Compatible with AT&T cell phone service, the ultra light Samsung E316 phone features a VGA camera, WAP 2.0 Internet capabilities, advanced text messaging, and Java capabilities, all built in to a clamshell/flip phone format and displayed on a 128 x 128 pixel, 65k color LCD screen. The small outer display, visible when the phone is closed, provides color resolution as well.
Calling Features
Used simply as a phone, the E316 features a 4-way navigation key for easy access to a variety of handy features, including 40-chord polyphonic ring tones, voice mail button, volume select/display, phone status indicator, call timers, redial, any-key answer, roaming indicator, phonebook look-up, phonebook scroll, mute control, no-answer transfer, usage alert, differential ring, a phone book capacity of 500 entries, and more.
Messaging and Internet
When you want to get online, you'll enjoy EMS and MMS messaging, which allows you to create, send, receive, and edit text messages with photo attachments, which you can take with the built-in camera and then send to any compatible cell phone or PC. There's also predictive text entry and instant messaging, for your speedy text messaging convenience. The E316 is Java-compatible, so you can download a wide variety of productivity and gaming software to further enhance your phone.
Organizer
Organizer capabilities on the E316 include a calendar, calculator, and a scratch pad function for quick note-taking.
Camera, Fun, and Games
The built-in camera provides VGA resolution (640 x 480 pixels) and a handy, multi-shot function. This phone also includes customizable wallpaper and graphics, and 40-chord polyphonic ring tones. Since it's Java-compatible, you can also easily download new wallpaper, graphics, ring tones, and games, in addition to the ones already included with the phone.
Vital Statistics
The Samsung E316 weighs 3 oz. and measures 3.3 x 1.8 x 0.8 inches. Its Lithium Ion batteries are rated at 420 minutes minimum digital talk time, and 216 hours minimum digital standby time. It runs on GSM 800/1900 MHz.
What's in the Box
Samsung E316 phone, battery, AC charger, earbud
1 This phone does everything EXCEPT making phone calls!
I had this phone with AT&T service for 5 months, and that was the worst experience ever. Since the day I received the phone, it NEVER worked well. Not only the reception is bad enough, it drops calls no matter where I go in almost all the calls I made! Sometimes this happened 4 or 5 times in 10 minutes. Even my friends got sick about the phone. AT&T has sent me a new phone and another SIM card, but it never solved the problem. I do not deny that the phone looks very neat and has a lot of good features including a built-in video camera. But, I can buy a video camera instead, why do I need a cellphone if I cannot even use it to make phone calls?
2 this phone sucks
I have gone thru two of these phones. The first phone had some sort of a short and lost data such as ringtones & games. That money went down the toilet. AT&T agreed to replace it with a refurbished phone, that means another E316 that somebody had a problem with. This one is worse. I have again lost data and also stored phone books numbers randomly. Now I have to deal with Cingular. AT&T does not make anymore new phones so I can get another refurbished piece of crap or migrate to Cingular and loose my AT&T unlimited minute special. Thanks a lot
3 Great phone despite the novelties
I just got the e316 over a month ago and have yet to have a single problem with it. My last phone, a Samsung a460 was horrible, with lousy reception, and an unreliable screen that was prone to breaking if exposed to cold temperatures (a problem sometimes in the winter) or just ordinary use, not to mention a horrible battery.
However, the e316 gets reception everywhere I go, including some friend's basements that are notorious for bad reception. The ring tone volume (at the maximum) is noticebly louder than past phones I've had and can be easily heard from in your pocket even in crowded areas.
I've read reviews where people said the sound quality was questionable, but I've had no problems, and found it clearer than most other phones I've had or used.
It has lots of customizable features. It can utilize animated wallpapers and ring tunes that sound like actual songs (as in closer to mp3-like quality as opposed to just tones). The downside is that this seems to still be relatively new and so finding decent selections of either the animated wallpapers or the better ring tones (which seem to be called "real tones/tunes") can be difficult.
The phone also comes with one game, "fun2link", which is similar to the Windows puzzle game "Pipe Dream", where you use pieces of pipe to complete a circuit for liquid to go through within a time limit. You can download other games though.
The camera is what you would expect from a camera phone, in that the pictures are often grainy and over/under exposed (although the phone does have many different camera settings to help with this problem). If you want digital pictures, get a digital camera, however a good feature is that you can take pictures of people and "attach" it to the phone numbers in your phone book so that when they call their picture (or whatever image you assigned to them) will appear in the external screen of the phone.
Overall, I highly recommend the phone, although here in Canada with Rogers Wireless the price of $99.99 (CAN$) with a 3-year deal is pretty high. I was able to get the phone for less and on a 2-year plan and its a much better deal.
4 Good small phone packed with features.
I picked up this phone and was actually suprised how small it is. It is extremely customizable too.
I bought it with AT&T and was worried that I wouldn't be able to use it after the merger with Cingular, so I took it down to the local cell phone shop and paid them fifteen bucks to unlock it. Now it works with sim cards from ATT and Cingular and anyone else that uses the same frequencies.
5
seeing people complain about static and bad reception is funny. try not living in the middle of nowhere and maybe your phone will work.
6 Nice phone
Over all this is a nice phone. When it came out it was way to expensive but if you get a good deal on it you will love it.
Its very stylish. You can personalize the blinking leds (red, blue,purple, green, orange...) and the outer screen (which is very bright and readable). Ringtones are nice and loud, and inside screen is very nice.
What isn't so good about the phone is:
Reception (it is mediocre.) Gets about one bar less than most good performing RF phones out there.
Slight hissing sound in the background. I think newer version will have this bug fixed but i am not positive
Over all i think this phone is a fashion statement more than a actual phone. But its very cool and small
Student725
7 Awesome Phone
Just got my new Samsung e316 phone and I am loving it! Its light weight, great features like the caller id screen on the front, color screen on the inside and the camera has a great picture. It's really easy to use. Perfect size, too. I definitely recommend this phone. I went through 2 phones (including Nokia models) until I found the one I liked, and it was this Samsung model. Nothing compares; I am so pleased with it.
8 A Great Cellphone!
So far I have not had one problem with my cellphone. In fact I have had better reception with this phone than with my previous cellphone. Many people complained that their reception was bad with this cellphone, but my reception has improved! Another reviewer also complained the phone took bad pictures. Well, the pictures aren't that great, I'll admit, but its a cellphone, and cellphones don't take great pictures. I love that the phone has a colored external display, which also shows the photo caller ID. This is a great cellphone, and while it might not be the best cellphone out on the market, it certainly has a lot of bang for your buck.
9 Sirens of Cellphones
I must admit the phone is nice and small and will definately make your friends jealous however the reception sucks. I have AT&T and i cant blame it on them. I had the Nokia 3620 and the reception was better than this phone even when i was in the basement. And you can only take 5 videoclips (if you use all of the alotted time). And to be honest the picture quality is minimal. So features I give a B+ (got bored with it the day i got it what u see is what u get) but the service is HELL! Beware of the Siren called Samsung e316.
10 Good at everything except being a phone
I have never written a consumer product review before, because I have never bought a consumer product that sucked so much before. Swayed by its great feature list and too-cool size, I bought this phone with high anticipation. The reality was awful reception, and even at its best, there was CONSTANT STATIC, just like others have noticed. I turned it back in for a Motorola 505, and it is 50x the phone this one is. Damn Samsung, how did such a good company get this so wrong?
11 can't beat it!!
A lot of people have been complaining about this phone, and I honestly don't get it. First off, the whole problem with the static, I have never once heard any static from my phone, full service or almost none, the sound quality is perfect. This phone is loaded with features, and has plenty of room for customization. No, the camera isn't a world-class camera, but it's a camera phone, not a high quality digital. The polyphonics sound amazing, and there IS a way to make the phone completely silent, you just have to know how to use it's settings. Even if you can't figure it out, the vibrate is very quiet, especially if it's in a pocket or purse. Try taking your Nokia into a meeting and see how loud that vibrator is. Not to mention, this phone was free, you definitely can't beat that!
12 Static is a problem
I read the reviews about the static but bought the phone anyway (I usually think Amazon reviewers are too critical). It was a mistake. The constant static really is a problem. It's not just noticeable... it's incredibly irritating. Besides that, there aren't many options for customizing the phone (for example, there is no way to turn off the alert sound after a missed call). I will be returning it.
13 Small and stylin'
Since I've always been fascinated with "gadgets", I frequently experience "cell-phone envy". I'm always looking at someone else's phone, checking to make sure it is not smaller or have more features then mine. But finally, I've found a phone that everyone else can envy ME for: the Samsung e316. It's small, light as a feather, stylin', has an awesome camera, and a ton of features.
PROS:
+ A sweet camera phone: 640x480, takes great pics (for a camera phone), multiple effects (like b&w, sepia, etc), photo frames, and you can even take self-portraits with the phone closed, using the external LCD as a viewfinder.
+ Two, count 'em TWO, multi-color LEDs that help you to attract even more envy. You can choose between 7 colors to flash when you have service, and it also puts on a light show whenever you receive a call or message (no need to buy an expensive flashing battery to pimp out your phone)
+ External Photo Caller ID. It's great being able to see a picture of who's calling.
+ Great reception and sound quality. My old Nokia would get one bar (at best) in my bedroom, and I was never able to carry on a conversation for more than 2 minutes. This phone gets almost a full signal, and I've talked well over 30 minutes in the same spot my Nokia would let me down.
+ Loud ringers and alerts. You'll definitely know someone is calling: if you can't hear the thundering ringtones, you'll be blinded by the flashing LED light show.
CONS:
-No speakerphone. It's a shame, figuring the speaker is so loud.
-No Bluetooth or IR. A serial data cable is available, though, that allows you to transfer pics and ringtones to your phone.
-I miss the "profiles" that Nokia has, although holding down the # sign on this phone switches it to silent (vibrate) mode.
-You can record videos, but you can't send them. It's not that big of a deal to me, since I'm not interested in spending millions on data services, but it makes you wonder why the feature is there.
Overall, Samsung developed one of the best cell phones I've ever owned. Being a Nokia person for so many years, I was a little hesitant switching to a different brand. But I'm glad I did, since it has cured me of "cell phone envy" (well, at least until next year's models come out).
14 Great phone!
I recently got this phone for a price of $100 from my local At&t store. I fell in love with it right away! This phone is light, stylish, and loaded with functions. The Motorola V600 has a better camera quality, but the Samsung is loaded with features such as gray, sepia, negative, emboss, and sketch. Also, you can take pictures without flipping it open. Boredom does not ensue with this phone. The reception is crystal clear, I've had no problem hearing people, even with 1-2 bars of signal strength. The video feature on this phone is really cool too, it records 12 seconds, long enough for me.
One thing that I did not like was that even when you but it on vibration, theres still the annoying buzz. I turned the alert signal to lights, so it would be silent in school. But, when I got a voicemail, I still got an alert sound, causing my teacher to give me a dirty look. Despite the alert and sound mix-ups, it's an awesome phone. I would highly recommend this.
15 excellent phone, but STATIC
I just got this phone today and loved every feature of it. Then I actually made a call. There is a constant background static. It does not have to do with the service because my old phone (Motorola T721) did not have static in the same spot and the constant static only increased/decreased if I increased/decreased the volume of my phone.
I do still love this phone and have contacted support in hopes to get a new phone or fix this one. If I find a solution to this problem or if I get a new phone and it is static-free my review will jump to a 5 star.
16 Beware before you buy
I have been waiting a year for at&t to release a Samsung camera phone. I bought this one the first day it was out, and man was I disappointed.
First: Phone book isn't very sophisticated. It doesn't show the type of phone number (work, cell, home...) next to the entry and there is not option to see the photo of the person next to their name.
Second: There is no silent mode...what they call "silent mode" is actually vibrate. When the phone vibrates it still makes a sound...that's not silent now is it.
Third: My phone made a constant static noise in of all my calls, incoming or outgoing. I took the phone back and they go out another one...same thing...so they brought out another phone...guess what same thing. All three phones with continuous static that is really noticeable and really annoying. Even the AT&T store rep was put off by it.
Fourth: If you are outside and it is sunny, you will not be able to see your screen. The graphics for the phone are cool...if you are indoors or it's cloudy out.
The phone does have some neat ringtones and the status lights are cool...I also liked the style of the phone...too bad the features are simplistic and there is constant static. I switched to the Motorola V600 and absolutely love it!! Great features and you can personalize just about everything on it. If you are going to buy the Samsung e316 phone, make sure you have the option of returning it so you can see how horrible it really is.
17 Quality, Fun Fone
I purchased the e316 upgrading from a really old panasonic. Of course, this phone was immediatly nicer than my older one. The LCD front display is one of the best features. The phone is equipped with a camera which is nice to take a funny picture on a whim, but I wouldn't bring it to a wedding. Overall, the phone is great. Really good reception and easy to use features make it a great buy.
18 Looks nice but flimsy
I switched from a Nokia 6200 that had great coverage except for one room in my house where I make a lot of calls. The Samsung e316 has a camera but like most camera phones, poor resolution and dark pictures. Unlike the #1 and #2 manufacturers (Nokia and Motorola) in terms of phone population, the Samsung seems flimsy and shoddy compared to the durable Motorola and Nokia phones. Another thing I didn't like about the Samsung was the low receiver volume even when turned all the way up. I am returning this phone and getting the Motorola V600: better reception, more durable, and better photo quality.
19 Samsung Phones are the best thing that ever happned to AT&T
I purchased the Samsung X426 model which is pretty identical to this one but with no external caller ID on the outside & loved it. On a scale of 1-10 i would rate that phone a 8.5. So iam on my 30 day trial period with AT&T and 2 days before my 30 day trial was over i noticed the E-316 Samsung that was just waiting in the window display 4 me 2 purchase. I have been waiting 4 this model to come out 4 pretty much 30 days. I run around Manhattan trying 2 get this phone because one AT&T rep said they had it in their stores & when i got there they didn't **(AT&T reps really need to be trained properly on what they say to there customers because they constantly tell customers false information & have no product knowledge whatsoever)** & finally exchanged it about 2 days before the trial period was up. Its a great cell phone & records video clips as well which they need to advertise. Its an awesome video phone which includes 4 video games & tons of ringers & colorful screen savers. The only thing is it doesn't come with a standard ring tone like the previous 2 Samsungs made for AT&T. The standard 2 ring tones given are quit annoying. It comes with a really kool looking charger & this high tech ear piece that is specifically designed for this model. Like all Samsung phones this one is amazing with excellent reception & as always user friendly (Plus its light in weight). None the less i want to give this phone a 4.5 out of a possible 5 stars. 1st time cell phone buyers will love this phone & not regret it while smart cell phone shoppers know Samsung rules this arena. Final analysis is that ive had pretty much all the major cell phones carriers in NYC. Ive had Sprint & Verizon & AT&T will be my last carrier because T-Mobil & Cingular wireless are horrible on the east coast. Ive always had Samsung phones & everytime i try 2 get a different model like LG or Kyocera it just pails in comparison to Samsung. Samsung cell phones are the best thing that ever happened to AT&T because they have the most ugliest looking phones ive ever seen except for LG phones which are decent. A must have =)
20 the best phone!!
I would actually give this phone a 4.8 but that wasn't a choice. This phone is awesome. It's just that, for a phone of that price, you would think it would have bluetooth or infrared capabilities...but it doesn't. Well it has cool features, great camera, great reception, good battery life, great color and lights internal and external and it looks cool! C'mon what more could you want?! Definitely the phone to get!
