At
the time of launch (Summer 2006), the Samsung D830 is the world's
slimmest clamshell phone, and is one of the trio of superslim Ultra
phones from Samsung. The D830 has proven to be the least popular
of the Ultra series, being outsold by the candy-bar-shaped Samsung
X820 and the slide-design Samsung
D900. This review will explain why.
The
D830 really is slim - just 9.9 mm thick. Remember the phone that
started the superslim trend - the Motorola
RAZR? That was 13.9mm thick and was the slimmest phone of 2004!
The D830 really is extraordinarily thin! It's very light too, at
just 92g. One problem that the D830 shares with the Motorola RAZR
is that it's quite a wide phone, so hard to fit in the hand comfortably.
This makes it more of a man's phone.
Visually
the D830 is quite stunning. It's arguably a better-looking phone
that the D900. It's very, very black. The phone features a very
small and discrete (black and white) external display and an ultra
high resolution main display inside. The menu has a black background
with white text. This complements the black colour of the phone
really well and is both striking and easy to read. On the negative
side, the keypad is probably the worst of the three Ultra series
phones. It's a flat touch-sensitive keypad that lacks positive feedback
and is quite slow to use, expecially for texting. This is one of
the reasons for the failure of the D830 to sell in big numbers.
Deapite
being ultra thin, the D830 is a fully featured phone with an excellent
2 megapixel camera (no flash though) and a video recorder. The main
display, as noted, is extremely high quality with an ultra-high
resolution of 240 x 320 pixels and 262,000 colours. The phone comes
with a good music player that can support a very wide range of formats,
including MP3, AAC and WMA. One nice feature is that the music player
can play in the background, whilst other features are in use. The
integrated speakerphone is loud enough, but the best audio quality
is obtained with optional stereo headphones. Memory is plentiful,
with 80 Mbytes of internal memory plus a microSD™ external
memory card slot expandable to 1 Gbyte. Connectivity is via Bluetooth,
USB and TV-Out (for viewing images or videos directly on a TV).
The
D830 also handles emails with an attachment viewer for Microsoft
Office and PDF documents.
The
D830 is a very attractive superslim phone, with a very good range
of features. However, it is let down in three areas. Firstly the
keypad is slow and unresponsive. Secondly, battery life is very
poor. Thirdly,
the camera has no flash.
This is why we cannot recommend the D830, despite all of its fantastic
features. Instead, we would recommend the Samsung
D900 as a truly outstanding
phone.
Features of the Samsung D830 include:
2 megapixel camera with 4x digital zoom
Video camera (MPEG4 format)
Internal display: TFT, 262k colours, 240 x 320
pixels
Love
your mobile? Hate it? Please share your experiences to help other
people choose the phone that's best for them. Please do not review
this phone if you have not used it. This is a review site, not a
forum, so please don't just ask questions. Please do not use swear
words or offensive language, and please, no advertising!
Average
rating from 55 reviews:
Reviewed by Sara from malta on
3rd Feb 2010
i have this mobile for about 3 years. The keypad used to iritate
me alot but now i'm used to it :) on the wholee itss a very very
gooodd mobilee but i only wished it had a higher volume.. Rating:
Reviewed by Ani from Armenia on
6th Nov 2009
It is wounderful!!!!!!!! Rating:
Reviewed by sabir from pakistan on
13th Apr 2009
its very smart phone easy to use specialy its keypad but sometime
it stuck and difficult to write the text. Rating:
Reviewed by s. withers from england
on 24th Oct 2008
battery life short. all black casing means you cannot see phone
in handbag. big wide phone for small hands Rating:
Reviewed by Ian from UK on 15th
Oct 2008
I think that I have a different phone to others. I was put off by
reviews but saw an offer for Unlocked Phone, with orange PAYG sim
inc P&P for UKP35 so decided to give it a punt. I could not have
been more surprised and pleased. I have fairly fat fingers but find
no problems with keypad. I get less missed characters than I did
with my old 820. But then I dont speed text. Some say that you cant
open it easier. Well, I have v v short finger nails yet it took
me of of about 5 minutes to develope a technique to open and to
close the phone with one hand. I dont find the ring or the speech
volume too low, but do find that the range of volume from quietest
to loudest is not great. But then I hate phones that distrub the
whole pub when they ring. I can hear it fine (Maybe I just dont
go to noisy pubs). Any faults? Well, I would prefer a plain lcd
on the front with more info, but this one is acceptable. I would
prefer rising volume on ringtone, but not many phones do this. I
would prefer ring and vibrate together or ring then vibrate, but
it's not a big issue for me. Battery life? Fine for me, but I have
a life outside talking on the phone. It's nt a hobby for me. The
best bits? Stunning looks, small size, has everything I need, good
screen. Ian Rating:
Reviewed by qaisera from uk on
1st Oct 2008
the phone is rubbish it touchs abit of steam the keypad stops working
however the phone does come on i wouldnt reommend this phone to
anyone. Rating:
Reviewed by ryan from england on
15th Sep 2008
im not a fan of samsungs but this phone proved to very easy to use,
attractive, and reliable. unfortunatly i would never have another
one nor would i recomend this phone to anyone else. and the reason
purely and simply is down to the truly terrible keypad. if u text
alot like i do the its so frustraiting to use. to the point of being
borderline stressful. that is the phones only problem but unfortunatly
its begining to be a pretty insurmountable one Rating:
Reviewed by MUHAMMAD naveed from PAKISTAN
on 24th Jun 2008
i use this phone from 2 years .all the featur are exilent Rating:
Reviewed by Mythili from UAE on
10th Mar 2008
i have been using D830 red colour, which was launched for girls,
its a wonderful phone and i dont find any difficulty in the touch
pad. Rating:
Reviewed by Joshua Powell from Britain
on 16th Dec 2007
The battery life is excellent on this phone (I regularly get 5 days
standby and a couple of hours talk time) so I don't know what the
reviewers are complaining about. The keypad is also very responsive,
again, I don't know what they're talking about. Perhaps they received
a faulty phone! Rating:
Reviewed by ******Zen Boi!****** from
New York on 25th Oct 2007
This is lyk da BEST FONE! The keypad is kinda junk but you wil get
used to it!! i promise! if you r thinkin of buyin this fone then
do it!!! u wont regret it ! ! !+++! GET IT!!++**## Rating:
Reviewed by Fiona from UK on
1st Oct 2007
I've been using this phone for a couple of months now and now it
looks as thought the battery has gone completely. The buttons are
terrible, texting is a nightmare. Ony positive is the slimness,
doesn't ruin the lines of a girl's clothes if in a trouser pocket! Rating:
Reviewed by Kim from Netherlands on
10th Sep 2007
I regret that I bought this phone! You don't hear the ringing because
it's too soft. The keypad stinks and doesn't work all the time.
You can't use a melody with buzzing the same time. You can't choise
your own song with the alarm. The only positive thing about this
phone is the design! Rating:
Reviewed by Joanna from Lebanon on
12th Aug 2007
This fone SUCKS...the two basic functions of a fone is to RING so
you can HEAR it and this one does it like a kitten purring....i
rarely EVER hear it ring if its not in my hand and im looking at
it...and the keypad SUCKSSSSSSSSSS its so annoying..i'm a texting
freak...i send sms's more than i call ppl..and this is seriously
THE WORST keypad ever created...it's not like normal buttons, and
its not a touchpad...it's somewhere really annoyingly in between...the
camera is okay, but battery life is horrible! i have to charge it
every other day..i'm selling it and buying the new nokia 6300...! Rating:
Reviewed by jack from scotland on
9th Aug 2007
had it for 2 months, not too good but not bad, basic phone Rating:
Reviewed by annonymous from indonesia
on 19th Jul 2007
ITS HORRIBLE my god it looks great the keypad absolutely useless
camera sucks recording sucks ughh.. its bad Rating:
Reviewed by Sherry from Dubai (UAE)
on 24th Jun 2007
Bought the phone this morning. Will have to wait and see how it
functions. However, here in Dubai we get the red model, with a beautiful
design on it like henna work, a must for the ladies. I always wanted
one of these but should have read up on the feed back before actually
purchasing one. Rating:
Reviewed by alex simpson from wales
on 14th Jun 2007
best fone ever love it like my mumm Rating:
Reviewed by Archie from Scotland on
6th Jun 2007
Negatives:- Battery life poor, Screen almost impossible to read
in sunlight, too quiet when ringing. Keypad awkward to use. Positives:-
Fits in my wallet, looks great, very tough as I have dropped mine
a few times and it is not marked. All other functions are acceptable
but none outstanding. Compared with my old Nokia 6310i as a phone
it simply doesn't compare. Coclusion:- A toy for teenagers or 20
somethings to be flash with. Rating:
Reviewed by Barbara from uk on
4th Jun 2007
Thank goodness kept my D900 the D830 worst phone I have ever had
definately not for me. Rating:
Reviewed by paul from wales on
2nd Jun 2007
Nice phone, great display. Its camera is better than i expected
and the video recorder is extremely good. Keypad does get a while
to get used to and despite being slim it is quite tall. Battery
is no worse than most other new phones these days but if you're
a heavy user i'd think twice about getting this as it's not the
most ergonomic phone around. Rating:
Reviewed by si from uk on 25th
May 2007
cant hear it when its ringing Rating:
Reviewed by Krille from Sweden on
2nd May 2007
I have owned Samsung D830 since nov 2006 and have to say that I
still love it! The keypad is hard sometimes but I hardly notice
it anymore - especially not when I type in messages with T9. This
phone is still not common in Sweden (and probably won´t be)
so you always get comments when you pull up this slim phone out
of your pocket. The screen is big, sharp and bright. Since it´s
possible to turn videos 90 degrees it´s a joy watching movies
in fullscreen on the way home from work. The speaker is great and
the receivement is better than my old SE T610. Rating:
Reviewed by sana from United Arab Emirates
on 29th Apr 2007
apart from the keypad i dont find it that bad as much every one
is saying.. i think its a nice mobile. Rating:
Reviewed by deep from india on
23rd Apr 2007
OK not bad Rating:
Reviewed by tove from sweden on
15th Mar 2007
the worst phone I ever had. looks great but you simply cant text
with it! I'm selling mine and buying a Samsung E370! Rating:
Reviewed by farat from uk on
2nd Mar 2007
Had this phone for atleast a month and it was absolutly terrible,
voulume was extremly low!!!! recording was no good, keypad was useless
it might as welll have no buttons!overall not a good reliable phone!nokias
are much better! Rating:
Reviewed by Shaban from Pakistan on
1st Mar 2007
It is a third class set,pls don't purchase.If u want ur money waste
then u can buy. Rating:
Reviewed by Isreal from UK on
14th Feb 2007
The Samsung D830 is very attractive at first but soon small issues
start to come to light. The battery has short charge periods. The
keyboard needs getting used to or txt can be difficult as you dont
feel the buttons being pressed. There is no flash. The on board
ring tones are limited. On the whole as mobiles go it is above average
Rating:
Reviewed by Ash from Irland on
10th Feb 2007
this is the best phone i have ever had.if you wanted to show off
to your friends then this is the way to do it.this is the best phone
i ever had.this phone will get u boys. Rating:
Reviewed by ZSX from England on
9th Feb 2007
Let me say straight off that I really like this phone, but I would
not use it as my primary device. If you like a stylish, sophisticated
phone for that evening out, then this is the phone for you, but
it is by no means a workhorse. Hardware wise, it is a stunner -
thin, black, fits in any pocket. The OLED screen on the outside
is sleek, the internal LCD screen bright and crisp, as with most
Samsung phones. Yes, the keypad is rather annoying, but you get
used to it after a while. Battery life is limited, but will last
the weekend away which is the minimum requirement. And you get expandable
memory courtesy of a micro-SD slot to boot! Software wise it is
really full featured. The interface is beautiful thanks to Adobe,
and I particularly like the inclusion of a media player which handles
both mp3 and 3GP video. The use of Picsel viewer also means that
looking at your office document formats is covered too. And I also
like the ability to pull email from POP3 services like GMail and
Yahoo! My only recurring problem with the phone is Samsung's PC
studio, whose erratic connection via Bluetooth and synchronisation
with Outlook leaves much to be desired. This phone is an elegant
beauty with fairly significant brains and brawn thrown in too. I
would certainly recommend it. Rating:
Reviewed by Pundat Sahib from England
on 29th Jan 2007
Tatti, laddu, gadha, kutta, saala kamina. this phone is amazing!
anyone looking for a flip phone would love this phone. Especially
with all the features in it, compared to the Razr. Rating:
Reviewed by Aimal from Afghanistan on
23rd Jan 2007
the best thing Rating:
Reviewed by tech-insider from uk on
22nd Jan 2007
What's with all the razr comparisons? Anyone with some knowledge
of mobile phone technology will know that this is a taste of phones
they have in japan where all phones are long, slim and minimalist.
Just go and take a look at the phones manufactured by Sharp, Toshiba
and NEC for japan and this is a glimpse into the future not a copy
of the now very much outdated razr. Samsung have already made a
3G/HSDPA version of D830 but it's not sold in every country. 4 stars
because samsung shoudnt have waisted our time and given us the 3G/HSDPA
version from the start. Rating:
Reviewed by Nigel from Cooper on
21st Jan 2007
Delighted by this phone. After the Razr the menus are a joy to use.
The screen is really bright and detailed. The quality of the MP3
plater is excellent. The keypad is strange at irst but you quickly
get used to it. Only real complaint is battery life. You just have
to get used to charging it every couple of days. Worth it though.
My best phone yet. Rating:
Reviewed by Kaitlyn from UK on
11th Jan 2007
Really great phone. I know it's not in everyone's taste but i luv
it. Keypad is not that bad and the main control keys are quite comfortable.
As expected, the display is simply amazing. Everything works as
it should and no complications. This is a top class phone. Rating:
Reviewed by Natalia from Georgia on
8th Jan 2007
The phone is very good if you need something compact. The screen
is excellent and menu too. Keypad needs to get used but it does
not bother you if you are not typing much messages. Rating:
Reviewed by Rachel from Singapore on
11th Dec 2006
Frankly, i think that this phone deserves much more than you give
it credit for. The keypad does take some time to get used to, but
after a while, it becomes fairly easy to use and handle, and messaging
can be pretty snappy. The battery is rather reliable as well; i've
left the phone on for 2 days, sometimes more,without charging, and
it actually lasts pretty long, well, longer than other phones that
i've had before. One letdown is the lack of flash, but this can
be made up in adjusting the brightness features of the camera, which
has enabled me to take pretty good shots in shadowy areas, and the
range of settings, frams and picture types more than makes up for
this. You can pass alot of free time waiting for the bus or the
train by exploring the many many features of the camera available.
Furthermore, the large amount of memory space, as well as the bluetooth
and direct computer to phone transfer via the memory card makes
transferring and sharing of various files undeniably easy. Once
you get it, you come to realise that this phone does deserve more
credit than most people give it. Rating:
Reviewed by Sarah from UK on
1st Dec 2006
Absolutately amazing phone! Not as attractive as a razr but much
better features and easier to use too. The display is huge and stunning
to look at. Some may consider it a little too big when it's open
but it fits the ear and mouth perfectly and feels really comfortable
when talking. All the features are there like bluetooth, card slot,
2megapixel camera, video, mp3 player. Keyboard does need some time
to get used to but it's worth the trouble as this phone is very
unique. Rating:
Reviewed by markmcdaid15 from Uk on
10th Nov 2006
well firstly, looks are brilliant, and inside its the same with
the cool keypad. However, thats about it. The keypad is no good
for textin and for some reason, the capitals when textin keep coming
on after inputing a number... it gets annoyin. In general, textin
is difficult as some buttons don't recognise that they have been
pushed so be prepard to hav 2 check ur txt messages. also, the battery
life isn't so good on this phone. i think i will change this phone
to a W710i Rating:
Reviewed by steve from blackpool uk
on 8th Nov 2006
this fone is junk the buttons are rubbish to use and its a pathetic
fone to use Rating:
Reviewed by G. Harris fromon
5th Nov 2006
Wasn't sure if i should get this phone after reading some of the
reviews here but i'm glad i did. Other than the keypad (which really
does require a lot of effort to use) the phone is simply incredible.
Display is a fantastic 2.3" QVGA with great detail and clarity,
camera is very good (worthy to view on a pc) and video is the same
high standard as in D600. There's also an MS Office viewer and a
TV-out (D600 cable does not work btw and it's not included in the
package) and all the other usual applications. Mp3 player looks
great and it works in the background (unlike in D600) but sound
is not that great which is probably down to the included headset
(am thinking of getting a 3.5mm adaptor). I'm using the same 1gb
card from my D600 and it works just as good. Battery is a bit of
a problem cos you'll have to charge it daily if the camera or mp3
player is used but other than that this is one remarkable device. Rating:
Reviewed by Paul from UK on 26th
Oct 2006
This phone is annoying. Although it is slim, there are several poor
features: 1. Poor battery life - nothing more annoying than running
out of battery when you need to make a call / send a message. 2.
The buttons are too fiddly. Quick texting is near impossible and
menu navigation tricky. 3. No MP3 message tone 4. The phone cant
vibrate and ring simultaneously. it does one or the other and makes
you miss calls. The size if the phone and the good camera save this
phone from being a disaster but I'm selling mine on eBay. Rating:
Reviewed by hello1234 from England on
24th Oct 2006
it is a good phone and the voice reconigtion is impressive BUT it
scratchs so easily - i meen even if your nail leaves a mark. . .
its a good phone - if you never use it but its to feeble to be used
day to day. also its a funny shape and not comfortable to hold Rating:
Reviewed by Hariton from UK on
2nd Oct 2006
I love this phone. looks really sleek. very slim and cool in its
total blackness. the camera is good also. However be warned that
the battery life is minimal. And by minimal I mean charging your
phone necessarily every night. However I chose to keep the phone,
despite this, as I really love its looks, which are amazing. Rating:
Reviewed by Nath from UK on 29th
Sep 2006
Got this phone a couple of days ago, Build quality is very good,
Design is nice simple and clean and yes it's very thin. Touch screen
type buttons can get a bit annoying but I have gotten used to them
very quickly. Bad points music player and ringtones need to be louder,
could of done with a light/flash to take pictures/vids in lower
light (prob too thin to fit one) and my all time gripe with samsung
phones you can't use your own text message tone just the preset
one's. WHY. Rating:
Reviewed by Dgoodguyisback from England
on 29th Sep 2006
this is the phone that I have been waiting for. it has an outstanding.
It is even slimmer than the talked avout RZR (Motorola V3). With
much better functionalties. It is just unvelievably fantastic. There
are few mobile phones which can play the WMA format. this one can.
for that I give it 5 stars. Well done Samsung!! Rating:
Reviewed by rob from malaysia on
25th Sep 2006
I have to say, the built & design of this phone is second-to-none.
Display, sound, camera are all excellent too. However the drawback
has definitely got to be the battery life. Average use lasts 2 days
max. All in all, a really good phone, except for its battery life.
I guess that's the tradeoff for being ultra. ;) Rating:
Reviewed by Jeff May from South Africa
on 19th Sep 2006
This fone is great for buissiness It is slim and fits into your
pocket easly even when you are wearing tight pants. This fone is
cool and very modern. Well done SAMSUNG!! Rating:
Reviewed by id lyk 2 remain annonymous from
same as my name on 18th Sep 2006
i think this phone is excellent! it has everything anyone could
ever wish for in a phone the cameras great its great looking and
it also has great quality pictures! thats bout it really x Rating:
Reviewed by Leanne from Birmingham,
England on 7th Sep 2006
Ive had this phone for two days now and i think its great, the camera
is awesome quality, and u can whats on each side of the photo youve
taken (which ive never seen on another phone), its got some funky
little features on the settings menu. The buttons are strange but
unique there flat so seem like 'touch screen' buttons. Theres everything
u need on this phone, looks good, sounds good. If you like samsung
flip phones then this is the one for you. i certainly recommend
this one. xxx Rating:
Reviewed by bec from UK on 7th
Sep 2006
This phone is amazing the style is slim and ultra modern. Only drawbacks
is the battery life isn't the best but who cares. Buy this phone
or you will miss out. Rating:
Reviewed by Ben from England! on
26th Aug 2006
This phone is the best thing that ha ever happened to me! it makes
the motorola razer look stupid and that goes for any other phone
aswell! so trust me, if u buy any phone then buy the D830! you will
regret it if you dont! Rating:
Reviewed by Stu from England on
24th Aug 2006
This is a very good phone, Well built (Titanium I think) Excellent
screen Quality, Excellent earpiece sound quality (The clearest phone
I've used in quite some time).Expansion slot is a good addition
if you like to use it for MP3's. this phone would of got 5 stars
if it had not have been for two grumbles. 1/ Battery life is appalling
I got 2 days with moderate use 2/ the key pad is far too flat, it's
difficult to text on this phone, you have to keep checking to make
sure you have actually pressed the buttons right. The menu and wap
buttons are also of the flat type, (It look as if it all one key
unit printed out together. Why couldn't the key pad been more like
the D900's that is a good one? I would recommend this phone. Just
be aware of the Battery and poor key pad before hand... Rating:
Reviewed by fargello from egypt on
24th Aug 2006
the phone looks great as we expect from samsung and the camera is
good however is the screen is small and tiny a little bit and the
battery is very bad it only takes one and half day and u gonna have
2 recharge it again i had d500 and makes me high all the time nothing
beats u d500 Rating:
