Design
This is a device that will immediately feel comfortable in your hand and your pocket. The small form factor of the Z500 is definitely a plus, and is well balanced out by its thickness. The textures of the outside case are also satisfying.
Unlike clamshell phones such as the NEC N600i, the two halves of the Z500 fit nicely together, and the hinge mechanism is solid and robust. It doesn't seem likely the hinge would break after a hard night out on the town, and the whole thing seems pretty watertight.
Perhaps the next most visible feature of the Z500 is its large external, colour display. This screen displays the time as well as customisable pictures, but you will also discover it's used for a variety of other phone functions -- which you will gradually discover as you use the phone over several weeks.
For example, you can use it to take photos with the in-built camera without opening the clamshell itself. Great for taking shots of yourself if there's no convenient third-party around.
Internally the Z500's keypad is of a fairly standard design, with the numeric keys below and a cross arrangement above. The keys are of a decent size for a small phone.
This phone's internal screen is a little small for prolonged reading or multimedia viewing, but it's fine for checking out photos you've taken and other basic tasks.
Features
Most of the Z500's features come standard on all mid-range phones. It comes with Bluetooth, infrared and USB options to connect up to your PC.
A couple of minor positives are the 50MB of included internal memory -- which isn't tiny but not huge either, and the ability to support TransFlash media cards for portable storage.
However the phone is let down by its inability to play MP3 audio, and will only support 64-chord polyphonic ringtones. It will play several media types including midi, WAV and several other unpopular formats such as i-melody and SMAF.
The software that comes with the phone and is loaded on your PC is a pretty basic little package that will nonetheless do the job. You can transfer and store files -- extremely slowly -- and synchronise your contacts.
The first standout feature is the phone's in-built camera. It takes more than passable photos and decent short videos with sound.
The second is the ability make and receive video calls, a feature for which you will require access to one of the 3G networks currently being marketed by 3, Telstra, Vodafone and Optus.
Performance
The user interface of the Z500 performed extremely well. It's a cinch to use and the feedback noises it makes will remind you of your childhood days playing Super Mario Brothers. You'll grow tired of them after a while and turn the volume down -- but turn it up every now and then to reminisce.
The audio quality is also excellent -- on all calls the Z500's speaker was very clear.
The Z500's great design made the battery easy to remove and the SIM card easy to replace. Switching it on is a quick process, and the same for shutting down for the night. That battery did run out a bit quicker than expected, but we took a lot of photos so that could be one of the causes.
Taking shots with the phone is a simple operation -- just press a button on the side and you're away. Once you're in the photo screen it's easy to take multiple photos in either black or white or colour, zoom in, or add any number of frames or customisations to the shot. In short, the camera interface is excellent and definitely a strength of the Z500.
And if you like to keep ahead of the curve, you'll get frustrated quickly as you're unable to use the Z500 as a slick content delivery platform for data in formats like MP3, or quality video. In addition, in a market which already has a 3-megapixel camera phone being sold, the Z500's own 1-megapixel camera will quickly be superceded.
In short, we loved carrying around this phone and most consumers will too -- unless you're looking for bells and whistles.
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nazha
06/10/2008, 10:23 PM
rating
8/10
Can I Buy the samsung z500 and how much
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samsung z510
09/06/2008, 05:36 PM
rating
7/10
Simple cell phone. Easy to use. Its cheap and reliable. I like this flip mobile introduce by Samsung. Attractive color with gorgeous body case.
Pros: Gorgeous color.
Decent talk time.
Finger-friendly keypad.
Cons: No memory expansion slot.
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Chelle23
14/05/2007, 04:01 PM
rating
9/10
I love this phone! I had the black one but it got stolen (because everyone wants one :p). I just recently bought another one in sand silver- I wasn't interested in buying a different phone!
Overall a great little phone! I think the price speaks for itself.
Pros: Great ring tones, easy to transfer info between phones with bluetooth, love the fact you know the time and if you have any missed calls/messages simply by looking at external display. Keys are easy to use, the phone overall is easy to navigate around!
Cons: Battery life tends to be used up quickly if you take alot of photos and video- you need to make sure you let it charge properly the first time around!
Games are all demo's unless you download them.. I didn't like that.
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Stick to microwave ovens Samsung
28/04/2007, 11:47 AM
rating
2/10
Software dodgy!
Alarms don't work properly!
Software for PC very poor!
SMS dictionary won't remember new words!
Pros: Looks great.
Well laid out interface.
Cons: See comments...
If I put it through my washer it might work better.
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Anonymous
13/04/2007, 02:59 PM
rating
6/10
i still love this phone very cute and easy to use, just some bad things about it
Pros: cute little phone. easy to use,
Cons: cant set ringtones as your message tones, also, cant delete games to get more space, little battery life, connects to internet itsef sometimes
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<3 ..S4R4H.. =]
08/12/2006, 03:07 AM
rating
9/10
ii LUV THiiS PHON3!!!
Pros: GOOD RiiNGTON3 QU4LiiTY... NiiC3 PiiC QU4LiiTY!!... QUiiTE LiiGHT... COM3S WiiTH C4BL3 TO CON3CT TO PC 4ND TR4NSFER D4T4...
Cons: YOU C4NT G3T iiT iiN PiiNK,BLU3,R3D,GOLD OR 4NY OTH3R COLOURS 3X3PT BL4CK AND THE USU4L BORiiNG COLOURS :(...
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sophia
25/11/2006, 12:20 PM
rating
10/10
Fabulous Mate....Fantastic
Pros: It has all the bells and whistles.
It a simply terrific fone.
Cons: Nothing that I knew so far.
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zinksu
25/11/2006, 09:05 AM
rating
10/10
Very Very Good Stylish Mobile
Pros: Executive style best mobile on the planet.
You can access mp3 so easily.I sold my v3x and bought this one and I'm very happy with it.
Cons: N.A.
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Mobilucky
25/11/2006, 08:58 AM
rating
10/10
Just a great mobile I ever had
Pros: Its speaker, system usability and everything is just high class.
Cons: Nothing bad about it at all
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Cyberspastico
08/11/2006, 02:30 PM
rating
3/10
After only having Nokia phones i opted for this phone as it was quite easy to adjust to after using nokia for so long. The functions are easy to navigate through and find, i found it to be very similar to Nokia. NO point taking the phone to be repaired as i am guessing this is a software issue it has been happening to my friend also.
Pros: Being able to see who is calling even when phone is closed through the outer screen
Cons: The alarm doesnt always work and i have been late to many appointments because of this. Also i have missed calls because the phone just chooses to not ring or vibrate even when phone is next to me, i then find all these missed calls!?!?! (a friend of mine has exactly the same problems) I would not recommend this phone and regret getting it worst of all i am stuck with it as i am in a plan for 24 months.
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