Sporting simple, intuitive menus and features like Bluetooth, conference calling and instant messaging, the SGH-T619 makes for a cheaper option to the flashy SGH-T629. Will it give you enough bang for your buck?
Review summary of the Samsung SGH-T619:
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 The Samsung SGH-T619 can be described as a "lite" version of the Samsung SGH-T629 slider, but while it is less flashy and sleek, it still packs in the best features of its big brother, including Bluetooth, conference calling, instant messaging, a 1.3-megapixel camera, and an MP3 player. In fact, the speakerphone on the T619 performs a bit better than the one on the T629 and typing on the keypad is much easier. Those looking for a lightweight, no-nonsense phone that is simple to handle but won't break the bank should give the T619 a serious look. Release: September 2006. Price: $1.
Pros: Easy-to-use keypad; a bevy of calling features, such as Bluetooth, speakerphone, conference calling, and voice tagging; decent 1.3-megapixel camera; instant messaging.
Cons: Noticeable static at times; fewer wallpapers and customization options than the Samsung SGH-T629; so-so talk time; no microSD expansion.
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Full Samsung SGH-T619 Review:
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Design
More modest than its stylish sibling, the Samsung SGH-T629 slider, the understated SGH-T619 clamshell is a hair thicker (0.7 inches) than the T629 but slightly lighter at 2.8 ounces. While the T619's bright, vivid external screen looks ripe for wallpaper, all you get is the bare minimum: clock, date, reception, and battery-life meter, with only a splash of blue for color on an otherwise black and white screen. The internal display is also a little bland, sporting a slightly smaller screen and five fewer integrated wallpapers than on the T629.
Calling - Very good
We tested the T619 in New York City, and call quality on the phone was decent, although it suffered from a bit more static and spottier reception than the T629. The clamshell did pick up on a bit of ambient noise, which is to be expected during rush hour. That said, the t619 made up for any hits in call quality with its plethora of calling features. The flip-phone packs in Bluetooth, voice tagging (though not speaker-independent), and conference calling. The T619's speakerphone sounded tinny, per usual, but we didn't run into the same voice drop-outs that we did with the T629. The clamshell's conference calling is comparable to that of the T629, allowing us to add in five lines and maneuver between calls after searching through the menu. Unfortunately, the T619 stumbled a bit in terms of talk time, offering up about 3.5 hours compared to the T629's 4.5 hours.
Messaging - Very good
The T619 performs well in the messaging department. Typing on the clamshell is significantly easier than on the T629, with buttons that are slightly raised and evenly spaced to avoid typos (although we wish the arrow keys and the "OK" button were a bit larger). The phone's system was simple and intuitive, and we liked the solid backlighting on the keypad. Inserting text, pictures, voice notes, emoticons, and music is easy, requiring only a short search through the menu. The T619 fits a respectable (if not stellar) 130 characters of text on its screen, lagging slightly behind the T629's 150 characters. This handset also offers AIM, ICQ, MSN, and Yahoo instant messaging.
Odds and ends
The T619 boasts a 1.3-megapixel camera/camcorder performs solidly, but is by no means spectacular. Typical with most phone cameras, images are a bit dark and the video is a little blocky, but still worthy of being shared with friends or sent via MMS or Bluetooth, and you can add frames or change the colors of your snapshots. The T619 also includes an MP3 player with fair sound quality, but as it's not a 3G phone, downloadable music isn't an option. The handset doesn't offer microSD expansion like the T629, so you would be able to store that many tunes, anyway.
Price and availability
The Samsung SGH-T619 is available immediately from T-mobile for free with a two-year service agreement.
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