Get some serious style with the x475 from Samsung. True, this phone is billed as entry-level, but it has features like MMS messaging, instant messaging, and a vibrant, high-resolution color screen that put it a notch above other phones that are this affordable. With the x475, you'll even get wireless Web capabilities that will keep you in step with the latest mobile Internet technologies.
Click the image to get a closer look at the x475's features. |
Design Inside the x475's sleek clamshell you'll find a large, 128 x 160 color display with support for 65,000 colors. The outside cover of the handset sports a supplementary 96 x 64 monochrome display that can display time, call information, battery and signal strength, and more. Up and down buttons for volume control are placed on the left side, while most of the phone's features and on-screen menus are controlled by a five-way center button on the handset's control pad. There's also a standard jack to accept universal hands-free headsets.
Calling Features
The x475's phonebook can handle up to 1000 of your contacts, and you can store up to three numbers per entry, plus an email address. In addition to having a discreet vibrating alert, the X475 supports 40-chord polyphonic ringtones, which means you can really jazz up your incoming calls with cool tunes. A number of ringtones come preloaded on the phone and more ringtones can be downloaded from T-Mobile's t-zones service. You can also assign icons and ringers to your most common callers. Like all T-Mobile phones, the x475 supports voice mail, caller ID, conference calling, call forwarding, call waiting, call hold, built-in paging, and access to T-Mobile's 411 service.
Messaging, Internet and Tools
When it comes to messaging and Internet connectivity, the x475 has you covered. The phone features support for ICQ and AOL instant messaging applications (T-Mobile messaging charges apply). There's also a built-in web browser for t-zones downloads and mobile web browsing. T-Mobile's t-zones service lets you receive and send emails, read news headlines, get weather updates, download games and ringtones, and more. Traditional text messaging, as well as picture and sound messaging are also supported by the phone. T9 text entry, which is a technology that makes it easier for people to enter words and text on handsets, is built into the unit-- a plus for mobile email and text messaging users.
A number of handy software tools are bundled with the x475, including a voice memo recorder, a calculator with currency converter, a to-do list, a calendar and an alarm clock.
Entertainment
The x475 is easy to customize to suit your style. Screensavers, themes and wallpapers can be set to your tastes, and you can even browse and download more wallpapers from the t-zones service. The x475 is Java enabled, meaning it supports games and application downloads written on the Java platform. Games are available via the T-Mobile t-zones service.
Vital Statistics
The Samsung x475 weighs 3.00 ounces and measures 3.45 x 1.81 x .90 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 3 hours of digital talk time, and up to 180 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the 900/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS frequencies. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.
What's in the Box
x475 handset, lithium-ion battery, power supply/charger, euro-plug, handsfree headset, SIM card, user's manual.
1 Good, Cheap (meaning inexpensive) phone
This is my first tmobile phone, before i had the much bulkier and expensive vox8610 from Virgin mobile. this phone is GREAT. comes with 4 games, around 20 ringtones with the feature of downloadable mp3 ringtones. you can picture message, send sound files - record you own and send them. i love the Ondemand Alerts, i can check the Red sox score by sending the word SOX to the number 444 - after i set my code words of course, and within 4 seconds i have the up to date score - good for when your stuck in a play and the sox are on - (true story)
pros
- recordable and sendable sound files
- picture messaging with wallpapers
- ondemand scores and news
- unlimited internet
- mp3 ringtones - with a big selection
- 4 default games (bubblesmile; its like snood, kindof. fun2link; my favorite game, you have to transport oil from place to place avoiding obsticals. mobile chess; duh ulitmate golf; harder to get used to but fun.)
- alarms and calendars - auto power on
- customizeable shortcut buttons
- AOL INSTANT MESSENGER OR ICQ
- ability to check your minutes used.
- phycadelic lsd (led) light that goes off when calls come in
- durable and study, ive dropped it like 4 times on pavement, once in teh mud and its yet to even notice - aside from teh battle scars it has now
few cons
- when you have "vibrate and ring" enabled, the phone will vibrate 3 times than go to teh ring, my old phone could do it at the same time.
- every so often - very very rare, it will freeze. you may never notice it
- no downloadable games
- phone and sim memory - this is probaly a really good feature if i knew how to use it.
thats it - great phone - get one of your own, if you activate a new membership you can get it for 20 bucks.
fun tip* aside from teh games, if your bored try pressing the number "2" like 40 times, slow down near the end and on one of the pushes it will get stuck vibrating. even when you close the phone it will keep going, the only way to stop it is to push a numbered button. but if your bored enought you could play teh pussycat with it or something. *it may have to be set on "voice" under sound options for keytone.
2 Great Little Phone
I've been using the Samsung x475 for a while now and I must say that I'm very satisfied with it. The small size and weight of the cell allow it to be easily stored away and provide a lot of comfort when you need to be on the phone for a long period of time. Not to mention the hands-free set it comes with helps to make things that much more comfortable.
I love the overall look and design of the phone. It has an attractive blue/silver cover and a service light (green-default) that can also let you know when you have received a voicemail or text message (red-default). The screen is very easy to read and it's simple to navigate through everything and change your settings.
The charger it comes with doesn't need to be used as much as I thought it would. I find that I can use the phone all day long and still not lose even a single bar on the three-bar battery line. Of course, I do put it on the charger almost every night just to be on the safe side of things.
Next comes the fun part: accessories. Hi-fi ringers, wallpaper, games, cases, etc. Most of these are pretty self-explanatory, but I love the Hi-Fi Ringers that you can purchase from T-Mobile's site and then assign each one to a different contact in your phone book. It's a great feature that will let you know the difference between a call you really want to take and a call that you would rather let your voicemail answer instead.
I'd recommend this phone to anyone wanting a standard flip-cell without the need of a camera. It's a really good purchase for all of us minimalistic lovers out there who just need something that can get the job done.
3 Real nice
I just got this phone, and it's smaller than I expected. When I measured it, it turned out to be 3 and 3/8 by 1 and 6/8 by 7/8. At any rate, it turned out to be smaller than I anticipated. The screen is really bright, the backlighting of the number pad is very nice and bright, and it's built pretty durably for a samsung phone. There's this transparent dot in the middle of the face that lights up when it rings, or it serves as a blinking signal indicator kind of like the old startacs. It charges very quickly, and when you type numbers to dial it displays it in enormous font size for people with bad eye sight.
I was really surprised by the service. I looked at the tmobile coverage map, and my area was not very green (digital), in fact my surrounding area was all tan (not even light green). However, I get all full bars of signal in my home, and this phone seems really good at picking up signals according to other reviews I've read. In fact, I get much better signal and call quality with tmobile than I do with cingular (their map claims my area is all green). Also, the included (wired) headset is very nice and clear.
Anyways, on to the cons. Like other reviewers mentioned, the ringer tones stink. They're crazy eccentric tones no self-respecting person would want to use. But whatever; no big deal. The only other thing I wish this phone came with is a holster. I don't like cases because they make the phone bulkier and not very good for clamshell phones. So you're stuck sticking this phone in your pocket where it seems easily scratchable, like most other phones on the market. Other than this, I really like this phone. Nice and functional; does what a phone should do.
4 great phone for grown-ups
I'd highly recommend this phone for the average grown-up...someone who owns a camera and doesn't plan to take crappy little pictures with their phone, who doesn't need to get on the speakerphone with six friends or play games all day, and who basically wants a nice phone that works well.
I've used Nokia and Motorola phones in the past, and switching to Samsung was a good decision. Their predictive text entry system (T9) is FAR superior to Motorola's ITAP; also the menu is much more intuitive, and the keypad is easier to use. I thought Nokia phones were also quite good overall - but I much prefer a smaller flip-style phone, which Nokia doesn't carry.
The reception on this phone is also excellent; I get a signal even in the basement of the hospital where I work. Previously I thought t-mobile's signal wasn't very good near my job, but now I realize that the problem was my Motorola phone. The screen is fantastic, and the layout overall is sleek and stylish. The phone is very small and light, yet not flimsy. The lack of an external antenna makes the phone easier to stash in a pocket or small purse.
I have to make a lot of 3-way conference calls at work, and sound quality is important to me. This phone is a huge improvement over my previous ones in that aspect, too.
I haven't had a chance to really give the battery a workout, but after a day of a couple long calls and a lot of instant messaging, I only lost one bar of battery power.
The phone includes all the basic stuff you expect: a calendar and to-do list, alarms, customizable buttons for the functions you use most, a phone book with all the regular features, text and multimedia messaging/IM, web browsing if you want to pay for that, etc. There's no bluetooth or camera, two features that (in my opinion) are really not necessary in a phone.
A few disappointments: the choice of standard ringtones is ridiculously bad (OK it's not a tragedy, but I have to pay $1.49 to download a plain old ringing sound from t-mobile's web site? C'mon!). The center button works to select items once you're in a menu, but from the start screen it launches you into t-mobile's t-zones service, which is mildly annoying at first. On some other phones, it's easier to quickly switch between different sound/alert modes. But overall, these are minor issues. This phone is free for new subscribers and cheap (with the rebate) even if you have to pay for it, so it's a great deal.
Finally, I'd highly recommend t-mobile's service...at least in medium to big cities - it's not the best if you live in a very rural area. Customer service is fantastic and their $39.99 plan is hard to beat. Using a GSM service like t-mobile is best if you travel outside the US (Sprint and Verizon don't work in Europe, for instance). I check my other options every time the contract expires, but I hear horror stories from Cingular/AT&T subscribers about dropped calls and spectacularly bad customer service. If you're signing up for a new cell phone or upgrading an old phone, this is a good choice.
5 Awesome Design, Strong reception
This is my second Samsung product and I am happy with it. Very compact and stylish. Very functional keypad and great reception.
Must for anyone who wants a cellphone that doesn't let you down.
6 Wonderful!
I had my Samsung S105 for more than 2 years. I managed to drop it for the one-millionth time, finally splitting it in two. It was such a great phone with incredible reception, that I knew I had to have another Samsung.
Contrary to popular belief, not everyone wants a camera. A large part of the reason this is billed as "entry level" is because of its lack of a camera. For someone like myself, who works in the court system, a camera phone is a no-no. They confiscate them, forcing you to retrieve it on the way out. It's a pain and defeats the purpose of having a phone. if I want to take a picture, I'd like it to be worth saving, and I'll use a real camera with actual quality. :) The only other thing missing is bluetooth, and frankly that another thing that people are extreme on: Either they MUST have it or they could care less. I could care less. My cell is never sooooo far away that a small wire to my pocket is bothersome. Besides, an expensive earpiece with no wires is just one more thing for me to lose. That said, here's what I think about this phone:
Design:
Sleek and small, but the buttons aren't too small, which is a plus. The four way directional buttons are easily programmed to shortcut to your most often used functions. There's no visible antennae. Everything is capped, the charging slot at the bottom and hands free jack on the side. To those who think this would be annoying, you're wrong, the pop out easily, not like the rubber plugs on past samsung models. The volume button is conveniently located and easy to use while talking. The colors, a soft blue and silver are appealing both to those who want a little color and those who would be put off by neon bright colors or patterns.
Features:
The color screen is incredible sharp with easily adjustable brightness and contrast. The menu can be set one of three ways, all of which are nice. The original ringtones are dreadful in many ways, but they are on most phones. Adding hi-fi ring tones was easy and fast. Adding wallpapers was also easy.
The games selection beats the hell out of the S105 and V205. They are crisp and amusing. It comes with 4 preloaded java games, more than any other cell I've ever had.
The organizer is standard with the addition of a "voice memo" where you can record 30 second clips to remind yourself of things. You can also make these 30 second recordings and send them out with Text messages, directly to phone numbers, or as emails. If you purchase the GPRS software and data cable, you can create your own wallpapers or update your organizer from your computer.
There are plenty of ways to customize this phone. Even the lettering on the main screen can be changed to a variety of colors and styles. The service light only has three colors, unlike the S105, which had a virtual rainbow of colors to choose from. But its a service light... who cares?
There is an auto-update feature on the time-date function, which is also nice.
Reception:
Everyone I've talked to has commented on how clear I sound. And the same is true in reverse. Calls are loud and clear and reception is wonderful. I've come to expect this from Samsung, and this phone is true to form.
Other:
I just love the size and feel of this phone. It's substantial enough, doesn't feel flimsy, and yet its so slight. I can't review the long term hold up of this phone, its so new, but in my experience, Tmobile does a good job of correcting problems, and so does samsung.
I could have used a clip or case. This is the first phone I've bought in a long time that didn't come with at least a simply belt clip. It comes with the charger, an international plug adapter, and the hands-free headset. There aren't a lot of accessories just yet, but they'll be out soon enough.
Overall this is a great phone with plenty of bells and whistles. It's easy to use, even for tech idiots, and easily customized for the tech friendly. The reception is great and the size is perfect. If you dont need bluetooth or a camera, this is the phone for you!
