Design
Before we had Samsung's latest mobile phone in our hot little hands, advertising for the U900 on bus stands (and on CNET.com.au) had caught our attention, and in our minds we imagined a stunning handset complete with futuristic beams of lights exploding from the touch panel. Now that the U900 sits on our desk it's not as striking as we'd first thought. That's not to say the U900 is unattractive, it's quite the contrary in fact, but it's not exactly eye-catching either. The combination of brushed stainless steel and soft-touch, matte black plastic is subdued, and its slider form factor remind us of the Samsung G600 camera phone; another unassuming Samsung handset.
But the real reason you're interested in the U900 is the Adaptive touch panel, right? The 1-inch touchscreen sits within the standard calling buttons and below the excellent 2.2-inch colour display. When switching between menus and applications, the panel morphs to show dedicated touch-sensitive controls for whatever is required in that application or menu. When you break it right down, the touch panel simply replaces the standard five-way navigation button found on most phones, but the fact that it "adapts" is handy in certain apps.
Yet, this still isn't such an eye-catching feature, even though you can change the colour of the panel's icons — to a flaming orange or a screaming hot pink if desired — even then, the U900 remains conservative and conventional in its appearance. A friend of ours made the comment that "[the U900] looks like a TV remote". We're inclined to agree.
Looks aside, the U900 feels very solid and sturdy. The sliding mechanism is smooth and without any of the loose jiggling we sometimes find in slider phones. Below the touch panel, the phone recesses to form a groove to place your thumb in when sliding, keeping it out of the way of the panel.
Features
In the months before the Omnia, the U900 will fill the space of Samsung's flagship model. This pretty much guarantees the U900 will feature a long list of functions and gadgetry. Complementing the touch panel is fast 7.2Mbps HSDPA data speeds, a 5-megapixel camera phone with an LED flash, plus the regular raft of mobile functionality like stereo Bluetooth connectivity.
The handset we've been reviewing is actually titled the U900T and has been released on Telstra's Next G network — the same phone offered through Optus, Vodafone and Virgin is known as the U900. This gives you access to Telstra's services including Foxtel and Bigpond. The U900 is also being advertised as Samsung's official phone for the Beijing Olympics, and when the time comes Telstra plans to offer Olympic video highlights which will be available for customers with the U900, amongst others.
As a Telstra phone, the U900T is also one of the first handsets to come with the new QR code scanner pre-installed. We're not sure whether this will become the next must-have phone feature, or disappear like so many gimmicky extras before (we're looking at you push-to-talk).
Performance
The performance of the U900 further cements why Samsung is currently the number two brand in the Australian mobile marketplace. This handset is very responsive and executes menus and applications with almost no lag at all. Equally responsive is the adaptive touch panel which is an absolute pleasure to use, and offers haptic feedback to give extra tactility.
Calling and messaging are also excellent, and media playback is good though the lack of a 3.5mm headphone port means you will be stuck with the bundled headset. Streaming media, including Foxtel, is fantastic with the HSDPA speeds providing more than enough grunt for the streams to continue without interruption.
The 5-megapixel camera is a solid shooter but we did find we had to take extra special care when taking pics. In the right conditions the pictures are stunning, with strong, sharp focus and good colour reproduction. However, the camera was also prone to losing focus with very slight movements during the exposure, and washing out or under-exposing in either high or low light environments.
The camera is one of the phone's functions when the Adaptive Touch Panel really shines, giving quick access to four important settings: flash, macro, timer, and exposure adjustments (gain).
The only below average feature we've come across is the shoddy NetFront Web browser. Viewing Web pages seems slower than other online operations and page rendering, especially when using Smart Fit screen mode, is terrible. Luckily there is other options available to remedy this. We've downloaded and installed the latest version of Opera Mini and have seen dramatically improved performance, particularly in Opera being able to render pages up to three or four times faster. This is a must-have download for owners of the U900.
Overall
Samsung's U900 is a fitting flagship model with strong, well-performing features. With the right browser, the HSDPA speeds shine, and streaming media is great. The 5-megapixel isn't class-leading, but is a solid performer, in the same league as Samsung's G600, and better in our opinion than the camera in the Samsung G800.
Telstra's outright price of AU$849 is probably a touch too expensive for the U900T, however, at the time of writing we have found Vodafone offering the U900 "free" on an AU$49 per month contract which seems about right. The difference will, of course, be the absence of Telstra's services.
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Soundwave
17/09/2008, 02:16 PM
rating
8/10
Hi, I am interested in the U900 and was wondering if anyone who owns it could let me know what the memory/storage of the inbox is like?
I have a Sony W810i and the inbox is constantly getting full in a short period of time and would prefer a phone with a decent msg storage.
Also if you can use MP3 as a msg tone aswell. I know previous models you can make a MP3 as a ringtone but was stuck witht their msg tones which weren't anything fancy.
An answer would be very appreciated.
Pros: Looks great, features sound great.
Cons: Can't find enough information on product.
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Dorian
11/09/2008, 09:46 PM
rating
10/10
Hey people. I brought this pohne on the weekend and are loving it. The comment below me from "Mumma" well I don't know what she's talking about because I have no customisable features disabled and i can change the icons on the front. Anyway, I recently brought this phone so I will not give a full in depth review, however, i will in time :) For the moment, here are the list of pros and cons i have discovered with the phone. Hope it helps a little.
Pros: - Customisable in every way, from wallpapers and ringtones, to a very capable theme editor
- Superb screen, bright and sharp colours, same goes for the keypad, powerful and even white backlighting
- Very sleek and futuristic design. All passer-by's stop and glance at the phone, while my friends envy me the fact I have such a good-looking phone
- Excellent digital camera for a mobile phone, obviously not as great as a regular digital camera, but does a better job than the Nokia N95 (trust me)
- As CNET mentioned, Lag-free performance, touchpad has haptic fedback and there has never been an accidental touch from the pad. Also, very easy to get used to.
- Has the best feel when holding the phone. The front panel, battery cover and keypad are all metal, and the black plastic is all matte finished, so the phone looks sophisticated with the use of such materials. Besides the screen, it is virtually fingerprint free, such a refreshing alternative to all the fingerprint magnet phones currently out there.
- Great MP3 player, which includes last played, playlists, recently added, visulaisations etc. It can also be minimised to the home screen and allow continuance with other phone duties while playing music.
- Can support up to 8GB. I have a 4GB memory card in there and can fit 1,000 songs or up to 1,500 5MP sized photos. Already has 128MB internal memory, so no need to rush for a memory card so soon.
- Excellent sliding mechanism. Has a spring and just looks so cool when you slide it up and down.
Cons: - Glossy screen can create fingermarks, however I recently brought a plastic film for the screen, now that is also fingerprint and scratch free :)
- Loudness of the phone is initially on the average side, however I found a way to manipulate the settings and now, it is very loud (special code needs to be typed in), just google "Samsung U900 volume code", then the loudness will actually give you a heart-attack (trust me it still does!)
- All 3 games are trial versions, which is sort of a bummer as I love my games
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Mumma
04/09/2008, 12:58 AM
rating
3/10
Could be a great phone if it came as standard without provider's software. Can't get rid of 5 icons across the front which mean you also lose the ability to fully customise the touch screen. Also has a flaw where you can't set ring tones. Camera is clearer but not as easy as my old Razr. Inbuilt theme can't be used in Sydney because the icons cover the picture. Meant to reflect where you are in the world! Used the Rating wizard and this refers to the variant that I received - maybe not applicable for generic provider version.
Pros: Like the slider - easy to unlock and use quickly. Body of phone is attractive and stylish. Cute fonts for dialling screen. Clarity of calls and screen is excellent.
Cons: Very short battery life - one and a half days max! Some customised options disabled with software. Style is meant to be minimalist - this is ruined by permanent coloured logos/icons across screen. Glossy surface gets very easily smudged - esp with makeup! Touch screen vibrates and operates if resting on cheek during a call. Ringtones and alarms very hard to hear. Manual does not match the version of the phone received. Wish the camera could be silenced!
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Suz0ids
22/08/2008, 01:46 PM
rating
9/10
I love this phone! It's fantastic, just arrived this morning, and I've been playing with it all day at work. The sleek design is gorgeous and looks so well as both a business phone and a entertainment personal use phone. I love how the phone does not lag one bit and is very quick in its response time for loading applications. I love how we can customize the touch pad menu with a range of colours to chose from. Not just that the MP3 player is fantastic, not to mention the picture perfect 5MP camera! I have used a Dopod pro in the past and also a Palm 750, and compared to this phone, i'm just so over lagging PC based phones. I've never had issues with Samsung phones before so this phone is definitely not going to start! Love it!
Pros: The MP3 Player, Customized Display settings gives you the option to really individualize this phone, the fantastic 5MP Camera, the menu touch screen is versatile and is a good change from touch screens. Sleek, sexy, chrome design, Lightweight & thin!
Cons: Gets dirty with fingerprints easily! Probably is prone to scratching due to his sleek nature. A bit too many buttons to press to get to phonebook. Not sure if it has speed dial?
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Neo
10/08/2008, 07:03 PM
rating
10/10
This phone is AWESOME. I have only had it for a week, but already I'm so use to using it. Menu isn't much different to my SE K610i, key pad is much the same as a Motorola V3X. You can really personalize this phone to be your own, from ring tones/MP3's to the type and colour of your theme. I love the feel of the stainless steel finish, and just playing with.
Pros: You can change the touch pad quick menu's and colours. Set your own themes in the display editor. Camera quality is great.
Cons: Camera speed could be better.
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Ashleigh
10/08/2008, 12:44 AM
rating
9/10
i bought this phone a week ago and truly love it, my only conserns with it would be that i cant change the shutter speed for the camera, to me, it takes to long to take the pic. also does anyone know if the 5 icons on the display screen can be removed, and can the clock be moved to a different location on the screen
Pros: the quality of the 5 mega pixel camera is amazing, i love the weight and feel of the phone, i think its a very stylish phone and suits both women and men. all my friends wants one.
Cons: would have to be the manual, totally useless does not go into detail about what i think is important issues. i also find taking pics a bit difficult, very frustrating waiting for the camera to take the pic
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Jerome60
03/08/2008, 10:35 AM
rating
9/10
Just had my phone stolen, a great Sony Ericsson 600i, so had to buy a new one and finally chose the U900 over the Nokia N95 and E51. I'm very happy with it. I think it's a great looking phone with a plethora of features. The camera can be a bit tricky to get used to and you have to push a few more buttons just to get to a stored number and make a call.
The manual that came with it was, in my opinion, useless. It didn't tell me half the things I wanted to know about how to use all the featuers. You put all this money and time into a great phone, but you don't care about an intuitive manual! Go figure.
Pros: Great looks, great features, good business phone as well as for entertainment.
Cons: Crap manual, camera doesn't seem to be as easy as my old 600i, seem to be pressing more buttons for things that should be easier to get to.
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Pete
02/08/2008, 12:25 PM
rating
9/10
A solid business phone, no frills, does a lot of things including receiving and sending calls!! No fuss
Pros: Looks cool. Solid in the hand.
Cons: Touch pad easy to make a mistake with.Takes a while to learn all the tricks with it. Info supplied with phone a bit ordinary.
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hay_yasha
30/07/2008, 09:53 PM
rating
1/10
way to expensive for what its got.
like what is the point of having the stupid touch panel? it really is just a waste of the buyers money.
the nokia n96 is gunna come out for about that price and I'm pretty sure it is a quintillion times better.
bad phone, bad brand
Pros: i dunno
Cons: price
its ugly
unnecessary touch panel
heaps more
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Pouya
02/07/2008, 05:17 PM
rating
10/10
Samsung SGH-U900 is not bad but it is very expensive .
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