Review: Samsung Z540 3G Phone

Samsung Z540 Review

Phone rating:

The Samsung Z540 is an ultra slim 3G phone - the same size as the Samsung Z510. Far slimmer than most clamshells, the Z540 looks amazing with its black textured surface. Sohisticated and understated, it looks much like a black Motorola RAZR but with the benefits of 3G! Can't be bad!

The keypad is flat but functional and works well. There are external music and camera keys and ergonomically the phone is very good. Functionally the Z540 is almost the same as the Z510, but it looks better. Notable features include 3G video calling, a 1.3 megapixel camera, a superb 262k colour display (and an excellent outside display too), MP3 player with dual loudspeakers, MP3 ringtones, dual loudspeakers and a digital power amp.

In addition to 3G the Z540 is triband, and there's both Bluetooth and USB connectivity. Memory-wise, there's 140 Mbytes supplied, but with no option for an external memory card - this is perhaps the phone's only real weakness.

Features of the Samsung Z540 include:

• 3G video calling
• 1.3-megapixel camera with 4x digital zoom
• VGA second camera for video calling and video recording (MPEG4 format)
• Voice recorder
• Internal display: TFT, 262,144 colours
• External display: TFT, 65,536 colours
• Music player (MP, ACC/ACC+, RA, WMA formats)
• Dual loudspeakers
• MP3 ringtones (64-voice polyphonic)
• Speakerphone
• Messaging: SMS, MMS, Email (POP3 / SMTP / IMAP4)
• T9 predictive text
• Java games
• Photo caller ID
• Personal organiser functions
• WAP 2.0
• Connectivity: Bluetooth, USB
• Memory: 140 Mbytes
• Triband plus 3G
• Size: 99 x 51 x 14.9 mm
• Weight: 105g
• Talktime: 2.5 hours
• Battery standby: 200 hours

Samsung Z540 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 49 reviews:

Reviewed by Phumlani from South africa on 1st Jul 2008
I,m using sumsung z540 its good to have this phone with features 2 cameras internal vga and external 1.3 megapixels 3g technology and many more thanks to sumsung
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Reviewed by Neil from UK on 11th Apr 2008
Sophisticated looks with feel-good factor. Whilst it does look quite like a Motorola V3 on the inside, the phone also boasts 3g performance on top, plus outer mp3 player controls for 'flip-closed' use, but for me there's 1 big difference that made me glad I got 1 - when doing text messages the text size can be set much LARGER than on Motos, which is very important for small print. I can read the texts without my reading glasses, wow! In conclusion then, this is 1 top phone if you dont need tons of extra memory, also it's quite a rare SAMSUNG model as I have yet to see anyone else with one!! A highly recommended phone that doesn't cost the earth.
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Reviewed by A.M. from UK on 23rd Feb 2008
I'm nearing my 18 month contract and this phone has never let me down once. Brilliant camera, brilliant sound quality, and generally a brilliant phone! One thing that let this phone down was that it had no flash, but other than that, it has served its purpose.
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Reviewed by gillian hall from morecambe on 20th Jul 2007
i have found this phone exellent, battery long lasting one of the best phones i have had
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Reviewed by Honey B from United Kingdom on 18th Jul 2007
I have the phone and i feel it is of very high standards it i thought had a 2 mega pix camera
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Reviewed by Baz from UK on 14th Jun 2007
This phone looks good & feels good. The audio quality (in terms of clarity & volume) of this phone is absolutely awesome. If, (as some reviews mention) you want a phone that has a torch, that you can drop or a clamshell that doesn't end the call when you close the flip then don't buy this ( I roll my eyes). This is a sleek phone. The keys have a great feel. The screen is bright & vivid. The sound quality is superb. The camera is much better than the average 1.3 megapixel camera phone. I have found battery charge lasts for days especially if 3G is turned off in favour of 2G. I highly recommend this phone.
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Reviewed by Chelsey from England on 4th May 2007
Hmm. I've had this phone since christmas eve and to be honest I think it's a great phone. It has a great camera and it's sleek and a decent looking phone. People say the batteries bad but if you charge it most nights it'll be fine. Though mine still does last up to a week without needing charging. It holds a lot of pictures and teh mp3 is great; though it doesn't always hold many songs. =/ Being a teen myself I do reccoment this phone to teenagers wanting one, although my dad also has this phone and he finds it easy to use too. Welldone Samsung.
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Reviewed by Ted from New Zealand on 2nd May 2007
When I got the phone a week ago, it came with a disk with "Samsung PC Studio" on it. Because I wanted the ability to easily transfer contacts and complete sms messages from my PC via the phone, I thought this provided programme would be great. However, while the programme does have the tools, the phone model won't let you do this. I should have gone with the cheaper Motorola with more features.
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Reviewed by Robert from New Zealand on 10th Apr 2007
just sold my Nokia 93i which was wayyyyyy to big! I love this simple phone. Have had it a week now and am very happy. Like the look, feel and functionality. Brought it for $400 here near new. Yeah it has no m/slot so go buy an ipod. And so what with the battery life. Mine goes for five days without recharging ( i know as it gets more use it will get less and less so buy a new one. They are not that expensive ) I highly recommend this phone Cheers big ears!!!
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Reviewed by steve from Uk on 2nd Apr 2007
I love this phone, just changing from sony ericson k750i, which is all scratched now, my only moan is the battery life is not long enough, but good bits are the buttons are a nice size, excellent phone, dont seem to be many selling it now, their loss
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Reviewed by Matty Bee from Canada on 21st Mar 2007
My new phone is just great works well good pictures and most of all it is a good quality made phone way better than the razor. A little expensive in canada thats the only drawback.
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Reviewed by charlie from uk on 21st Jan 2007
I have just had the phone for two weeks but it is realy outstanding.Great allrounder but the battery could be better.
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Reviewed by Nicole from UK on 6th Jan 2007
I have just bought this phone and it is my first new phone for five years. I needed it to be reliable and easy to use. I have only had it a few days but so far it is excellent - really easy for technophobes like me to use.
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Reviewed by Ruzty from Australia on 23rd Dec 2006
iv got this phone 4 like 2 days already. so far so good. so these are my comments. POSITIVE: exellent camera, elegant look, lots of cool features.i like the slim flip and sexy appearance and also the color which is black. Long lasting battery. NEGATIVE: i think the only weakness of this phone is that; it dosent have memory slot in it. secondly, no themes. therefore, the screen is quite boring sometimes. over all, the phone is exelent but not perfect thats y i give 4 stars. good work samsung! Ruzty
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Reviewed by curt from england on 22nd Dec 2006
this phone is amazing i would recomend to any teens out there who what a good all-round phone and the external mp3 buttons are great!
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Reviewed by helen from UK on 21st Dec 2006
good alround phone and what makes it better is that not many people own 1 so you feel special with this phone.
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Reviewed by Ashley from uk on 21st Dec 2006
I just upgraded to this phone from my last samsung and I unfortunatly have to say I prefered the old one! I can't remember the make, but my last samsung had a torch, which was really useful, a clock that 'stayed on', on the external display so you could glance at your phone to see what the time was, and just generally looked better than this thing. When you 'upgrade' you should expect something better, but with this phone I don't. This phone does however have some good feedback from what I have read on this page but those were just a couple of features from my old phone that I miss! Basically if you have have a samsung with a torch and a clock that stays on on the external display, stick with what you got!
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Reviewed by banni from england on 7th Dec 2006
this phone is just amazing. i have had 5 phones in the past 13 years and ive got to say this is just totally amazing. if there was a better phone than this i would be suprised. this phone is like buying an amazing computer but in a small little thing. think of it like a god. its got enough space and great pics well this is a best seller to me .GOT TO BUY IT EVERYONE ORELSE YOUR MISSING OUT ON THE FUN!!!
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Reviewed by Sanjay from UK on 27th Nov 2006
I was a Samsung fan but I recently upgraded to a Samsung Z540 and the first thing I immediately noticed was that the simplicity of the menus is lost. You do not have a simple menu from where you can change the ringtone or the volume of the ringtone. You need to go to the profiles to do that. I am being too strict here but one more area where this phone has failed is that inspite of having a speakerphone facility you can't answer calls with the flip (cover) shut and answer the call with a touch of any button located on the cover (Say if you are driving and if you forgot to put on your bluetooth earpiece). You need to open the flip, put it on the loudspeaker and keep the cover open till the time you are on the call. If you shut the cover, call is disconnected, silly thing. I am surprised that you cannot preset the volume to a lower volume level when you set an alarm for a wakeup call or anything else. It just rings on the maximum volume no matter however you set it. Imagine your phone ringing on full volume early in the morning to wake you up:-) Other than these odd features it is not much different that a D500.
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Reviewed by Alex from England on 22nd Nov 2006
I am a previous Nokia user and although I do like this phone I still think Nokias are slightly better.. The wake up alarm doesnt always work. You cannot use your own tune as a message alert tone and the battery life is very very poor even on 2G, I can barely get two days out of it even with bluetooth off. Saying that, I like the design and screen on the phone. The camera is good and downloads come out really well on it.
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Reviewed by Jane from UK on 11th Nov 2006
This phone is sooooooooooo coooooool, I'll recommend it to everyone, especially to teenagers.
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Reviewed by Andy from England on 16th Oct 2006
Had the phone for a few days now - fantastic! Video phone and mobile TV is great. I cannot fault it! I love the look, the screen is massive and there's so much to do!
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Reviewed by Adrienne from Wales on 26th Sep 2006
Looks fab, great screen, sexy phone, but for petes sake don't drop it! dropped from less than 2 foot onto carpet!, yes carpet and the screens knackered. Build quality obviously extremely suspect!!!!!!!
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Reviewed by Bonf from Abeba on 1st Sep 2006
battery is junk. Not enough for two days out of home. If you forget to charge it at evening after one day using it, next day it show 1 of 3 battery bars and BU! it's go down.
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Reviewed by Steve from England on 13th Aug 2006
After many Nokia phones I'm reasonably pleased with this. Pity you can't record calls. If you want to use songs as a ringtone, you have to ensure it is in mp3 format! At least with clamshells, the main display is protected from scratches etc. Battery life on 2G and no Bluetooth can be up to six days if not used much.
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Reviewed by bree from south africa on 23rd Jul 2006
i am totally in love with this 4one. The quality of the photos i take is great. If you want an the in my opinion best phone in the market with a reasonable price i recomend the Z540!!
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Reviewed by mint from england on 15th Jul 2006
this phone is the best phone you will ever own....one problem you just can,t put it down...
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Reviewed by Franco from Krugersdorp on 12th Jul 2006
I love love love The new Samsuug Z540 It is the Best fone I have ever had I am only 12 years old and this fone is the best one ever
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Reviewed by Brett from South Africa on 9th Jul 2006
OMG ! Just got the phone last week and its brilliant!! Even better than the V3 RAZR/i/x. I read some reveiws here about downloading tunes taking for ever..NOT! the menu is very user friendly, screen is vibrant and mp3 quality is off the hook..especially with the dual speakers and the camera is just as good as a D500/600...If u want a high pixel camera..go buy one! If you are worried about battery life its simple just switch to 2G mode. The memory is big but a card slot would have been the cherry on top. The keys are easy to use and keep pace with your fingers!! Im very impressed with Samsung...Nokia have some catching up to do!
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Reviewed by Talia from England on 27th Jun 2006
All I can say is what a phone. I've had it for a while and I tend to only use the samsung range. I prefer this to the D800, 600 and D500, which I all have. The memory is good and you can download the songs from your iTunes or limewire. Don't listen to any bad comments, this phone is the best samsung currently so go out and Buy it!
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Reviewed by gabby from norfolk on 18th Jun 2006
its a good fone. but it does av its problems like it takes 4eva 2 download and if u do not listen 2 it straight after u down load it , it will not let u hear it at all. and u can u chang ur ringtone. i think the samung 800 is so much beter and easyer. dont get this fone
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Reviewed by Steve from Singapore on 6th Jun 2006
Been using the Z540 for about a week now. Must say I am mighty impressed with what the phone can do. Great battery life and user friendly interface. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a slender 3G fone.
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Reviewed by Tammy from South Africa on 30th May 2006
This is a really good phone! I've always been a fan of nokia and have always been a bit hesitant to buy a different make. With regards to Samsung phones, there have always been a few features that I don't like - for example how they don't ring and vibrate at the same time. However, with this phone they've sorted the problem out! It's vey similar to the Nokia functionality and is extremely user friendly. Battery life is pretty good and it's nice and slim. You can transfer music from your iTunes to your phone and it has a big internal memory. Minor improvements which could be made is on the external screen, as it turns off afew seconds after closing and the alarm clock - it only has one set volume which is far too loud. All in all though, it's a great phone, with a big colour screen and easy to use.
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Reviewed by Martin from UK on 27th May 2006
The phone is great and very nice. Original designe and more function. It's very OK terminal UMTS
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Reviewed by Hans Cassee from Holland on 24th May 2006
I yust tested thye phone in the shop: Marvelous! But I have a question, which the salesman could not answer: Can I transfer music from my Apple Powerbook to my phone? And: can I transfer pictures from the phone to my Apple computer. Via bluetooth or cable.
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Reviewed by alice from essex on 22nd May 2006
it is great i love it. its the best phone i av eva had. i first had the motorala v3i. i liked that but all it is good for is the looks. i found it hard to use and it kept braking down so i got this phone and it looks as niCe and is so much better to use. GET THIS FONE IT IS THE BEST LOOKER AND THE EASIEST TO USE AND THE MERORY ROCKS!
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Reviewed by Sam from United KIngdom on 9th May 2006
I cannot believe the way people think they should be using these review things. If someone writes their opinion of a phone, good or bad, don't make your review a complete description of how they are completely wrong. I don't actually own the phone, however I used one today in the Vodafone store and was very impressed. The screen is very bright and sharp, the buttons are very easy to press, it's feature packed and very quick (i.e. menus load quickly). Obviously do not judge your purchase on this review as I have not used it for more than 20 minutes, however, I plan to make a purchase of the phone on Sunday and it looks like a good buy. It's basically a sexier, feature packed version of the RAZR (which has the same boring featureless disgustiing GUI software as their original colour screen phones pretty much)
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Reviewed by James from UK on 7th May 2006
Aesthetics: looks like more of a 'professional' phone that the clamshell motarolas (Razer/ v3i/x etc), with less flashy metal and more of a matt black finish. The screen is excellent and the sound is pretty good. Think it might be a little chubbier than the V3 but then its not as common either! Im not sure why Samsung chose a dodgy europop band to write their ringtones (i would be embarresed to use any of them) - Nokia still seem to lead the way on this one. Function: Pretty great all round. One of the best things is the speed of key reponse. Nothing puts me off a phone more than having to wait for it to catch up with my fingers - see the motorolar slvr. Music/ Mp3: This seems more of a gimmick really. Loading tunes takes ages, and I have had to convert all my music into AAC files. The software is not user friendly and the phones' folder storage system is hard to understand. Plus, it will let me set any tune as a ring tone but then wont play it when I get a call! If you want a serious mp3 player in your phone then buy a sony w810, or just buy an ipod. Camera: A huge improvement on my old nokia in terms of megapixels, but looking a bit old hat compared to the 2 mp on the w810. However, having a camera on both sides of the phone is useful for taking self/ self and friend shots etc. Battery life: Ok, but poorer then anythinf else - Expect to charge every few days. This is more to do with using a 3g network. Im not sure, but you may be able to switch to a gsm 2g and save battery life. This would be a bigger problem if you live somewhere of poor reception and you find your phone constantly searching for a signal. Those are the main points. All in all a great phone - a few little anoyances, but these are easily forgivable!
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Reviewed by Baz from UK on 5th May 2006
Have had the z540 for a couple of weeks now and I'm really happy with it - the screen is great and design slick (although it does feel like its going to slip through my fingers at any time and I don't think it would survive a drop!)I agree with the last review regarding the external screen which goes completly blank after a few moments and does not show the time or show if you have a new txt/missed call etc which is a little annoying...The best you can do is to hold your finger on one of the external sound control buttons for about 5 seconds which will switch the external screen on rather than having to open the flip to check for texts and stuff... All in all a great phone and credit to Samsung - Would definately recomment it over the V3X.
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Reviewed by Davian from South Africa on 4th May 2006
The phone is great. Come on every Samsung phone is great go and buy it. Trust me you will not be sorry.
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Reviewed by Jon from UK on 3rd May 2006
I've had this for a few weeks now and generally think its an excellent handset - especially for a 3G phone. I' happily recommend it to anyone. Great audio and good battery life. Three minor niggles though: 1) I can't find a way of keeping the time showing on the external display. Maybe its been disabled due to a battery life problem. 2) It should be possible to set the volume button so that it rejects calls, but I can't get this to work. 3) I wish they had fitted a proper mini-USB plug. This is just a personal preference as I travel and prefer not to carry lots of chargers, so a mini-USB plug would mean I could charge all my gadgets thru a laptop USB cable.
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Reviewed by adrian williams from United Kingdom on 30th Apr 2006
I am a Nokia Bumpkin and have been ever since I can remember... I have previously had 3 Samsung mobiles (one around 4 years ago, 3 years ago and a year ago was the D500) and have sold each one just weeks after buying it. I should mention that the D500 I only sold because of Orange silly sub menu that took up half of the display and was non removeable I was told. Anyway, They always seemed to have something missing from Nokias that I have purchased. However, with this Samsung mobile, I can honestly say that I think they *may* have come close! The design is thinner than any nokia I have seen and still has lots of fun packed features. Colour screen resolution is great on both the inside and outside and the sound quality is what we have come to expect from Samsung, clear and crisp.. and LOUD!! The only problem that I am having that could really put me off this handset is that if I am sending a text (or five texts at once as I quite often do...) and flip the phone closed as it is sending the text message, it cancels the text sending and moves it into the outbox. This means that you have to keep the phone open while it sends all of the text (not very good when your trying to send a sneaky text while at the desk at work!) If anyone knows a way around this then let me know. I hear that there will be patches for this phone anyway direct from samsung thanks to the USB connector that comes with the phone. I did consider waiting around for the N80 but the designs with Nokia have got very similar lately and with having the Nokia 6680 for over a year, I wanted a change... I do understand from reviews I have read though, that when the N80 does get released in the UK, its going to blow the socks off every other mobile, and possibly set a new standard for mobile phone manufacturers! Only other complaint that I have would be with Vodafones 3G mobile TV. The picture is tiny on the samsung (takes up about 2/3 of the screen so does not make the most of the large screen size) and the sound quality on some channels is very poor. As I said previously this is not the fault of Samsung but something to consider when purchasing a contract from Vodafone.
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Reviewed by Catherine from Ireland on 28th Apr 2006
An amazing phone, everything about it is great, I've had no problems so far. Go buy one!
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Reviewed by James from UK on 21st Apr 2006
Unlike some of the reviewers who only come on here to slag off anything they don't own, I do actually have one of these phones and have done for a few weeks. I'm extremely happy with it, it's intuititve, well made and an all round nice design. It's not a toy, it's a phone for adults. THe only problem so far is the lack of accessories, but I'm sure that will be dealt with in the near future. Everything about this phone is easy (even the Bluetooth), you don't have to spend ages reading the manual or playing around with menus, just pick it up and use it. Nice one Samsung!
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Reviewed by Alex from England on 12th Apr 2006
I've had this phone for a few days now. Please don't listen to some of the posts below. The phone is very eye-catching and is solidly built. Everything seems to work fine and it is a very good handset. A few more button presses seem neccessary when they previously weren't with my old 6230i but I can live with that when I get used to the different operating system. Battery life seems good. I fully charged it and have been playing with it since. I have only used one bar of battery. Finally just be careful with the PC Software. You can only update the conacts through synchronising with Outlook. You cannot organise it through the Samsung software. However, that is quite a rare feature of a phone and so, in my opinion you cannot miss something you never had. Hope this helps
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Reviewed by beckham from south africa on 10th Apr 2006
I love this phone. Best one ever made by samsung. It has everything, A MUST BUY!!!
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Reviewed by Frank from UK on 6th Apr 2006
This phone is awesome!! It has everything you need- my friend has it and I really really want it so don't listen to the bad reviews coz they're probably made up. C ya!
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Reviewed by SP from UK on 6th Apr 2006
David who writes below me is talking rubbish. The phone comes with 150MB of MEMORY (not memery - i doubt any phone comes with this). It is a very nice phone and very functional. A must buy. Perhaps David should learn to spell and also actually own the phone before putting fingers to keyboard.
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Reviewed by david from uk on 5th Apr 2006
i think it is completly rubbish it has no memery it is so rubbish i would give it 1 star
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