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Samsung R225 Phone (T-Mobile)

Samsung R225 Phone (T-Mobile)

List Price: $99.99
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: terrilbe
Review: i hate this phone you cant get a screensaver or id pics and the ringtones are terrible. even if you download one off the internet. it just sounds annonying.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Don't spend good money on this phone
Review: I have had this phone for 22 months, and the volume is highly variable, the ringer stopped ringing, the battery life is just ok. It's a really basic phone, there are so many more great phones out there. Skip this one.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A tool, not a toy. No frills reliability.
Review: I received a T-Mobile Samsung R225 from a friend for free. They didn't need it and I did because my old Nokia 8290 had quit on me. It didn't come with an instruction book and charger. I got a charger for $10 and some instructions for a similar Samsung model that allowed me to learn many if not all the R225's features. Since then, I have downloaded a PDF of the manual on my PC for the rest.
First impression, this thing is simple, basic and it does the job. I've had no problems with receiving and sending calls since I got it. I tend to treat a cell as a cell and not bother too much with fripperies like text messaging, web-browsing and camera phones. I feel that laptops/pdas and real cameras can do way better and that cells that have those features tend to be low quality, awkward "conveniences" instead of serious tools. (But hey, it sells more phones).
The R225 is similar in operation to the Nokias I've had. There are some differences that have made it difficult to navigate ,certain features are accessed differently and even basic operations are way different (like turning it on, the Nokias use the left top key, while the 225 uses the end key (?!), but this has been more due to the lack of complete instructions and brand differences then anything else.
I've used a total of 4 Nokias. 2 each of the 5190 series (tough, rugged but bulky and thick) and 2 of the 8290 series . (Light and compact, but rather fragile). I don't baby my gear. I don't go around abusing them , but I don't treat them like toys either. All my Nokias have gone under from daily handling and banging around (dropping, accidently whacking against door while in holster belt, etc). None of them have survived. This has especially been true of the way too fragile 8290s.
The R225 has the best of both, the ruggedness of the 5190 and the compactness/lightweight of the 8290.
Mine has a few scuff marks but works fine. Some suggestions though, the life of the standard battery is not the 120 hours (5days) in standby mode they claim it is. Turn off the blinking service light and the glowing lcd monitor light (which is on for a long time, even in short mode)in order to extend your battery life. Get a leather holster. This phone is rugged, but a holster definitely helps its ability to take knocks.
The good thing about the battery is that it charges to full strength relatively fast (about 2 hours or so).
The R225 is the best overall cell phone I've ever owned.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good basic phone
Review: I think that this phone works perfectly fine if your looking for a basic cell. I havent had any problems with it, and it has good reception as well as clear voices. If your looking for a basic phone, this phone is great.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: disappointing
Review: I went with this phone instead of a Nokia because the salesman said that the Samsung had better reception while the Nokia had longer battery life. I went with reception, but shouldn't have. I had used Nokias for years and I was happy with them. The Samsung was very disappointing. The menus are not intuitive at all, the phone book is bare bones at best, message notifications are buggy... it's just poorly set up and hard to work with after using the very intuitive Nokia software. The included headset is useless - it's uncomfortable to wear and the sound is very fuzzy.
The power port cover is stupid. It's very small, easy to lose, and should be permanently attached to the phone.

The first real functionality problem I had was that the phone would shut off unexpectedly even though the battery was fully charged. I had frequent times where calls were dropped though I had full signal, which I'm not sure is the fault of the phone or the service. Sound would cut in & out at times though I had full signal. Battery life is very poor. It rarely lasts me 36hrs of stand by with moderate use (maybe 30 mins of talk time). The most recent issue is that I will unexpectedly lose sound on my end and the only way I can correct it is by removing the battery and then putting it back on to restart the phone. Just powering it down & back up doesn't correct the problem. All that to say, avoid this phone if you want to have something you can rely on.

The positive points - It does have clear sound on both ends when it works and I like the design/look of the phone. It's small, light and thin, which I like. The blue backlit display is easy to read in most light situations.

Overall, it's disappointing. I can't rely on it, so I've got an order in for a Nokia. I haven't used a Motorola, Sony or other phone, so I can't compare to those brands. But the Nokias I have used in the past have been reliable.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great little phone
Review: I'm just writing this review to clear up some of the things that were written in previous reviews.

The alert options for this phone are Vibrate, Melody, Light(just the backlight comes on), and Vibra+Melody(vibrates a couple times before ringing). Not just vibrate or melody.

The ring tones are pretty absurd, but there is one that I could live with, and I used the melody composer for another one.

There IS an autolock feature on the phone, 15 sec, 30 sec, 1 min, and 2 min autolock settings available.

The hands free jack is not propietary, and most any hands free kit will work with this phone. I've used probably 5-10 different hands free sets on my phone, and they all worked.

And lastly, the silent mode doesn't reset after a call(at least mine sure doesn't).

There, now I feel much better ;) I've had my phone for a while, and it's been through many drops and other extreme condtions, and it just keeps going with no trouble at all. It has excellent battery life, and excels at it's intended purpose: Making calls. Highly recommended.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: If you like to send phones back, buy this
Review: I'm on my THIRD unit of this phone. First phone mic. died after a few months. Second phone had screen freezes. The current unit is holding up so far. We'll see if it makes it to the six month point. Oh, also the "travel" charger died within six months. That cost me and extra $25. I can say that T-Mobile did a good job sending replacements. The signal is decent as is battery life. Otherwise it's a waste.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Very reliable
Review: I've had about 7 different phone models by now and my most frequent complaint is low battery life. This phone lasts all day considering that I have 3000 minutes to use per month. It has a basic organizer that I use religiously and find it easy to use. Compared to Kyocera models this phone is on steroids; non-stop battery power and very sturdy. I got my phone last year Nov 2003 and it has yet to malfunction or disappoint me. It is very basic (no cameras, clamshell cover, or colored displays), but still the most robust and reliable model I've had. If there was an upgraded model I would get it.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: It does the job
Review: I've had my phone for over a year and haven't had any mechanical issues to date. My only complaint would be poor reception in certain areas, but I'm not sure if that can be attributed to the phone or the network.
I've been very satisfied with T-Mobile (especially the service!) and I'm very hesitant to try another carrier. If not for the reception, I'd give it a ten. It does all you'd want a basic phone to do!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: It's OK
Review: I've had this phone for 2 years.
Pros
-easy to use
-has many call transfer options: always, unavailable, cancal all
-can switch phone numbers from phone to sim card.
-can create text message and save them to be sent another time.
-hold up to 10 missed calls, incoming calls, outgoing calls
-battery life is ok (but I usually charge it everyday, I can go 2-3 days without charging.)
-works even in elevators.

Cons
-terrible call volume either people can't hear you or you can't hear them

-drops calls for no reason the tower bar could be to limit it may still drop a call (this could be a network problem this is the first phone I have had on T-mobile.)
-people know you are calling from a cellphone.


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