Samsung Beat Cell Phone Review
By Alfredo Padilla
Reviewed.com Editorial Staff
Published on March 12, 2008
The Samsung Beat is an entry-level flip phone with a focus on music. As you would expect from an entry-level handset, there’s not a lot under the hood and the device is not particularly well built. It does have some nice features, though, including external music controls often missing from even high-end music devices. The Beat is available exclusively from T-Mobile for $50 with a two-year contract and after a mail-in rebate.
As with many flip phones, dialing on the Beat isn’t exceptionally speedy, since you have to open the device before you can dial a number. The flip mechanism is also a little tight, making opening the phone harder than it should be. The Beat’s call features are basic, and the organizational features don’t stand out, either.
The Beat’s performance in our audio quality tests was mixed. Audio received by the phone is solid, but audio sent can be exaggerated and clipped at higher frequencies. Side tone, the small amount of your own voice you hear through the earpiece so you can judge how loud you are speaking, is a little too low. This might lead you to speak more loudly than you should.
The Beat’s 1.3-megapixel camera won’t take high-quality photos. Resolution is exceptionally poor, although color and noise are adequate. We’re surprised video captured by the Beat’s camera isn’t terrible - you might even be able to throw it up on Youtube without wincing too much, which is pretty good considering how little you’ll be paying for the phone.
Music is obviously supposed to be the Beat’s raizon d’etre. The Beat’s music software, however, is below average. It doesn’t recognize information from our test AAC file, and it doesn’t support playlists synchronized from your computer. The external music controls make managing your music on the go a little easier, but we found that, even with the dedicated controls, the music software is a little slow to load. If you’re looking to replace an iPod with a music phone the Beat will probably disappoint.
The Beat’s software interface is basic but responsive. That’s important when considering a lower-end phone. As with most phones, the Beat lacks a built-in e-mail client, although we doubt anyone wants to replace their BlackBerry with a Beat. Text and multimedia messages are well supported. We like that all message types are handled in a single interface - you can easily add smiley faces and the messaging interface is easy to use. We wish the web browser was as good, though. Frankly, don’t bother using it.
We’re disappointed by the Beat’s poor battery performance during calls, lasting just 3 hours and 23 minutes. This is well below average; we expect phones to last between four and five hours at least. Music playback time is a little better at 7 hours and 30 minutes, so you’ll be able to listen to music for a couple of hours without killing your battery. Those looking for a work-horse phone for making call, though, will find the Beat insufficient for their needs.
Consumers have a lot of choices for entry-level phones and there’s not a lot about the Beat that will draw your attention. It’s not particularly stylish, and its music features are not particularly compelling. Throw in the fact that it has poor battery life for calls and you can probably find a better phone elsewhere.For a more in-depth review, visit the Samsung Beat Review at our partner WirelessInfo.com
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