Samsung Juke Cell Phone Review
By Mark Brezinski
Reviewed.com Editorial Staff
Published on November 08, 2007
The Samsung Juke is advertised as an MP3 player that also happens to be a phone. This is a good description of the Juke, which doesn’t offer much more than above-average music software. If you’re looking for an all-around media phone or a business device, the Juke simply isn’t for you. If you want a small, quirky, cute phone that offers decent music support, however, then the Juke should be one to consider. We can’t stress the Juke’s size enough; the sheer narrowness of the phone coupled with its relatively unusual thickness isn’t something the commercials communicate. The screen is about 1.45-inches diagonal, which is downright tiny. The Juke costs $100 after a $50 online rebate and with a two-year contract from Verizon.
The Juke’s swing-open design actually helped it out in our timing tests, as it gives you access to the keypad faster than the traditional flip-open design. The simple OS doesn’t lag at all, meaning calling is quick and easy. Simple is also a detriment, however, as managing calls is unintuitive. There are no reminders for who you are connected to during call waiting, and the phone can’t perform conference calls. The small screen also hinders features like the contacts manager. Only a few contacts are displayed at a time, and the search feature is very limited. The same bare-bones treatment is given to the rest of the organizational software, as well. If you want to use the calendar feature with any degree of complexity, the Juke won’t be able to meet your needs.
The Juke has passable audio quality. We noticed it handles the user’s voice better than a caller’s, which is the opposite of the norm. Your own voice sounds fine, but incoming callers sound tinny, while higher frequencies sound muted. Also, the phone’s side tone (the amount of sound the phone plays back, which allows users to determine how loud they sound) is a bit off; you might feel as though you’re talking a bit louder than you actually are, although not by much.
The Juke is not an imaging powerhouse. In fact, its camera is pretty bad. The pictures don’t yield a high resolution, although color is decent. Many imaging issues are related to the hardware. The screen is simply too small to allow for an accurate viewfinder. When holding the phone, be sure to use the camera button to take pictures; if you use the select button it’ll put your fingers square over the lens. Also, it’s important to note that the only two ways to get pictures off the device are by uploading them to Verizon’s PIX Place, or by sending them in an MMS. Given how USB-oriented the Juke is (it’s the only way to put songs on it), we were surprised you can’t easily put pictures onto your computer. The Juke can’t capture or play back video. The Juke can, of course, play back music. The music player is definitely above average, though nothing astounding. It has some interesting extras, such as the ability to choose from multiple visualizations, including album art support, and an equalizer. We don’t like how we had to close the phone to initialize the music player, however. Since the Juke supports background playback, we think you should be able to begin playback while the phone is open.
The Juke is not keen on messaging or other software. You can’t send e-mails. Text messages are separated into plain text and multimedia message, though the two do share an inbox. There is also no Web browser or VCast support, meaning you’ll have to totally rely on the packaged USB cord to transfer music onto the device.
The Juke could have been saved from phone mediocrity if only it had better battery life. It only lasted for 3 hours and 30 minutes during our calling time test. For music playback, the battery died after 6 hours and 45 minutes, which is far worse than other music-oriented handsets. Battery life is very important for media phones, because their intended use has them burning battery constantly. With only 3 hours and 30 minutes of talk time, if you plan on listening to music for any stretch in between calls, you phone will most likely need to be charged several times a day. This, of course, cuts down on the portability of the phone, which is why you’re buying a mobile device to begin with.
All in all, the Juke is a relatively cheap entry-level phone. As it is entry-level, we need to compare it to other basic phones. What does the Juke offer that a free phone wouldn’t? The answer is, unfortunately, “not much.” The Juke has software that is comparable to other free phones. While it offers 2 GB of internal memory, it lacks the MicroSD card slot typically found on other phones, which can handle an extra 4 GB of memory. The Juke has better-than-average music software and a unique look. Is the extra memory, music software, and aesthetic appeal worth the $100? That really depends on the user, as it’s a very subjective call. If you’re not interested in the Juke specifically, you could get the Palm Centro, an easy-to-learn smart phone for about the same price. If you do want the Juke, however, we’d recommend waiting a few months to see if it becomes free with contract.For a more in-depth review, visit the Samsung Juke Review at our partner WirelessInfo.com
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