CELL PHONES
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
LAPTOPS
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
CAMERAS
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
» infoSync TV » Review Center
» Tech Gifts » Expert guides
» RSS & Alerts » Ask The Editors
Home / Review Center / Cell phones / Stylish and lightweight phones
Review: Samsung SGH-Z400 3G import sliderBy Philip Berne, Wednesday 25 October 2006
GALLERY
Samsung SGH-Z400
Enlarge
Samsung SGH-Z400
Enlarge
Samsung SGH-Z400
Enlarge
Samsung SGH-Z400
Enlarge
Samsung SGH-Z400
Enlarge
 
 
With 3G support and a crystal clear screen, the SGH-Z400 packs video calling, a music player and e-mail access. Is it worth importing?

Review summary of the Samsung SGH-Z400:
Compare »   Gallery »
Samsung SGH-Z400 With video calling and 3G support, the slick Z400 makes for a tempting slider, especially if you happen to have a SIM card running on a UMTS network. We were impressed by the phone's top-notch screen, solid call quality and ability to access our POP/IMAP e-mail accounts. However, we wish the phone's messaging interface took full advantage of the generous 2-inch display, and we miss features such as instant messaging and voice calling. Finally, in our tests, the phone stumbled with its relatively weak signal reception. Release: June 2006. Price: $450.
Pros: Beautiful screen; video calling, document viewer; POP/IMAP e-mail access; comfortable keys; good speakerphone.
Cons: No IM support; limited messaging options; calls produced static due to poor reception.
Poor
Mediocre
74%
GOOD
Very good
Excellent
Full review of the Samsung SGH-Z400:
Design

The shiny, silver Samsung SGH-Z400 slider may not be remarkably small or light, but it feels solid, with a satisfying snap to the slide and a raised tab under the screen to help open the phone. The phone opens to reveal a 2-megapixel camera on the back. The Z400's screen is remarkably crisp, cramming 320 by 240 pixels and 262,000 colors into the two-inch screen.

Calling - Good

We tested the Z400 in New York City, and voice quality on the phone was good, although we encountered some static and occasional dips in sound. Also, we noticed that the phone's reception indicator only showed three out of five bars, while other phones we've tested using the same SIM card reported full signal strength. The phone supports vibration, MP3 and polyphonic rings, and breaks alerts into profiles. The address book is slightly better than average, with standard phone fields and even some storage for addresses, but you can't assign specific ringtones to individual contacts. Searching the address book is easy thanks to while-you-type searching. The speakerphone is loud enough to use in a busy office, and the phone supports Bluetooth headsets and conference calling, but you won't find any voice-dialing functions.

Messaging - Good

The Z400 comes with a so-so message editor, which only displays 112 characters on incoming SMS messages and about 85 on outgoing messages -- too bad, given the phone's nicely sized, easy-to-read screen. Message handling is basic, with no replied-to icons or advanced messaging folders. The phone can handle POP3, IMAP4 and SMTP e-mail, which is a nice touch, but alerts for messages are limited to a set of five beeping tones, and instant messaging is strangely absent. Typing messages on the phone was comfortable, but the white backlit letters blend into the silver keys a little too well, rendering them nearly invisible under fluorescent light.

Odds and ends

In addition to the 2-megapixel camera on back, the Z400 also includes a front-facing VGA camera for video calls, if you're lucky enough to be using the phone on a 3G UMTS network (which we weren't). This also limited our ability to test the document viewer, which can read office document attachments. The music player can handle popular music formats, but offers no stereo Bluetooth support.

Related phones: Top Samsung import phones

Samsung SGH-E900
Full gallery »
 
Samsung SGH-E900

Score: 67% When: June 2006 Worth: $400

With its slick look and touch-sensitive buttons, the import Samsung SGH-E900 slider lives on the cutting edge of style. Will its stereo Bluetooth support help it tackle the music phone behemoths?

Full review »
Samsung SGH-Z710
Full gallery »
 
Samsung SGH-Z710

When: October 2006 Worth: $600

The SGH-i320 runs Windows Mobile 5.0 complete with thumbboard; the SGH-Z560 snaps 3.2 Megapixel stills; the SGH-710 downloads an MP3 in 10 seconds; and the SGH-Z150 redefines slim.

Full story »


Comparison

Compare the Samsung SGH-Z400 with similar products


Price and availability

Available in the U.S. (Vodafone) in June 2006, the Samsung SGH-Z400 is priced at $450 .

Best Stylish and lightweight phones
Name Score Price Carrier
C
Click here to see full and advanced chart »
 
 
 
RECOMMENDED
Bold vs. E71 vs. Epix vs. Treo 800w
 
Storm vs. iPhone 3G vs. Omnia vs. Touch Diamond
 
T-Mobile G1 vs. Xperia X1 vs. Touch Pro vs. AT&T Fuze
 
TOP STORIES
New cell phones and smartphones this week
 
BlackBerry Storm review (Verizon Wireless)
 
Best Windows Mobile smartphones
Top 15 smartphones
 
Best slider QWERTY smartphones
 
Hottest smartphones and cell phones coming in November
CELL PHONE RESOURCE CENTER
Best phones
 
Expert guides
 
Ask the Editors
» Top 15
QWERTY phones
 
All-touch phones
 
Touchscreen phones
Business phones
 
Multimedia phones
 
Concept phones
3+ inch screen phones
 
Wi-Fi phones
 
More...
» Search (New!)
Search by cell phone features
» Manual comparison (New!)
Select up to 4 cell phones side-by-side
» By release
October 2008, November 2008, December 2008
» Top 15 by carrier
Unlocked, AT&T, Sprint, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, Helio, Alltel
» Top 15 by user type
Average Joe, Business users, Calling addicts, Fashion conscious users, Globetrotters, High-res addicts, Internet addicts, Multimedia enthusiasts, Music aficionados, Outdoor enthusiasts, TV addicts, Video lovers, More...
» Top 15 by brand
Apple, HTC, LG, Motorola, Nokia, BlackBerry, Samsung, Sony Ericsson Other
» Top 15 by platform
Palm OS, Symbian S60, Symbian UIQ, Windows Mobile
» Top 15 by cell phone type
Business smartphones, Multimedia smartphones
Consumer QWERTY phones, Multimedia phones
Concept phones
NOW IN PHONES
Are gadgets and CE in general more useless than ever?
 
New cell phones and smartphones this week
 
iPhone 2.2 software update
 
Samsung Eternity review (AT&T)
 
BlackBerry Storm review (Verizon Wireless)
LG Incite all-touch Windows Mobile smartphone comes to AT&T
Adobe Flash 10 support for smartphones in late 2009
Xperia Panels review for Sony Ericsson Xperia X1
Next 25 stories
MUST READ
CELL PHONES
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
LAPTOPS
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
CAMERAS
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
MP3 players
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
INTERNET TABLETS
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
GPS NAVIGATORS
HDTVs
CAMCORDERS
About us | Site map | How to advertise | Feedback | RSS Feeds | | Archive
Copyright 1999-2008 © infoSync World