Samsung SPH-A900

By gt2697, posted Saturday, Sep. 30th, 2006
Reader Comments: 7

Bluetooth

The A900 supports both headset and hands-free Bluetooth headsets. Setup is a breeze and pairing my Plantronics Discovery 640 took less than a minute. It also supports limited OBEX (Object Exchange). The A900 will accept VCARDs to add contacts, however, don’t try pictures of movie clips as they won’t be accepted.

High Speed Connection

EV-DO means broadband speeds in your hand. Sending and receiving information from the phone averages about 600-800 kbps in good service areas. Users that would like to use the phone as a tethered modem can do so for an extra fee. You can also watch live streaming TV, or listen to Sirius music on the phone and the speed and sound are fantastic.

Memory

The A900 comes with 47MB of onboard memory. This is on par with other devices out there. The one thing the A900 lacks is support for expandable storage cards. While a newer upgrade to this phone should address this concern, it really takes away from the ability to load up with MP3’s or other media to take with you.

Sprint Downloadable Content

As with the other cellular operators out there, Sprint is looking to make money on content. The A900 fortunately is able to take advantage of the great applications available. A great selection of downloadable games, ring tones (including video ring tones), screen savers, applications and ring-back tones start around $1 and top out at about $5. Sprint has a full Music Store as well that lets you browse and listen to previews of songs before you download. The media player browses through a number of on-demand channels and lets you buy ones that you would like to view.

Video on the A900

Overall

The A900 is definitely a great addition to the Sprint PCS lineup. There are a lot of Sprint fans out there that will be looking for a device such as this one to fill their need for a thin but feature packed phone. With the exception of the unreliable battery life, and lack of a storage card slot, this phone is sure to be a good seller for Sprint.

What’s in the box

Digital Dual-Band Sprint Power Vision Samsung SPH-A900
Standard Lithium Ion Battery
AC Travel Charger
USB Cable
Stereo Headset
USB Mass Storage Insert
Activation Guide
Phone User Guide
Sprint Power Vision Guide
Sprint Terms and Conditions of Service

Cost: $99.99 with 2-year agreement

Rating: 4 out of 5

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Well, who else asks the "tough" questions? :)

I have seen quite a bit of these phones on my daily commute. That being said, I am sure that the A900 will see some success as the only real "slim" alternative in the Sprint world.

Posted by JNGold, Sunday, Oct. 1st, 2006

Nothing gets by you does it Jerry :-)

The UI for the A900 is much like every other Samsung phone that I have used. I think Sprint helped them add some of the animated graphical stuff that you will find in the main menu, but then once you get past that, same old thing. If I were to compare the Moto vs. the Sammy, I would say hands down the Sammy interface is better. Moto in my opinion is really struggling, and the UI for the RAZR is one reason I kept it for only 3 days.

I think the body of the phone is good, and the durability is nice. It is different than the RAZR, and some pay prefer the build, but hold a RAZR to your ear and then the A900. The rounded contoured corners of the A900 are much nicer to hold and feel against your ear!

Posted by gt2697, Sunday, Oct. 1st, 2006

Great review Mickey - Thanks.

Posted by Laura, Sunday, Oct. 1st, 2006

Jerry the A900 definitely is a metal body. I thought it did have some heft to it making it feel solid. Mickey what are your thoughts?

Posted by David Ciccone, Sunday, Oct. 1st, 2006

What about the A900 interface? It's well known that the Moto interface that was on the original Razr was less than desirable (ie. it was showing its age). How would you compare the Samsung vs. Moto in terms of interface?

As for the A900 itself, I picked one up at a CompUSA (non-charged of course) when it first came out. I wasn't too impressed with the plastic feel of the A900 and definitely prefer the metal build of the RAZR. However, since Sprint users really have no other alternative for a real thin phone, the plastic shell can be excused.

Posted by JNGold, Sunday, Oct. 1st, 2006

Thanks Dave, it was a lot of fun doing it. The phone is really nice, and I would definitely consider it for a secondary device to a email centric one as the primary. If anyone has any specific questions on it, let me know and I would be happy to answer them!

Posted by gt2697, Saturday, Sep. 30th, 2006

Mickey great job on the review. I know I was definitely enjoying the NFL coverage on the A900! By far Sprint is way ahead of everyone else when it deals with content.

Posted by David Ciccone, Saturday, Sep. 30th, 2006

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