The C417 sports an eye-catching red shell, a sleek profile, Bluetooth, and a VGA camera. Will it make other flip phones green with envy?
Review summary of the Samsung SGH-C417:
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 Boasting a lightweight, trim profile wrapped in an eye-catching red shell, the Samsung SGH-C417 looks great for a budget phone but falls short in a few key areas. We liked the quad-band phone's impressive call quality and battery life, while hard-core chatters will appreciate the C417's instant messaging and Bluetooth capabilities. However, we were disappointed by the relatively low-resolution displays, as well as the lack of voice dialing. Despite the handset's shortcomings, the C417 still makes a good option for those looking for a colorful, easy-to-use phone that won't weigh you down.
Release: September 2006. Price: $10.
Pros: Decent call quality; world-phone capabilities; Bluetooth; extensive phonebook; lengthy talk-time.
Cons: No voice dialing; short message display; bland internal and external screens with few personalization options.
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74%
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Full Samsung SGH-C417 Review:
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Design
The Samsung SGH-C417 is certainly an attractive clamshell with its fiery red shell and relatively thin profile (0.65 inches). However looks can only get you so far, and when we dove a little deeper we found room for improvement. For example, the monochromatic external display is quite dark, leaving our customization options rather bleak. The internal screen has four integrated wallpapers, but the low-resolution display suffered from the "screen door" effect.
Calling - Good
During our tests in New York City, call quality on the C417 was generally decent with good reception, although we did encounter some static here and there. The C417's speakerphone is tinny and a bit fuzzy sounding (par for the course), and conference calling only allows for three-way calling. The C417 offers decent maneuverability between the calls, but you’ll have to dig through menus, which is a bit of a hassle. Also, the phone doesn't have voice dialing, a basic feature on most calling and light messaging handsets. On the other hand, the C417 does offer a nice phonebook that supports while-you-type searching and ample room for up to 500 entries. The clamshell also scored points for its Bluetooth abilities and solid battery life (four hours of talk-time).
Messaging - Good
Typing on the C417's flat, well-lit keypad was a breeze, but messaging was a bit of a disappointment. While the messaging menus were simple to use, we were only able to fit a meager 86 characters on the screen, well short of our preferred 160 characters. We had no trouble inserting text, photos from the built-in VGA camera, emoticons, and music into our multimedia messages, but we were bummed that MP3 message alerts are not supported. Fans of instant messaging will appreciate the C417's support for AIM and Yahoo services, although the phone's instant messaging app takes anywhere between 15 and 30 seconds to launch.
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Samsung SGH-T619
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Score: 55% When: September 2006 Worth: $Free - $200 Carrier: T-Mobile
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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?
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Nokia 6133
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Score: 50% When: October 2006 Worth: $20 Carrier: T-Mobile
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Nokia's mid-range clamshell might not be the thinnest on the block, but it does pack in an MP3 player, Bluetooth, conference calling and a 1.3-megapixel camera. Is it worth the extra girth?
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Price and availability
Available immediately from Cingular for $80 or $50 with a 2-year contract.
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