Review: Siemens SL55

Siemens SL55 Review

Phone rating:

The Siemens SL55 is a phone that looks fabulous, but unfortunately its beauty is only skin deep. As you can see from reading the consumer reviews below, it comes with a host of reliability and reception problems, which is why we have awarded it a one-star rating.

Features of the Siemens SL55 include:

• Colour screen
• WAP 1.2.1, GPRS
• MMS & EMS
• Java games
• Email client
• Works with Siemens plug-in QuickPic camera
• Phonebook capacity – 500 + SIM
• 1MB user memory
• Infrared modem
• Voice control and voice recorder
• Picture ID
• Vibration Alert
• T9 predictive text
• Internal fax modem
• 2 Games plus Java downloadable games
• Handsfree speakerphone
• 10 Polyphonic ringtones (16-voice) + facility to download more
• Tri-band
• Weight: 79g
• Size: 82 x 45 x 22 mm
• Standby Time: 200 hours
• Talktime: up to 3 hours

Siemens SL55 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 100 reviews:

Reviewed by Chang Lea from China on 5th Sep 2004
This is simply the worst phone i have ever bought. There is no camera, and i bought the camera that you attatch to it and it was of very poor quality. The slide on the phone got very annoying, and i do not advise that you get it. Just dont get it.
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Reviewed by tom from susex on 5th Sep 2004
its a brill phone
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Reviewed by mishul from england on 31st Aug 2004
i think this phone is not that good but if i had to buy a phone it would be sl55 becasue it is a stylish phone it is small and it can fit in ur hand but if u are texting someone then i would choose nokia because it is a user friendly and u can write text in a minute because its keys a much better but at the end nokia would win the grand price becasue nowadays more people text then calling other people so i would choose a nokia phone but as far as it goes nokia make one type of a phone in one style whereas siemens they make different phones in in different styles but i would say buy a nokia if u are a person who would text alot rather callong people.
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Reviewed by Hannah from Wales on 29th Aug 2004
SOOOO not worth the £350 I payed for it, what a waste of money. Several times it froze then switched off deleting every single message stored on the phone, although the sim messages remained. The picture quality could be much better. The top part of the phone came off the bottom part once or twice. Takes ages to load many things such as games. I really wish I'd seen reviews before buying, what a waste of money.
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Reviewed by Guy from UK on 23rd Aug 2004
Without doubt the worse phone I have ever owned. Received this via a free upgrade on O2. Keypad fails to work properly, navigation keys dont urrm NAVIGATE! Phone randomly switches off. NEVER EVER AGAIN will I own a Siemens phone or will I recommend and of their handsets to friends or foe.
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Reviewed by Haley from UK on 20th Aug 2004
Not a bad little phone had its good points these being the size of the phone and you can read messages without having to open the pro slide. Bad points being i could not find a way to turn off the vibrate even when it was on silent. Also it has a habbit of turning its self back on. This is not good when you are doing exams had to result to taking the battery off the back! The ring tones are rubbish so my phone spent nearly all its life in silent mode. Do not have this phone anymore as it had a small collision with my car tyre. Now have Samsung E800 classy phone!
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Reviewed by fi57yseven from england on 20th Aug 2004
Got this phone now, i think its a lovely phone, only probs i got with it are the poor graphics, and the non up to date ringtones to real music, still at carphone warehouse the handset is only £159 and most of the bugs have been taken out, its a all black and is helping me wait for my motorala v525 to come back from being repaired, sexy little phone but i dont think its really worth £159 more like £99.99p.
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Reviewed by Glenn from England on 10th Aug 2004
I got this phone given to me, it was well used had loads of numbers in the memory and the call and zero button wouldnt work. I paid 5 pound for a charger and 10 quid for a sim. I took it apart, cleaned it, bodged the buttons so it works, charged it, superglued a button back on that i broke (cost 1.30 for tube of glue, ripped of there, should of been 99p) yeah, it has crashed, when i was marking and deleting all numbers from the phone book, it is slow but for 16 quid hey! im not arsed about games and stuff, had loads of phones from nokias to motorolas and the best i had so far was the 7650 but it weighed a ton. if you want a small phone to make calls on this will do you. if you want to spend 5 pound a game, when you could probably be doing better things with your money thats up to you. it works, its a phone ok, and as for camera phones i had 3 of them and i found that they are blody pointless. get a digital camera. yep. 10 stars...
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Reviewed by BJ from Australia on 9th Aug 2004
Upgraded to this phone 11 months ago after owning an S40 and several Motorolas. Needed the triband as I travelled a lot. The S40 developed a habit of turning itself back on while I was travelling so arrived after long flights to find the battery dead. Upgraded the software and the problem disappeared so I was aware of the need to keep the software current. Am a heavy phone user. Love the size. Love the voice quality and the reception is very good compared with others I have had. I have had the phone into the shop to replace the keyboard after 7 months and upgrade the software but this was one day and came back better than new. Great phone, none on the market I would swap it for.
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Reviewed by michael from England on 3rd Aug 2004
well where can i start?? after only five minutes of having this fone the screen froze,if this wasnt bad enough i couldnt get a reception at all and i live right next to an O2 mast!! the shop had the cheek to say it was because the area i lived was in an area reknowned for bad reception!!! then when i thought it had sorted itself out i dropped it in some sand and the light behind the screen no longer worked. a day after this the key pad started to slip and the keys started coming out. this was the last straw, i took the phone back to the shop and had it changed for a Samsung. since then no problems at all!!
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Reviewed by Vicky from England on 24th Jul 2004
Oh how i wish i had read this review page before i purchased this oh so sexy phone. Before the phone started playing up i was really happy with it, just the size is pleasing, but when it started turning off, deleting messages and generally taking the P*** i wasn't too happy. I'm sat with it now wondering what to do, service concerning this phone doesn't seem all that good, and i'm only glad i pain the £99 for it, compared to the starting price which was way higher. I now know where to look for reviews on mobile phones! And also know where to put any SL55 crossing my path - in the bin.
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Reviewed by tony from england on 21st Jul 2004
this fone is rubbish!! all i did is washed it in the washing machine, dropped it off a building, let it get ran over by a lorry and now it wont work!! my advise dont get this fone
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Reviewed by Rob from England on 9th Jul 2004
3 stars as I've only had it a couple of weeks. It was free and I'm delighted with it so far.
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Reviewed by tashie from n.ireland on 7th Jul 2004
as with most people on here, i wish i could have given this phone zero stars! this is possibly the worst phone i've used. I have had 5 different handsets now. The first few, the screen froze and didn't unfreeze! Others have switched themselves off during calls, or just when sitting on a table! one one occasion, when the phone was switched back on, all tones, graphics, logos, text messages pictures etc etc had been deleted. so when my phone rang, it just lit up, made no noises whatsoever. all the factory settings had just deleted themselves!!!! also, every time i had to change the phone, i had to pay a silly admininistration fee, even though i had insurance (though this is more a problem with orange 'care' than the phone itself) finally, i could take no more of this phone, and have upgraded - back to a nokia, the only phones i've never had a problem with. thinking of buying this phone??? STOP THINKING!!!!!
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Reviewed by Bazza from Spain on 5th Jul 2004
Great phone. Had it for six months - no problems.
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Reviewed by Patrick from M'sia on 26th Jun 2004
U can't believe it ... It's SxxK ! Regret bought this phone ... Always "Crash and Hang" ! N still so expensive ! I think Siemen should fully test it out before release it into market. SxxT !!!
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Reviewed by Gavin Brewer from UK on 23rd Jun 2004
So far so good... found this fone easy to use, easy to set up, easy to use functions (address book etc) and excellent size. Got this for a bargain £99.95p on pay-as-you-go so is excellent value! I think the reason there are a lot of bad reveiews on here is cos most of them paid probably £250+ - and yeah, to be honest it isnt worth that... but for what you get when u pay £99 its bloody good!
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Reviewed by Oliver Licari from Malta on 22nd Jun 2004
I bought my SL55 because it looked compact- however i was in for a very bad surprise 1) very slow mobile - takes ages to load games and also message screens - and this with no installed software ! 2) the mobile has no resistance to shock whatsoever the slightest impact and the display is ruined 3) parts and repairs are extremely expensive
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Reviewed by emma from england c'on on 16th Jun 2004
Review: I bought my fone 6 weeks ago and im in the process of taking it back althought the link r saying they havent had any other problem like this but they should look at this web-site anyway dont buy this fone it turns its self off, the front cover freezes now and then and well when i put the fone up it goes onto key lock and also sending and recieving msg's is really slow i wud av rated it as a 0 but there wasnt a0 so deont buy this fone coz u'll regret it i know i did
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Reviewed by Graeme from UK on 15th Jun 2004
This was my upgrade this year and gave it to my wife because it looked a neat and compact phone, how wrong i was! From new the signal strength and volume was very poor compaired to my Nokia 8310 which is over a year old and has been great. After 6 weeks the phone packed in, it had been switched off and would not switch on. O2 sent the phone off for repair and the result came back Beyond Economical Repair through water damage. Realy great as it never rains in this country does it. Very poor backup from O2 and Siemens. Do yourself a favour don't buy this one.
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Reviewed by STUART from SCOTLAND on 15th Jun 2004
I love the look of this phone, It's light, small, makes a cool wee noise when you open it... sadly that's where the plus points come to a sharp halt. can't get a signal anywhere, cuts you off all the time, hangs up constantly, Dodgy reception hello.... hello.... heloooooo... I can't hear you....hello????? It just makes you want to rip your own arm off and beat yourself to death with it.
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Reviewed by Vicky from UK on 14th Jun 2004
I have a few things that I would like to complain abut with regards to this phone. 1. The Alarm - the alarm system on the phone rings appropriately but shows the alarm time instead of the actual time, thus making it difficult to know whether to snooze or not. 2. Last Number Dialled - There is no time structure on this, I am not able to tell what time I made the last call. 3. Text Messaging - Do I start a new text or continue with the old one? I sometimes do not get the choice of continuing. 4. The Group System - This is very difficult to sort, assigning ringtones to certain groups is nigh on impossible. 5. The whole phone keeps crashing. This happened to me last week and I lost 24 text messages. The functions on this phone make it very slow, it is irritating and embarrassing. NOT A GOOD PHONE AT ALL.... SWOPPED IT FOR A NOKIA 7210!
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Reviewed by Ryan C from Northern Ireland on 13th Jun 2004
Looks good when u get it, nice and small... But then when u try to use to it, all you see is "Network Search" 24/7 - what use is a mobile fone if u can contact anyone? The reception is awful - its never connected to the network - whereas fones like nokia's are almost always connected. First noticed the keys started to stop functioning after about 5 months - firstly the left menu key had to press pressed so hard it hurt your thumb then the keypad started to loose its control. Then comes the actual caseing - didn't have the fone more than a week or two and it was as scratched as my old fone (which is a couple of years old) - these scrapes destroy the display as they appear very easily when trying to read txts etc. so the screen scrapes easily. then comes the camera and display - the fones graphic display itself is awful - my watch has higher graphic capability than the fone - bad performance there - then the Camera which costs a good bit of money - promising you high quality pictures which are better than most - which in reality, the only reason you have a camera fone is to have pictures on ur fone - and what use is that if the display is poor. The camera again comes with a "good" feature - its flash, ok, well the firstly the camera can't "see" anything beyond 1 meter or else its just a pixel on the display - with the flash activated people look like ghosts - really. you have to charge up the flash before its ready which isnt really that good at partys - you can't exactly say "oh wait to my crap fone charges the flash!" All in all, bad camera. Another problem i noticed - i dont know the reason for this, but as i carry my fone in my right leg pocket, about 3 months after doing this, i noticed a very heavy pain in my muscle, which i wasn't to happy about. I'm a 15 year old boy, like to talk to people, my fone dosen't allow me to do that, i like to play sports, but my fone does stuff to my leg which actually can make me stop playing.... any way, if ur intending to buy this fone - the Siemen SL55 - DON'T Ryan C
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Reviewed by Graeme Yule from UK on 12th Jun 2004
Received an upgrade at the begining of March which I gave to my wife as I was very happy with my Nokia 8310, so foolishly chose an SL55 because it looked neat and compact. She complained of poor reception and volume on the phone and after 6 weeks it packed in altogether; it had been switched off prior to a meeting and would not switch back on. I took it back to O2 who sent it off for repair but only to be told it was beyond economical repair due to water damage! My wife cannot recall at any point when the phone got wet (apart from rain). All i can say is very poor responce from O2 and Siemens. The Carphone Warehouse tried the other day to offload one onto a friend of mine until one of my children put him right - a lucky escape for him. I'm sorry that I hadn't seen this site just after getting it or it would have been returned. (1 star rating too good for SL55's!)
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Reviewed by Hugh from Scotland on 3rd Jun 2004
I have to say bought it cause it was free on contract and it looked smaller than the Nokia. But it developed a fault on the keypad. I sent it to Siemens (via Hays tech repair in Banbury Oxon). They had it for 21 days and sent it back unfixed. Great service from them! Don't buy a Siemens phone, buy a Nokia, they are the best!
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Reviewed by cj from britian on 2nd Jun 2004
a real girly toy,but it keeps turning off heyho might send it back when i get around to it
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Reviewed by discostu from united kingdom on 1st Jun 2004
Dont let the one star fool you, this phone is worse than the minimal rating. I have had six replacement phones from Orange within the last eight months and each time within four to six weeks the cursor has stopped responding completely. My latest replacement constantly cycles through the settings menu and all you can do is receive incoming calls!.I darent turn it off or I wont be able to use it again!. When i originally purchased the phone the signal was so poor and i thought it may be the reception in my area, ITS NOT! eg(if you were sitting in doors and chatting to a friend all the speech was broken up). The phone turns itself off, even when using the pro-slide lock and the screen freezes when receiving incoming messages when your on a call. Im currently waiting for delivery of my seventh phone and as soon as my contract expires in a few weeks time, i am never never ever having one of these phones again. Nice looking phone but thats where the buck stops. Email:-stuart.farnell@nig-uk.com
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Reviewed by simon charles west from United Kingdom on 31st May 2004
IVE ENDED UP SELLING MY SL55 AS IM FED UP WITH IT VERY POOR BATTERY LIFE AND IT HAS TO BE TAKEN OUT OF THE CASE TO DO ANYTHING ON IT RECEPTION IS USELESS HARDLY PICKS UP SIGNAL AT ALL INDOORS. LACKS BLUETOOTH DONT BE FOOLED BY THIS PHONES GOOD LOOKS IF YOU WANT A FUNCTIONAL PHONE GET A T610
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Reviewed by D from Australia on 27th May 2004
10 for looks, 2 for personality. If you wanna buy this phone get it because it looks stylish because it will break down in about 6 months.
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Reviewed by Richard from UK on 27th May 2004
Wow, this phone has been slated. I am a consumer who has previously changed my phone almost monthly but I have had the SL55 now for 9 months and, overall, I am very happy with it. I use it a lot and the battery is fine, the odd call gets cut off and, at the beginning of the year, the screen froze and shut off a couple of times but generally it has been great and still has the 'wow' factor as you hardly see anyone with them. It could certainly be better but theres room for improvement in all of us !!
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Reviewed by Matt from England on 18th May 2004
Couldn't give the phone 0/5 stars, so had to opt for 1. Ironic seeing how the number 1 key on the phone doesn't work, oh and nor does the central menu key (left works though!) oh yeah and the Green key with the little phone logo on it, yeah the key that you kinda need in order to call a number? Texting is great, not that texts make any sense at the best of times, but seeing how the navigation button doesn't work I can't put any punctuation in them anyway. All in all I regret buying this turd of a phone, wouldn't have another Siemans if my life depended on it (and if my life did depend on the phone, you'd be sure you I call anyone anyway).
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Reviewed by samui from uk on 7th May 2004
small, but rubbish.
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Reviewed by tijen from london on 30th Apr 2004
my phone keeps swithching off and freezing. a some points i cant even swithch it back on. the phone is small and compact but that is all its good for. im not impressed.
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Reviewed by Darryl from Glasgow on 29th Apr 2004
The SL55 is a stylish phone though it has a lot of problems with it. I had the phone 2 days and it kept crashing every half hour, after 4 days the screen just stopped working completely. This is a very poor phone. I took my phone back and got my money back and bought the new Samsung E700. This phone is outstanding!!!. It is so good you cant even compare it to the SL55!!
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Reviewed by MiSSy from England on 26th Apr 2004
This is the most horrific creation I have ever known, and that includes Geri Halliwell. I got this phone for my 18th birthday off my parents and I'd wanted it since my friend got one. It does look fantastic, but when u actually get one, it is plasticy and crappy. MY MAIN GRIPE IS THAT AFTER ONLY 6 MONTHS, THE PHONE SWITCHES ITSELF OFF EVERY FEW MINUTES, AND IF I USE EITHER THE PRO SLIDE OR A BUTTON. The first one had to go back within 3 weeks because the buttons had fallen off, and the ones left on didn't work well. The charge also ran out particularly quickly and I can't stand the 'please wait' message whenever I try to do ANYTHING on the phone. I recieved a new phone straight away from 'Phones 4 U' and they sent my old one back. The new phone wasn't much better. When I try to text it moves so slowly, I've written half a message before it even shows up on the screen. Then I have to go back and correct the mistakes I made because I couldn't see what I was typing!!!! Th e phone froze and lost all my msgs, some of which were very important. I struggle to get a signal. The charge runs out sooooooo quickly. When I talk on the phone, it's crackley and rubbish. The screen is scratched just from every day use, I havn't even dropped the phone!!!! It takes AGES to do anything. I hope this time when I take it back to phones 4 u, they give me a new model altogether as I cannot face having another SL55. DO NOT BUY IT. The people on this site who have praised it will soon be dissapointed because the phone does not last long. IT IS USELESS!!!!!! My parents paid £329.99 my phone, and then put my own genie sim in it. It is the biggest waste of money ever. I am disgusted and OUTRAGED and I think siemens should refund every1 who is unhappy with the purchase of this phone as they should never have distributed SUCH AN ATROCITY!!!!! I am absolutely fuming over the whole thing as I cannot be without a phone for a day and now I will have no choice. NO1 FAL L FOR THE GOOD LOOKS, it's a pile of shite.
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Reviewed by IAN from ENGLAND on 24th Apr 2004
The sl55 is total rubbish i have had four phones in as many months problems from it switching off to deleting all my phone numbers.This lastest time phones for you refused to exchange the model although it is a known fault and one of there staff have had 16 off them. my advice is to avoid this phone and phones for you i shell be going back to nokia as my 8850 has never given me any problems after four years of use.
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Reviewed by frankie from northern ireland on 16th Apr 2004
ive only got the phone 3 days now .unless ive been in mars for a while this wee phone is going 50/50 on the popularity stakes , i think seimens should start defendending themselves or hold their hands up and say ....whatever.....anyhoo the phones is great im a light user and the only qualifification i have is i passed my cycleing proficency test... and 25metres free style swimming....which makes me over qualified for most jobs,(tee hee)nice one seimens.............frankie
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Reviewed by tracey from wednesbury on 16th Apr 2004
my dad has just brought this phone 4 me its small and just what i wanted bad phone
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Reviewed by Glynn Jones from Old Blighty (UK) on 5th Apr 2004
Now I know what it feels like to be fish... The bait looked so tasty and once I took it I was well and truly GUTTED! All I wanted was a small compact phone that would happily sit in my pocket rather than carrying round a half a house brick, and when I saw the SL55 I fell hook line and sinker!!! Oh the regrets! Poor signal reception, turning off on using Proslide (which turned out to be a battery problem, replaced by Siemens no qualms 5*!), Sticky non-functioning buttons, made out of plastic that "Kinder Eggs" rejected through poor quality, and performance that plummets through the floor when you install anything beyond the capabilities of a Spectrum z80! And to think I handed back my O2 XDA2 for this... Once you get over the fact it's the sexiest phone out by far you realise it has more in common with Page 3 'stunners'... All cheap plastic and very, very, very SLOW! This only gets a 1 star rating for it's looks, and definitely not it's content...
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Reviewed by marna from uk on 3rd Apr 2004
have my phone now for a while, and nothing has gone wrong, it is a great thing, and easy to use, (just read the booklet) hope it last for ever
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Reviewed by JULIE MCLEAN from U K on 1st Apr 2004
Purchased SL55 from O2 mobile first time i've ventured to a siemens phone,(always had panasonics no probs for 10 years) within 1 week it began to freeze mid text then only way to unfreeze was to detatch battery, then begin texts all over again. On the third week it began switching off for no reason at all, just sat on my desk one minute on next off, had next week problem free, then for my fifth week (this week) my SL55 is switching off an average of 15 times a day untouched then on almost every occasion I have to answer the damn thing. Contacted 02 very helpful(not) so forced to contact Siemens directly. They reccommend highly that I return the phone and get it repaired and give it another chance(of course) however on reading other reviews I think the only place I will be sending this phone will be to my local rubbish yard. Anyone considering buying this phone! yeah it looks good, sounds great, but is in fact C**P. Save Your Hard Earned Dosh!!!!!!!! All I can say is come back my panasonic phone all is forgiven..
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Reviewed by jed from uk on 1st Mar 2004
Keeps turning off. Trouble with text failure.Memory too small to download poly ringtones.Apart from that great , so great in fact i'm going to smash it with a hammer and put it out of it's misery. Ah bliss.
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Reviewed by Andy Pap from Greece on 19th Feb 2004
Great phone to look at.....stylish and good size. Haven't met anyone who hasn't said it isn't a fantastic looking phone. If you're a 16 year old girl then that should be enough......but if you want it to actually make and receive calls frequently, then read on........ Unfortunately its looks aren't matched by its build quality. Within the first month it was switching off by itself, or switching off when using the ProSlide to answer calls. Sent it back to Siemans and that problem was fixed within 10 days. 4 months later and I wasn't able to make outgoing calls. Back to Siemens again. Used to have an 8310 and the SL55 battery life and signal reception are poorer then the Nokia......although battery life isn't a problem if you're not a heavy user. Screen resolution isn't as good as other makes. Also froze on me once and wiped the phone memory and the screen scratches easily. All in all.....looks fantastic but very poor build quality. Proof of the pudding....I'll be switching back to Nokia when i get my upgrade and won't be buying another Siemens again. That new Nokia 6230 looks a bit tasty.......
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Reviewed by Emma from England on 3rd Feb 2004
I think this stylish little phone is Brill i also have it in pay as u go as lots of people have been saying they cant find one u can get it online at carphone warehouse
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Reviewed by Andrew from UK on 2nd Feb 2004
Cute looking 'phone but a swine to use. The menu is nowhere near as easy to use as other makes. And after less than 6 months the keypad is being to fail - the central joystick key will not operate downwards. If it was a Nokia I could strip it down but with this ...no chance. Really cann't recommend.
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Reviewed by SIMON WEST from UK on 1st Feb 2004
This phone promised so much but fails to deliver you are taken in by the good looks but its about as practical as a brick. The build quality is poor it looks and feels cheap and plasticy. Constant network searches due to the internal ariel not being able to pick up a signal are really annoying. The leather case is pointless as you have to take it out of the case to do anything with the phone.im trying so hard to think of any plusses about this phone but if there are any i havent found them yet. Do yourself a favour get a samsung
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Reviewed by ken from uk on 24th Jan 2004
Purchased the phone on contract with O2 in November 2003. It worked ok for a month, and then had major signal strength problems (constantly searching for a signal), also the battery was lasting less than 24 hours from full charge to empty...on standby! Took the phone back to shop and it was sent for repair, got the phone back 10 days later,the engineers report stated that the phone had "electronic problems". Took the phone home and the signal strength problem was still there! Took the phone back to O2 who have sent it back to Siemens again. I am hoping that I will get the chance to change the model of the phone if and when it comes back. Yes, it looks good, but whats looks if it cannot make or recieve calls or messages? 2 STARS FOR THE PHONE, AND 1 STAR FOR O2. THEY ARE CLUELESS!
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Reviewed by Stanley Edwards from UK on 19th Jan 2004
Like others I fell for the looks of the SL55. I returned the first when the software started to deteriorate. I have had the second for just a week and already the problems found with the first are beginning to show. The build quality is not good enough. Buttons have been falling off on many phones and the casing fades quickly. The main problem is serious bugs in the OS software. The phone switches itself off for no apparent reason, often when trying to answer calls. Received texts cuase the system to freeze. Ringtones don't behave as they should. Siemens answer - send the phone back to them and they will load new software (5 working days when I last asked, but I would imagine this will very soon be weeks!) Or, download the software from their website. I tried, but the software was not Windows XP compatiable. Totally pissed off, but really want the phone to work because it does look and feel lovely. It's like having a smooth pebble in your pocket - very tactile. This model is going to do serious damage to Siemens reputation. Think I'm ready to go back to Motorola, or Nokia. Sorry, I know you really want to buy it, but don't - it will seriously raise the stress levels in your life! Stan
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Reviewed by Courtney from Australia on 19th Jan 2004
well i've had this phone since Christmas of 2003, and i have had no probs, yer its fab and all ma friends r jealous of its good looks, i absoulutely love how it plays mp3, i've got some of Guy Sebastian's songs on it, and i absoulutely love it, im very protective of my fone and i love my mum 4 gettin it 4 me, and yer wot can i say its great, i think i've spent about 200$ on it soo far ok thnx buh bye I SUGGEST GETTIN ONE FOR URSELF ITS MAD
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Reviewed by ste from england on 15th Jan 2004
i dont no wat u lot r going on bout. dis phone is wel gd so i dont konw why u are all slating it. ye mayb it might freeze but i have had my phones for at least 7 months now and it has only froze once. as for da keys stiking dat has only ever happened once to nd it was da number 3 key but after about an hour it works fine again so i dont konw wat everyone is complaining about
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Reviewed by Sarah from UK on 12th Jan 2004
I have had the phone now for 3 months, i didnt want to write until now ( just to give the phone a chance). I was not very sure if i should buy the phone (with the bad reviews) but i liked the look and finaly got one. The phone is great i love all the things is can do. it stores loads of message and and phone number which i really needed. Up until now i have no problem with the phone. The other day i received a text message and my phone froze. i thought nothing of it until i switch the phone back on and it had wiped all my texts messages (the ones saved to the phone not sim card). i hope this does not carry on beacuse i love this phone so much, i dont think i would change it even if it doesnt work, besides this problem this phone is the best i have ever had.
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Reviewed by gabes from liverpool, england on 7th Jan 2004
not worth getting. it has major problems, that need fixing. i regret buying it, totally. good luck pressing those minature keys on the keypad. this problem should be fixed otherwise take it off the market.
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Reviewed by ADAM from SOUTH AFRICA on 5th Jan 2004
THE PHONE IS GOOD, BUT A BIT COMPLICATED. MOST DISAPPOINTING IS THE CHEAP OUTER COVER WHICH IS ALREADY STARTING TO FADE, AND IS LOOKING VERY SHABBY. CHEAP OUTER COVER.
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Reviewed by Nicki from UK on 30th Dec 2003
I have had the phone for a month and am fed up with it. It does keep turning itself off and it is nothing to do with the auto turning off timer. It also freezes when I recieve texts, and the other day it froze, then turned itself off and wiped everything in the inbox. These are problems that should just not be happening!
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Reviewed by reg from G.B on 30th Dec 2003
CUTS YOU OFF AND NUMBERS LOCK SO THEY ARE USELESS IF YOU WANT TO USE THAT NUMBER. SORRY I BOUGHT ONE
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Reviewed by Robin from UK on 30th Dec 2003
wife purchased me a siemens sl55 for xmas via virgin it is now 30/12/03 and am on my second phone which is being returned. the looks are fabulous but unfortunately the phone is very ordinary the slider tones work when they feel like it the graphics for a phone of this price are very ordinary there is no support for graphics or ring tones on siemens own site so either they cant be bothered or they are getting rid of it already. the battery is left to rattle around in the box so both were already scratched on arrival. all in all for a phone of this price not good
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Reviewed by Stan from Hong Kong on 26th Dec 2003
Pros: Size is major deciding factor for me. I dont like a phone that is always in the way when not in use. I dont find the keypad too small but then probably have fingers to match. Has an English manual which is sometimes rare here. My last 3 Motorola's had no english manual. Had to d/load from the net. I can see most of important screen info without having to put on glasses. Inf/red function is great and compatable with most other phones, also use it for PC/phone data exchange. Havent had any quirks yet as other reports discuss. It did shut off once but since using keypad lock no more problems. I suggest that other users may try that. Battery life is marginal although being marked good but I find I fiddle with the phone a lot, showing fotos etc. but the batteries with proper charging are getting better life. Photo quality is very good but memory for good quality is not great. Cons: Menu until mastered is a nightmare. Data program took a bit of sorting out. Data lead was not liked by any computor that I use (work, home)ended up buying inf/red adaptor which works perfectly. Initial cost is a bit high, camera price is ridiculous. Dreadful ring tones but maybe Im in the wrong age group. Sum up great little phone very happy with it. No problems so far and looking back at some reports I would say that the manual has not been read by many for good reason maybe, not easy to follow. Out of 6 phones Ive owned in 5 years this would be my pick but the second is an old original flip motorola.
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Reviewed by Mike Young from England on 22nd Dec 2003
This phone is far to expensive for what it is. You can get camera phones for less than this. I got my T610 for free on contract yet the SL55 is £80. FOr the ammount of money you have to pay you would have thought it would be a descent phone - no. The coulour screen is terrible it looks like a black and white one, but with a slight pastelly hint of colour. The ringtones are good but apart from that its rubbish. DONT BUY IT i even think the Nokia 3510i is better than this and you need to be pretty bad to beat the 3510i!!!!
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Reviewed by Laura from UK on 17th Dec 2003
i used to own a nokia before getting this phone, and as i was sick of nokias i was quite excited about receiving this phone. when my phoen arrived for the fisrt week i was very pleased with it, then some problem started cropping up, fisrt of all it kept freezing and cutting off, but i thought nohtign of it and kept it, then as time went on my buttons stopped responding particulary the up arrow and the left arrow on the key pad. this is very very annoying and vexed me completely! however i thought it may just be a slight glitch so i kept the handset, few weeks later i was sendign a txt and the phone froze, i couldn't even turn it off so i had to take the battery out, after doign this i turned my handset back on only to find out to my horror all my numbers had gone! i thought however they were saved to my sim card but i realised later u had to individually do this using one of the menu buttons which i cudnt get to as the buttons weren't working! i am now currently waiting for my replacement handset in hope this one will be an improvement but if it is not i will without hesitation be gettign another phone, and certainly not a siemens one!
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Reviewed by Tich from UK on 15th Dec 2003
This is a stunning looking phone and I've not experienced any problems with "freezing" or "switching itself on/off", or even "bad audio" which others have moaned about! Why only 1 star you may ask... They keys - they didn't design the keys to last more than a couple of months :( I am on my second SL55 - on the first within 2 weeks the "3" key was getting pretty impossible to press (required lots of force - meant typing txts was impossible). After getting it replaced everything seemed OK but here I am 4 months later and the left/right cursor keys are pretty difficult to press (require pretty strong force so you nearly always hit the "soft" keys by accident). Typing txts is nigh on impossible without typing v-e-r-y sl-o-w-l-y and deliberately - partly because the keys require very deliberate pressing and partly because the OS is so slow - you can see it thinking! Absolutely no use at all - at the end of the day I much preferred my old Sony Z5 which kept up with my typing just fine (but whose battery life was awful!). In short - stunning phone - useless keys. Avoid unless you are really taken with the design :( Oh well - only 8 months to go on my contract - gonna stick with Sony next time...
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Reviewed by exlaval from israel on 10th Dec 2003
had this for a month now, only one problem so far, it didn't ring on calls - somehow cleaned records- checked the version and it all came back as new No problems whatsoever, love it, reception is great compared to my cdma phone, it's 1000 % improvement - screen not as flashy as motorola v720 but reception to reception - the sl55 leaves the v720 in the dust 0 what good is the screen, when you have to scream to be heard. Test of fire is elevator communications, the v720 was useless in ANY elevator, it would die 0 this one you talk and talk and talk and hardly notice where you are noise compensation feature is just great 0 you got to learn how to use it, this is not a tv whereas 1 2 3 and away you, set it wrong and it'll drive up the wall and the book is there for something not just to climb on it the change a bulb
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Reviewed by xqzme from Australia on 8th Dec 2003
A Good phone, stylish, small. But the menu is hard to use, and I keep losing my AddressBook!!! Anyone else have the same problem? All the settings get lost, however it retains any files downloaded to it.
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Reviewed by Emma from UK on 5th Dec 2003
Ive had this phone for a week now and im still in awe of it. It raises many "oohs" and "aahs" when i show it to people for the first time. I feel that it has been unfairly slated by people on this site. You are expecting too much from such a small phone, and if you had read up on it then you would have known what you were getting. As for the phone freezing, i havent experienced too much difficulty. Ive found that if i press the keys too fast then this may slow the phones response down. Now i know at what speed to press the keys to make sure this doesnt happen. I found the menu easy to navigate. Its on a par with my previous nokia's menu, if not easier as I didnt need to look in the manual when first trying out the phone. I love the unique features of the SL55. Especially the dictating mac, what fun have i had with that! Also the wonderful voyage, its a shame this cannot be used as a screen saver. I chose this phone over another Nokia as i dont like the "squareness" of the cur rent models. I wanted something more stylish and unique. All in all i am very pleased with this phone. I feel that it have the looks as well as the personality. If only it was a man!
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Reviewed by Kevin from Ireland on 2nd Dec 2003
Had the phone for about a day when it started to randomly switch itself off. Sure it looks great, nice size etc. but that's useless when it won't work most of the time.
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Reviewed by Shnider156 from England on 22nd Nov 2003
The people that are slagging of this phone have no idea what they are talking about the phone does not switch off randomly in fact it has a auto turn of timer if you would like it to turn itself off past a certain time. The phone performs very well considering its size & come on people this is not a Nokia. Whilst it may not have the best reception the pros far outweigh the cons. Reception depends what network you are on & where u are in the world. I have found it helps to slide the phone open when recieving a call & not keeping it closed expecting it to give a good signal remember if u do not do this your ear will cover 80% of the phone itself. How the hell can u expect the person on the other side of the tel to hear what u are saying when you gob is not talking into the mic. I got the phone 3 weeks ago & had no trouble whatsoever. The later produced ones dont break & lets face it the best comes to those who wait. One more thing the games are great.
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Reviewed by Chris from UK on 21st Nov 2003
Had my Siemens SL55 mobile phone for about 5 weeks with no major problems to report to date. The phone is small and is easily stored in any pocket. I don't find navigating the menus too difficult, but the menus might be a bit daunting to those who have only owned Nokia phones. I find the sliding mechanism, which reveals the keypad, to be solid and smooth. The keys are quite close together and some people might find it difficult using the keypad, but I have not experienced any problems personally. The quality of the colour screen could be improved upon, but I find it more than adequate for general everyday use. Battery time has been one of the major criticisms of this phone, but as a light user I have found I can get five to seven days between charges with the phone on 24 hours a day. The features on this phone are good and you can buy separately a camera, which connects to the bottom of the phone. The idea of a separate camera might be appealing to some, as some employers hav e imposed a ban on phones where the camera is an integral part of the device. The only notable feature that is missing is bluetooth functionality. I haven't noticed any problems with reception on the O2 network. Overall I think this is a good performing mobile phone that will appeal to a lot of people.
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Reviewed by John from UK on 16th Nov 2003
Hi after paying £280 for this nice phone (so i thought) i have wasted my money, the phone freezes after every text or using the WAP, and now after sending a text the other night my phone just suddely died and wont turn back on,Brought a new battery still nothing. So i am looking for a new phone now thinking of not getting a Siemens WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY......
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Reviewed by Jill from UK on 9th Nov 2003
Looks great and is great but i cant find 1 in pay as you go, is this a pay as you go phone?
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Reviewed by shwingalien from UK on 9th Nov 2003
Oh those bloody fish, the flimsy build, those freeze-ups. Ring tones are superb but not a reason to keep it any longer after 5 months, end of the month Samsung E700 here i come!!!!. I heard today that Siemens have now withdrawn the SL55 from distribution, bout bleeding time they realised wot a pile of cack they made (hope they read these reviews too and bear them in mind when they start finkin bout makin a replacement) *REST IN PEACE SL55*
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Reviewed by Mike Bishop from UK on 6th Nov 2003
Great looking phone, althought the menu items are not as intuitive as a Nokia, you can still do what you need to and when you know how to navigate all features can be done with ease, although I still prefer the Nokia's menu. Main problem for me is the reception, UK Vodafone was terrible even in the heart of London. Reception will in one moment be middle in strength on the meter and then without moving the phone it wil lose the signal altogether and pole for the next minute. Tried the same SIM in a Nokia 8310 and a 7650 and both were at max strength. If you value reception don't be drawn in by the great look and size of this phone as you will only end up bouncing it of the nearest wall, which can only improve the reception.
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Reviewed by Sam from Singapore on 29th Oct 2003
Excellent look, exemplary design.. but it badly fails in delivering the basic feature of the equipment - which is 'using it as a phone'. I was seldom successful in getting connected whenever someone called.. and when I made a call, I had to shout/repeat for the other person to hear ! Replaced it within a month. Reception and audibility are the key areas that can never be compromised on a cellphone.
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Reviewed by Mark from England on 25th Oct 2003
I've had the phone for about a month now and had no 'serious' problems. I say 'serious' because in normal use the phone has been faultless. Excellent reception and clear sound. Some of the settings though for volume & tones for different callers or alarms dont seem to make any difference!. I've had Nokias and Ericssons in the past and they've all suffered the odd freeze-up etc. This phone feels solid and high quality and editing/synchronising the addressbook with MS-Outlook is a breeze. The polyphonic sound is perfectly ok, though I prefer a normal 'ringing' tune, so dont believe the other reviews. The siemens web site has free software upgrades for most of their phones including the SL55 that you can download (You'll need a cable!), so any software problems should hopefully get a fix. So far the best phone i've had.
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Reviewed by Sabrina from Canada on 23rd Oct 2003
Wondering why your Siemens SL 55 keeps shutting off or freezing? Siemens phones can be "shot down" via SMS German manufacturer recommends firmware update Cupertino/ Munich (pte, Mar 14, 2003 14:22) - Recent complaints in mailing lists by Siemens mobile phone owners have pointed to a serious problem with certain Siemens devices - it appears they may stall or crash when receiving certain types of SMS content. Security Focus has published information on the problem at http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/7004/info . According to the report, the mobile phones at risk are: A50, C55, M35, M45, M50, MT50, S35i and S55. Devices in the SL42, SL42i and S45 lines may also be partially susceptible. This nearly comprises the German company's entire GSM product palette. According to technical experts, the models in question crash when they receive SMS messages containing characters in a certain order. These phones can only be restarted once the rechargeable battery has been removed and reinserted - so-called "denial-of-service" attacks. Other devices stall for about two minutes while consuming large amounts of electricity, so that five or eight such messages may empty the battery. Some devices permit the interruption of this sleep phase by pressing a key. Siemens press speaker Michael Stenberg told pressetext.europe that Siemens had been aware of such technical faults in early versions of its 35 and 45 series phones. He said customers could find firmware updates for these phones at http://www.my-siemens.com . Sternberg however added that "it is new to us that such problems have also occurred in the 50 series." (end)
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Reviewed by Karen from England on 13th Oct 2003
For looks the phone is beautiful and haven;t had any real probs with the battery life. Have not charged it for 3 days and its well over half way life. however reception is poor and the phone locks out every two secs. itl finally get to the point where the screen freezes completely and no amount of detaching the batter will bring it back to life. Brilliant design but seriously crap technology!
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Reviewed by David from Uk on 12th Oct 2003
I am a owner of a samsung t100, colour screen, and hav had the phone 6 months now, it is the best phone i have had and i have had a lot of phones, now i am goin 2 get the siemens sl55 in december when i get payed, i hav 2 wait for december coz in november i am gettin a tortoise, so when i get the sl55 i will tell u if its worth gettin ,,, still goin 2 keep t100,,,if u want a samsung t100 for looks and a good phone 2 use and more get one #...
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Reviewed by J Kennedy from United Kingdom on 10th Oct 2003
Phone is perfect. Looks great, easy to use, and easy to download ringtones. Got soooo excited when I realised that you didn't have to take the phone out of my handbag to make a call, I simply press the little button on the hands free earpiece, say the name that I want and away we go, dials the number I want (had to set that facility up first though). Feel totally safe walking about the streets on London talking on the phone with it safely out of sight. (even though, I look like I'm going mad and talking to myself!!)
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Reviewed by Gill from on 8th Oct 2003
So far so good.....BUT I can't activate Delivery Reports can anyone help. Thought I had set it up but cannot tel if anyone has received msg.
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Reviewed by TIM from UK on 4th Oct 2003
Don't do it! I had my Siemen's SL55 for about 6 hours before I had to take it back to the shop! The problem was it kept cutting off who ever was calling me this went on for about a week had FOUR phones in total when I took it back to the shop I spoke to the manager and she said she had one on demo to show people and it did not last the day she said that is was the worst phone shed had ever used and that is coming from the manager of a very well know high street phone Chain so do what I did and bin it and get a Sony Ericson T610 or Sharp Gx range I now have a Sony Ericson T610 and what a great phone that is !
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Reviewed by Adi from UK on 3rd Oct 2003
****FOLLOW UP REVIEW**** PLEASE READ!! When I reviewed this phone, last, I was very happy with it but in the 2 weeks since then, I have had nothing but trouble with the phone !! The problems stared just after doing the review I think it was the kiss of death !! I noticed that the phone stared to randomly turn it's self off now and then I thought nothing of it at first but then I started to happen a lot some times 8 to 10 times a day !! Then it started to cut off people when they phoned me I would slide the phone up to answer the call and the phone would turn off or the screen would go blank so I changed it for another one ! 3 days later I when a way for the weekend and it happened again ! Same trouble this time when I went to turn off the phone it would not turn off and when I did manage to turn it off the screen would stay on and would say insert sim card and it only way to get the phone to power down would be to remove the battery ! At the weekend, I was stranded at a train station for three hours because of engineering work and I had a phone that would not work ! So, I had to walk about half a mile to find a phone box so I could get a lift ! THIS PHONE IS GOING BACK TODAY ! And I will not be getting another one
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Reviewed by tom from u.k on 29th Sep 2003
wow! is great size wise and it looks fantastic, but does any one have any pay as you go or contract prices? otherwise, gotta get one
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Reviewed by Diane from Northeast on 27th Sep 2003
I got my first handset delivered beginning of sept. Within a week it started to freeze (like a pc does) so i ordered a replacement from my service provider. Finally got one after been out of stock for couple weeks. And this one faulty too! It sounds like you are talking to a darlic , i love the look of the phone but im afraid to say that all it has really. Signal strenght very poor, considering i have nokia on same network and its near enough full!! I feel this would be nice phone if it was tweaked with to correct its faults. My service provider has stated that normally they would offer me a new/different hanset as i have had two, but they will see if it can be third time lucky! lol . So if thirs one faulty i got back to a trusty nokia! Would'nt of bought this phone if i knew what it was going to be like.:(
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Reviewed by adi from uk on 24th Sep 2003
What can I say I have been looking out for a upgrade to my Nokia 7210 for months now I have known a bout the SL55 for a long time and I must say I was very nearly put off with all the negative reviews on this site But saying that I went out and ordered one and I love it what a great phone !!! It has some nice features you do not find in any other phones ! And the way I looked at it is if it a new contract you have 14 days to give it back and if it is an upgrade and it does not work or you find fault with it send it back !! What's to loose I have had for 3 weeks now and I have not had any of the reported problems that other people have had on this site I'm on Vodafone and live way out of town and signal strength has so far not been an issue The battery last me about 5 days with average use sometimes less sometime more I must say if there was one thing I would change is that the key pad is a little small so if you have very big fingers this might not be a good phone for you but it is liveable I have used the GPRS and Internet and it works very well for sending e-mail ect but this is not a business phone
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Reviewed by FooBarNone from UK on 24th Sep 2003
Switching from an old Motorola 250i this is a wonderful improvement in all areas. I got this phone with a new contract after much research. My other option would have been a Nokia 7250i. Nokia fans tend to be fanatical, and I never understand why they even bother with other phones. If you are used to the pros and cons of a Nokia, then never buy anything else. A friend has the the 7250i and I decided it was bigger, much heavier, with a smaller screen and the 50% better battery life over the SL55 didnt justify it to me. The camera is moot as I see no point in the phone camera. And at the end of the day, the SL55 stunning looks sold me. PROS: * Extremely small and lightweight. Nothing compares to its external form factor. * Bright, colored screen. * Siemens menu interface is excellent, and included PC interface software works well. Integration of soft keys on outside makes the phone usable without opening phone. * Sounds quality excellent both in speaker and mic. * Have had no software problems (unlike others, and unlike I had with a T68i a while ago). * Sexiest Java enabled, Tri-Band phone out there. CONS: * Signal not great, but out here in the countryside I can still get a signal. On the train it seems to cut out more often than old phone with external antenna. * Battery life suprisingly short. I can run for three days under typicaly usage (30mins talk, 10 texts, 10mins of applications) before completely dead. This is not too much of a problem as I simply charge it next to my bed while I sleep. If I forget one night, or go away for a weekend it keeps it charge long enough. SUMMARY: If you are a serious travelling business user, you probably should be looking at the Nokia 6xxx series for great battery life, and options like bluetooth. If you use your phone every day and want something with personality without sacrificing function, get the SL55. I love this phone, I really do. It has personality like an old MG. Not the fastest car, but one that you feel a real affinity to and one that draws attention when you use it.
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Reviewed by Marc Brigginshaw from UK on 24th Sep 2003
Just want to say a word in defence of this phone. I activated my phone on a Saturday, and downloaded the address book from the PC, set up the phone and listened to ringtones etc, and the battery didn't need to be charged until the Wednesday. Then it needed charging the following Tuesday, so lasted 6 days! I admit that I am a very light user of the phone, and switch it off over night. I have also switched off the vibrating alert, dimmed the illumination, and only switch on GPRS when required, which helps. If you are one of these people that has the phone glued to their ear all day, and play the games and use the camera, which I don't, then don't buy this phone. I would also like to say to the people that have given negative feedback on this phone about not having an integrated camera, the screen size and the number of colours etc - READ THE SPECS BEFORE YOU BUY A PHONE!
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Reviewed by Thomas from Ireland on 24th Sep 2003
Just to add to the previews reviews regarding this very slick looking but badly made phone: after 6 weeks the software started to act up and then crash completely, when pressing buttons wrong menues appeared or the phone decided to go through the entire menue options automatically. Another problem with the phone is that the plastic covering the screen is not hardened so sratches appeared within the first couple of days. So much for German engineering. I used to be a confirmed Ericsson customer (over 10 years) but as they decided not to sell their phones here in Ireland any longer I switched to Siemens (hate Nokia) but the SL 55 is really not worth it! Stay well clear of this phone.
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Reviewed by katy from uk on 21st Sep 2003
ITS A BRILLIANT PHONE! THE LOOKS ARE GREAT AND THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS TO DO ON IT!
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Reviewed by Ellie from England on 17th Sep 2003
This phone is the most gorgeous phone ever. It's small and very attractive. The features are also ADVERTISED as being fab - but this is FAR FAR FAR from the truth. Less than 12 hours after having the phone the screen froze for 10 minutes, and this has continued to happen for the past 2 weeks. The camera is a stupid amount of money, on top of a stupid amount of money for the actual phone. The ringtones aren't that great. The games are rubbish. The keys are hard to press. The outer shell gets scratched VERY easily. The battery life is SOOOO rubbish - it runs out so quickly. I have had to charge it every night. The manual was rubbish - it didn't tell me a thing. The signal randomly decides to not work, even when I am out in the open. One afternoon I desperately needed to phone home, yet the phone claimed there was no signal. So all in all the phone is the most gorgeous looking object I have ever seen, and its weight is wonderful - BUT the features are rubbish. The phone AND the camera is a total waste of money. WARNING: DON'T BUY THIS PHONE UNLESS THE ONLY THING YOU ARE AFTER IS THE LOOK!
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Reviewed by Paula from England on 17th Sep 2003
I managed to last 3 weeks before i had to take it back and swop for a nokia. NASTY!!!
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Reviewed by Marc Brigginshaw from United Kingdom on 14th Sep 2003
When I saw this phone, I knew it was the one for me. Despite owning my Ericsson T68i only 8 months, I was desperate for a change. I wanted a small phone, and this is just that - I have small hands (for a bloke), but can see why some might find the keys tricky. I find the user interface a lot friendlier and faster than my old phone - a lot more 'fluid'. With the software that comes with the phone, I was able to type all of my address book into my laptop, and transfer the data across via IR, much faster than typing them all in! And my laptop is coming up to 5 years old now, so no need for the latest computer. If people want an integrated camera, buy a bigger phone. I don't intend to get the camera attachment, but it looks like one of the better ones, with an integrated flash. Siemens have really thought about this phone, and deserve credit. For example, if you want to write a new SMS, you can get straight into it after just one button press. The screen is good for it's size, and I found the polyphonic ringtones no different to any other I have heard in quality. Battery life is short, but I am not a 'heavy' user, so not too bothered - and there are things you can do to increase it (like turn off vibrate, and reduce brightness). The dictating machine is a good addition, and the fact that you can put calls on loudspeaker too. I found WAP browsing very efficient. The 'Wonderful Voyage' feature is a lovely touch by Siemens, I liked that. This phone suits me down to the ground, and I give it top marks - but you can't please all of the poeple time. If you want big screens, integrated cameras, and long-battery life - buy a bigger phone! I have owned Nokias and an Ericsson before, but never a Siemens - and now I am converted! Well done Siemens, this is a work of art, and I was deinitely inspried!
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Reviewed by anne from UK on 12th Sep 2003
Gorgeous looking phone... thats about it. sadly i couldnt even make calls on this phone as i never got a signal, even where i work in the heart of london. tacky sounds, poor graphics, felt plastic-y, too many prompts, back of fone was scratched before i even took it out of the box, screen damged too easily, fone cut out during calls and costs WAY too much for what it is; a cheap piece of junk in a pretty shell. do NOT recommend to anyone you will get annoyed with it within hours. siemens need to take this one back to the drawing board.
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Reviewed by Vickie from UK on 8th Sep 2003
I brought the phone because of its looks but I think I've been taught a valuable lesson on shallowness ... the phone is going back because, from a practical point of view, it is a dog !! The battery life is very poor, needing a long charge every day, but that is assuming you can find a signal strong enough to make a call in the first place !! Genuinely, the only place I get a full strength signal is my office, but since I'm a sales rep and on the road most of the time this isn't much help. And it's for this reason that I'm reverting to Nokia ... I've never had signal problems like this with a Nokia. Aside from that, the ringtones for messages supplied with the phone offer nothing more than a raspberry when a message is received so there's a good chance you will miss new ones. The phone also has an irritating habit of not displaying who's calling and then when you open the phone it cuts the person off !! The accessories are badly designed. The in car charger does nothing more than keep the phone in operation and would take two days to charges the battery fully, and the hands free kit only has one ear piece and, for anyone who's tried it, it can make you feel sick only having noise in just one ear. All in all, I'm sorry to say that its beautiful design is not enough to compensate for it's diabolical performance.
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Reviewed by Gav from UK on 3rd Sep 2003
took delivery at 10:00am this morning, now on its way back....looks nice in the pictures, but the build quality is poor...very plastic....user interface runs slow.....keys too small (but I may have large fingers). XTDPC runs like a dog if you wanna sync MS Outlook.... on the good side....hhm...thats gonna be hard to come up with....
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Reviewed by sergeantnasty from england on 3rd Sep 2003
Lovely looking phone. Great size. Locks when it's shut so no accidental calls. Irritating start up. Couldn't get rid of the 'fish' pictures. Rubbish tones. Awkward software. Not worth paying for. Sent it back..
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Reviewed by [TFA]Neo from England on 2nd Sep 2003
Well I don't know! some people want to much I think, I mean you don't buy a small phone like this if you want all that goes with a large phone, like bigger screen size and cammera but I have to say an attatchment to the bottom is a better idea, this is because some places people work don't alow camera phones, need I say more, makes sense doesn't it and as it has a flash too much more useful. This phone is very cusomisable so once you get used to it you can move menus and things to how you want, the IR data link works well although to do a firmware update it seems to want to be connected to a COM port on the PC, I'm still looking into this one though, might just be my setup of IR port. All in all I'm happy, beats any nokia which have lost their way in recent years on style and features, shame. Well done Siemens for this one, would have liked bluetooth but like I said I wanted a small compact phone and this is most definatly that :)
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Reviewed by G from Uk on 31st Aug 2003
Looks great, and promises so much. Sadly it's unable to deliver all that it promises. Looks wise it's perfect and I'd find it hard to fault the phone if it was sold at a cheaper price without the pretence that it could rival other phones on the market in regards to the functions that it offers, but as it stands it really was a disspaointment. I've downloaded games and ringtones galore and am sick of seeing the "download failed" message pop up.
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Reviewed by Rachel from England on 26th Aug 2003
After having had this phone for two days it has already got a technical fault. I really love the look of this phone, however the features are basic and, as i usually find with Siemens, very far behind technology wise. The ring tones are quite poor quality for polyphonics and the screen only features 4096 colours, whereas the majority of phones coming onto the market at the moment have 65,000 colours, quite a difference. The attatchable camera has to be bought separately and costs an extra £60.00, for a new phone i would expect a built-in option. All in all i am very dissapointed with the phone as a whole, and even though i love the look of the phone, its poor features far outweigh this.
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Reviewed by Esther from Canada on 18th Aug 2003
i like the design of this phone, the rich color of the case, the features in it such as an attatchable camera with flash, downloadable ring tones and java games ,speaker phone, voice dial, voice commands etc...the polyphonic ringtones are nice, an improvement from the single tones from the previous phones i've owned. i like the proslide tones too. My bf and i bought 1 for each of us so we would have matching phones and so that we can show it off :D...the features and menus are easy for me to understand and use...it doesn't shut off by it self...and where i am it has pretty good reception...i love the 4096 color display, some ppl opt for a higher color display, but truthfully, our eyes can't tell the difference so what's the point?
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Reviewed by Karen from Scotland on 11th Aug 2003
I love the look of the phone, and after contacting 02 was able to get a polyphonic ring tone when they talked me through it. Since then no joy with the ringtones keep getting in a mess. Tones are disappointing but really only bought it for the look.
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Reviewed by lynne stone from england on 3rd Aug 2003
cant download on it poor show for the money
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Reviewed by Lee Andrew from Wales on 3rd Aug 2003
Well what a disapointment this phone was, the looks are to die for but sadly that's all it has going for it, the ringtones are poor and the display isn't that nice either it isn't crisp, if it had the screen of a samsung t100 and the ringtones of the v200 and a camera fitted to the back, this phone was rock this world, but sadly it doesn't.
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