Review: Samsung E840

Samsung E840 Review

Phone rating:

In a nutshell: The World's slimmest phone offers a lot for your money, provided that you can put up with its touch-sensitive buttons and a battery life that's shorter than average.
Best buy: *Free* with half-price line rental from Mobiles.co.uk .

The Samsung E840 is the World's slimmest slide phone, beating the Samsung U600 by a hair's breadth at 10.6mm. Usually it's the top-of-the-range phones that set these kinds of records, but the E840 is a mid-range phone. It's very impressive how Samsung have managed to cram so much into such a tiny phone at this budget. If you wanted a U600 but couldn't afford it, then this could be the one for you.

Although it's recognisably a Samsung, the E840 deviates a bit from the usual Samsung slider look and feel. Apart from its incredible thinness, it feels solid enough, weighing in at 99g (heavier than most recent Samsungs) and has a nice smooth glassy finish. The keypad isn't the best, but it'll be fine unless you have particularly large fingers. However, it does come with love-them-or-hate-them touch-sensitive navigation buttons. Our frank advice on this is to avoid the phone unless you've already had experience of touch-sensitive buttons (e.g. in the Samsung E900 or LG Chocolate). A safe alternative which now costs about the same is the Samsung D900i.

Sill reading? OK, well apart from the touch-sensitive issue, we like the phone a lot. It's got a lot of stuff packed into its miniature bodywork. First thing that you'll notice is the huge (2.2 inch) ultra high resolution LCD display on the front. The camera is less impressive, being rated at 2 megapixels and lacking a flash - it's for snaps only, and won't replace a proper digital camera. But the music player is fully featured, playing a wide range of formats and handling playlists quite nicely too. A built-in FM radio completes the scene. There's also a good amount of memory available - 70 Mbytes - which is enough for around 15 songs - and you can buy a memory card really cheaply these days to expand the storage. Connectivity is good, with support for Bluetooth 2.0, USB 2.0 and a TV-Out connection if you want to display pictures or videos directly onto your telly. It's quadband too, so you can take it anywhere abroad and it has a useful document viewer for viewing Word, Excel and Powerpoint files.

Although Samsung claim impressive an battery life, we are sceptical. You just can't fit a big battery in a phone this skinny, and the reality is that the E840 is challenged when it comes to battery life.

So, a lovely phone with plenty of features in a good looking superslim body, the E840 offers a lot for your money. Provided that you can put up with the touch-sensitive buttons and don't demand too much from the battery, this is a phone that you could really love.

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Features of the Samsung E840 include:

• 2 megapixel camera with 4x digital zoom
• Video camera
• Display: mirror-effect TFT, 262,144 colours, 240 x 320 pixels
• Music player (MP3/ ACC/ ACC+/ e-AAC+/ WMA formats)
• FM radio
• 64-voice polyphonic ringtones / MP3 ringtones
• Voice memo recorder
• Speakerphone
• Messaging: SMS, EMS, MMS, Email (POP3 / SMTP / IMAP4)
• Document viewer
• Java games & applications
• Offline Mode (Flight mode)
• Personal information functions
• Caller ID (Text / Photo / Video)
• WAP 2.0, GPRS Class 10, EDGE
• Memory: 70 Mbytes plus MicroSD™ memory card slot
• Connectivity: Bluetooth 2.0, USB 2.0, TV-Out
• Quadband
• Size: 102 x 53 x 10.6 mm
• Weight: 99g
• Talktime: 4.5 hours
• Battery standby: up to 360 hours

Samsung E840 Consumer Reviews

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 52 reviews:

Reviewed by harriet walker from england on 27th Jun 2008
It is the best phone EVER!!! Buy IT
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Reviewed by Trance Pacer from India on 22nd Jun 2008
SAMSUNG SGH-E840 awesome phone. nothing beats its cost to productivity ratio. stunning looks! (I stared at its shiny screen for a whole 8 minutes before understanding that this thing is for sale.lol!) ****makes nokia scirocco users jealous**** the sound quality is excellent, volume suits my needs. Other users' requirements may vary. The silver edge has now started peeling off a little bit, but that is entirely due to the humid atmosphere of Bombay. the touch sensitive buttons also start acting up according to the seasons. so may not be entirely appreciated for people in chilly regions. EXCELLENT INTERFACE. EXCELLENT BATTERY LIFE. 4hours talk, and almost a day and a half on standby. sucky earphones. EXCELLENT CHASSIS/SHELL. Excellent slide mechanism. Best Samsung I've used till date.
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Reviewed by zakeer from leicester on 15th Jun 2008
this phone is amazingly skinny this phone is good, 2 megapixel is ok and the music player application is great however the bad points are its fiddly touch screen buttons and a pooooooooor very pooooooooooooooor battery life apart from that this phone is magnificent
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Reviewed by me from uk on 11th Jun 2008
awful awful awful phone. it only gets one star because it is lovely to look at. so bad to use............ DON'T DO IT! save your money. buy 2 polystyrene cups and a long piece of string. much more effective.
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Reviewed by Kate from England on 9th Jun 2008
My prevoius nokia 7373 kept turning off so I got this as a replacement from orange. I was not expecting much but have been very impressed by this phone. Its lightweight, has a dead nice finish and NOTHING has gone wrong with it. If you can cope with touch-sesitive buttons then its a good choice and I recommend it!
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Reviewed by arun from india on 7th Jun 2008
this is a nice phone overall..but battery life sucks.downloading of java games is difficult.not worth
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Reviewed by Katie from England on 28th May 2008
I had this phoine for one year and one day it just suddenly stopped charging...I cant take it back as its a been a year so I am going to have to buy a new phone. Its a shame as the phone was really good, I loved the bobby Carrott game. However the camrea was not that good but the phone is stylish and everyone said how much they liked it, if it hadnt just suddenly stopped charging I would give it 4 stars but phones should be able to last you years, I took good care of it so it is down to the actual phone. If you want a phone just for a year this is the one!
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Reviewed by kay from england on 12th May 2008
love the phone to bits have it in pink BUT is rubbish battery has died 4 times in first 6 months and had to have it changed now on the 6th month they are saying they wont do anything and its not the battery the phone wont charge so unfortunatly cant use it any more unless i pay to have it fixed otherwise is a good phone except for the camera at night and not much memory unless you have a memory stick. its a shame the phone isnt better as its sooo gorgeous.
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Reviewed by Sxc from lapland on 1st May 2008
I loved the phone I bought it however it broke in 4 hours I would defo buy another
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Reviewed by vivek from india on 26th Apr 2008
i purchased my samsung e840 1 day ago and one of the 4 sensitive keys is not functioning properly. some times it works properly and some times it does not work at all.all the keys except this one are working properly. i have to press this key hard as compared to the other keys. this key is making all the problem. when i took it to the servivce centre they told me that the phone was fine. but how can i make them understand that it has the problem.. and it comes on regular use. the thing is that sensitive keys are named the same so that just a feather touch can make the key function. but one key just dosent have it... it is a manufacturing defect.. i want to go for a replacement.. rather than repairing ... how can i convince them that this is a problem i think you understand pleese reply soon help me!!
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Reviewed by VICTOR from LONDON on 14th Apr 2008
BULL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Reviewed by H.W from England on 13th Apr 2008
I Hate this phone. i have it on contract and for only about 4 months now. it keeps turning off on me and overheats when it charges. The camera is okai but no flash. Yeah okai good memory if you get a memory card. It needs to be louder if your going to listen to music. I Cant Wait To Get A New One This Phone Is Pathetttic!!!!!!
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Reviewed by BOBBY SIMPSON from AMERICa on 2nd Apr 2008
I THINK IT IS SO SLIM,FULL OF TECHNOLOGY AND LOVELY IN SILVER!
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Reviewed by PH from uk on 31st Mar 2008
Hey there every1! I can see that u must b wanting a new phone or just having a browse! Well u have come 2 the right place! Don't even think about guys, JUST BUY THIS AMAZING PHONEEEEE!!!!! :P:P:P:P Well you asking 'what's so great about this phone?' And the answer to that question is 'it has loads of amazing features! The keys are great and easy to use depending on the size of your fingers! It has a great camrea in good light! Blue tooth! If u have poor eye sight there is a special zoom on messages to read messages up close!!! :D The battery life is pretty great! And the memory is absolutely fab and 4 a person like me its amazing because i want to store lots of photos and i like to keep messages(like a kinda dairy!) and i don't have to bother with messages popping up say 'your memory is full!' The mp3 on its amazing to with good sound that goes really loud! And best of all you can personalise your phone with your own background (e.g. flowers, Your cat, boyfriend/girlfriend,family,friends! You can get it in 2 different colours 2!! Great!' And now your thinking 'are there any down side to this phone' and i reply 'well i would be nit picking to find many bad points about this mobile, the battery life could be better and not a flash 4 the camrea and the touch pad can be slightly annoying but you do get used to it i promise' And compare the to with good and bad comments and there are far more good ones! SO GET SAMSUNG E840 IT WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN AT ALL TRUST ME!I appreciated kathie's comment but sadly we both have completely different points of view! AMAZING PHONE! basically!
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Reviewed by kathie from uk on 26th Mar 2008
worst phone i have ever owned, battery life is as good as useless, don't believe the sales pitch. stopped charging altogether and when returned to samsung they tried to charge for the repair even though it is only 6 months old, they still have it and they are welcome to keep it. bad phone worse company!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Reviewed by et from uk on 21st Mar 2008
This phone is the best phone i have ever had! I got it a while a go and so far it has not let me down once! If i could change something about this phone it would be the battery life! I have the pink version of the phone and as soon as the guy in the shop showed it 2 me, i loved it!The screen is fab and the camrea is great but a bit of a let down at night...It has a good feel. I love the mirror effect so i can check my hair if i don't have a pocket mirror! hehe! The touch keys are great but i sum times ring ppl by mistake...but that's not a major problem. The music player is fab! I the memory is absolutely amazing!!!!! u can have up 2 1000 messages on it! Its amazing, love it! trust me, its really good and any1 who says it does not work properly is just not working it properly! LOVE IT :P
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Reviewed by Kt from England on 4th Mar 2008
I love this phone its the best i have ever had! i got this phone a month ago and nothing has gone wrong SO far, the battery life could be a little longer but it doesnt really bother me. This phone also looks amazing i have it in pink and as soon as i saw it i knew i just had to have it. the screen is really really good and so is the camera! Unlike the samsung e250 it feels like a real phone not plasticy (like samsung e250) A good solid feel. The mirror effect is really handy to. The touch buttons wernt a problem 2 me apart from the fact i keep accidently ringing people which is a bit of a pain. The music player is amazing i didnt think it would be that good i have got 8 songs on my phone and i can still put more on and it can go really loud to. This phone is amazing and i recomend this to anyone (with small fingers)
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Reviewed by jay ashcroft from liverpool on 3rd Mar 2008
i have a samsung e840 and it has started to turn its self of after just 6 months
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Reviewed by tracey from england on 3rd Mar 2008
Ok phone but mine stopped charging and had to be replaced,starting to get dodgy to charge again would not recomend this samsung other models i have had been better
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Reviewed by Erinn from Scotland on 29th Feb 2008
I Havee Had This Phone 4 months now.. been great i got a memory card and i had a about 80 songs on it. Millions of pictures aswell. Until A Couple of days Ago It Stopped Charging. Cann Anyone Help ?
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Reviewed by Yara from The Netherlands on 29th Feb 2008
wauw, this phone is amazing! i'm really happy with it, i used to have a motorola but i like samsung better. I would say ;but this phone and enjoyy :D in het nederlands is hetlekker leukerder
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Reviewed by Jodie from UK on 22nd Feb 2008
nice phone scratches really easy bit wider than other phones, the charger input is on the side which is really stupid other than that its good no problems with it at all
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Reviewed by Red from USA on 15th Feb 2008
Absolutely brilliant! Never gone wrong even though iv dropped it hundreds of times no scratches either! Love it
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Reviewed by janice from uk on 3rd Feb 2008
absolutely gorgeous phone !! you can find it under £100 on payg which is a real bargain. ok, so the battery isnt too great but it does have radio, excellent music player, 2mp camera, nice browser and a good display. definitely one of the sexiest lookin phones of all time !!!
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Reviewed by nithya from india on 21st Jan 2008
bad model awkward camera clarity gets heated touch screen is bad
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Reviewed by Kari from Australia on 21st Jan 2008
At first the touch buttons were quite confusing but after just a day getting to know this phone you get to love it! The battery has been fine and I've been messing with the settings and playing games and running media player all day. Now, the camera, its a phone peoples. Not a fully fledged camera. If you want a phone with flash & mega pixels and macro get an actual camera, not a phone! And if people are having problems with their slider they've obviously dropped it or pushed it too hard or forced it. Just give it a nudge and let it sliiiide. As for its looks... I fell in love at first sight. It's beautiful. For me, it's the perfect phone.
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Reviewed by ashish rathod from india on 11th Jan 2008
mobile is to good but service is to poor
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Reviewed by Alaina from USA on 5th Jan 2008
I tottaly love this phone! THe only concern I would have about it is the INternet/Browser takes to long to get to, and I have been sitting here for hours trying to figure out how to change the ringtone! CAn somebody help?
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Reviewed by Steven Murray from U.K on 3rd Jan 2008
I thiink it is a great phone but has not got the best camera lacking a flash.Needs charged every day bluetooth is faulty. Other than that a good mid range phone!
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Reviewed by kelly from england on 30th Dec 2007
first of all forget wot evryone else has said, because this phone is superb, i charged my phone all niht and it lasted 2 weeks the camera is brill and its clear its good 4 taking snapshots the only downside is that it hasnt got a flash but you can live with it. secondly the music player is excellent and its easy to put songs on there from the pc. also it looks and feels great its a stunner and its got a mirror like screen so you can look at yourself whenever lol. lastly if you think that this phone seems good then buy it because at the end of the day you either love it or hate it if you like touch screen buttons and good looking phones then buy it. p.s i love it and its just right 4 me
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Reviewed by Sarah from England!!! on 27th Dec 2007
i Got This Phone Today And i Already LOVE IT. it Not Only Looks GAWJUS But The Touch Sentisive Keys Are Much Easier To Use Than The Lg Chocolate's And The E900's And its Just Basicly PHABB!!!! :O
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Reviewed by Aimee from England on 25th Dec 2007
Got this phone 4 xmas 2day. Have had it less than two hours and already it needs to be replaced cause the touch-screen buttons wont work. I was expecting a lot more. I am going 2 get the same phone again but will not be buying with samsung again. But it does look great and ultra-stylish
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Reviewed by dan from England on 9th Dec 2007
the phone is great however there are some points that let it down. I have been using samsung mobiles for about 3 years now and have had other touch sensitive samsungs (e900) but the buttons on this seen to be less responsive than those on the E900. although the phone does look great the camera is very poor quality and i don't feel that it is 2 mp as i have had 3 other 2 mp phones from samaung and this is very poor, the resolution seemed similar to the extremely out dated VGA cameras not impressed. as for all these comments saying the phone hangs up due to the sensitive buttons is rubbish because the phone locks the keypad when making a call so the buttons are not even active unless you make them so really that is their faults not the phones over all i think it is a average phone but if phone not the best from samsung oh and also battery poor even for a slimline phone has to be charged every other day.
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Reviewed by eva from uk on 8th Dec 2007
Absolutely gorgeous!! What more can i say. Looks absolutely stunning and feels great in the hand. The screen is amazing and didnt take me long to get used to the touch sensitive keys. Not the best camera out there but packs in an impressive feature set for a phone this slim with fm radio, cool music player and great video playback. If fashion phone's your thing then you definitely won't regret getting this.
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Reviewed by punch from jamaica on 30th Nov 2007
worst phone ever, the e900 is better than it by far, samsung is still the number one phone company, thumbs up SAMSUNG
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Reviewed by shaun from england on 23rd Nov 2007
The worst phone i have ever owned bar none. The touch buttons are rubbish and end the call because of the heat from your cheek,and the functions are cumbersome and way more complicated than needed. Dont even start on the battery life or signal reception !
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Reviewed by danny from u.k on 18th Nov 2007
This phone is great,looks great and feels great too. The tec on it is realy outstanding 2.0m cam is fab mp3 sound is totaly good, and even the vidio sound and view is also ooutstanding. Ive got to say i am a samsung freak, i love the way they look also the slide tones lol. If u are thinking off getting one off these phones then go ahead nothing rong with them just the. p.s when fully chared its lasts 4 days with mp3 being used and other thing .
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Reviewed by Sophie from England on 15th Nov 2007
Ive had this phone for about 4 months now & it's not as good as i thought it was going to be. The touch buttons don't work that good & the slide wobbles everytime its pushed up. Poor phone & if i was able to get a new one i would.
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Reviewed by Vicky from Portugal on 9th Nov 2007
awful sound, text is a nightmare.
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Reviewed by al101 from united kingdom on 5th Nov 2007
ive had this phone for a while it is the bestest phone that i have ever had. good memory,games and camera and radio 10/10. a nice slim touch sensitive phone which is a brilliant value for money. WELL DONE SAMSUNG 10/10
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Reviewed by Denny from UK on 2nd Nov 2007
WoW, really impressed. Another great phone by samsung and it FEELS and WEIGHS exactly RIGHT!!!! the best and slimmest fone ever! highly recommended
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Reviewed by JANETTE from NORTHYORKSHIRE on 29th Oct 2007
BEST PHONE IVE EVER HAD.....THE TOUCH BUTTONS ARE EASY TO USE...I LOVE IT
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Reviewed by Sophie from Scotland on 24th Oct 2007
ive had this phone for 2 months but it stopped charging! Orange were really helpfull and sent a replacment and i got it the day after speaking to them! the 2nd 1 seems fine now so hopefully nothing will happen 2 it!
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Reviewed by Cory Harrison from Jamaica Kingston on 21st Oct 2007
the lots have failed to realize this phone is the thinnst in the world and obviously so expected features would have been minimised as its more features to fit in less fone....so dnt expect to c flash jus yet prob in the next thin slider for now the tech isnt there so stop all your complaining obviously with a smaller fone they had to cut back on battery so cmon ppl im sure the fone has exceeded your expectations as the thinnest slider in the world..honestly i cant wait to c the next great phone samsungs going to come with....im getting my e840 on the weekend ive read alot and im really excited...i have one prob with samsung though...THEY DONT LET YOU PERSONALIZE YOUR FONES AS U WOULD LIKE...ericson keep it up samsung u need to work on that..anyway good fone samsung keep up the great designs
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Reviewed by Liam from England on 20th Oct 2007
This is one great phone, looks good and is good. The camera excellent 2 mega pixels just what I need. Also this phone is not a must money as the U600 or the G600. Overall an excellent phone, well worth the money.
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Reviewed by Terry from england on 7th Oct 2007
Not impressed with this phone. It is advertised as battery life of 15 days which is a big joke, have to recharge it every other day and that is without using features like camera and music! I have replaced the phone, battery and charger and it is still the same- i am getting very fed up with it! It accidentally makes calls far too easily, and texting is not easy. On the positive size it looks good but for all the other hassle it just isn't worth it,do yourseld a favour and don't buy it!
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Reviewed by Demitrius from France on 6th Oct 2007
This is a great mobile phone, and it looks superb. The features are great too.
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Reviewed by joe from canada on 4th Oct 2007
wow! this phone is amazing! i have ahd the samsung u600 and the samsung d900. and this must be the sexiest! it is defenitely the slimmest! the touch sensetive buttons are not over sensetive like the u600! sold that one after a week1 on the e840 i have yet to press the button by a mistake! the camera is actually pretty good and i went down from a 3.2 mp camera to this. and accept fro at night this camera takes amazing pictures! it has all the featuress the u600 has which is more then the d900 and it has a sexier look then them all. i love it!
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Reviewed by Ish from India on 30th Sep 2007
good phone. i have bee using it since one month. i find no problem with the touch sensitive button. yes the left top button (MENU)plays games at times. but it is not a major problem. battery lasts for three days with moderate use.it is a phone for those who know how to handle gadgets sensibly. not for tyros and rough users.
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Reviewed by tom from england on 30th Sep 2007
this phone is a reall dissapointment! i bourght this thinking good features stylish and wicked but the extra wide look is very annoying to use. also the keepad is hurrendous the 2 megapixel camera is below average in my oppinion as it does not inclued an led photo light or flash auto focus should of been considered the large colour screen with mirror is ok but it gets a bit annoying when you think it is off or you cant find it sliding it up can also be rather stiff but over all i would say this phone is below average i will probably swap it for a sony ericsson K800i or samsung G600 tom harrison england, essex
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Reviewed by bayy chuckle from uk on 29th Sep 2007
i have had this phone 4 a week and it has so far not fulfilled my needs. the 2 megapixle camera is dodgy and i think auto focus should of been applied also the battery lifew is poor and the Mp3 sound quility disgraceful, i am now going to the shops tommorow snd replacing it with a samsung G600
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Reviewed by ant from england on 27th Sep 2007
awful camera dosent work or bluetooth
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