FI - I'm trying to think of all the clamshell phones I can think of which are Wi-Fi enabled. I'm having a little trouble here. While it's not seemingly the best idea to add Wi-Fi capabilities to a clamshell phone, it still does have Pocket Explorer which offers extensive HTML capabilities. So that would've been a pretty cool feature to have. But if you're in dire need of high-speed internet on your device, you can also purchase a Wi-Fi SDIO card.

*No External LCD - The significantly cheaper clamshell phones have external color LCD's to use for Caller ID, time, signal strength, and battery strength. The Samsung SP-i600 incorporated a very simple LED. Sure it does the job, but a lot of cheaper phones offer much neater looking external screens that aren't LCD's such as LG with with VX6000 and many of Motorola's phones. But it does the job, and after all, I'm sure most professionals wouldn't care about having their phones be flashy.

*No Pocket Office - Microsoft Pocket PC's offer Pocket Word and Pocket Excel which can be very handy for some professionals. Microsoft SmartPhone 2003 doesn't integrate those applications into the device. That's where having a full PDA would come into handy. But with the numeric keypad, using those applications would be very cumbersome and annoying.

*No Picture Caller ID - It's a really fun feature to have so you can have your friends' photos show up when they call. You need to purchase 3rd party software in order to do that for about $20. I know picture caller ID was integrated into the contacts/phone application in Microsoft Pocket PC 2002 Phone edition, so I don't see why this couldn't be done with the Samsung SP-i600, but then again the device had a camera. But I'm just implying that I'd like to be able to synchronize JPEG or GIF images from my desktop onto the device and use those as pictures for the caller ID. So even though this is another lacking feature, you can always pay a little more money and get it if you really want it that much.

-The Verdict-
*The Samsung SP-i600 proves itself to be an excellent performer. While it is expensive, you do have to remember that it runs on Microsoft SmartPhone 2003 which is a fairly complex operating system that will give you more PDA capabilities versus a regular cell phone using a proprietary operating system, but something lighter than a full Pocket PC. The Samsung SP-i600 is by no means a very flashy device, though the screen is pretty big and very beautiful. They keypad is also pretty cool since it has a blue backlight. I'm sure that would impress some. But it's nothing like a Motorola Razr. The Samsung SP-i600 also lacks some gimmicks such as a camera but that can be done without. Adding Bluetooth would've been a smart move considering the device is also over $650. But many people still don't need that, and if you do it has SDIO capabilities. So if you're someone who needs to synchronize their phone to their PC but doesn't need a huge PDA, then the Samsung SP-i600 would be a very wise choice.