In a nutshell: The
U900 is Samsung's flagship phone of 2008. It's a super-sexy super-slim
slide phone that looks very "2008" with its dual-screen
touch-sensitive controls and metal casing. With a 5 megapixel camera
with autofocus, 3G video calling, MP3 player, FM radio and plenty
of memory it should tick most people's boxes. The only reason we
haven't awarded it 5 stars is because some people think that the
ringtone and call volume are too quiet. Available in Graphite, Silver,
Pink or Black. Check out the top 10 independent
deals for the Soul below, or click to read the
full review and user reviews.
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Samsung
U900 Review
Review:
April 2008. Updated March 2009.
The
Samsung U900 Soul is Samsung's flagship phone for 2008. Is it a
triumph of marketing, or can the Soul really live up to the mega
hype? Mobile Phones UK checks it out!
At
first glance, you can tell that the Soul is something different
from the usual Samsung slide design. We've watched the slide phone
evolve over the past 4 years from the compact but definitely-not-thin
D500 to the superslim D900
to the wow-that-really-is-thin U600
with its touchscreen controls that left some users unimpressed.
More recently the Samsung G600 has
been top of the bestseller lists. The reason why we're waffling
on about the history of the slide phone is because it's obvious
that the Soul is something quite different. Let's call it the next-generation
slide phone. The photos here do it no justice at all - trust us,
it looks much better in the flesh. The body is made from metal,
giving it a high quality feel, like one of Nokia's premium handsets.
We absolutely love the sleek, minimalist design and the way that
the thumb rests securely on the base of the slide. The slide moves
smoothly up to reveal a flat keypad. OK, so the keypad won't be
to everyone's taste, but if you can handle a Motorola
RAZR, you'll have no problems with this. The U900 is ultra-slim
at 12.9mm thick, and is almost exactly the same size as the old
Samsung D900.
The
feature that truly sets the U900 apart from previous slide phones
from Samsung is the touch-sensitive navigation keypad. Samsung's
marketing blurb tell us that this is a "Magical touch interface".
They were clearly out to lunch on that day. Folks, we'll let you
into a secret: there's no such thing as magic. What we have here
is a small touch-sensitive screen placed below the main LCD display.
The touchscreen is icon-driven and the icons change according to
the menu selected. It's very similar to the one used in the LG
Venus and the Samsung E950. Like
all touch-sensitive controls, this is a love-it or hate-it thing.
We suggest that you give it a try and put it back on the shelf if
you don't think you can live with it.
If
the U900 is a flagship phone, you'd expect it to have top-end features
and you wouldn't be wrong. It's the first Samsung phone to incorporate
a 16 million colour display. It has fast 3G with download speeds
of up to 7.2 Mbps. It has a powerful camera, similar in quality
to the G600's. Let's be clear about
the camera. It isn't the best (try the Nokia
N95 or Sony Ericsson K850i
for the best camera phones), but it's a very good runner-up. We
always get people complaining that their Samsung camera phones are
rubbish, and our advice is: read the manual, and make sure that
the settings are set to maximum resolution, because by default they
aren't. The camera on the U900 is very good - so there! There's
also a music player that can handle a wide range of formats, plus
an FM radio, and the usual Bang & Olufsen
power amplifier for high-fidelity audio. The headphone plugs into
the charger socket, but you can buy a 3.5mm
headphone adaptor for a few quid, or use a Bluetooth
wireless headset.
One feature worth noting is the generous amount
of internal memory (100 Mbytes), as well as the option to add a
microSD memory card.
Other standard features such as email, document viewer, Bluetooth,
offline mode are all present. Just one gripe - it's triband, not
quadband - which is inexcusable these days. Duh.
Now that we have accumulated a large collection
of user reviews (see below), we're surprised to find that not everyone
agrees with our review. We were anticipating complaints about the
user interface (touchscreens always attract critics), the camera
quality (Samsungs always get this - see above for advice on camera
settings) and battery life (superslim phones tend to have shorter
battery life than conventional phones). Surprisingly, none of these
factors have really been complained about. The number one complaint
about the U900 is that ringtones and calls are too quiet. But for
every reviewer who has complained about the audio being too quiet,
another has stepped in to say that they have no problems with volume!
So what's going on here? Are there two kinds of U900 out there -
one with loud ringtones and one with quiet ones? Or are there two
kinds of users - ones who like their ringtones to be loud and others
who aren't fussed? We don't know the answer to this, but what we
can say is that a substantial minority of users think that this
phone is too quiet, so take this into account before you buy. One
of our users, Lauren, offers this tip for making the ringtone louder:
1. Go to your menu and click 'settings'.
2. Click on 'Phone Profiles' and you should come
up with -Normal -Meeting -Driving -Silent etc. Make sure your
phone is on 'Normal' mode and then click options.
3. When you have clicked on options go to edit
and then go down to where it says ringtone volume. Turn that up
to were you want it and there you have it, the volume is adjusted.
Thank you, Lauren! Hope that people find this helpful.
Apart from that, we can say that it really is a
fabulous phone, and we love it to bits. We've reluctantly downgraded
our rating from 5 stars to 4 stars. But really this is just to take
into account popular opinion (this website is democratic after a
fashion :)). For an upgrade to the Soul, check out the new Samsung
Tocco Ultra, which extends the touchscreen controls to the entire
screen.
Features of the Samsung U900 include:
5 megapixel camera with 4x digital zoom, face-detection
autofocus, image stabiliser and Power LED flash
Video camera (MPEG4 / 3GPP) / 3G video calling
Display: TFT, 16 million colours, 320 x 240
pixels
Music player (MP3, WMA, AAC, AAC+, e-AAC+ formats,
OMA, WM digital rights management)
WAP 2.0, GPRS, EDGE, 3.5G (HSDPA 7.2 Mbps),
web browser
Connectivity: Bluetooth, USB 2.0
Memory: 100 Mbytes plus MicroSD memory card
slot
Personal organiser functions
Triband GSM (900/1800/1900 MHz) plus 3G
Size: 106 x 50 x 12.9 mm
Weight: 112g
Samsung U900
Soul 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!
Reviewed by Nicol from U.K on
19th May 2008
Wicked phone. Really good. Rating:
Reviewed by jonas woodward from england
on 19th May 2008
I personally think that the samsung u900(soul)is the best phone
out yet and most certainly will be untill they make a new version
of the u900 all in all the phone has the best details in everything
from the camera to the super clear music. the samsung u900 is also
the most futuristic phone with its touch sensitive screen under
the main one that changes as you move to different applications.
this phone is deafenately the phone of the year. Rating:
Reviewed by hueycln from England on
19th May 2008
I've had the SOUL for a few days now and the only complaint I have
is the volume of live calls and the atrocious speakerphone! Battery
cover and ring volume are both fine. The case does scratch very
easily (grey version) so wrap it in bubble wrap!! Rating:
Reviewed by giddy from UK on
19th May 2008
Aesthetic - 4.5/5 love the design and personally find the weight
perfect. Functions 4/5 bought this to as a phone, not a camera or
music player, and find it fit for purpose (this is not to suggest
that the camera and music player is below standard). Also i've used
it for minimum internet usage, so far so good (downloaded opera
mini on it, good stuff). Calls 3.5/5 Calling volume is weird, for
one of my friend she's deafeningly loud when it's on max volume
(i.e. 7) and i've to switch to 4 or 5 to have a comfortable conversation.
But for another i need to switch it to the max to hear her properly.
After 3 weeks of usage still loving it. Think this will stick with
me till the end of my 18months contract... Rating:
Reviewed by GARRETT from U.A.E on
19th May 2008
YOU CAN ASSIGN YOUR MP3 RINGTONE FOR YOUR MESSAGE (SMS), THIS MY
REPLY TO THE Q. IN THE WEB. CHECK FIRST IN THE SETTING BEFORE YOU
COMPLAIN IN THE WEB. THANK YOU Rating:
Reviewed by laddo from England on
19th May 2008
Reading all the reviews with interest. Agree that the volume when
talking is poor (big disappointment), but have no problem with Battery
cover, battery life on mine is surprisingly very good, the ringtone
volume is easily loud enough, really love the feel and look of the
phone. I'm a fan of heavier, more substantial phones especially
when they are as slim as this U900. Not bothered about how the music
player sounds on speakphone tbh as I never want to play music on
anything other than the headphones where it sounds great!!! Quick
question, does anyone have any suggestions on what settings to change
the default camera settings to make the photos even better, especially
in low light? Would be v useful if you could advise... thanks Rating:
Reviewed by lorraine from england on
19th May 2008
A tip on getting the back cover off, put a little pressure in the
middle of the back cover just over where the battery sits and then
push forward. I spent hours trying to remove the cover and eventually
took it into the retailer who removed it in nano seconds. Samsung
note.. the ringtone volume does need to be louder, i have missed
so many calls even on its highest setting. Overall a slick and sexy
phone. I'm happy with it. Rating:
Reviewed by Andrew from England on
18th May 2008
I just got the phone today and before this i read that it was hard
for people to remove the back cover but i did it with ease, maybe
samsung changed this. I am very haapy with the phone and is better
than id expected. The sounds is loud enough, and I love the fact
that you can totally personalise your theme so no two souls can
d the same. Camera quailty is very clear. I am now in love!! Rating:
Reviewed by robster from uk on
18th May 2008
Why all the fuss about sound quality of this phone??? I've had this
phone for two weeks now after upgrading from a sony ericsson W850,
and although the W850 was louder (perhaps due to a larger built
in speaker) and it could handle MP3 playback through the inbuilt
speaker more easily, i have found when you change the MP3 ringtone
on the SOUL to something with less bass and more mid/high tone sounds,
the ring back is very loud. Try it you'll see!!! Other than that
this phone is very good although there could be a few more themes
to upload from the website unlike sony ericsson which has loads
of themes to upload free. Rating:
Reviewed by Micheal from England on
18th May 2008
This phone is fantastic. i dont understand the any reviews saying
the camera isnt good, the photos it takes are crystal clear, and
the back comes off easily, you just push and slide it off. Although
somtimes the sound during a call can be a little too quiet somtimes,
but usually its fine. A really good phone and feels fantastic quality
when you hold it, defiantly worth a buy! Rating:
Reviewed by Lexx from UK on 18th
May 2008
Your phone rating is wrong....... Most people find this phone below
average as I do... Long live the Nokia 95 and all the other Nokia's. Rating:
Reviewed by neovia from uk on
17th May 2008
The trouble with this phone is there are a lot of irritations and
that means people either love it or hate it. It looks cool but it's
a bit too wide. It's heavy and feels too big when it's open. The
'magic touch' screen works well but doesn't offer any more functionality
than a 5 way navigation pad and it takes up a lot more room. The
icons change but it isn't a big deal because a lot of the time they
just indicate up down left right. You may think it would more useful
when using the camera but there are keyboard shortcuts for flash,
macro etc. that are more convenient. You still need to use the soft
keys for certain options. It could have been better used, e.g. as
an alert for messages and missed calls but apart from the key icons
its only used to show battery charging and a pattern when switching
on and off. After a couple of weeks I have decided that the concept
is just a gimmick. Other annoyances: ringing and voice are a bit
quiet; you have to open the phone to see if you have any messages
or missed calls; the phone has to be open to use the camera and
it feels awkward; the small cover over the plug for charging/connecting
to pc/headphones is plastic and flimsy; the display is very configurable
but can't create anything like the preset themes; there are no free
games, you have to pay for the full version of the 3 games loaded;
zooming photos is ridiculously slow (when you have worked out how
to do it – it's the volume key); the screen is definitely
hard to see in sunlight; you can't configure the soft keys and the
configuration of the 'magic touch’ keys is limited to certain
options; the Google shortcut visible at the bottom of the 'magic
touch' in the pictures and reviews isn't available (at least not
on Virgin). I think mobile-phones-uk has got carried away a bit
by the hype and I expect a star to be dropped. If you are considering
this phone make sure you are happy with the touch pad and test the
volume against your current phone. Rating:
Reviewed by Brett from UK on
17th May 2008
Great looking phone, and I did not take to long to get used to the
opperation of it,I have used sony ericsson for years. Compact and
lightweight and packed full of the features we have come to expect
from top end handsts. Although the center OK button on the touchscreen
failed after the first few hours I can only hope this is a one off
and not going to be a repeat of sony ericssons center button failings. Rating:
Reviewed by Matthew from uk on
16th May 2008
Just got this phone, the sound fine, photo's just as good as any
other top end camera phone around at the moment. Didn't have a problem
with getting the back off, i asked the cashier in the orange shop
to do it as i never plan on opening the back up again, build quality
is fantastic and overall miles better then the sony ericsson i've
just changed from, well done samsung!!! Rating:
Reviewed by Ian from Continental Europe
on 16th May 2008
I posted a 3-star review here a few days ago, but here's an update
with a WARNING. Samsung Soul U900 is defective, it's not capable
of accepting anything higher than 2GB cards, even though the official
manual says up to 8GB. I called Samsung hotline who told they knew
about the problem, and that I should try different brand names (mine
is Kingston, that I bough specifically for this phone). That's obviously
ridiculous. So beware, if you are considering this phone as a music
phone, because you won't put any substantial music volume on it.
This is an absolute shame for Samsung, that a 'flagship' phone with
'magical'(wtf?) features screws up like this. Also, in the meantime,
a colleague of mine who's bought the same phone is having an issue
with U900 turning itself off when not used (3 times in 1 day) and
restrats while being used. Maybe Samsung ought to employ fewer designers
and more engineers. Chinese knock-off phones seems to be more reliable
than what these Korean guys m ake and sell at a premium price. Shame.
[Reply by Laura from UK on 7th Nov 2008: I have recently brought
this phone and it''s amazing. Mine holds the 8GB memory card just
fine :) you just have to know how to use the phone and put everything
onto your memory card (Y). Personally I think this is the best phone
Ihave ever purchased and would reccomend it, so don't be put off
by all the negative stuff that people have put on here young phone
buyer :). Peace Out.] Rating:
Reviewed by Mark from Wales on
16th May 2008
I had this as an upgrade and initially I wasnt that impressed, yes
the metal finish and look when its off is stunning (almost like
a mirror effect on the touch pad and screen)and the slide is as
good and the previous samsungs i've had. But my problems started
as soon as I took the back off for the battery, even tho the protective
sticker shows you what to do, you feel like your goin to break the
phone just to get the cover off, its difficult to get off not impossible,
you've got to be firm and know where to put your thumbs and where
to push (ooohh err missus). Then when all was in place ie battery,
sim etc I powered it up, yes the screen is awesome and the touch
pad admittedly brought an ooooooohhhhhhhh and corr thats cool!!!
to my lips, expecially when you use it (haptic feedback is good).
After setting up the layout of the touchpad and ringtones etc I
tried using the phone, this was a problem as, over a period of 2-3
days the crashed and restarted 20 times, which was a real pain in
the preverbial and put me off the phone. Maybe it was one of a bad
batch, i dont know. But after being an N95 fanboy I didnt like the
placement of the camera, yes its almost as good as the N95, but
having to have the slide open to take pictures was a pain, so was
having to wait for a message to send before closing the slide (so
used to the nokia ie after hitting the send button you could close
the slide and leave the phone send the message. The web browser
was definitely not as good as either the viewty or N95 and they
have slower download speeds, maybe it was down to the network i
use, who knows. That surprised me as the Soul was noticably slower
than both. It is also quieter and tinnier than most mobile, maybe
because of the one speaker at the top of the handset. One way around
it was using an mp3 editor on my pc, creating a ringtone from a
music track (easier than it sounds and way cheaper than buying one)
and amplifying the track. Yes, I know how to increase the volume
in the profile settings and all that, its just quieter and you only
really notice the Bang amplifier when the headphones are used. Overall
yes its a beautiful piece of kit, but still flawed. Dont get me
wrong Ive had a d500 d600 and the e900 and they were good phones,
unfortunately the Soul to me just didnt have that 'soul' i was looking
for. Even when I phoned my provider they didnt have a clue or a
sim update to recify the problem as the phone is so new so unfortunately
its gone back and im opting for the black N82. Rating:
Reviewed by Paul Mc from England on
16th May 2008
Am I missing something about this phone? 5 stars? Why because some
people say it looks pretty, is that a reason to give the phone 5
stars? The facts…………… The O/S is not
a patch on Nokia/Sony, the camera is a poor grainy 5mp attempt,
the phone is big and heavy, the sound is average, the issues with
getting the battery off the back is frustrating . . . . .then people
talk of the wonderful touch pad, am I missing the trick here? It's
a keypad, what is so ultra techno about that? It has icons, you
press the buttons, there is also a small delay and having normal
buttons next to it makes it feel strange, I doubt Nokia/Sony will
be running to the hills because of this great "new technology" of
a touch keypad with 4 icons that is slow and unresponsive. General
consensus here at work is, girls phone for people that are a bit
simple. Certainly no wonder phone by a country mile, in 2 months
it will be forgotten about. Rating:
Reviewed by Paul R from Oxford on
16th May 2008
I've had mine just short of 2 weeks and I'm afraid its going back.
Yes its a good phone, does all the things you want it too, and more.
I agree with some of the comments, battery cover, loudness of volume,
tricky - and somewhat pointless 'magic' screen. The main problem
is... Its MASSIVE! Weighs loads, uncomfortably big to hold. On paper
its nearly the same size as my old D900, but in reality it just
feels so much bigger. Rating:
Reviewed by Lauren from England on
15th May 2008
I got this phone last week. I love it, when I first got it I relized
the sound was not as loud as I wished when there was a incoming
call coming through, I searched my phone to see if it had something
were I could edit the sound and make it louder when I have a incoming
caller. Alot of people have said they cannot turn their phone up
but here is how you do it 4 the people that don't know. Step One.
Go to your menu and click on settings. Step two. You should come
up with 'Phone Profiles' click on that and you should come up with
-Normal -Meeting -Driving -Silent etc. Make sure your phone is on
'Normal' mode and then click options. Step Three. When you have
clicked on options go to edit and then go down to were it says ringtone
volume. Turn that up to were you want it and there you have it,
the volume is adjusted. I find this phone really nice to use and
I love it more now that I have discovered the sound. Hope this helps
you. Rating:
Reviewed by Bruce from UK on
15th May 2008
Only a DOPE would take a knife to such a lovely looking piece of
kit like this! Take note Samsung. Next time have some sort of release
catch for the cover. Some of us don't like being forced to exert
so much pressure to remove the cover as it feels as if we're going
to damage the phone. That's what happened with mine..the slider
got damaged. Luckily I got a replacement from my network provider.
Touch pad works like a dream, camera is great once you change the
default settings. MP3s sound great when played through the speaker.
Good phone but not without its flaws. Rating:
Reviewed by Grant from UK on
15th May 2008
I don't really see why people who are switching from Sony Ericsson
to Samsung are writing a review, of corse your going to hate it!
your not use to it. I myself am a complete samsung fan, D900 U600
now the U900, i loved them all, i ahve absolutely no troubles with
the phone. The problems covered, bsttery case, sunshine, text/call
tones. Why do you need to get the battery case off and on regularly?
put the sim in put the battery in and leave it be! You shouldn't
be playing around back there anyway! As with sunshine, we've had
about 2 weeks of it, and i've not suffered at all! it handles sunshine
fin! Text/call tones, i actually think its fine, my previous phone
Nokia N73 was good, but Samsungs in general are so much louder,
and i wasn't disappointed with the volume on this phone! Rating:
Reviewed by Max from UK on 15th
May 2008
What a letdown this latest offering from Samsung! It looks like
with each iteration they're trying hard to strip the really usefull
features and add non-essential ones: D500, D600, D900. And now U900.
Gone are powerful vibration alert and good sound quality. Gone is
an easy-to-open slide. What people say about rubbish speaker quality
IS true. Rating:
Reviewed by Alan from England on
15th May 2008
In response to Quentin from Aus - it's a bit unfair to potential
buyers to tell them not to listen to the complaints about sound
quality and the battery cover. These are valid and common complaints..just
read through the other comments on here or on the Samsung Mobile
website for confirmation of this. To clarify, if call quality is
low send the handset back for a replacement. I did and it fixed
the problem. The battery cover is hard to remove...not impossible
to remove. By all means take a knife to it if you want. I don't
know many people who would be willing to do this with a brand new
handset..especially if they've just splashed out £119 for the upgrade!
A good handset but not a 5 star phone. Rating:
Reviewed by Quentin from aus on
15th May 2008
Got the phone like 1 day ago.. man this phone is DOPE!!!!! i aint
no IT freak or what-ever but i have owned some pretty dam good phones
and the U900 rocks!! .. all those people sayin.. 'too quiet!'and
çant get the battery cover off it!' dont listen to them. for real!!
yes, the ph aint as loud as some but it IS NOT as bad..in fact it
isnt even bad full stop!just aint as loud as some of the other phones..and
the battery cover...took me maybe 10min to work it out..get blade(i
used my pocket knife) kinda slide it under the cover and pry it
up as u slide the cover down using ya thumb..not that hard once
u work it out..hope that helps. not like u have to keep puttin in
and takin out the sim anyways... AWESOME PHONE!!!..period. Rating:
Reviewed by Amro from UK on 15th
May 2008
I think samsung did much better phones before this one. i cannot
see any thing that give this one outstanding rating! speaker and
hearing sound quality is very poor, hard to open the battery cover,
you have to fight with it!!!, small screen size. I will sent mine
back now!!! and will go for other makes. Rating:
Reviewed by Ant from essex on
14th May 2008
I've got to send my one back (twice now) as the thin strip of metal
just above the touch pad, inbetween the soft key buttons has lifted
away from the facia. Otherwise great phone with cool features Rating:
Reviewed by Ian from Continental Europe
on 14th May 2008
My 2 cents: i was looking for a phone to replace my aging Sony Ericsson
K750i, which 3 years ago was roughly the same kind of 'flagship'
phone as this U900 is presenting itself to be. What i disliked about
the K750i was the size and the weight, a little brick. Hence i decided
to go with the Samsung's 'ultra' line. My wife has a D900i and the
phone seems allright, though could be a little narrower. Well boy
was i wrong about the U900. This phone is longer, wider and heavier
than K750i. The only thing it's got going for it is that it's thiner,
but not really by that much. The biggest issue by far is the weight,
it's just plain HEAVY, at 120 grams it's 20 percent heavier than
my K750i and a whoping 33% heavier than the similarly sized D900i.
Ultra slim? I don't think so! Anyway, that's the bad news. The good
news is that the phone is still pretty - for the lack of a better
word - cool. The toughpad is really a new generation kind of technology,
it's fast, responsive, just works great. The phone body is alright,
mine is the "grey" color, which means it's not all silver but it
actually has black parts. The black parts are plastic, which is
strange cause the phone is bening presented as a metal phone, but
more than half of the body is made of plastic. It's a good quality
plastic though, soft with a rubbery feel to it. I'd imagine the
silver version of the phone, with the plastic parts painted silver,
must look somewhat cheap. I won't get into details on the other
issues, the phone works ok, no technical issues with sound loudness
or clarity that some have mentioned below. The music through headphones
sounds great, like on most Samsungs, way above any mp3 player average.
All things considered, it's not a bad phone as long as you're prepared
to carry some weight around. For that only 3 stars. If i had the
choice again, I wouldn't buy it, instead I'd go with an all-metal,
yet tiny and superlight SE W890i. Rating:
Reviewed by jonk from England on
14th May 2008
I bought this phone as an upgrade from T-mobile about 10 days ago.
I am still trying to get used to it and to be honest - I think I
will send it back within my two week trial period. - Mark (below)
- remember if you upgrade from TM - if you aren't sure of the phone,
always best to upgrade direct from TM as you get 14 days to decide
if you want it or not. The phone looks and feels nice. It's a bit
to long when you open it out. But my major dissaaaaaaaapointments
are as follows: 1. The sound is tinny and really low - no base whatsoever
or GE so sound on playing back your tunes is rubbish. 2. Incoming
ring tone is quite low - but eventually I did find out (took me
three days as the manuel is not helpful at all) that you can adjust
the sound volume for incoming calls. 4. Phone only rings for 15
seconds too - so I keep missing calls - hense I have reverted back
to my old Sony Walkman. If you go direct to your provider - they
can adjust the length that it rings for upto a max of 25 secs (though
it took three calls to customer services to work that one out).
5. similarly, it took me three days to work out how to turn of the
stupid noises on the keypad as they really frustrate you -aaahhhgg!!
Even my son couldn't work it out other than hitting the hash key
or turning down the volumn which mutes the phone - but then you
can't hear a call coming in. 6. I found the internet slow and often
sticking and there is no way of seeing if it is trying to download
or just frozen temporarily for a minute. I couldn't satisfactorily
access my Facebook or Youtube accounts! I downloaded opera mini
and that worked a bit faster. 7. The touch screen is clumsy and
too sensitive, if you accidently wave your thumb over the touch
screen (easily done during a call) - it disconnects your caller.
Frustrating!!! I turned down the sesitivity to 1 but then the phone
was unresponsive and it took 3 - 4 taps on the pad to make it respond.
All in all I am not really happy with the phone and unless you want
a sleek looking phone with poor responces - then stay away from
this. Hense mine is going back in the post to T-M tomorrow. I've
thought of the Sony W960i but it has very mixed reviews but I really
fancy and and I'm going to wait for the N96 to arrive in the shops
before I upgrade again.. Buy carefully or on trial periods... Rating:
Reviewed by firefox from London on
14th May 2008
This is the worst phone I have ever had !!!! I am on my third handset
in 3 weeks. The sound quality is poor and the volume, low. DO NOT
BUY THIS PHONE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rating:
Reviewed by Anonymous from Not telling
on 14th May 2008
Tried this phone at the Carphone Warehouse. Brillitant. I am going
to get it soon and it has been worth the wait! Tried the call sound.
PERFECT what are people talking about? BAd sound??????? dont listen
to other reviews. They are nonsense Rating:
Reviewed by Marc from UK on 14th
May 2008
Got this yesterday and having massive problems playing mpegs and
wmv's- it keeps saying "unsupported resolution". Any ideas how to
sort it? Also most of the videos on Youtube don't work. The browser
is very disappointing particularly as I got this phone to surf the
net! Overall a nice-looking phone but am wondering whether I should
have upgraded to the N95 or waited for the N96! Rating:
Reviewed by Casey burke from wales on
14th May 2008
Amazing phone no probs best phone ever nothing knoks it Rating:
Reviewed by Amanda from England on
14th May 2008
I have sent this phone back as the call volume is absolutely rubbish
even on loudest setting, if you're somewhere quiet its ok but trying
to have a conversation outside is just impossible! To be honest
I wasnt that impressed with the phone at all and found the touch
screen annoying and fiddly. I now have the K770i and absolutely
love it-great phone! Rating:
Reviewed by Angela from UK on
14th May 2008
I had the Nokia N95 12 months ago and upgraded to the Samsung U900
- received yesterday. With all phones there are pluses and minuses,
but I'm sorry to say that for the first time ever I am sending a
phone back and going to go on the 02 simplicity tariff for a few
months until the N96 comes out. If you have ever had a Nokia N95
(or no doubt a Sony) then stay clear of this phone. Well I suppose
I ought to start with the plus points - very nice looking phone
(aren't all Samsungs!) Can't think of any others. Now the bad points
- 1. very hard to get the back cover off, I had to get my fella
to do it and it took him a couple of minutes. 2. Photo's - have
an orange tinge to them. 3. Playing music aloud - very poor quality
/ tinny sound. 4. Ringer - again very poor quality / tinny sound.
5. Ringer volume - not very loud on loudest setting - if kept in
a handbag would be difficult to hear it ringing. 6. Magic touch
- seemed sluggish in some menus (even after changing the se tting).
Need I say more. I have never had call to give a mobile review before,
but thought I had no choice with this phone. Perhaps I have been
spoilt with the N95 (which as a few quirks, don't all phones). Rating:
Reviewed by Lina from Manchester, UK
on 14th May 2008
I love it! It is so beautiful, slick, nice to hold. And so many
features. Some people found it difficult to open the battery cover
(I read on some reviews here) but I have no problem at all. I sent
some photos from my old mobile through bluetooth. The photos look
a lot better, brighter, on my Soul. Fab phone!!!! Rating:
Reviewed by Beth from UK on 13th
May 2008
I received this phone today as an upgrade from 02, and am sorry
to say that I was disappointed. The phone has some sort of delay
which gets very annoying, the sound quality is poor and the volume,
low. The display however, is very impressive. Also this definitely
isn't a phone to buy unless you have very big pockets and I will
now send it back and get an LG KF700. Rating:
Reviewed by Mark from UK on 13th
May 2008
Wanted to love this phone, but hate it. The call volume is too low.
On speakerphone the audio is tinny and not loud enough. Even on
loudest setting the volume is still too low. Purchased it last week
from the Carphone Warehouse on a T-Mobile Tariff. Not allowed to
cancel, so am gutted Rating:
Reviewed by tee from london on
13th May 2008
just got the phone put of by how hard it is to open the battery
cover.have been on it for over 2hrs still o luck. what a shame Rating:
Reviewed by Tom from England on
13th May 2008
Had the phone two weeks now, Superb, I do not understand when people
say the volume is bad, i can still hear fine when using in a niteclub
with the base glaring. The only downside i've found is the battery
cover is a bit difficult to get off, all together a very impressive
phone Rating:
Reviewed by Dieseldavey from uk on
13th May 2008
The phone is brill in most departments except for the volume in
both ring and hearing. How could a manufacturer let something so
important slip through there fingers?. Rating:
Reviewed by Stewart from England on
13th May 2008
I've only had it for 24hrs so I may miss stuff that are undiscovered
at this point... Faults; 1.Slide action a little notchy compared
to Older Samsungs. 2.Ringtone very tinny and quiet. 3.The 2 softkeys
cannot be changed. 4.Led flash as opposed to Xenon. 5.Very hard
to remove battery cover. That's all I can find at the moment - Don't
get me wrong this phone is very good,but if you're like me you like
perfection then this bobile may interfere with your inner Karma.
In my opinion although I've swapped my N95 for this,the N95 is the
better phone....bulkier but more functional. My personal choice
would be; N95, U900 Soul, LG viewty, K850i, K890i. Rating:
Reviewed by jon from england on
13th May 2008
was debating whether to get this phone after reading comments on
here but glad i didn't listen. the sound is perfectly fine both
whilst on a call and the ringing tone, much better than my previous
sony ericsson w910i. The only time i have not heard it is in a very
busy place but even then the vibrate mode makes up for it because
its fantastic, really powerfull. my girlfriend and brother both
have g600 and the sound is far quieter on their phone. The handset
feels really solid and well built and the touch panel is superb,
you can set it to be as sensitive as you like. Keypad is also great
for texting alot like i do. overall really impressed, don't listen
to previous comments just get the phone, if you don't agree then
you can return it. Rating:
Reviewed by ghoshi from UK on
13th May 2008
trust me guys you dont want this phone its call volume is soooo
low that you cant har anything outdoors and even inside, you have
to switch off your tele and tell your friends to shut up because
you are trying to listen to a call. this is my second phone and
the problem persists Rating:
Reviewed by Lster from UK on
12th May 2008
Just to update, I recevied my replacement Soul phone today and the
volume during calls is still really low when outdoors. Not really
useful when that's when you need the phone the most! I'll be switching
to another model. Shame as I've had samsung phones for a long time
and everything else about this phone is great. Rating:
Reviewed by Peter from UK on
11th May 2008
There are many comments on here saying that the phone is terrible
and I wonder whether they are Sony fanboys just trying to discredit
Samsung. The speaker volume on this phone could be a little louder,
but it is no way useless. Sound quality is fine and just the same
as any other mobile. With headset it is fantastic. Ring volume is,
again, no real problem. It's not super loud but it's not quiet either
- just normal... Rating:
Reviewed by thomas from antrim on
11th May 2008
This phone looks good, but iv'e missed so many calls because of
the poor quallity of the ring tones! The volume of the phone sucks!!! Rating:
Reviewed by amelia from engaland on
10th May 2008
fabulos phone the best phone ever invented Rating:
Reviewed by m19cnl from england on
10th May 2008
just got it today. outstanding phone like every bit of it. read
the - comments about volume etc don't understand what people are
on about my son herd it from two floor down.out standing once again.
get one. Rating:
Reviewed by Lster from UK on
10th May 2008
Has anyone had any luck with increasing the volume during a call?
I've already maxed the volume using the buttons on the side but
can barely hear anything when I'm making a call outdoors. Got this
off Tmobile and am getting another one sent to me to see if mine's
just a dodgy one. Rating:
Reviewed by Alistair from England on
10th May 2008
Got this phone less than a week ago. Not overly impressed so far.
Biggest gripe is Silver version is so easily scratched. I haven't
dropped it, and only carry it in an empty pocket, but every surface
seems to get marked so easily. The sound quality is far too low
when receiving calls. Even when turned up to the max. Thought that
the B&Q sound system was supposed to be fabulous. The Touchpad takes
a while to get used to. Was pleased once i got rid of the annoying
keypad sound. Not 100% sure how to alter some features like the
ringtone or text alert tone yet. Hope that there is a Firmware update
soon, especially one that fixes the terrible low level sound quality
on the speaker. Rating:
Reviewed by Scott from UK on
9th May 2008
I've had my U900 a day but T-Mobile are sending me out a replacement.
I'm not used to Samsungs but am happy to learn what you need to
do. The major problem for me is call volume. On maximum setting
I can barely hear what the other person is saying unless I'm in
the office which slightly defeats the point of a mobile. It's wonderful
having so many extra features like music, photos, movies and the
internet but any phone needs to be able to do the one basic - allow
you to make a call! Hopefully will have more joy with the next one...
Rating:
Reviewed by Andy from Bristol on
9th May 2008
Great phone, lots of features looks incredibly slick. The Bad: Couple
of little problems with it. It doesn't have voice dialling, which
is a pain when trying to use hands free. The MP3 player picks up
every single MP3 on you phone meaning if, like me, you use sound
bites for ring tones/message alerts they will pop up in the middle
of you enjoying you music. The web browser is somewhat pants so
I suggest downloading Opera Mini if you intend on using it for surfing.
There's a 2gb limit on the Micro SD slot. The Camera takes a bit
of adjusting to take a good picture in low light, if you have no
clue what your doing you may mistake this for being a bad camera.
The battery cover is a slight pain to get off. (I'm not sure this
a such a problem, how often do you need to take it off?) The Good:
Like I said the phone look amazing the whole display is customizable,
including touchpad (took me a good 10 minutes to adjust everything
to the way I like it). I also have an N95 and compared to this that
thing is a horrible brick. The 5mp camera takes a very nice picture,
very close to that of the N95, comparing the two I can see very
little difference except a very slight redness to the Souls (not
really noticeable especially on the handset itself). The FM radio
is good, picks up a nice clear reception, my only gripe is you have
to use the Samsung supplied headset as it doubles as the aerial.
The built in RSS reader is a nice little feature as are the image
and video editors. The screen as crystal clear and watching videos
on it is a pleasure, the only small problem with it is when you
move from one video to the next it comes out of full screen mode,
which means you then have to go back into the menu and reselect
full screen, which is a pain if your watching lots of small video
clips. The network choices of the phone are very good, as the phone
uses Edge and HSDPA and I'm on the O2 network it means that I'm
within a decent speed network at all times All in all a great little
phone that looks and feels great! Dude to change message tones its:
Menu, Settings, Phone profiles, options, edit, scroll right, message
alert tone. Rating:
Reviewed by shelley from uk leeds on
8th May 2008
i have had this phone for 2 days and i am sending it back!!! i think
the touch pad is useless unless you have nice slim fingers and the
volume of the ringtone might as well not be on. i have missed 99%
of calls, only get them if it is in my pocket and that is because
i have it on vibrate aswell. this is the first and last samsung
i will be getting going back to sony ericsson. Rating:
Reviewed by louise from nottingham on
8th May 2008
a lovely looking phone but the sound is as far as i"am concerned
rubbish& the volume distorts.i"am now sending it back!!!!! Rating:
Reviewed by zafarullah from england
on 8th May 2008
i just got this phone and it has very por voice quality, both with
and without speaker phone i m taking it back to phones4u tomorrow
and see if they can exchange it for anything but samsung u900 Rating:
Reviewed by David Paul Simmons from
UK on 8th May 2008
The phone on first impressions looked good & the operating system
looks good providing it continues to do what it should. However,
I felt that this phone has a major drawback which prevented me testing
to my full liking. This drawback is the fact that you struggle to
open the back for battery access or sim card. My mrs cant do this
relatively simple task & I also cant do it without tools which may
damage your phone along with the guarantee. So back to the shop
they go! Rating:
Reviewed by wendy ainsworhh from england
on 8th May 2008
fab phone! really inpressed with it only had it nearly a week but
no regrets so far! Rating:
Reviewed by dude from uk on 8th
May 2008
Got the soul last week and think its a top product from samsung
the only problem i can find is i cannot change the tone for recieving
text messages....very anoying as the message tone on there is very
quiete Rating:
Reviewed by me from England on
7th May 2008
Fab phone! I've always been a loyal samsung user and this phone
has progressed from their earlier offerings in to a fantastic up-to-date
phone with everything needed in a phone. Camera is great; seemingly
better than my friends LG Viewty which is generally marketed souley
as a top of the range camera phone. Music player was also very important
too me and it didnt dissapoint. Volume very good when using the
headphones and the speaker is also loud. Touch pad is classy and
easy to use and the fact that they keys around the touch pad are
actually buttons helps to lessen mistakes. Keypad buttons are easy
to use and texting is easy and quick which was importand for me
being an avid texter! I havent had a problem with not being able
to see the screen outside and even managed a dew texts whilst walking
home in the (rather odd for this time of year) sunshine we are currently
experiencing! Also the phone is incredibly stylish- i opted for
the silver as it seemed more feminine and its such a looker- Everybody
wants a look and a play and instantly falls in love. I would deffinatly
reconmend! Rating:
Reviewed by Jimmy from Scotland on
7th May 2008
I got this phone as a upgrade with vodafone as my previous handset
was the samsung u600. What a dissapointment, i'll list the good
and bad points. Good - touch sensitive keypad at front and its general
look (that's it) Bad points - Battery cover at the back a nightmare
to get off. Camera - not the best 5 mega pix out there. Pictures
grainy even when adjusted Now the main reason its going back first
class tomorrow the sound quality on calls is terrible and the ringtone
even up at its highest isnt loud meaning alot of missed calls. i
honestly thought with the Bang and oulfsen amp this wouldnt be the
case but im afraid it is ... So in summmary a nice looking phone
but if your looking for more than that look elsewhere ... Samasung
u900 soul ..not worth the hype ! Rating:
Reviewed by Aly from England on
7th May 2008
I do think this is either a love it or hate it phone, as you will
see from the previous posts.. personally i love it!! i have waited
a while for a phone that ticked all my boxes without weighing a
ton, and thhis is it! the volume is quite quiet however, but as
im never far from my phone, its no big deal really. Its a very good
looking phone, the sensistivity of the touch pad is adjustable,
the colours and ability to design your own backgrounds is a nice
touch.. all in all im very pleased with it and would highly recommend
it.... Rating:
Reviewed by Darcie from uk on
6th May 2008
had this phone 6 hours and its going back, not impressed at all!!
come back sony erricson all is forgiven Rating:
Reviewed by laura from England on
6th May 2008
Haven't had the phone that long but it's AMAZING! its got everything
i need, plus unlike sony i dont have to pick between two different
phones i.e. W890I (music player phone) or K850i (camera phone)the
U900 is going to be a huge phone for samsung. The touchpad is great
and very different as apose to the likes of the LG phones of late.
All I can say is, 'impressive' sexy, slim, and easy to use. Like
nokia, once you've used a samsung you've used them all, and although
menu sytems are the same the touchpad is throwing me off a little
but i'm getting there, an absolute must have phone for 2008, and
all for the right reasons not just for fashion (although that does
help) Rating:
Reviewed by Trudie from UK - Leicester
on 6th May 2008
I used to have Samsung phones, then changed to Sony Ericsson when
I upgraded as I didn't like the Samsung phones on offer. I liked
the look of this phone and it had good reviews on here so I bought
it. I am happy with the phone on the whole, it has a quality feel
about it, I like the fact that it has a 5 meg camera and yet isn't
a brick like most phones on the market at present. I must agree
with other reviews though, it's not very loud and it's difficult
to adjust the volume if you are actually on a call. Also, I can't
seem to mute the keypad tone without just turning it down to nothing,
which is fairly irritating. I think my biggest disappointment is
that I cannot see the time or whether I have received a call or
text unless I actually slide the phone open. The Samsung E770 was
great as the time, text messages, missed calls etc. was lit up on
the external screen whether the phone was in use or not... surely
that wouldn't have been too much to ask on such a modern and up
to date phone... Rating:
Reviewed by Cesc from England on
6th May 2008
No phone is perfect but this phone is a quality handset. I agree
that the camera isn't the best but it's not that bad either and
will do for most users. I'm on my second handset now as I too had
an issue with the low call volume. I called Orange and they sent
a new one out to me within 24 hours. Since I've had the new hansdset
calls are definitley a lot louder and clearer. I don't think Samsung
do firmware upgrades so if you have any problems with the sound
or touchpad I would send it back and get a replacement. Battery
life seems fine to me. I made sure I fully discharged the battery
when I received it and gave it a full charge afterwards. I'm not
too fussed about being unable to see the screen in direct sunlight.
I just place my hand over the screen..that seems to work for me!
I know people can be overly fussy when it comes to mobiles...understandable
if you've paid for an upgrade or new handset. Me? Well...my needs
are basic. I can make good quality calls, text easily, play music
if required and take a few quick snaps. This phone performs all
of the above well with the added bonus of looking gorgeous and,
in my case, being free. I've had several slide phones before and
this differs in that there is no wobble or play (if that makes sense).
As a previous poster said...it feels solid. Highly recommended. Rating:
Reviewed by Phil from Wales on
6th May 2008
Had the phone for a week now, and one or two things are annoying,
namely the ringing volume and the message notification volume, they
are so quiet. As has been said out in the sunshine it's difficult
to see the screen, but as we dont get much sunshine that wont be
a problem. Other than that the phone is great,and I dont seem to
have any problems with battery life, and I am using it quite a lot,
it is on a par with my last phone a Nokia 6300. All in all a very
good phone...... Rating:
Reviewed by Unsure from England on
5th May 2008
This phone confuses me. Looks good and is easy to use but the problems
with it niggle enough to make me consider giving it back before
I am stuck with it for 18 months. Don’t get me wrong I am
very sure this will be a big seller for Samsung and its positives,
that have been well covered here, I agree with. However four things
bother me. 1) The battery life on it is poor (the people who say
it isn’t can’t be using it that much). 2) The camera
is not that great. I take on board that with a few button presses
it can produce a good picture but my Sony Ericson didn’t need
any foreplay before it produced a good picture! 3) The speaker on
it does not compare to my old Sony Ericson. Sounds like people are
in a toilet when Im speaking to them. And lastly 4) the screen is
shy of sunlight in a big way. The English spring sunshine is enough
to render this phone useless outside during the day. I have rated
this phone 4/5 as its a good phone. But how hard can it be to make
a phone that ticks all boxes? Rating:
Reviewed by Damo from UK on 5th
May 2008
Great phone and the touch area is really nice and, despite what
people may think, works very well. Only bad thing is that the volume
whe you are speaking to people is a little low, even at max setting.
The hardware is fine because speaker phone is very loud, but for
some reason the max speaker volume on normal is capped a little
too low. It's not a massive problem - maybe fixable with firmware
upgrade - but would have been nice if it was a little louder. Nice
phone nonetheless. Feels solid. Rating:
Reviewed by the cat from uk on
4th May 2008
HAD THE PHONE TWO DAYS,TOUCHPAD FROZE WOULDNT ALLOW ME TO SCROLL
DOWN,THE BACK IS REALLY DIFFICULT TO GET OFF VERY DISAPPOINTED,GOING
BACK TO NOKIA DONT KNOW WHY I LEFT.THE SOUL WILL BE RETURNED 1ST
CLASS TUESDAY Rating:
Reviewed by John from England on
4th May 2008
Got this phone a few days ago and I echo the positive comments before
me. The phone is very sleek and dare I say it sexy. I have noticed
people looking at the phone when I've been on the subway/buses with
envy. The battery life is really good, and the touch pad is a really
nice touch. Thankfully Samsung did away with the touch pads for
the surrounding buttons, an error they made with the previous ultra
phones - who didn't get annoyed with that! Instead they are actual
buttons, which does take some getting used to when using touch pad
at same time, but is definitely a benefit for the handset. Sound
quality on a call is good, as is the speaker when listening to music
etc, but don't expect to be bowled over by the B&O integration.
Considering the battery life, it seems that they have concentrated
on maintaining a decent level of volume without a large detrimental
impact on battery usage. The camera is supposed to be one of the
key selling points, and it is certainly a good camera. However,
if you are used to the Sony Ericsson Cybershot phones, this will
disappoint slightly. A Xenon flash would have been a much better
choice, and the position of the camera means you will get countless
shots of you thumb and fingers. There are plenty of options available
though, and you can get decent pictures, so make sure you familiarise
yourself with these and the disappointment will be kept to a minimum.
Samsung have also opted for a decent keypad layout. This does mean
the phone is slightly wider than absolutely necessary, but a few
milimetres does not make much difference, and to be able to write
texts quickly this can easily be forgiven. The major downside is
of course the visibility in sunlight. The phone loses it's sleek
coolness when you have to put a hand over the screen to read it
- I guess though with me living in England that I will not have
this issue very often! The menu structure is as per most other Samsung
handsets, and I must confess I prefer the Sony Ericsson or Nokia
handsets for this. However the menus are more customisable than
ever before. Overall a very nice phone. A few small issues which
can generally be overlooked to have this gorgeous handset in your
grasp. Rating:
Reviewed by Ben from England on
4th May 2008
my friend just got this phone and he hates it. i have just got one
recently. it's the samsung f490. he says get the f490 now. Rating:
Reviewed by mutleys music from uk on
3rd May 2008
Had this for a week now and am mostly happy. Its not complicated
to use and has some nice features as well as looking rather neat.
The 5 meg camera is not so brill indoors but it is adequate for
a camera on a phone. "Buy a decent camera if you want to take pictures
of good quality" is my suggestion. Battery life seems ok on standby
but I played with the inbuilt picture editing facility, games and
the other general bits just messing about, and drained it in 3 hours.
I like the way you can design your own screen, how the menus can
be manipulated and the touch part is even neater since you can change
the colours here as well. Got it has an upgrade with vodaphone and
kept my old 20£ per month contract so even happier after seeing
others charge 35£ per month for this unit. 4 stars since not perfect
and should come with more memory rather than have to pay more for
a mini sd card. Need ear phones to listen to radio. Rating:
Reviewed by garry roper from england
on 3rd May 2008
GOT THE SOUL THREE DAYS AGO GREAT FEATURES IF THEY WORK MY PHONE
BROKE AFTER TWO DAYS AFTER LITTLE USE THE NAVIGATION PAD FAILED
THEREFORE I WAS UNABLE TO SCROLL DOWN I MAY OF JUST BEEN UNLUCKY
BUT THATS FOR OTHER PEOPLE TO DECIDE.ITS BACK TO NOKIAS FOR ME!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rating:
Reviewed by Kate from England southampn
on 3rd May 2008
I have this phone it is brilliant have to say is one of the best
phones i have bought in a long time. The only problem i have had
is not with the phone but with the company and this is the deal
is ment to be £35 a month but that is not including the 17.5%, so
dont be caught out on this one like i did wih orange! Rating:
Reviewed by Cheryl Ann Carter from United
Kingdom on 3rd May 2008
Only got my phone yesterday, it looks stunning!!!feels new a little
different from what is about at the moment and I was glad I waited
6 months to upgrade..Just 1 warning write down your sim card number
before you install it, I needed the sim number to register the phone
& had real problems getting the back panel off, its a really snug
fit, had to use a knife to prize it apart and scratched the back
panel "gutted"..but its amazing really easy to use, looks minimal
but classy, sylish....i feel blessed...need to explore more..but
fab so far, the touch vibe magic pad is great!!! Rating:
Reviewed by Mr Dan from UK on
2nd May 2008
It’s a great looking phone, and that’s it’s hook.
It’s not the best for features, usability or even build quality.
But if you can forgive these misgivings, it makes up for it in sheer
sexiness, almost as if to say “ who cares I’m not perfect,
I look great”. The bits you love about it are gimmicky and
will likely wear off before long, but it covers the basics enough
it doesn’t really bother you that much. If you’re tempted
by it, make sure you’re prepared to be a little disappointed
as it’s not quite as great as most reviews make out..but what
it lacks in usefulness, it makes up in attitude. Grr Rating:
Reviewed by Neil from England on
2nd May 2008
I had an LG Venus prior to getting this handset. The U900's touch
pad is a lot more responsive than the LG. Build quality is superior,
the camera performs well for my needs - there is no shutter lag
as with the Venus. Battery life is good also. The negatives are
that you can't see the screen in direct sunlight. Removing the battery
cover took ages - it was wedged in really tight and I thought I
was going to damage the phone when removing it. Finger-prints get
everywhere too. Overall a very nice phone that does the job. And,
seeeing as it didn't cost me a penny, I have no reason to complain.
Give it a try..you may be pleasantly surprised! Rating:
Reviewed by Rampant Rabbiter from UK
on 1st May 2008
I got this phone a few days ago after falling in love with the pictures
and the amazing reviews. After years of being faithful to Sony Ericsson,
and then Nokia, I decided to give Samsung yet another go with this
phone. I have previously owned several Samsungs - The D500, D600,
D800 to name but a few - and after the initial novelty wore off,
I flogged them for either a Sony or a Nokia. I had hoped it would
be different with this beauty. Unfortunately, it wasn't. However,
just because I failed to be completely bowled over by this phone
does NOT mean that I will put it down, because it is - without a
doubt - a very impressive handset. It's crafted beautifully. It
has a real solid feel to it, and the slide mechanism is perfect.
I have to say that Samsung really have mastered the slide phone.
The keypad is surprisingly easy to use, and is of equal quality
to the rest of the phone. The touchpad works brilliantly, despite
my initial doubts as I have never really gone in for the whole touchscreen
thing after a disastrous experience with an LG Viewty...but let's
not go there. The combination of the middle touchscreen and the
rest of the keys being conventional works a treat. You can't press
the other keys accidentally when you're navigating around, as this
happened frequently with previous touchscreen Samsung phones - so
I read, anyway. The screen is big and bright...but still lagging
behind the quality of a Nokia screen. Sorry, Samsung. Nokia really
have it sorted for top-quality screens that also perform great under
direct sunlight. This is where the U900 falls down - the screen
becomes illegible under direct sunlight. Still, that alone isn't
enough to give the phone a poor review! The menu is greatly-improved
(in terms of user-interface) compared to previous Samsung phones.
I mean this in the way that it looks more aesthetically pleasing.
It's prettier! My phone came with three themes - Spazio (multi-coloured
menu icons), Monolythic Purity (steel-look that blends with the
phone), and Elegent Noir (black and jade). All themes were lovely,
but Spazio was my favourite as I'm a sucker for pretty colours!
However, there's still no great changes to the overall functionality
of the phone. The 5mp camera does not - in my opinion - perform
that great. The pictures are slightly grainy, and it's difficult
to get a decent shot unless you're perfectly still. It also wasn't
a great idea for Samsung to make the camera operable only when the
slide is open. This makes it awkward when taking portrait shots,
and generally makes it an awkward camera to use full-stop. For all
the fancy features that have been built into the camera (and which
I never tested, to be honest), I think it would have been a far
better idea to use the same camera design seen in the D600. The
camera could then be used when the phone is closed, and would be
much easier to use, not to mention give a much steadier grip when
in use. But then again, it's a phone with a camera...and with my
12mp Kodak digital camera, it wouldn't really have mattered to me
how the camera performed. But for those to whom it does matter...there's
room for improvement. Photos taken on the highest (5mp) resolution
looked worse than photos taken on my Nokia 6500 Slide on maximum
resolution (3.2mp). All the other features were really nothing to
write home about. Music player and radio looked good, though I never
tested them. What for? I have an iPod.Texting was another area I
just can't get along with in Samsungs. Finding symbols is difficult,
unless you only use the standard set found by pressing key 1. If
you need any others, it's a real complicated process to go through.
I also could not understand why when going in to write a text message,
it defaulted to the box where you write the message instead of defaulting
to the recipient box. I thought there would be an option to write
the text out and then select the recipient...but there wasn't. Instead,
I had to either select 'Add Recipient' from the menu, or scroll
all the way back up through my message to the recipient box and
add it there. Sounds trivial but it seemed totally impractical to
me. Also, when sending long texts, the phone cannot be used until
it has finished sending the entire message. I definitely prefer
Nokia and Sony's method of simply showing the symbol in the top
of your screen that a message is being sent, while still allowing
you to use the rest of the phone. Seems so much more useful. I also
didn't like the lack of shortcuts and personalisation. After a couple
of years of Nokias now, I really love the Active Standby function,
giving you unlimited ways of adding shortcuts to your screen, and
also the 'Go To' option, which I access via one of my soft keys
on the standby screen. There are various applications and features
I frequently want to access without having to navigate my way through
the menu each time, and I've found that all Samsungs are very limited
in this respect. So after a day of playing around, enjoying the
novelty of the touchscreen pad and trying to fall in love with the
phone...I just didn't. I have to say that I'm a Nokia girl at heart
now, and I've reverted back to my trusty 6500 Slide. I've yet to
find a phone that beats it for build-quality, functionality and
intuition. A few touchscreen keys does not make a phone intuitive.
But this is just my opinion, and it does not mean I don't like the
phone. I can appreciate it and I do believe it is a great handset
that will tick most people's boxes...but not mine, I'm afraid. It's
already been sold on eBay...hopefully to someone who will love it
in a way that I couldn't! [Editor's comment: Welcome back, Rampant
Rabbiter! You must have owned more phones than me! Thanks once again
for a really helpful review.] Rating:
Reviewed by John from UK on 1st
May 2008
A bit of balance is needed here, I think. My last 2 phones have
been SE K750 and K800. Saw bad reviews on the K850 so thought I'd
try this. My view is this - if you can draw negative comparisons
against your old phone then people need to know about it. There
are lots of positives to talk about and I would agree with all that
has been written before in that sense, but I'm already noticing
things missing from this phone that I've had on other phones I've
owned. This is disappointing given that we are all looking for continuing
advancement. Things that come to mind are: the camera picture quality
is disappointing for 5.0mp - the SE 3.2mp is much better; and it
has no auto flash so you cannot just pick up and shoot if lighting
is poor. I cannot seem to make a call using the loud speaker so
that I can hear the recipients phone actually ringing - it is not
until the call connects that you have the option to switch to loud
speaker. I'm not one for keypad tones and whilst you can turn these
down to zero, you cannot isolate them - if you turn them down to
zero, the camera shutter sound, for example, is also silent. In
the settings menu, there is no option for sound settings alone,
all of the sound settings have to be dealt with through other settings
(profiles etc). 4 shortcuts are available from the touch screen
plus the menu; no shortcuts button as on the SEs with as many shortcuts
as you wanted. When texting, I've been used to writing my text and
pressing "send" on the SEs which then takes you into recent contacts.
With this one, you specify the recipient(s) first, no big deal I
suppose. The standard earphones are pants, the mp3 quality seems
poor, lacking bass, but may be improved with a better headset perhaps.
There is no graphic equaliser to help improve things. For some reason
(and this may be standard to Samsung) the ringtone changes from
your profile ringtone when the earpiece is plugged in. Fingerprinting
is awful on the screen and screen visibility in high daylight is
poor. Thats it. The look and feel are great, the touchscreen works
well and its sensitivity can be adjusted to prevent accidents. Great
looking phone, extremely cool, but are there better cameras, mp3
players and other features on other phones? Oh yes. Rating:
Reviewed by lyndey from uk on
1st May 2008
phone looks great but sound is rubbish cant hear it ringing theres
no volume control i miss all my calls and have to end up phoning
everyone back im a bit gutted because the rest i could live with
but its not worth it and mine will be going back Rating:
Reviewed by tony from Uk on 1st
May 2008
i hate this phone. it is useless Rating:
Reviewed by Gordon from UK on
1st May 2008
Dubbed as the flagship phone for Samsung in 2008, the Soul seems
to have a lot of expectation riding on it. Although I have only
had this phone for a few days, I can see many plus points, but also
a fair few minus points too. Visually, this is by far one of the
best phones that will be available this year, the touchpad with
softkeys and keeping the keypad is all good, as it will suit most
phone users with no major quabbles. Screen is very clear for texting
and calling, and with it being slim and sleek, you are definately
going to get noticed with this sexy piece of equipment. The down
side? Well, there are a few things that I have noticed, which would
cause a few minor niggles; the sound quality is good, but not as
good as the previous D600, nor is the alarm very loud (even when
set to highest volume), as standard the phone only has 128mb available
so you would need to purchase an additional memory card, although
there are extra features, samsung don't offer much in the way of
tones and wallpaper etc like most other phones (my previous being
the nokia n73, but even the samsung d600 had a good selection of
extras); some people may not like that there is no zoom option on
the camera and finally, when you are on a call, it can be quite
easy to disconnect the call as the soft keys seem to be a little
sensitive. Most of the minor issues can be lived with, but with
the exception of it being thinner than some of the previous models,
Im unsure as to whether this U900 is the better of the Samsung phones.
I have yet to decide whether I should send it back, as although
it has it's little quirks, it's still a very nice phone and I feel,
is far better than most available today, with the only major competitor
being the Nokia N95 Black (if you want the chunkier phone). Samsung
are heading in the right direction and fixed a lot of the older
menu problems, but seemingly forgetting to update or upgrade some
of the existing good points to make it even better. A good upgrade
for anyone currently using a Samsung, otherwise if you prefer other
makes, you may need to have a play around before deciding if this
phone is really for you. Rating:
Reviewed by KJF from Scotland on
1st May 2008
Had the D500, then the D900 but have now shot down the alphabet
for this! It has to be said, this phone is beautiful. The touch
pad works really well (you can change the colour of the icons too!)
and the keypad looks great with the brushed effect. One thing I
wasn't sure of before I got it - the soft keys next to the touch
pad are proper click buttons, not touch sensitive, so you really
are getting the best of both worlds! The menu now has 12 categories
compared to my D900's 9, but they're still intuitive enough. The
music player is much improved and is now very similar to Windows
Media Player (which the phone can sync with) - you can arrange by
artist,album etc. The supplied earphones aren't great and the connection
is different from my old phone, which means I'll need another adaptor.
There were also no free games, only 3 locked ones (including a Paris
Hilton one - deleted straight away!). However, these are just minor
niggles and don't change the fact that this is an excellent phone,
which I thoroughly recommend. I can only wonder where Samsung will
go from her... Rating:
Reviewed by love it from uk on
30th Apr 2008
love it wow wow wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rating:
Reviewed by Sarah from UK on
30th Apr 2008
I got ths phone yesterday on upgrade on orange, they wanted £200
for it on upgrade but i managed to get it free as they are offering
it free to new customers, great phone, glad you can finally personlise
ur message tones with samsung :) all round good phone & looks great
Rating:
Reviewed by Craig from UK on
30th Apr 2008
Got this phone as an upgrade. After reading reviews, I was expecting
an amazing phone. Basically the samsung OS hasn't changed since
I had the SGH-500, yes it has prettier pictures and a touch sensitive
square that really doesn't add much to the usability of the phone.
Instead of being slick it all just appears second rate to me. Camera
is also grainy like earlier samsungs. It's a revamped slimmer SGH-500,
nothing inspiring. There is nothing on this phone that made me think
"oh that's neat". I played with it for an hour and put it back in
it's box and is now on ebay! Also, try getting the battery of the
back, you need the patience of a saint! Rating:
Reviewed by john from uk on 29th
Apr 2008
just got this phone on an upgrade after using sony ericsson for
years not a great lover of samsung but this phone is definately
the best on the market at the moment good allround phone get one Rating:
Reviewed by joe from uk on 28th
Apr 2008
got this fone on 25th the day after release so i have had a few
days to have a play with it and what can i say? WOW!!! This fone
is amazing, its got everything you could want in a fone and more,
it looks the business and certainly will catch a few eyes! You can
make this fone your own with changing coulours themes etc. I also
considered the iphone but im sorry this baby wins hands down. well
done samsung!!! Rating:
Reviewed by Ju from uk on 27th
Apr 2008
Had it a few days now and it is perfect in every way,get one. Rating:
Reviewed by Jim from UK on 27th
Apr 2008
Had a play with it in store then bought it online, can't wait for
it to get here, definate replacement of my ancient nokia 3510i Rating:
Reviewed by Sam from UK on 27th
Apr 2008
The document viewer is rather slow. Hope Samsung does something
about their firmware. Rating:
Reviewed by Alan R from UK on
26th Apr 2008
Just got it today as an upgrade from my excellent Nokia N73. But!!!!!!!!this
phone is something else. Its light and feels like a mobile should.
I have had a play around with the colour changes etc. Its a very
tactile phone. I considered N95/LG Viewty/Apple. The U900 won easily.
Well done Samsung. Rating:
Reviewed by Charlotte S from UK on
26th Apr 2008
Got this phone on the 25th April, the day after it was released
here in the UK. Its an amazing phone, the camera is great! The Magical
Touch pad is a lovely quirky little feature - which to me makes
it stand out from others i'd seen! And i love how you can change
the colours of the touch, and even create your own themes to match!
Great phone! Rating:
Reviewed by tracie stubbs from uk on
25th Apr 2008
WOW... Got this phone today, just upgraded from samsung D900i and
what can i say.. I was worried about the touch screen but it is
so easy to use.. plus you still have your keypad.. The camera is
5 mega pixel better pic already.. Music sounds fab and it still
has it privacy settings.. Well done Samsung.. Rating:
Reviewed by adam from uk on 25th
Apr 2008
good phone Rating:
Reviewed by James from London on
25th Apr 2008
just got it Rating:
Reviewed by Emma R from uk on
24th Apr 2008
I got this phone today (it isnt out till tomoro) its very simialar
to my old phone D900 but the camera and screen are amazing, it touch
screen part is good and better than buttons i love it :] Get it!
Rating:
Reviewed by SKAPE from england on
24th Apr 2008
got this from for free from my mate.... and its AMAZING cant get
beter Rating:
Reviewed by Dann;'y from Le Francais
on 9th Apr 2008
le phone is superb i tried it le 02 shop brill phone 5 megapixel
phone is what i like looks and feels good 2.au revoir! Rating:
Reviewed by Niamph from UK on
20th Mar 2008
This phone is amazing I really rnjoyed playing with it. it's perfect. Rating:
Reviewed by Kevin from United Kingdom
on 19th Mar 2008
I Have been fortunate enough to have a play with this phone and
what can I say...... other than wow this phone is amazing it has
a 5 mega pixel camera and takes crystal clear photos the navigation
buttons are really good the menus are easy to follow and the battery
performance is really good the MP3's sound very clear and loud and
this supports upto 4gb micro SD cards which is plenty to store all
your MP3's photos etc I highly recommend this phone it is amazing
the best Samsung to date and the camera beats nokias N95 and the
Viewty go get this masterpeice its great. Rating:
The
Samsung U900 Soul is Samsung's flagship phone for 2008. Is it a
triumph of marketing, or can the Soul really live up to the mega
hype? Mobile Phones UK checks it out!
