Samsung SGH-T809 Review, User Opinions and Technical

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7th April 2009 Author: - - Views:

Samsung SGH-T809 Samsung follows in Motorola's footsteps with the SGH-T809, and does a very good job of it, much to the chagrin of consumers looking for other slim handsets without having to buy Motorola's flagship phone, the RAZR, since it seems everybody already have. Unlike the RAZR though, the T809 is a slider phone and as such, the slimness seemed like a miracle. And do not get fooled by its size as the T809 is mightily packed with great features that would definitely inspire a purchase consideration for many people. The T809's svelte features can not be appreciated fully when viewed straight on though, as this view makes it look a bit bulky. That is until you start turning it to its side when its 1.52 cm thickness makes you wonder how so many features can be crammed in such a slim handset.

The Samsung T809 comes with its own MP3 player and can playback tracks that are stored on either the internal shared memory or on the expansion slot TransFlash card. In fact MP3 files may be transferred between the two memory cards so organizing your music files are easier. And speaking of organizing, the user can also organize the tracks into playlists so the user can listen to tracks according to his / her mood. And transferring your tracks from the computer to your phone has never been more efficient as you may do so wirelessly via the T809's Bluetooth connectivity, provided of course that your computer is also Bluetooth capable.

Samsung SGH-T809 Camera and Display

The Samsung SGH-T809 is equipped with a 1.3 mega pixel camera that can take photos in seven resolutions – a maximum of 1280 x 1024, 1152 x 864, 800 x 600, 640 x 480, 320 x 240, 240 x 320 and the minimum resolution of 240 x 180. It does not have a flash option though so taking photos in dark environments even with the night mode setting is not advisable. A redeeming factor with the T809's lens is that it can be swiveled from back to front. This is especially useful for when taking pictures of oneself, as all camera phone and digital phone users are fond of doing.

Aside from this the T809's photo capabilities are also crammed. One will find the usual photo editing features such as the ability to choose from 29 fun frames, picture effects of which the T809 has nine, up to ten seconds self timer, up to 15 photos in multi-shot mode, different brightness settings, mosaic shot options, white-balance and image orientation adjustments, and metering exposure (ISO settings).

The user can also choose between four viewfinder sizes which is a rarely found feature among camera phones. And for taking pictures of far away subjects, the lens of the T809 can zoom in up to 8x digitally. There are also options or up to five shutter sound effects, although there is no silent option which is quite frustrating. All the number keys on the T809 has specific shortcuts for the camera options although they are quite a lot to memorize and may take some time. All of it is listed in the user manual of course but it's not really convenient to lug around. But with all the camera features on the T809, the picture quality still was not among the best we have seen as images tend to be fuzzy. Still, for a camera phone, pictures are quite sufficient and whatever it lacks in quality may easily be overlooked once the fun factor starts.

Aside from stills, the camera on the T809 may also function as a camcorder and can capture videos in two resolutions: 128 x 96 and 176 x 144. Video length is of course dependent on the memory size available but videos taken for the purposes of multimedia messaging are limited to up to thirty seconds only. The photo editor shares the same options with the video capabilities of the T809, meaning the image versatility you get with photos are the same with videos. As expected though, the captured videos look a bit grainy even when set at the maximum resolution. For use as a video or multimedia message though, it serves its purpose well.

All photos and video clips are saved in the T809's internal shared memory of 70 MB though so the expansion slot can be quite handy. It is good to note that the T809 comes with a 32 MB TransFlash card upon purchase so you don't have to get one right away.

Samsung SGH-T809 Design and Accessories

As stated above, the Samsung T809 although a tad thicker, seems to borrow its design from Motorola. And it does so to good effect. Sliding this handset open is a pleasing experience and it's so effortless that the user can open it with just one finger. As a default setting the user can answer calls simply by sliding the phone open and end calls by closing the slider down. This may be changed however but I couldn't think of anything more intuitive than what's already the default.

Samsung SGH-T809 Features

Weight: 3.3 oz / 93.6 g
Width: 5.33 cm
Height: 10.16 cm
Thickness: 1.52 cm
Network: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz, GPRS / HSCSD / EDGE / CSD
Screen Resolution: LCD display, TFT, 320 x 240 pixels, 18-bit (262000 Colors)
Data: EDGE Technology
Connectivity: Bluetooth v1.2, USB, PCSync
Web Browser: WAP 2.0 (xHTML)
Music: MP3
Camera: 1.3 mega pixels, 1280 x 1024, Records up to CIF resolution (352 x 288 pixels) / 3GPP format
Messaging: EMS, MMS, Yes. ICQ, Yahoo! Messenger, Wireless Village 1.1, AOL Instant Messenger Service (AIM)
Expansion Slot: MicroSD
Tones: Polyphonic, Vibrating Alert
Software Features: Java (J2ME)
Other Features: Calendar, To-Do List, Streaming Video
Battery: Lithium Ion 800 mAh, 4.3 hours talk time, 130 hours stand by time

PROS: Although the T809 will always be thought of as a Motorola clone, there is no denying that its svelte design may be its biggest selling point. The 32MB TransFlash expansion card, although not much is a nice addition to the package especially considering that other phones offer nothing upon purchase. The MP3 player is also more than satisfactory. The slider can also be opened effortlessly.

CONS: The camera is obviously not the T809's biggest strengths and picture and video quality can use some improvement. And it would have been easily forgivable had it not been for the hefty price tag of this handset.

Overall: After all is said and done, the T809 is a fun and functional mobile phone to carry around. And with its slim build, mobility is not an issue.