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Sagem my401c

By Rosanne Hodgekiss on 02 April 2007

The Sagem my401c is a good choice for those looking for a sweet-and-petite budget handset with a number of entertaining extras.

Editor's rating:6.9 User rating:7.8
  • Good: Large font on main display • microSD card expansion slot •
  • Bad: Limited 13MB of internal memory • No USB cable included • External display hard to read in direct sunlight
  • Specs: Flip • Bluetooth • 13 MB • Numerical keypad • See more specifications
  • RRP: AU$229.00
Photo gallery: Sagem my401c
Design
The Sagem my401c is a mid-priced tri-band phone that squeezes a number of "must-have" extras such as a VGA camera, Bluetooth and MP3 player into a lightweight device. Stylish and slender, it measures 86 x 43.3 x 18.5mm and wraps comfortably around the face when opened.
 
Looking like a lovechild of the Nokia 6170 and the Motorola RAZR v3, the Sagem my401c combines an ergonomic clamshell design with elegant, metallic features. Weighing in at 83g, it fits comfortably in the hand, with a rubberised backing and a keypad accommodating even the most arduous one-handed text messaging. From the perspective of durability, its matte finish appears like it will withstand even the most car key-laden handbags, although some care should be taken with the glossy external display screen. It is unfortunate that this screen is also near to useless in bright sunlight, making it difficult to interpret information such as battery life, signal strength, caller ID and indispensably, date and time.
 
The internal display is entirely no-nonsense, with easy-to-read, large-print input. Those familiar with the Sony Ericsson menu system will find no surprises, with navigation achieved using the Sagem's four-way directional keypad, via a grid of bouncy, animated icons. As un-sexy as this menu may be, it does make this phone exceptionally easy to use and even the most cautious users will find themselves using the Sagem my401c's myriad of features with very little effort. 
 
That said, initial setup of the phone is a real drag. After the gauntlet of selecting from a series of dull sound and colour schemes, as well as anything short of what we wanted to eat for lunch, our enthusiasm at receiving a shiny new phone was running dry. In particular, the Sagem my401c serves as textbook case study as to why some folks loathe polyphonic ringtones; a listen to the one ditty supplied had us frantically scratching for an Alka-Seltzer to ease the churning. Thankfully the my401c redeemed itself from that point onwards.
 
Features
The Sagem my401c spruiks both Bluetooth and mini-USB interfaces, the latter of which can be used to charge the phone when plugged into a computer via a USB cable (not supplied). The mini-USB functionality can also be used to turn the my401c into a modem, USB drive or PictBridge device, which may or may not be useful, given the limited 13MB internal memory. You can expand the storage capacity of this phone with the addition of a microSD card, which is mandatory extra if you plan to use the my401c as an MP3 player (see below). Mac users please note that the my401c offers little in the way of compatibility; we couldn't set it up as a USB drive or browse its contents using Bluetooth. Secondly, forget about using iSync to manage your contacts as the my401c is currently not supported.
 
The Sagem's my401c sports a rather average VGA camera with 4x zoom, with its highest resolution being 640 x 480. You can shoot photos with a number of effects such as greyscale and sepia and consequently compile these images in a screensaver, or use them as the phone wallpaper. The my401c also includes a basic photo editing tool, just in case you feel like adding Photoshop-like effects to your happy-snaps.
 
As much as an MP3 player may seem like the feature that raises the Sagem my401c transcendental amongst phones in its class, it should be noted that you will need to purchase a microSD card to use it sensibly. Unfortunately the inbuilt internal memory is only vast enough to hold about 3 songs, so you may want to consider this additional purchase to break the repetition.
 
Also included are two Java games and a number of standard organiser features. Additional games and applications can be acquired via the Planet Sagem WAP site, which can be accessed using a GPRS connection and the my401c's in-built browser.
 
Performance
By Sagem's measure, the my401c boasts three hours talk time and 250 hours standby. About six days of use brought the battery to its natural conclusion.
 
In summary, the Sagem my401c is a good choice for those looking for a sweet-and-petite budget handset with a number of entertaining extras. However, those looking for a more distinctive, feature-rich device (and Mac users) will inevitably overlook this model. The Sagem my401c is $229 RRP or $129 pre-paid with Telstra and comes in red/black or silver/black styles. 
 

Topics: sagem, mobile phone, budget, phone, use, microsd card, mini usb, like, bluetooth, internal

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Comments (98)

  • unhappy gave 3/10 on 16/02/2009 09:54

    • Good: Little phone and flip ok for just calls and texting
    • Bad: cant set different tones for alarm etc. It is VERY basic hardly any ring tones, camera rubbish and music sounds tinny

    I have just got this phone and it is a heap of CRAP

  • stuart robertson gave 4/10 on 30/11/2008 10:30

    • Good: 1.Good for its price
      2.Looks Good
    • Bad: 1.Starts getting slow
      2.bad camera quailty
      3.Bad For Music
      4.Its a Sagem

    At first i thought it was a good phone but afterwards it started getting slow and it only lets you record things for 30 seconds come on. My advice too you all is dont buy this phone

  • JAGIELLO gave 3/10 on 08/11/2008 18:15

    i paid $130 4 a hunk of crap!!!!!

  • ecstasy gave 9/10 on 09/07/2008 00:59

    i inserted a memory card (SDmicro) into my phone and it cannot find it. please what can i do. imei no 35385901122492-2. please i am confused though the performance of the phone is perfect.

  • Spike gave 7/10 on 04/06/2008 10:02

    Hiya xx-robet-xx

    The slot for the memory card is located under the back cover towards the top (just behind where you put your fingernail in to remove the back cover!!) The card slots in from the top.

  • ImDreaming gave 9/10 on 26/05/2008 20:35

    • Good: Stylish, Great Front display lcd, Loud when playing music.
    • Bad: Slow, Poor quality camera.

    Great phone, had it for about 1-2months now.
    Hasn't let me down since.
    Picked it up 2nd hand off my best friends little brother for $28 AUD.

  • samsung x820 gave 8/10 on 14/05/2008 17:42

    • Good: Good unique design.
      Fast and reliable programs.
    • Bad: Some time cut the calls in mid.

    Sagem my401c is cheap and reliable hand set with wonderful and fast features. Great LCD result. Camera performance is so so.

  • Debsta gave 7/10 on 03/04/2008 12:22

    • Good: Small Good to use
    • Bad: Needs more txt memory

    Good But how do you use micro memory card? Need to hold more text.

  • Jojo gave 5/10 on 01/04/2008 16:01

    • Good: Easy to use, I don't need heaps of stuff on my mobile.
    • Bad: Where do I find a replacement battery for it? I can't seem to find one anywhere!

    Really like the phone, but I've only had it since late May 2007 and the battery is dead and won't recharge.

  • xx-robet-xx gave 5/10 on 28/03/2008 12:05

    • Good: small and easy to use,good recording
    • Bad: someone please tell me WHERE THE MEMORY SLOT IS I HAVE TROUBLE FINDING IT!

    iT$ OK. PICTURE IS GOOD EVERY THING IS PERFECT

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