Review: Samsung D520

Samsung D520 Review

Phone rating:

The Samsung D520 is yet another sliding phone - the hottest style for 2006! This one is very much like a flattened D500. Its looks and specifications are nearly the same, apart from one important detail - it's been squashed flat, or nearly flat - to just 16mm instead of the 24mm of the old D500. That makes it one of the new generation of superslim phones - not quite as slim as the Motorola RAZR (14mm), nor the Samsung D900 (13mm), but slim nevertheless. The D520 may not be as thin as the D900, but it's narrower and shorter, making it more comfortable to hold. This is helped by the nicely curved edges and tactile keypad, making it a pretty sexy phone to look at and to use.

Apart from that, it's functionally nearly identical to the Samsung D500. In other words, it's well featured, but not at the cutting edge. Running quickly through the highlights, there's a 1.3 megapixel camera with a flash and video recorder, a nice sharp screen, a stereo music player, MP3 ringtones, Bluetooth and 80 Mbytes of memory. All this is at best average for this price bracket, making the D520 quite expensive for what you get. You are basically buying a phone that's priced because of its slim design, and if you're happy with that, then go ahead. If you want more features, the Samsung D600 or D900 offer more.

Features of the Samsung D520 include:

• 1.3 megapixel camera with LED Flash
• Video camera
• Display: TFT, 262,144 colours, 176 x 220 pixels, 1.9 inches
• Stereo music player: MP3, AAC/AAC+, e-AAC+ and WMA formats
• MP3 ringtones / 64 voice polyphonic ringtones
• Voice memo recorder
• Speakerphone
• Messaging: SMS, MMS, Email (POP3 / SMTP / IMAP4)
• Document viewer (Word, Excel, PowerPoint & PDF formats)
• Java games
• Photo caller ID
• Personal organiser functions
• Memory: 80 Mbytes
• Connectivity: Bluetooth, USB 1.1
• WAP 2.0, GPRS
• Triband (900/1800/1900 MHz)
• Size: 101 x 46 x 16 mm
• Weight: 94g
• Talktime: 3 hours
• Battery standby: up to 290 hours

Samsung D520 Consumer Reviews

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Average rating from 64 reviews:

Reviewed by T.Aguilar from USA on 7th Nov 2008
I just got this new and the battery life is awful. It didn't even last a full day. I can't even comment on how well it functions because it's not on long enough to use.
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Reviewed by Sam from Australia on 24th Jul 2008
Quote "Reviewed by Djordje from Serbia on 2nd Dec 2007 I have this phone for one year, and in the beginning i was very satisfied. Now it is different. The upper keyboard isn't working properly" The same thing happened to me as well after 1 year and it is really anoying. The slide is starting to annoy me as well. Brand new it has the best slide of any phones I have used but after time it doesn't work as well. Also doesn't ring and vibrate at the same time and speaker is not loud enough
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Reviewed by Kate from Australia on 24th Dec 2007
I've had this phone for about a year now and everything was fine with it until about the 7month mark when the top half of the keypad only worked sometimes. gradually it got worse and the other day i turned it on and the whole screen was back to front. anytime you push a number button it fades away and the whole screen is white. i've tried everything but now its busted. its a good phone if you only want it for a short amount of time!
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Reviewed by Stef from Australia on 7th Dec 2007
I was extremely disappointed in this phone. Looks smashing and feels great but it doesnt vibrate and ring at the same time!!??? It is so annoying and the battery life was terrible. otherwise camera, recording, memory was great. For a phone that you want for functionality i wouldnt recommend it, but for looks go right ahead!
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Reviewed by Djordje from Serbia on 2nd Dec 2007
I have this phone for one year, and in the beginning i was very satisfied. Now it is different. The upper keyboard isn't working properly, the phone runs like slow motion, no memory card slot, small phone memory, camera is mushy... If you want to buy this phone i strongly recommend that you think twice!
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Reviewed by Vikki from USA on 5th Nov 2007
i like it...the only thing i dont like about it is the annoying default beeping noise to navigate keys through the menu. i have to turn it all the way down to volume 1...and it gets really annoying when i text. it's a monotone beeping noise. Other than that, the phone is great..i can even make my own ringtones with the program provided with the cd.
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Reviewed by Max from United States on 27th Sep 2007
I got the phone a couple of weeks ago. I just love the phone right now. However, the only bad review I can say about this phone is the battery life stinks. I have to charge my phone every day. Today I had to charge it twice.
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Reviewed by Jackie from England on 25th Sep 2007
I have recently ended a contract with a samsung d520. Unfortunately my phone got water ingress and died shortly before my contract ended. However, I must say that I found it to be one of the nicest mobiles that I have had and was sorry when we parted company. Quite honestly I am now at a loss to find its replacement! How sad is that!
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Reviewed by Kadee from Uk on 20th Aug 2007
I have had my samsung for nearly a year and now it keeps on turning itself on (when it is off). And it keeps on charging itself even though it isn't plugged in!! Either the phone is rubbish and old now or i have a ghost in my phone
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Reviewed by Ben from Australia on 3rd Aug 2007
I brought my Samsung D520 approximately 5 months ago and i have had nothing but troubles with it. I had it replaced FOUR times by Vodafone because of it being faulty. Now about a month ago it decided to break and the warranty being out of date for this kind of thing. At the moment i am contemplating whether to get the phone fixed, which may i add is a complicated and long process, or just get a new one. Not to mention it will cost upwards of $200.AU to fix, when i bought it it was $300.AU I strongly recommend that you do not purchase this phone. :(
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Reviewed by chris from england on 22nd Jun 2007
this is great phone and is easy to use the only bad point is sometimes the bluetooth stops working but once you turn the phone off then on again it works again this has not happend to me in ages but over all an ace phone also you dont usually find this phone in shops so not many people will have it. it sorta makes it unique
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Reviewed by Robert from Serbia on 21st Jun 2007
The phone rules.It is the best phone i have ever had.Easy to use,good visuals.Camera is very good for 1.3 mp(recording 352x288).
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Reviewed by Hayley from NZ on 13th Jun 2007
Mine died after about 7 months. The screen went completely white, due to the battery. Have heard of others having this same problem. Not happy as this is my first Samsung. Was good while it worked however - 1 - Needs SD memory card 2 - Does not vibrate and ring at same time. 3 - cannot listen to music and charge at same time 4 - Light stays on throughout the whole charge.
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Reviewed by Anonymous from USA on 7th Jun 2007
Hey guys, this is truly an awesome phone if you just want to make calls and have a few mp3 ringtones. It excels at being a jack of all trades, and has an incredibly usable interface. The one quirk I found was the changing of keypad tones. After changing your dialling display to anything other than normal, the option under Settings>Sound Options>Keypad Tones will be grayed out, and you won't be able to change it. So If you are stuck with the loud annoying beep, the default keypad tone, make sure your phone is set to dial numbers with a normal display, not a fancy one. It took me a lot of experimenting to figure this out. Apart from that one quirk, this is truly an incredible phone, with all the functionality of the LG Chocolate, but with pressable buttons. It was free too, something I can't say about the Chocolate.
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Reviewed by Flash from Serbia on 30th May 2007
I can't make java applications work when loading them via USB!!!
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Reviewed by cal from England on 26th May 2007
Ive had this fone for about 1 year now and its the best fone ive had ive droped it throne it at a brick wall its been in water and it still keeps on going for more also these fones are very rare there was only 150 made by samaung wich makes it a collectible in a few years time there is no one near me with the same fone wich makes me stand out to all the others wicked fone if you can get your hands on 1 take it its well worth getting
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Reviewed by Emma from England on 25th May 2007
Samsung D520 is a great phone! What I like best is the fact that I have never seen anyone else with this phone unlike my mates who all have D900's or whatever they are called! Wicked phone!
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Reviewed by RUSTY from england on 6th May 2007
Just got my phone second hand. The phone is top also is the naked girl whos on it and sold it to me maybe i should tell her? maybe i should delete her? maybe not
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Reviewed by Kelly from U.S.A on 6th May 2007
I don't like this phone b/c the screen is not good....i had it for a few weeks,but...the screen is broke so bad, i never have that happend before with my other phone ,when it was in my purse.
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Reviewed by Ameey from England on 5th May 2007
Well these phones are pretty good.. the colour is not very nice i would be better if there was a better colour for the phone.. the memory is brilliant and the phone is very hard to buy in places as most places do not sell it
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Reviewed by felipe from Serbia on 18th Apr 2007
outstanding phone
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Reviewed by Felix Shin from New Zealand on 11th Apr 2007
This is a really good fone... Not to mention easy to use, good visuals and awesome feel JUST LOVE IT
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Reviewed by ; helen from Australia on 11th Apr 2007
um well its a good fone, but after like 3-4 months the camera quality is rubbish, so you have to clean it once in a while! but the memory is orite but sometimes recording with video stops working for like 2 daes and then its fine, i hate it! but besides that its oritee for now until i get my sidekick while im overseas! wooooo (: anywaes this fonee isn't as bad as everyone makes it sound.lol Love me; helen
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Reviewed by june from u.k on 25th Mar 2007
fab!!
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Reviewed by Daniel from u.k on 19th Mar 2007
i bought this phone about 8 mounth ago the thing is rubish i had to send it bk to samsung to get repaired cuz it crashed and would not turn on the battery life was rubish all and all i hate this phone i have bin waiting over a month now to get it bk!!!!!! now they say they cnt fix it there sendin me the d800 but from what i hear thats not to good ether what is goin on samsung not happy with this at all u need to sort things out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Reviewed by Koricanac from Serbia on 15th Mar 2007
This is the best phone. Don't listen to others just buy this phone.... OUTSTANDING Trust me....
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Reviewed by billy from australia on 3rd Mar 2007
awsome
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Reviewed by Stacy from Guyana on 2nd Mar 2007
Great phone, i like how the camera is installed, prevents it from being scratched.
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Reviewed by Sarah from England on 19th Feb 2007
i feel in love with this phone instantly! months down the line i started falling out of love.. the keys stick (usealy in cold weather) the head phones broke the charger sometimes works.. my friend got this phone a month after me and he had the same problems with it just 2 months after buying it. the memeorey isnt very good at all.. you can get 20 songs on there if your lucky. the camera qulity vaireys on the phones mood.. it can be very good or it can be very bad.. i personaly dont think there is enough messageing space on there 200 messages is very little i've had to delete all my messages at least once a month so i can keep reciving more! i have had a very good 8 months with this phone.. but i wont be keeping to it. it has alot of folts and if they just sort some of them out i think the phone would be perfect!
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Reviewed by Sathya from Singapore on 31st Jan 2007
Pros: Great stills cameras, video, audio player, camera Flash, Clear Visible screen even during bright sunlight (Motorola v3 razor fails in this feature), Fast battery charging, Great design of sliding, Light weight for its size, decent ergonomic design. Cons: Poor Connectivity, Vibration is not great during travelling, Insufficient Ring Volume (In max) during travelling, battery should be charged every day if you talk for 40 mins
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Reviewed by andrew from england on 8th Jan 2007
dont buy one it is a waste of money if you wona spend £150 on a phone look at sony erricson, nokia or the samsung e900 you could find sumat beta
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Reviewed by arif from denmark on 6th Jan 2007
good phone,out looking smart
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Reviewed by maya from zambia on 3rd Jan 2007
good fon try it and use it and you will know wat am talking about,BIG UP SAMSUNG
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Reviewed by Mr Man from Scotland on 23rd Nov 2006
I love the lay out brill camara
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Reviewed by mr barry boardsheer from uk on 11th Nov 2006
as a rich member of the uk i feel that i must recomend this phone. It may not have a 2 megapixle camera like the samsung d600 but still, i think that this phone is (how do you say) spiffing!!!
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Reviewed by James Cheung from UK on 3rd Nov 2006
This phone is amazing!!! i have had it for just over a month and there is nothing wrong with it. great
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Reviewed by Gina from England on 16th Oct 2006
yea
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Reviewed by calla from italie on 3rd Oct 2006
i think this phone is terrible the camera terrible i hate it i dont reccomend this phone to anyone if you ask a phone shop owner they will tell you thats its junk
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Reviewed by BLING from JAMAICA on 3rd Oct 2006
I like the d520 it is very unique,I have one and eveyone loves,even me myself really love it.Samsung you've done a wonderful job.Thank You Ilove my SAMSUNG SLIM D520.
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Reviewed by carly from uk on 2nd Oct 2006
great phone, looks good 2. value 4 money. buy it
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Reviewed by becky from england on 28th Sep 2006
i love this phone is is soooooo good probly the best phone ive ever had everything about it gets 5 stars from me i wouldnt be without it
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Reviewed by Krissy K from Australia on 28th Sep 2006
I Love This Phone!! It's so cool!!
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Reviewed by Ewomo from UK on 26th Sep 2006
Ugly useless phone. Basic phone with a big price tag save ur money buy a sony ericsson k750i or if your buying for the slide get the d600 for the same sort of price!!!!!
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Reviewed by Franklin from Zambia on 21st Sep 2006
This is one of the cutest achievements of the century!!! its a wow phone...especially the video recording period....bigup to all behind the phone!!!
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Reviewed by Danielle from England on 19th Sep 2006
THIS FUN IS BRILL!!!!!!! IT HAS A GR8 CAMERA BETTA THAN THE SONY ERICSSON 810i! huge memory can take videos and sound recordingss up 2 an hour long. I VE HAD THE FONE 4 5MONTHS NW AND ITS STILL GR8! BUY IT ITS A NEW HANDSET AND ITS BETTA LOOKIN!
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Reviewed by DSM,CSM, from .,ZXK.S on 11th Sep 2006
RUBBISH PHONE DONT BUY IT
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Reviewed by lugi from mersyside on 9th Sep 2006
I hav just come from SE and had this fone a week and it is amsing i luv the sliding deisgn the sound is good and the camera is good
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Reviewed by Alison from England on 1st Sep 2006
I love the style of it, it really is very cute! I've always had Nokia's up until now and when they bring out cuter phones may go back to them. At first I thought that the keypad would only make one noise or off! (5 to choose from!) Have now found that if you change the font to normal, you can change the tones on the keypad. The calendar (which I use a lot) does not tell you what day of the week you are on when you view page by page. Other than that, I love it, very clear screen and fun to use.
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Reviewed by Fabre from singapore on 30th Aug 2006
the d-520 is not wad u think at first look.yes it has a 1.3 megapixel camera but the keypads aint tht good...i rather say get the d900...i mean in every review....of all the fone reviews..u can see atleast one reivew asking u to choose the d 900 over a certain fone...y?? coz its worth it..trust me..heads will turn,the looks will burn :)
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Reviewed by SALIK from UK on 29th Aug 2006
THIS PHONE IS THE BEST PHONE I EVER BOUGHT. CAMERA IS VERY GOOD.
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Reviewed by becca from england on 28th Aug 2006
this phone is great i love it its thin and light the picture qualitly is fantastic and great clear music although the screen does get dirty very easily over all a very good phone i would strongly recomend it for teenagers or big lovers of music becca
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Reviewed by syed zahid from UK on 25th Aug 2006
I have had this phone for few months. It is a brilliant phone, has a stylish look to this phone, has a very large internal memory so no need for memory card. So light and so thin which makes it more stylish too. I love this phone so go out and get a samsung D520. The phone wont let you down.
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Reviewed by ANON from UK on 25th Aug 2006
IT'S THE BEST PHONE EVER. ALL THOSE BAD REVIEWS ARE NONSENSE. I CAN'T FIND ANYTHING BAD WITH IT. VERY STYLISH. ALL THE NEW FEATURES. ITS BETTER THAN THE D800 AS THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO USE. AND THIS IS EASY AND STRAIGHTFORWARD. TAKE MY ADVICE AND BUY THIS PHONE.
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Reviewed by lola from uk on 19th Aug 2006
it SNAPS sooooo easily! its RUBBISH!!!! do urself a favour, DONT buy d fone!
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Reviewed by Milan from The netherlands on 14th Aug 2006
I find it an excellent phone. Very easy to use. And very much possibilitis. It is is in a few words just a great phone.
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Reviewed by andy from uk on 14th Aug 2006
excellent phone not to expensive and good all-rounder as all samsungs r even better than nokia v.good screen v.good sound quality!!!
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Reviewed by SH from England on 12th Aug 2006
I just bought this fone and its excellent. I love it so much it looks nice and has loads of great features. So just ignore those bad reviews and go out and get the samsung d520. It's Brilliant
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Reviewed by simon from england on 2nd Aug 2006
the fone looks great but the wire ribbon snaps too easily. the screen scratches easily,same as any other flip.samsung should have spent more time perfecting it
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Reviewed by yp from romania on 30th Jul 2006
i just bought one. is very stylish. nice display. still,the function to change the keypad tone is not working. any change you made (has 5 options) the sound remain "beep". i dont know if is a software bug of all or only the one i have has this problem. after you use more than half of the memory it does not open any .xls file -message "not enough memory". as design very similar to LG Chocolate, but with less 50% money. if you are after look in 1st and with some good functions, has anything you want.If you are after the functions, buy nokia. by far on function nokia are the best.
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Reviewed by sum1 from WALES on 28th Jul 2006
it luks amazing!!u cant take that away and much better than the d800 any body ova luking gettin this 4 the d800 is MAD, MAD i tell u
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Reviewed by Samsung S**T from Uraguay on 26th Jul 2006
This phones just takes the biscuit , it really does !!! . Lasted 5 mins outside the shop and then it SNAPPED IN HALF , RIDICULOUS !!! . It is flimsy and brittle , i got a replacement but then the keypad came off from the phone and the screen was lose and blurred . Believe Me If You Know Whats Right Dont Buy This Phone !!!
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Reviewed by Jibendra from Thapa on 14th Jul 2006
The 1.3 megapixel camara with flash is really good for taking photos. I like the music player. It plays Mp3, AAc and Wma formats. Bluetooth works fine. The display is perfect and the phone's look is even better. I recommend this phone. A whole % stars.
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Reviewed by simon from england on 26th Jun 2006
Cool phone. Display is amazing and the phone's amazingly slim. Looks much better than the d500 imo. Everything works fine including bluetooth, camera, picsel viewer. Included headset isnt too great for mp3 but then again this isnt a mp3 phone so if like me you just want a sexy lookin phone with a good feature-set then this is just perfect.
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Reviewed by m.s. from England on 21st Jun 2006
Not much info on this phone as the D800 seems to be more popular. This is smaller than the D800 and so the display is also smaller but everything else is the same. It's still very slim and very attractive and looks very professional which suites someone like me who constantly has to use the phone during business meetings and needs a simple yet stylish phone to look the part. One great thing about this is that it can read office files which not many phones can unless you got yourself one of those nokia smartphones which i find them too big for my taste. I only give to 4 stars cos the battery only lasts 2-3 days but other than that it's great.
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