Customer Reviews

Samsung Magnet a257 Phone, Orange (AT&T)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I am a cell-phone addict. I change my phone about every couple of months and have used everything from prehistoric Nokias to iPhones and now to my current phone, the Motorola Droid. However, the Samsung Smooth has been my most reliable and longest-used cellphone in about seven years. It is very simple to use, constructed to be extremely durable (I've dropped it many, many times), and has more features than you'd expect in an entry-level phone. It's lightweight and small dimensions makes it unobtrusive in the tightest of jean pockets. One feature that many don't know about is that you can read incoming text messages on the external display without having to open your phone. If you are looking for an inexpensive phone that can take care of your basic needs (calls, SMS, MMS) then you can't go wrong with the Smooth.

This phone was the "free" upgrade from Verizon so I can't complain too much.

Pros: Good battery life, good reception and sound quality.

Con: This is a big one for me. The side buttons actuate if you just breath on them. Unless you pull the phone out of the case with the tips of your fingers to answer a call, you almost always press the button that mutes the ringer.

I was looking for a phone I could easily slide right into financially after the 4th Moto Razr I blew through and I found that in the Samsung Magnet. It's not 3G but I didn't need that nor the added cost AT&T plugs on your bill per month to have it. The Magnet was the perfect new phone to replace my Razr and won't cost me more per month in my plan. I like the qwerty keyboard and I find texting much easier than before. Sure, you have to get used to the smaller keys but are raised convenience and overall, I like it. Also, I typically use two hands to text on this one (yes, you can use one hand), but it discourages me from using while driving and that's a plus as we all need not text while driving. I was very guilty of that. Sound volume great on the phone, just be careful on speaker not to have the volume up to high if you're on hold. I almost blew an eardrum when the person came back on. Yikes. Phone tones are cool and different and all the menu keys are pretty straight forward. I didn't pick up the manual once to figure anything out. Phone looks and responds like a PDA and I get comments all the time on the cool color. It's like a rich & vibrant beachy burnt orange which is so different than any phone out there. Great color for girls and guys. Picture quality on the camera not the best but it's not bad either. The only other thing is that I initially kept hitting the WAP (browser) center button which was a kind of a pain, but getting more used to it. I think that had to do more with the fact that my old Razr's center button acted as main menu button.

Pros - looks, sound quality, texting easy, querty keyboard, uniqueness, cost sensible
Cons - picture quality, no 3G offered, keyboard keys are small but effective, center button not menu button - might take alittle getting used to

I bought this phone for my boyfriend as a gift and he seems to love it. It is a pretty basic phone so if you're looking for lots of fancy features and apps you're not going to find it here, but if your looking for a good phone for the basics (calling, texting, ect) this phone is perfect and very affordable. It is not a touchscreen (which he loves) but I know some people are looking for that so just a heads up.

Negative: The backing on the phone does come off quite easily.

I have had this phone for about 2 weeks and have mostly good things to say about it. My experience with this phone has been remarkably different than many of the other reviewers here.

Let's start with some negatives. First, I do agree that the keys are tiny. Serious texters with high-speed thumbs could have some problems with this. But average texters (like myself) can use it with ease. Second, the image quality is mediocre and the camera only does photos (no video). Then again, people who are even remotely serious about pictures won't be relying on their phone to take them, so this wasn't an issue for me. Third, no 3G, so if you plan on surfing the web, this isn't the phone for you.

The good. It was free after rebate. Size and weight really cannot be beat. Sound quality for me has been fantastic in every respect. Outdoors where its noisy, windy, etc. I could hear just fine and others could hear me. Same with talking in my loud car on the highway, no problems at all. Sound quality on speaker phone is also quite good. Battery life has also been impressive. Granted, I don't talk for hours and hours every day, but I was able to go over 3 days without a charge. So, I don't know what other users have been using their phone for, but average talk times will still get you several days without charging.

The verdict: Just know what you're getting. This is a solid phone with a full keyboard. No more, no less. I was looking for a phone that looked good, had good sound quality, good battery life, and a QWERTY keyboard. I didn't need to surf the web. I didn't need to shoot video or take Pulitzer Prize winning photos. This phone is for people who use their cell phone mainly for talking and some texting. If that sounds like you, this phone would be a good choice.

I purchased this phone for my daughter. After using it for 43 days, the phone stopped sending and receiving texts. Since 30 days had already passed since I purchased the phone, I am unable to return the defective phone.

I just received this phone yesterday. I was excited to get a "real" phone that I could do some serious texting on. This isn't it. The keys are really tiny (even for my small fingers) and I kept hitting the wrong keys. It's being returned for a full-length slider keyboard. Keep trying, Samsung.

- Recently upgraded my service plan for a new SIM card because my service was bad (they dont reissue new SIM cards for old att users), and was informed that my unlocked blackberry could not be used without a dataplan. Needed a new phone, so I searched around for the least silly looking phone that would handle my texting/basic pda functions.

- Fails at texting: the conversations are not threaded, which is annoying. The keypad is horrible because the keys need alot of force to register. So if you're used to texting very quickly, messages will come out with random letters missing

for example, if you try texting "probably" too fast, you may end up with "prbbly" because the keys are too slow to respond to successive taps

- Fails as a PDA: the calendar is horrible because it does not set appointments under the times listed under each day. For example, if I click under 5pm on monday, it still brings up 8am on monday. This is obviously annoying to correct. In addition, the alarm for each appointment needs to be manually set (what is the use of setting an appointment that doesn't give a reminder?). Worst of all, sometimes the phone starts pranging out and saying that i missed appointments from days past. I then have to go back and delete all the past appointments in order to keep the phone from draining its own battery out like an emo kid in a bathtub.

- Fails as a phone: horrible speakerphone/reception. No quick way to turn up the volume on the phone if there is trouble hearing.

- Overall pretty frustrated at the lack of decent PDA phones available without data plans. The reason why this phone still gets 2 stars is because it is very cheap and has very sturdy construction.

This phone is slippery, hard to open, side buttons get in the way, signal strength is weak (1-2 bars indoors) and reception has a tendency to skip and breakup alot (choppy).

THIS ITEM RETAILS ON THE VERIZON WEBSITE FOR $49.99 WITHOUT A PLAN (IT IS THE BASIC PREPAY PLAN PHONE). THEIR MOST EXPENSIVE PHONES RUN AROUND $150, SO DON'T BE FOOLED AND OVERPAY FROM THIS SELLER!