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Samsung S5620 Monte Mobile Phone – SIM Free
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This is a very good phone. I bought it a week ago and took it away camping with me and it last well even without a cover. mine came with a screen protector already fitted and earphones even though it says it doesn’t (no complaints). I have truly fallen in love with this phone!!! does everything i want it to do and the wifi feature is very good. it does lag just after you have turned it on and just randomly sometimes but not that often. Internet is fast and the speaker is good. i advise buying it from phones4u a lot cheaper though they are locked to networks. That was alright for me as i was already on orange pay as you go. Highly recomended.
Rating: 5 / 5
I’m not a very phone savvy person (I kept my old Nokia for many years ‘cos it took me so long to master it that I was reluctant to start learning a new one!). You can read expert reviews elsewhere but here is my inexpert one. The phone comes with a computer connection cable, charger (of course), quite good earphones, a rather thick screen saver, and an almost adequate user manual.
Pros.
The onscreen keypad is a good size and easier to use than small buttons.
The touchscreen works very well. Seems over-sensitive at first but you soon get used to it.
The text entry system (T9 and all that) is simple and easy to learn.
There is a standard earphone socket.
The music player works well, has a good sound, and will play WMA files as well as AAC etc. Music can easily be downloaded from Windows Media Player.
SD card up to 16GB can be put in without taking the back off.
The wi-fi was easy to connect to my home router.
Handy screen lock/release button on the side.
Oh, and it works well as a phone. Clear sound, good phonebook, no problems.
Cons
No flash on the camera.
The back was very difficult to get off – there seemed to be a danger of breaking it, but I didn’t.
The charging/connection socket is almost a mini USB but is slightly different. You need to carry its own charger on holiday!
An Apple person would sneer at the limited number of ‘apps’. Depends what you want.
Took me ages to work out how to alter the screen size on web pages. No guidance in the manual. (You have to press with one finger, wait for the arrows to appear, then move your finger up to zoom in or down to zoom out).
For me the pros far outweigh the cons and I’m happy. I’ve found it a very easy phone to get the hang of (and if I can do it so can you!).
Rating: 4 / 5
Having had my previous phone for a number of years I decided it was time to upgrade and opted for a phone that had a touch screen and internet access via Wi-fi. The Samsung Monte fits my needs perfectly.
It comes with charger, usb, earphones, user guide and Samsung Kies software
Internal memory is advertised at 200MB (mine shows 330MB when linked to my PC)
Memory can be increased by using a MicroSDHC up to 16GB, I bought an 8GB SanDisk microSDHC Card and after slotting in it was recognised immediately – didn’t even need formatting
What it’s got
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Internet through 3G and Wi-fi
3.2MP camera with face detection and smile shot
Handsfree – The included earphones have a built in button on the cable to answer and disconnect calls and a microphone
FM Radio
GPS and Google maps
Built in widgets for easy access to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and BBC iPlayer to name just a few
What’s missing
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The only additional thing I would have liked was a flash for the camera, the camera does have a night mode but using it hasn’t proved very effective.
I had problems installing the Samsung Kies software via the disk so downloaded the latest version from the Samsung website which also failed to install properly, so gave up on it and let my Win7 PC automatically install the drivers, I can transfer music, photos, ringtones easily enough by drag and drop so not really a problem and maybe at some point in the future I’ll have another go with the Kies software (the number of posts in Samsungs support forum regarding installation problems doesn’t fill me with the greatest confidence).
It took me a few days of use to get used to the sensitivity of the touch screen and intitially I found my long fingernails got in the way (it’s a girl thing!) but practise helps and I’m getting better.
The phone is a nice size, not too bulky and fits nicely in my hand. Accessing menus is simple to get the hang of and the touch screen is really responsive, the music player sounds pretty good and the camera takes decent pictures.
I had no problems setting up my email accounts on it, settings for hotmail, yahoo and google mail are pre-loaded so it was a simple case of entering my username and password. Connecting to the internet via 3G or through my home Wi-fi setup, was again simple and no hiccups there, able to connect and log in to any site I’ve wanted to once I’d worked out how to enlarge and select the log in screen (touch screen and hold until arrow appears then move finger up to enlarge) the user manual didn’t help much there.
Whilst the Monte may not have the functionality of some of the top of the range phones available it suits my needs and does everything I want it to and if like me ease of use is one of your main criteria, I’d recommend it.
Rating: 5 / 5