Home > Consumer Reviews > Samsung U600 Sim Free Mobile Phone

I've had this since Christmas 2008, and was drawn by the aesthetics of the sleek lines and functionality of synchronization with a PC for calendars etc. Other than that, I didn't ask for much more from a phone.

Please note: I've just read this review and it all seems negative. It's not that bad really (I have sent phones back before now but still have this one!) I just want people to know some of the downsides that you can't tell from just reading specifications.

I have to admit the first week was a test of patience with the touch-sensitive keys : numerous attempts to write text messages were cancelled while inadvertently catching the wrong bit of the screen (pressing the Back button rather than Delete thus losing the half-written text message - FOUR TIMES I TRIED IT ONCE) but I'm getting used to it. This U600-i is the improvement on the U600 (which is still found on some sites so beware) and has a vibration feedback on the touch-keys, so you have a little more chance of knowing when you've pressed them! I believe the G-600 has "proper" keys but is a bit more money.

I agree with some other reviews that the sleekness can get in the way of function at times, as there's not a lot of phone to hang on to whilst pressing the number/texting keys so texting can still be difficult for larger fingers.

These things aside, in general use the phone works very well, with decent volume for talking and loudspeaker. Menus are easy to handle once you're used to it (never had a Samsung before).

I can't comment on the music player as I've not plugged the earphones in, mainly because I don't need it. Incidentally, why can't these manufacturers make them with standard headphone sockets so we can plug another (better) pair of headphones in?

Sorry, but another negative : BATTERY!! Believe the other reviews (apart from some that say it's okay) - I've had a Sony K750i and a Nokia 6100 before it and they easily lasted 2 to 3 times longer between charges. I don't use it a great deal but am lucky to get 3 days out of it before it tells me it needs charging, or worst still just runs out and goes off! I do have Bluetooth turned on, but so did my SE K750 without any problems. If you don't mind having your charger at hand, it not too bad.

The camera, while producing some decent photographs, can take a while to initialise and take a photo. Don't expect to just press the camera button then take a photo : it's a good 5-10 seconds before it starts up. If you wait for the autofocus to lock on you could be waiting another 5-10, but the central "i" button tends to be good for a quick grab shot.

Oh, another little annoyance - Samsung decided on this one that nobody wants their phone to vibrate AND make a sound when you get a text - it's either one or the other. It can do this for incoming calls and alarms, but not texts! Why? All very well having it tucked away in your jeans while you're out, but you can't tell if you get an SMS if it's noisy.

All in all, the phone is great if you have small fingers, small pockets, a bit of patience for texting and taking photos!

Whilst this may look stylish, and the large screen and keypad are a plus point, as many others point out the screen breaks too easily. Are mobile phones really not designed to stand up to being put in your pocket. Unless you get it from a very reputable supplier they won't honour the warranty in these cases. It is not economical to repair so buy a cheaper, sturdier model.

Firstly mine isn't the unlocked it's vodafone PAYG, but I'm reviewing the U600 handset here so that doesn't matter.

As many other people have mentioned the touch sensitive buttons on the front are stupid, they are too sensitive and it's inconsistent having some touch buttons and some press ones. I also find the actual number buttons a little harder to use than my previous RAZR V3, so texting is a bit slower.

Next problem is the interface, there's just too many nested option pages, it can take 5 or 6 presses of back to get back to the main screen. Too many options, too many pages of options and too many layers of nesting. Once you're past the first menu page you never really know where you are. Despite a fairly big screen the interface manages to feel quite cramped as well.

Next thing - as a music player, sound quality is poor with the supplied headphones and you can't use your own. It's hard to find songs due to giant text and not enough lines on screen, access speed from Micro SD is very slow, you have to mess about setting up playlists rather than just doing it with folders. So, no replacement for a good MP3 player.

I'm also think the camera is pretty average, especially in artificial light, and again it has loads and loads of settings, which again aren't easy to navigate.

Good points - very attractive and stylish, very thin, nice animated main screen, works fine as a phone, battery life seems good.

I've nearly always bought Samsung mobiles because, like nearly every other Samsung product, they're the most stylish on the market. I bought this mobile a couple of months ago after my Sony Ericsson started to freeze up, and I am quite happy with the phone. Firstly, it's lightweigh, easy to use and extremely stylish (I have the purple version, but got it unblocked from Orange as I've always preferred to use o2). The touch sensitive buttons are really simple to use and you can adjust their sensitivity if you're quite heavy-handed. The menus are easy and organised well, I've never had difficulty getting a reception, and calls are started or ended by simply opening and closing the slider.

My only problem with the phone is the camera; unless I am in daylight or fairly bright light and close to the people or object I am taking the picture of, it is extremely fuzzy. It is also quite slow taking the pictures, doesn't zoom in and out and compared to the Sony Ericsson (which was also 3.2 megapixels) I mentioned earlier, takes absolutely rubbish pictures! However, this isn't really a problem for me, because I'm perfectly happy to carry around my digital camera.

So, if you are buying to mobile simply to use as a phone, I couldn't recommend it highly enough. However, if you are the type of person who uses the camera on their phone a lot, I'd steer clear of it.

Also, I paid £80 for my u600, the price on here is a little steep, so maybe buy it off one of the marketplace sellers or look elsewhere!

I would say that this phone is average in every way. There's nothing at all exciting about it but is very easy to use and looks quite nice. I find the menu on the home screen quite annoying as it sometimes gets in the way of pictures that are set as wallpaper. I like the slimless of the phone and the keypad. I sometimes find texting on it annoying as sometimes if you type a sentance that you have wrote previously it doesn't recognise it ( or this may just be me being picky). Would have been handy if it had come with a case/sleeve.