Samsung
S500i Review
Phone rating: 
Review:
March 2006. Updated April 2009.
The Samsung S500i is an i-mode phone available
exclusively on O2. i-mode is a replacement for WAP, and is a much
better way of accessing the internet from a mobile phone. It offers
fast access to a range of websites and to e-mail. You
can get
a list of i-mode websites here - the list is suprisingly large
even at launch.
The
S500i is a clamshell phone and is much better than the S400i.
For a start, the capabilities of the phone are much better - there's
a 1.3 megapixel camera with video recorder, an MP3 player with stereo
external speakers, support for stereo Bluetooth headsets and external
controls, and a high resolution TFT display with 262k colours. Bluetooth
and USB connectivity are supported. The memory is fantastic, with
80 Mbytes of internal memory plus an expandable TransFlash memory
card - perfect for storing MP3 tracks and videos. The battery life
isn't that great, but that's the only downside. The looks of the
S500i are cool too - very Darth Vader! The S500i is probably the
best of the initial batch of i-mode phones and is recommended.
Features
of the Samsung S500i include:
- 1.3 megapixel camera with flash
- Video recording
- Internal display: TFT, 262,000 colours, 240
x 320 pixels
- External display: OLED, 64,000 colours, 96 x
96 pixels
- MP3 player (MP3/AAC format)
- Stereo external speakers
- Support for stereo Bluetooth headset
- 64-voice polyphonic ringtones / AAC & MP4
ringtones
- Messaging: SMS, MMS, E-mail
- Connectivity: Bluetooth, USB
- Memory: 80 Mbytes plus TransFlash card
- GPRS
- Triband
- Vibration alert
- Size: 91 x 47 x 23 mm
- Weight: 98g
- Talktime: 3 hours
- Battery standby: 190 hours
Samsung S500i 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 89 reviews: 
Reviewed by hamdy hamed from egypt on
15th Aug 2008
wonderful
Rating:  Reply Reviewed by Hannah from England on
16th Jul 2008
This phone is so UGLY!,, Its really annoying that you cant use mp3
songs as ringtones but its not that bad,, Nothing is great about
this phone its just about ok,, Its really chunky,, The quality of
the videos n recordings are rubbish,,
Rating:  Reply Reviewed by Billy from UK on
29th Feb 2008
Had this phone for 2 years now and its great, very reliable. Only
downside is that the battery life is pretty poor but other than
that its perfect. Looks very smart too.
Rating: Reply Reviewed by mark from scotland on
6th Feb 2008
go on www.nchsoftware.com and go on audio convertors and download
it for free. really good. covert it to acc
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Tracy from Northern Ireland
on 27th Jan 2008
A good phone however I would appreciate it f someone could tell
me how to convert the MP3s to iTunes so they can be used as ringtones.
Thanks
Rating: Reply Reviewed by DB from Ireland on
10th Jan 2008
Probably the best phone I've used, despite some minor quirks. If
you want to use MP3s as your ringtone, use iTunes to convert.
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Robbie from UK on
1st Jan 2008
Good phone this one. Had it for almost 2 years now and not had any
problems at all until the last couple of weeks. It's only happened
a couple of times but I've found that the phone has turned itself
off and back on and reset the wallpaper. Only other problems with
it are the battery life is pretty poor (charge every other night)
after a couple of months and you can't use mp3s as ringtones or
message alerts. Other than these points it's been a great phones
for me and would recommend it to anyone if they want to use it for
talking, texting and taking the odd picture now again. 8/10
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Daniel from Nigeria on
27th Dec 2007
The battery doesn't last
Rating:  Reply Reviewed by thomas pickard from united
kingdom on 22nd Dec 2007
i pretty much like this fone! it's got a good camera-with a flash+and
is pretty good all around. but the only thing is that it is pretty
dang ulgy.
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Josh Hailes from England
on 25th Oct 2007
Great phone, had it a year now. not really bothered about the MP3
ringtones, i just use itunes. very good phone. the camera lets it
down a bit. you have to wait 3 seconds after pressing the button
before it takes the picture and when it does come out, unless you
have rock steady hands, it blurs. i suggest taking a 1 second video
instead. much better quality. the imode is a bit naff as it isn't
really the internet. great phone otherwise 8.5/10.0
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Dec from Uk on 4th
Oct 2007
I had this phone and it's brilliant, bar the inability to set mp3's
as ringtones (u have to convert to AAC or MP4 and the lack of a
widescreen feature during playback. The phone itself is quite solid
and withstood quite a beating in the time i had it (over a year
- fell down stairs, off landings, onto concrete and marble surfaces
etc;) it is also quite water tight in the sense that it can be used
in a steamed up area. (THIS DOES NOT MEAN DROP IT INTO WATER) the
memory @ 80mb is brilliant and the pictures are top quality as is
the sound capture on videos recorded. It is genuinely a great phone
for anyone who is looking for a small clamshell phone with the ability
to do all the available processes on the market today and at a cheap
price. It serves it's purpose and the screen itself has easy legibilty
during menu searching and txt messaging.
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Conor Moran from Ireland
on 23rd Aug 2007
This is a class phone.
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Matt from UK on 19th
Aug 2007
Great phone, but needs charging every other day if not every day.
Also the video player can't play full screen its tiny why can't
it play in full widescreen mode? :(
Rating: Reply Reviewed by ???? from uk on 6th
Jun 2007
its a horrible fne!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rating: Reply Reviewed by P from Nz on 26th
May 2007
Cool
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Simon from Scotland on
29th Apr 2007
Hi, i have only recently had this fone for a few weeks and have
found it very reliable. All the features are great and the camera
is exellent! the biggest problem i am a having is the ringtones,
no matter what i seem to do i can't get my MP3s set as my tones,
the fone itself doesnt have the options (as far as i can tell, but
my knolege is limited) could someone please send me a step-by-step
walk through of how 2 set this up? if you can could u please send
it to simongoody@msn.com, thanks!
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Caroline from Ireland on
25th Apr 2007
I had a samsung S500i an I loved it to bits! ! mp3,graphics - excellent
my only fault was that the battery life was very bad! !it was the
hole time attached to the charger, wouldn't mind that tho! ! i sent
it away an it was a bit better but it didn't last long after that!
! Moisture damage r summat! ! i miss it sooo much! ! ! i love that
phone! ! ! had to recycle it! ! m still broken hearted! ! :( o ancan't
use mp3's as ringtones!
Rating: Reply Reviewed by steven griffiths from uk
on 15th Apr 2007
great phone i have ha it for over 1 year now,and you can change
mp3,s to ringtones use itunes.
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Simon Fraser from Scotland
on 11th Apr 2007
Great phone does all it says it will do but spends most of the time
attached to the charger
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Morgan Opie from England
on 23rd Mar 2007
If you were considering buying the S500i, then don't. The issues
i have with it are the following. - i have had the fone fone for
less than a year and i have had 2 replacements already because the
fone keeps freezing and gets stuck ont he start up screen. I can
no longer turn off the phone because i fear it wont come back on.
- Secondly the black varnish ont he sides wears away with in days
of purchase. -The memopry size is shocking, i got a usb pen that
holds more. -The alround quality looks good but dnt be led on by
samsung, i think this is there worse phone yet, however there other
fones are outstanding.
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Amir Shehzad from Pakistan
on 20th Mar 2007
Sir, I have phone S500i. I found it excellient. specification is
good but one draw back is its ring volume that is very slow. So
please improve its ring volume and second thing is that it's booklet
should be also in English. I found its English version even from
internet but failed. I have french book of this mobile. Thanks &
Regards.
Rating: Reply Reviewed by kayleigh from scotland!!!
on 18th Mar 2007
i lk it bt you cant use any of your Mp3s as your ring tone
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Tom from UK on 20th
Feb 2007
If you were considering buying the S500i, then don't. The issues
i have with it are the following. - i have had the fone fone for
less than a year and i have had 2 replacements already because the
fone keeps freezing and gets stuck ont he start up screen. I can
no longer turn off the phone because i fear it wont come back on.
- Secondly the black varnish ont he sides wears away with in days
of purchase. -The memopry size is shocking, i got a usb pen that
holds more. -The alround quality looks good but dnt be led on by
samsung, i think this is there worse phone yet, however there other
fones are outstanding.
Rating: Reply Reviewed by bilal ahmad from pakistan
on 15th Feb 2007
i see samsung s500i and i use it i like so much i get information
about s500i mobile then my friend told me i purshace it from dubai
that is not pakistani modal then my hard broken by my friend. it
is so stalish and coolest mobile i want use it i m already samsung
user in this time i use samsung x120 it is also cool and stalish
mobile.
Rating: Reply Reviewed by B from England on
14th Feb 2007
this phone is good. one this though dose anyone know how to foward
songs?
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Kate from Britain on
8th Feb 2007
Ive not had this phone for a year yet, but already it has serious
issues. The black glossy varnish is almost all scratched off from
the sides (altho this is only vanity really), at times it refuses
to receieve or send text messages, it turns itself off when certain
people ring me, the buttons have got confused and when pressing
one, it thinks you are pressing another, it distorts when you are
talking to people on it, and the battery life is horrendous. Its
very unreliable, and ive had to start carrying around my old D500,
for those times when this one refuses to work. The problem is that
other than that, i actually really like this phone, it's attractive,
it's a good size, and the features are really really good. I would
buy this phone with caution, and if you have it - be gentle with
it!
Rating: Reply Reviewed by ryan from scotland on
16th Jan 2007
its ryan again well i wouldnt be selling the phone to a friend now
cause the screen broke and half the buttons came out.i think this
is the only samsung phone built like a nokia...to last a couple
of months.
Rating: Reply Reviewed by jo from uk on 13th
Jan 2007
love the phone use itunes to convert your mp3 to AAC it then saves
in music and you can use it as a ringtone or caller id :o)
Rating: Reply Reviewed by ryan from scotland on
7th Jan 2007
i have had this phone for 7 months now and i am selling it to a
friend.I would keep the phone if you could set mp3 as a rinetone.that
does seem daft but before i had this phone i had the E900 which
was the best phone in the world i had to send it back cause of the
network vodafone(never use them)i couldnt get a signal After the
E900 i wanted another samsung and the s500i jumped out to me i didnt
want another phone and when i made my mind up i can't change it
lol.Just to annoy me my big brother got the E900 cause i said it
was the best best phone ever.but anyway the s5001 would be the best
phone in the world if you could set mp3's as a rinetone and you
didnt have to use preset message tones
Rating: Reply Reviewed by charlie from uk on
29th Dec 2006
I used to have this phone before i lost it sadly. i dont no why
people complain about it not having mp3 ringtones. it should as
mine did come with a cd which allows you to convert your mp3 song
into an AAC format which you can then have as your ringtone. in
someways this is annoying (due to time to set up) but it lets choose
a certain part of the song as your ringtone so thats pretty good.
this is one of the few new(ish!) phones i find that allows you to
text quickly as it doesnt have any fancy keypad technology. this
phone also feels quite robust as i have dropped it numerous times
and yet it still lives strong! the only reason this has a 4 star
rating for me is that i find the camera to slow to react which seems
silly as whats the point of having the convienence if its not quick!
and lastly the fact that the phone can not vibrate and ring at the
same time seems strange, because if you are out and about in a busy
place you kinda need both so you no that your phones going off!
Rating: Reply Reviewed by cool from Canada on
19th Dec 2006
thes phone is the best 1 and it looks very niceand the quality of
the camera is rael good too
Rating: Reply Reviewed by CHRIS WARD from ENGLAND
on 8th Nov 2006
THIS IS A REALLY POOR PHONE FOR SEVERAL REASONS. YOU CAN'T SET MP3
TRACKS AS RINGTONES. VERY POOR BATTERY LIFE, SAMSUNG SENT ME A NEW
BATTERY COS I THOUGHT MINE WAS FAULTY BUT THE NEW 1 WAS JUST AS
BAD. RUBBISH CAMERA AND VIDEO RECORDER. EVERYTIME I DOWNLOAD A MP4
VIDEO THE PHONE WON'T LET ME PLAY IT. YOU HAVE TO HAVE A PRESET
MESSAGE ALERT. YOU CAN'T HAVE RINGING AND VIBRATING AT THE SAME
TIME. I'M NEVER BUYING SAMSUNG AGAIN, PLEASE DON'T BUY THIS PHONE
IT DOESN'T DESERVE TO EXIST.
Rating: Reply Reviewed by S500i ex-owner from UK on
29th Oct 2006
I had this phone for 10months on an o2 contract. The phone was good
even though there were a few flaws with it. The battery life was
poor to begin with but then i did not turn it on/off while charging
or use it while charging and it appeared to get better (still only
2days life). Pros - Stylish, Easy to use, Function full. Cons -
Ringtone changes at will, no mp3 ringtones (only AAC), camera shutter
slow, NOT WATER PROOF. I got soaked in the english rain and my phone
thought it was on charge constantly but then when i wanted to charge
it would not. Now i have to wait for o2 to send me a new phone on
insurence so im getting a Samsung z320i for 2 months and then a
sony Ericson w810i (because they are amazing).
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Sypha from England on
22nd Oct 2006
Had this phone for a few days now and I must says its fantastic.
It has all the features you would want in a phone with its 1.3 megapixel
camera, bluetooth, mp3 player and expandable memory. Its also very
user friendly (I haven't even read the manual yet), as is the pc
software. The fact that you cant set mp3's as a ringtone isn't really
a big issue and they can be easily converted to aac format using
switch or itunes. All in all the is a superb phone and has everything
to keep you entertained, this is a great buy! P.S. The battery life
isn't as bad as everyone makes it out to be.
Rating: Reply Reviewed by SWIV from England on
30th Sep 2006
Would say this was a good phone with all the gadgets and gizmos
you need. Battery life is great and the video's are great quality.
MP3 player is ace although more memory should be on the phone. The
sleek black exterior is brilliant.
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Reema from United Kingdom
on 9th Sep 2006
From my point of veiw, I would say that what attracted me to this
phone is it's wonderful design.... It looks very easy to use and
the keypad is soft. It also comes with blue tooth which is a great
benefit. I think the price is very good cause it has 1.3 mega pixel
and compared to the Nokia 6111, the price is very fair..... I was
planning to get the S400i but now I have changed my mind and have
set my eyes on the smooth style S500i..... It's a good choice.....
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Dave from Germany on
1st Sep 2006
It's Alright
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Eva from Ireland on
11th Aug 2006
This phone is not very user friendly. The manual is not clear.I
am having problems sending songs to the phone. I have followed the
first few steps, as outlined by emily from uk on 2nd Jun 2006 but
the music track did not end up in the'MUSIC' folder of the phone.
It was in a folder called 'OTHER'. Could somebody please help me?
I want to import songs into the phone so that I can use the MP3
player. I would very much appreciate if somebody could outline the
steps, one by one. Thanks.
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Moose from UK on
8th Aug 2006
Loved this phone to start with (the love affair is over) it was
an upgrade from my lovely Nokia 7200 (which I will keep forever
and treasure. I was told by sales person that it would convert me
from a Nokia fan, Trust me it hasn't - I can wait till I upgrade
in 2 months! There some very irritating things about this phone,
all of which have been mentioned in other reviews but especially
– MP3’s can’t be used as ringtones - you can convert
them using the software which is supplied with the phone, but the
file size has to be so small you end up hacking your tune into smaller
and smaller bits (sounding like name that tune) or have a really
poor quality track. You can't have it vibrate and ring at the same
time – vibrate then ring, vibrate or ring but never the twain
shall meet. Yes it has the ‘imode’ function but you
can’t access the usual websites for ringtones etc, and I never
use it. It has upset my nephew because it has no Games on it. The
external display displays your missed calls and messages for a couple
of seconds then disappear, any screen savers or pictures you want
on the external display are only displayed for a couple of seconds
after you close the phone – what use is that? All in all my
verdict – roll on upgrade; I’m going back to Nokia!
- if you'll have me back?
Rating: Reply Reviewed by ryan from england on
15th Jul 2006
the phone is mint i thnks 2 the people who helped me figure how
to get mp3's as a ringtone.i would give this phone 5 stars but 1
problem, the battery life is not long ans as i listen to music quite
alot it does not help but stil i recomend u to get this phone
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Stephen Kellett from England
on 12th Jul 2006
I have had my phone now for 7 months, and im reasonably happy. It
has everything a phone should have in regards to features, but there
are a few downsides. One is the battery life - I find this to be
pretty poor if you use bluetooth, or the MP3 player/video player.
You can end up charging it every day. Another poor side is the midi
ringtones - how quiet are these? I have missed several calls outside
due to not hearing it, and also not seeing the missed calls on the
outer screen is a drag too. Now as setting AAC files as ringtones,
there is NO limit to the filesize as it says in the instruction
book. I have a 3.1MB m4a file as it says as my tone, all you have
to do is go into file manager, then music, and press options over
the file, then set as, and then you can easily select it as ringtone.
So you can have a decent MP3 quality tone hooray! I would give 5
stars but you cannot change the cheesy message tones, so it loses
a star.
Rating: Reply Reviewed by brownie from scotland on
18th Jun 2006
i love the phone,just got it 5days ago,i had the e720 previously,great
phone,neways i cant receive any picture messages,all it says is
incompatible message format,can anyone help me sort this problem?
Rating: Reply Reviewed by bri from uk on 14th
Jun 2006
I CANT STAND THIS PHONE. the video quality is awful. the i-mode
doesn't work. the video memory almost doesnt exist, i shouldnt NEED
a memory card. i have had this phone for 5 days and i simply cannot
bear it any longer i am sending it back today. whats more i can't
figure out how i can switch all my contacts from phone to sim instead
of one by one. DO NOT BUY THIS PHONE
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Andy from UK on 14th
Jun 2006
Just got this phone a few days ago, and overall its a nice one.
Looks sharp and stylish, great screen quality, and the usual samsung
easy menu navigation. Loads of features, mp3, camera, video, voice
recorder, etc. Few niggles though... 1) Battery life is terrible.
Last about 2 days max with very little use, lasts about 1 day max
if you fiddle with the camera, mp3, or just play with the settings.
2) The external screen allows you to choose either photo, wallpaper,
or whatever. I like the inbuilt analogue clocks BUT this only displays
if you hold the up/down external arrow keys, or flip open the phone
and close again. THEN dissapears after about 5 seconds! What is
the point of that?? Surely if you can have wallpaper on the outside
screen, it should remain visable all the time shouldn't it? 3) The
USB driver issue is REALLY starting to get me down. In winxp, the
phone is found, but windows says it cannot find the drivers for
it, and fails to load any. Others have said windows says 'This driver
has not passed windows verification and you should not continue'.
For those that get that, just go ahead and install (continue anyway
button) it will not harm your PC or your phone, this is a fairly
common windows thing. Any ideas on the outside screen issue anyone?
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Fez from Uk on 9th
Jun 2006
pretty decent phone has loads of features, had problems with the
music ringtone until i read other peoples reviews, there are a couple
of bad things about it, imode itsn't that great and costs loads,
picture messages are a pain and the main thing that annoys me is
you can use other features whilst your listening to music... i mean
i could do that on a nokia 3300 which i had years ago....
Rating: Reply Reviewed by jean from uk on 3rd
Jun 2006
Just bought this phone today and think it is brill, it only takes
a few seconds to convert an mp3 to aac using itunes to use as a
ringtone i am using a full song as a ringtone which is bigger than
300kb, has for connecting the phone to the pc with the usb cable
simply install all the software from the cd then turn off the phone,
connect the cable to the phone and pc then turn the phone on, windows
might say found new hardware a few times just keep pressing ok with
the cd still in the drive and it should work
Rating: Reply Reviewed by emily from uk on
2nd Jun 2006
okay so i just figured out the ringtone thing. i'll spell it out,
step by step for all you confused people. first, download iTunes
from the internet. second, in iTunes, click 'file' and then select
'add file to library'. find the file on your computer that you want
as a ringtune, and click open. it should automatically convert it
to AAC, but if it doesn't, then right click and select 'convert
to AAC'. some songs are protected and cannot be converted. if this
is the case - pick another song!! once you've done that, using the
software that came with the phone, send the song to your phone in
the 'MUSIC' folder. i'm not even going to try explaining this part.
figure it out. :P now, on your phone, go to 'file manager'. notice
this part. 'file manager' NOT NOT NOT 'settings'. go into 'music'.
your song should be there. click 'options', and then scroll down
to 'set as' and click. select item 2 'ringtone'. congratulations,
it will now play as your ringtone. note - if you try to select your
song through 'settings' then it will tell you the file is too large.
if you select it through file manager, it automatically only plays
the first 20 seconds or so. so pick a song with a good beginning.
i hope this answers a few questions.
Rating: Reply Reviewed by MollyW from UK on
2nd Jun 2006
I need very clear text messages due to visual impairment. This phone
doesn't do them. The script is fine and I could not read it. Tried
to alter it but couldn't. Asked the experts in the shop. they said
it wasn't possible. Don't get this phone if you have visual problems.
Rating: Reply Reviewed by alextait from uk on
28th May 2006
For anyone out there who has got the samsung s500i and cant get
the music ringtones work ive managed to get my working. I converted
the mp3 file in itunes (which on a mac you hold control button and
click on the song you want and the opition to convert to aac)send
to phone and then go into the file manager, music folder, selection
song the song click optioins then select set as ringtone or you
can set different songs to indiviual callers (caller id) It won't
work though if you go into sound settings, incoming call. Once I
got that sorted I was well chuffed the camera is brilliant and setting
pictures for caller ids is great to. I loved the E700 and this is
a more uptodate version. Bluetooth works a treat and thye screen
is amazing quality. I even like the font that everyone else seems
to hate its modern and clean!
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Ade from UK on 19th
May 2006
Putting the MP3 ringtone thing to one side even though it is a backward
step not to be able to use them as ringtones. There is another major
problem with the Imode mms pictures with this phone. Depending on
what phone has sent you a picture message you will find that when
you try and view it in your mms inbox it will enlarge the picture
so much that you will only be able to see the top lefthand corner
of it. If this happens the only way you can view it true size is
to save it to the phones folder and then go and view it there. I
have spent a lot of time on the phone to O2 and they finally admited
that Samsung has got something wrong with the software on this phone
and you should be able to view any pic from any phone in the mms
inbox without saving it. Its such a shame that both O2 and Samsung
have released a phone on to the market without testing it out first.
As this is the second Samsung I have found a major fault on ( last
one was E770 ) it seems that they are slipping down the Nokia road,
but I do hope not.
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Amanda Simms from UK on
18th May 2006
I love this phone had bit of problem getting mp3 tones on till I
figured out that downloading Itunes and converting the mp3s then
transfering them into the music file lets you select them I was
well pleased. I have had several different models of phones and
this is the best to date.
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Nikki from England on
17th May 2006
the phone itsef is quite cool, although there are a couple of things
that really annoy me about it. first, you can't see when you've
got a missed call from the outside of the phone, which causes some
problems. also, the most rubbish thing is that u cant have mp3's
as your ring tone...gnarls barkely will have to be neglected :(
bring back my D500! i wish now i upgraded to the D600...so be warned!
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Martin foster from uk on
14th May 2006
Great phone, battery life no problem, most batteries should be on
charge at night if not in use. Ring tones, anyone wishing to convert
mp3 to mp4 go and download Switch, its only a trial, but it will
impress. The data cable makes it great for getting music and photos
on the phone, even much easier than bluetooth. Happy ringing.
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Seb from England on
12th May 2006
Had this phone for a few months now, and a few things really annoy
me about it, firstly that you cant set it to vibrate and ring at
the same time, also about the fact that it doesnt display missed
calls on the external screen. But mostly its the mp3's as ringtones,
sure you can convert it to aac to be able to use it as a ringtone,
but once this is done, the file needs to be under 300kb in size
to be compatible, so you either have to have really short ringtones,
or really poor quality ones. I wish i had my d500 back...
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Hannah from England on
11th May 2006
Upgraded my D500 for this phone and not too impressed with it really.
One thing that really bugs me about it is the fact that you dont
know you have a missed call until you open the flip screen. This
has caused a few problems. Also have found that the camera tends
to take pictures whilst in my bag as there is a button for the camera
on the side. The battery life is rubbish too, needs charging every
night. On the more positive side the ringtones are pretty cool and
i like the blue display on the outer screen, one other thing i cant
quite work out is how to send picture messages as you have to do
it through i-mode! Trying to look for another phone, anyone have
any suggestions??!
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Katie from England on
8th May 2006
PLEASE BE WARNED!!! I brought this phone 3 days ago and the usb
cable wouldnt connect to the computer, i see quite a few people
have had the same problem. The phone itself is pretty smart and
i was very impressed,pitty about the software that came with it
tho!!!!
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Andrew Yarrick from Scotland
on 8th May 2006
the only thing wrong with this phone is i cant put files from my
pc on to my phone cause the usb driver dont work with my pc
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Matt from Scotland on
1st May 2006
This phone has everything!! The camera has great quality but the
only problem is that when u take a picture it has a delay of about
2 seconds, so if you click to take a photo and move the camera within
2 seconds it takes that picture. That and you cant set MP3s as your
ringtone are the only bad things about it!! EVERYTHING ELSE IS CLASSSSSSSSSSSS
:D
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Liam from England on
30th Apr 2006
This phone has a great image, great features, and so on, but battery
life is terrible. standby, about 4 days, actual usage, about 10
hours, seriously. it has skins, which beats the z500, but the z500
is in the smae price range is miles better. i ahve had both and
the 6230i, and to be honest, 6230i wins. z500 has better image and
features of s500i, but dont be fooled by i-mode as its rubbish and
expensive. Z500 is the key
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Jan from UK on 27th
Apr 2006
Hi everyone, I upgraded my good old nokia to this samsung model
2 weeks ago with O2. Looks wise, I'm impressed. However, still struggling
to get my downloaded MP3 files(from the PC), which I have converted
to AAC to be ringtones, keep getting 'unsupported file' message!
Also I am unable to recieve picture messages, keep getting 'incompatible
message format' instead! Can anyone advise me on how to solve this
please?!
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Mush from Uk on 26th
Apr 2006
Got this phone afew weeks ago, and still madly in love with it!!
To solve the ringtone problem guys.. go to www.download.com, and
search for "Switch" or "Switch Plus" and download it. This is software
that enables you to convert your mp3, wmv etc files into aac which
the phone uses as a truetone!!!! Then all you have to do is convert
the track you want, and put it in the Music folder on the phone!!
(preferably not the mp3 folder) Hope it's helped xx
Rating: Reply Reviewed by kate from uk on 22nd
Apr 2006
I just got this one but I love it....I;m not really bothered about
mp3s being ringtones though. The battery does go down quite fast
but I leave it charging over night every noght anyways so it doesn't
really matter. The camera is really good.
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Bex from England on
21st Apr 2006
Hi everyone. jus got an upgrade to this and the phone itself is
ace its just the accesories that area a pain. i'm also having trouble
installing the drivers on to my computer. It keeps on saying that
it does not pass the windows logo test and recommends stopping the
installation of the drivers. I thought there was something wrong
with the lead or even the cd so changed both and still have the
same problem. Does anyone have any ideas to what to do next???
Rating: Reply Reviewed by .x. Chloe .x. from UK on
19th Apr 2006
i only got my phone this morning and i havent put it down since
:-) .... i love it so much it looks great but i need help!!! ..
i no you cant have mp3 as ringtones and i know that you have to
change it to a aac or mp4 file ... i have changed my music to this
format and put it on my phone but it only lets me put it into the
"music" section because that supports the format.. then i went on
my phone and selected music then a piece of music and clicked set
as ringtone but it says unsupported file :S evan though its an aac
i dont get it ive tried saving it as another type but nothing works
does anyone know what i can do to it so i can have music as ringtones
thanks Chloe xx
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Jade from USA on
19th Apr 2006
Just brilliant far the best flip phone around, it is a d600 but
in a flip phone but better, only good thing about d600 is that it
has 2mp but s500 has i-mode, louder sound, sharper screen and looks
way cooler.
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Ben from on 18th
Apr 2006
This phone is ok, although I too am having trouble with the aac/ringtone
bit. I've converted songs using iTunes to aac (they are called m4a
on my pc) but then the sound editor won't upload them. When I do
get them onto the phone by naming them .aac, they can't be played
as ringtones. Frustrating.
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Paul from England on
17th Apr 2006
Hi all, just got an upgrade to an S500i and am having trouble installing
the drivers on to my computer. It keeps on saying that it does not
pass the windows logo test and recommends stopping the installation
of the drivers. Dont really wanna continue with the installation
in case it knacks up my computer. Does anyone know how you can install
the drivers without this warning keep on popping up?? Apart from
this, i think the phone is fine and battery life seems Ok despite
what other problems people are having. Cheers
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Sam from UK on 13th
Apr 2006
This is quite possibly the most disappointing phone I have ever
had. I loved it when I first got it, I had researched it well, looking
at all the different reviews people had written about it and I was
pleased with my decision. BUT! I have had it for about a month now
and it turns itself off every hour or so! All of a sudden I hear
its tune telling me its turning off and I have to turn it back on
and re-enter my pin! IT'S SO ANNOYING! So now I have to send it
in for repairs. Don't even bother, stick with the d500 or a nokia!
Believe me! P.s. Everything people say about it having a bad battery
is true too! Pretty phone but not worth the hassle.
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Adam from England on
11th Apr 2006
This phone is GREAT! It's stylish and it's features are great. Buy
this phone.
Rating: Reply Reviewed by peter from uk on
8th Apr 2006
ive had this phone coming up to 4 months and its going on for its
2nd repair. the phone bat lasts 2 days max and that is with out
playing music on it and on slient all day. the phone resets its
self all the time resetting all my settings along with it stay well
clear!!! btw to set mp3 and ringtones go to menu--->file manager--->music--->options--->
then set as this will only work if you have music in that folder!!
Rating: Reply Reviewed by the guru from UK on
6th Apr 2006
read the manual- it can't take mp3's as ringtones. instead use itunes,
convert your ringtones into .aac format and use them, or mp4.
Rating: Reply Reviewed by beckie from uk on
2nd Apr 2006
i have just bought this phone n i think its gr8, but i cnt set my
mp3's as ringtones, as other people have sed. iv tried downloading
mp4 format songs from limewire, but then wen i try to put them on
my fone it says 'file type is not valid'. can anybody help me pleaseeeeee
x x x
Rating: Reply Reviewed by James from England on
28th Mar 2006
Good phone. You can't have mp3's as ringtones as it clearly says
above. Convert them into mp4 using Quicktime or something like that
and then it will work and sound exactly the same.
Rating: Reply Reviewed by x.jess.x from united kingdom
on 26th Mar 2006
ive had this phone a couple of weeks .. its a very sleek phone and
i'm pleased with it. the only thing i can't figure out is how to
set an MP3 song as my ringtone, any ideas? thanks x
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Mike from England on
21st Mar 2006
Overall good phone. Bit a a brick shape. Cant put on music, but
i think that is because i got the 'refurbished' model and they didnt
sent the CD and the wire thing. Can anyone tell me where to buy
one, and how much they are? Thanks
Rating: Reply Reviewed by sollon from india on
21st Mar 2006
This is th efirst phone i have every had and it will probably the
only phone i will have it is that good. i got it for my birthday
this year and my parents can't get it off me i am on it allmost
every minute of the day so i would recomend this phone to anyone
who is looking for a phone you will never find a better phone than
this. it may look ugaly but look don't realy matter it is what the
phone does that maters
Rating: Reply Reviewed by KC from on 13th Mar
2006
Always wanted a clam-shell / flip-fone (Whatever you call it) and
when I finally got round to buying one I thought I'd go for this.
I wasn't too bothered about a camera facility or mp3 player as I
have a great digi camera and fantastic mp3 player, but I have to
admit the volume on this phone is superb as is the picture quality.
Granted it's not 2mp but at the end of the day its a phone and a
phone that takes great pctures. Still exploring its many features,
but for now this phone is fabulous. As with everything Samsung,
its very user friendly and has a fabulously sharp screen...This
phone is also the reason that I haven't gone for a Sony Ericsson.
All my fones were either Nokia or Samsung and if this phone is anything
to go by, I don't think I will be getting a Sony for ages yet........Oh
and one last thing, thanks to all who wrote in about this phone
(both good and bad comments)...found it extremely helpful when I
was choosing my new phone as there are tonnes to chose from and
I was completely lost. Keep sending in those reviews folks it really
does help.
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Zoe from UK on 12th
Mar 2006
I just bought the phone and i think it has a great look with great
features, great picture quality and an mp3 player. But you can only
have polyphonic ringtones or video ringtones, not mp3 and i can't
connect it to my computer?? Also the battery life only lasts about
a day which is really annoying, but aprat from that this is a really
great phone, the best one i've had! X
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Dave from uk on 11th
Mar 2006
A superb piece of mobile phone genius.Easy to use keys and menu
and super smooth flip mechanism.MP3s have to be converted to MP4s
for use as ringtones but its simple stuff really & only takes 20
seconds from PC to ringtone.Great in all black & super camera.This
phone will definately take over the D600 as top dog.I mode and I
mail aswell as every possible extra make this a phone to be proud
of!!!AWESOME!!!
Rating: Reply Reviewed by TimmY from Ireland on
10th Mar 2006
this phone is outstanding, great modern look unbelievable camera
and a great mp3. however i cant seem to get the phone to connect
to the computer and cannot put mp3 music as a ringtone but on the
whole it is a great phone and would definatly recommend it!!
Rating: Reply Reviewed by x haZZah x from x england
x on 8th Mar 2006
this phone is abosulty wkd ... i bought this phone not so long ago
after my last phone got nicked [MoterlaV547] =( which i really did
love that phone as i had it for couple years and got use to it so
was finding it hard to get a new one !!! but as soon as i got this
phone canme through the post i was like WHOOOP so happy it luks
very smart nd is such a nice phone ... the only down fall i wud
say wud be the price VERY expensive ... but i got mine cheap =)
so its all good !!!
Rating: Reply Reviewed by K Green from UK on
6th Mar 2006
Phone great, can't say the same for O2, however in answer to 'Emma'
if you download itunes on the net, it will display any music, mp3
etc that is on your pc, if your mp3's on your phone are not on your
pc put them on before you download the program, you can then convert
them to a m4a or acc and then put them in the music file on your
phone and you can then play them as a ringtone, easy honest if I
can do it anyone can, :)
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Alex from UK on 6th
Mar 2006
outstanding phone! very impressed, great camera, takes a little
while to take a picture though, shutter isnt very fast but picture
quality is very good, the camera in video mode is very impressive,
top of the range atm simple to use and is very smooth, can take
photos and videos from when the phone is shut, lots of different
effects for the camera, picture editor, frames, effects,....overall
very good camera. Was also impressed with the MP3 player, with the
88 mb's memory built in + expandable memory it leaves alot of room
for music i have currently 19-20 songs on atm? and still got quite
abit of room left, bare in mind though taking long videos on high
res will take up alot of room. new i-mode service recently released
by o2 is very good, i-mail is great send and recieve email just
at the click of a button, the actually i-mode browser is great fun
to use but is quite pricey if your on there for a long time. bluetooth
and infered have worked well so far had no problems with them yet.
only problem with it i have found so far is the battery life, i
use my phone alot because im a heavy texter but after a day of sending
and recieving texts and emails the phone is almost out of battery,
this isnt to much of an issue as i just leave it on charge over
night every night. has a very big bright screen and is easy to navigate
around all the menus, would highly recomend this phone to anyone
who wants to be up to date with technolagy, very impressive peice
of kit from samsung! wait till price drops a bit, £160 ish then
go for it, it wont dissapoint!
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Emma from ENGLAND on
6th Mar 2006
I love this phone so much, its like my little baby, without it i
dont know how id cope! only problem is though, i have no clue whatsoever
how to get an mp3 to be my ringtone, and it really annoys me, ive
tried everything and nothing works!i love it in black but i would
have liked it more in silver! at £230 it was worth it! best phone
ive ever seen, the massive screen is mint!
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Paul from UK on 4th
Mar 2006
Very good phone yet again by samsung!!!
Rating: Reply Reviewed by Conor from Ireland on
1st Mar 2006
it is the best phone ive had in my life it has an mp3 player and
all its great i love it to bits especially its sexy finish
Rating: Reply Reviewed by hash from uk on 21st
Feb 2006
fanatastic fone, the camera quality seems to be more than the specified
1 megapixel. this phone is a genious peice of engineering. the flip
system is smooth and the black finish is class quality. the imode
browsing certainly increases the amount of fun you can have with
the fone. fast internet, good bluetooth, good memory + memory card
& excellent games means that this phone is a media package. it is
probably samsung's best flip phone yet. not to forget the camera
flash and the handset being exclusive to o2 means that this is the
perfect handset. the price tag is quite steep at approx £200 but
if price drops to bout £160 or below then this handset is perfect.
Rating: Reply Reviewed by ragita from France on
21st Feb 2006
cooooooooooooool
Rating: Reply
Samsung S500i
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S500i unlock codes: unlock Samsung S500i
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